JP4417283B2 - Conveying belt, document conveying apparatus, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyance belt, a document conveyance device, and an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, a conveyance belt that conveys a document by a conveyance belt on a slit glass of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a printer apparatus, or a multifunction machine, The present invention relates to a document conveying device and an image forming apparatus including the document conveying device.

  Conventionally, in this type of document conveying device, a plurality of convex members are provided on the inner peripheral side of an annular conveying belt made of an elastic body such as rubber spanned between a pair of rollers, and a groove formed in the roller A technique is known in which the lateral displacement of the conveyance belt can be prevented while allowing the conveyance belt to extend in the extending direction by fitting the members and restricting the movement of the conveyance belt in the lateral direction. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-139564

  However, in such a conventional document conveying device, a contracting force is generated in the width direction of the conveying belt due to the tension applied by the roller in the extending direction of the conveying belt, and the repulsive force of the contracting force is generated by the conveying belt. As shown in FIG. 9, the protruding portion 62 may be raised as the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the conveyor belt 61 where the convex member is provided as shown in FIG. For this reason, there is a risk that the document skews.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a conveyance belt, a document conveyance device, and an image forming apparatus that can stably convey a document.

The conveyor belt of the present invention is an endless conveyor belt that is spanned between a plurality of rollers and rotated by the rollers, and is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt, and is aligned in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt A plurality of convex portions, and a concave portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the conveyance belt facing the base portion of the convex portion, and the width of the concave portion is the width of the base end portion of the convex portion of the conveyance belt Is substantially the same as or larger than the width of the conveying belt side base end .

With this configuration, since the concave portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt facing the base of the convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt is absorbed into the concave portion. And can be prevented from protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt. As a result, the conveyance belt can stably convey the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.
Also, with this configuration, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyance belt can be absorbed into the concave portion, and the document can be conveyed stably.
Moreover, the depth of the said recessed part of the conveyance belt of this invention is comprised from the thing smaller than the thickness of the said conveyance belt.
Moreover, the said recessed part of the conveyance belt of this invention is formed continuously in the circumferential direction of the said conveyance belt.

For reference, the concave portion of the conveyance belt of the present invention has a shape including a base portion of the convex portion.
With this configuration, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyance belt can be absorbed into the concave portion, and the document can be conveyed stably.

The document conveying device of the present invention is provided between an endless conveying belt that is spanned between a plurality of rollers and rotated by the rollers, and is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the conveying belt, and is arranged in a circumferential direction of the conveying belt. Provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt facing the convex portion , a plurality of convex portions that are aligned, a groove that is provided on the roller and that engages the convex portion to restrict movement in the width direction of the conveyor belt The width of the concave portion is substantially the same as the width of the base end portion of the conveyor belt side of the convex portion or larger than the width of the base end portion of the transport belt side . .

With this configuration, since the concave portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt facing the base of the convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt is absorbed into the concave portion. And can be prevented from protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt. As a result, the conveyance belt can stably convey the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.
Also, with this configuration, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyance belt can be absorbed into the concave portion, and the document can be conveyed stably.

For reference, the concave portion of the document conveying device of the present invention is configured to have a shape including a base portion of the convex portion.
With this configuration, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyance belt can be absorbed into the concave portion, and the document can be conveyed stably.

Further, the recess of the document feeder of the present invention are formed continuously in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt.
With this configuration, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyance belt can be absorbed into the concave portion, and the document can be conveyed stably.
Further, the conveying belt of the document conveying apparatus of the present invention is disposed at a position facing a reading position for reading the conveyed document.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described document conveying device.

  With this configuration, since the concave portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt facing the base of the convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt is absorbed into the concave portion. And can be prevented from protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt. As a result, the conveyance belt can stably convey the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport belt, a document transport apparatus, and an image forming apparatus that can stably transport a document.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 9 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a conveying belt, a document conveying apparatus, and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Note that the image forming apparatus described below can be applied as a document conveying apparatus of a copying machine, a printer apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, or a so-called multifunction apparatus having these functions.

  In FIG. 1, a color image forming apparatus 200 such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine has an image carrier 201 (201Y (yellow), 201M (magenta), 201C (cyan), 201B (black)) around An exposure device 211, a charging device 221, a developing device 222, a transfer device 223, a cleaning device 224, and a fixing device 225 are provided.

  For the image carrier 201, an amorphous metal having photoconductivity, an amorphous metal such as amorphous selenium, or an organic compound such as a bisazo pigment or a phthalocyanine pigment can be used. Considering the environment and post-treatment after use, it is preferable to use an organic compound.

  The charging device 221 may be any one of a corona method, a roller method, a brush method, and a blade method. Here, the charging device 221 of a roller method is shown. The charging device 221 applies a predetermined voltage to the image carrier 201 and generates a corona discharge with the image carrier 201 to uniformly charge the surface of the image carrier 201.

  The exposure device 211 converts data read by the scanner in the reading device 210 and an image signal sent from the outside such as a PC (not shown), scans the laser beam with a polygon motor, and based on the image signal read through the mirror. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the carrier 201.

  The developing device 222 includes a developer carrier that supports the developer and supplies the developer to the image carrier 201, a toner supply chamber, and the like, and magnetically attracts the developer to the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier. It is designed to be transported. The developer carrying member is made of a non-magnetic member that is electrically conductive, and is connected to a power source for applying a developing bias. A voltage is applied from the power source between the developer carrier and the image carrier 201 to form an electric field in the development area.

The transfer device 223 includes a transfer belt, and an image formed on the image carrier 201 is transferred to the transfer belt.
The fixing device 225 includes a fixing roller having a heater that is a heating unit such as a halogen lamp, and a pressure roller that is in pressure contact.
The cleaning device 224 is configured to remove residual toner adhering to the image carrier 201 from the image carrier 201.

  In addition, paper feed cassettes 231a, 231b, 231c, and 231d in which recording paper is stored are provided below the image forming apparatus 200, and the recording papers stored in the paper feed cassettes 231a, 231b, 231c, and 231d are provided. The paper is fed by the paper feeding / conveying rollers 232a, 232b, 232c, and 232d, and then conveyed to the transfer device 223.

The recording paper conveyed to the transfer device 223 is transferred to the fixing device 225 by the intermediate belt 234 after the image is transferred by the transfer device 223, and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 235 after the image is fixed by the fixing device 225. Paper.
On the other hand, a document conveying device 40 is mounted on the main body 220 of the image forming apparatus 200 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the document conveying device 40 includes a document table 1 on which a document bundle made up of a plurality of documents is placed with the document surface facing upward, and an uppermost document bundle placed on the document table 1. A pickup roller 2 that transports the document, a paper feed belt 3 and a reverse roller 4 that separate the document transported by the pickup roller 2, and a separated single document are provided in the main body 220 of the image forming apparatus 200. A pull-out roller pair 5, a turn roller pair 6, a reading entrance roller pair 7 that conveys to the vicinity of the slit glass 51, and a conveyance belt 11 that conveys the original conveyed to the vicinity of the slit glass 51 while contacting the slit glass 51. A conveyor belt driving roller 8 for driving the conveyor belt 11, a conveyor belt pressure roller 9, a conveyor belt driven roller 10, and a slit glass. A reading exit roller pair 12 that further conveys a document that has been read at a reading position 52 of 51, a discharge roller pair 13 that ejects the document conveyed by the reading exit roller pair 12, and a discharged document are placed. And a paper discharge tray 14.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing details of the conveyor belt 11. A plurality of protrusions (convex portions) 11 a are provided on the straight line in the transport direction inside the both end portions of the transport belt 11. The protrusion 11a has a trapezoidal shape in which the tip is slightly narrower than the base. The conveyor belt 11 is made of an elastic member such as rubber or flexible plastic.

  Although the figure shows the configuration of one end of the conveyor belt 11, the other end of the conveyor belt 11 has the same configuration. The protrusion 11a fits into a groove (not shown) provided in each of the conveyor belt driving roller 8, the conveyor belt pressure roller 9, and the conveyor belt driven roller 10, and prevents the lateral displacement of the conveyor belt 11 in the width direction. Yes.

  Further, a recess 11b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 facing the base of the protrusion 11a. The conveyor belt 11, the protrusion 11a, and the recess 11b may be integrally formed with a mold or the like. Further, the protrusion 11a may be attached to the conveyor belt 11 and the recess 11b may be cut. Moreover, you may form the conveyance belt 11, the protrusion 11a, and the recessed part 11b by cutting from one sheet | seat.

  4A and 4B are a top view and a side view, respectively, of the transport belt drive roller 8. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the conveyance belt driving roller 8 in a state where the conveyance belt 11 is stretched. 5A shows a BB ′ cross section in FIG. 5B, and FIG. 5B shows an AA ′ cross section in FIG. 5A. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b), and 5 (a) and 5 (b), a groove 8a that engages with the protrusion 11a of the conveyor belt 11 is formed near the end of the conveyor belt drive roller 8. Has been. The groove 8a has a depth greater than the height of the protrusion 11a so that the tip of the protrusion 11a does not contact the bottom of the groove 8a. Further, the groove 8a has a width equal to or slightly larger than the width of the base of the protrusion 11a, and the protrusion 11a smoothly enters and exits the groove 8a as the conveying belt drive roller 8 rotates. 4A and 5A show one end of the conveyor belt drive roller 8, the other end also has the same configuration. Further, the conveyor belt pressure roller 9 and the conveyor belt driven roller 10 have the same configuration as the conveyor belt drive roller 8.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the conveyor belt 11 at a portion where the protrusion 11a and the recess 11b are provided. Note that both cross sections in the circumferential direction and the width direction of the conveyor belt 11 have the shape shown in FIG. The width of the recess 11b is substantially the same as the width of the protrusion 11a. The recess 11b has a shape including the base of the protrusion 11a.

  As shown in the figure, the base of the protrusion 11a raised on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 by the tension applied to the conveyor belt 11 by the conveyor belt driving roller 8, the conveyor belt pressure roller 9 and the conveyor belt driven roller 10 is the conveyor belt. 11 is absorbed in the recess 11 b on the outer peripheral surface side of the belt 11 and does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11.

  Since the bulge generated at the base of the protrusion 11a is largely generated at the central part of the protrusion 11a, the bulge at the base of the protrusion 11a is within the recess 11b even when the width of the recess 11b is slightly smaller than the width of the protrusion 11a. So that it does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11.

  Further, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the conveyor belt 11 shown in FIG. 7, it is more preferable that the width of the recess 11b is set larger than the width of the protrusion 11a. In FIG. 7, the width of the concave portion 11b is set so as to be larger by the length L on the outer side than the base portion of the protrusion 11a.

  By setting the width of the recess 11b to be larger than the width of the protrusion 11a, the recess 11b reliably absorbs the protruding amount of the base of the protrusion 11a toward the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 11 and does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt 11. Can be.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the conveyor belt 11 when the interval between the protrusions 11a is narrow. In the conveyance belt 11 shown in FIG. 3, the interval between the protrusions 11 a is larger than that in the conveyance belt 11 shown in FIG. 8, so that the concave portions 11 b are independent, but when the interval between the projections 11 a is narrow, Since adjacent recesses 11b are coupled to each other, the recess 11b is formed as a single groove 11c as shown in FIG.

  Even in such a case, the protrusion of the base of the protrusion 11a toward the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 is absorbed into the groove 11c in the same manner as shown in FIGS. It does not protrude from the surface. That is, the present invention can be applied even when the interval between the protrusions 11a is narrow.

Next, the operation of the document conveying apparatus 40 configured as described above will be described.
First, the pickup roller 2 carries the uppermost document from the document bundle placed on the document table 1 into the conveyance path. Next, the original is separated into one sheet by the forward rotation of the paper feed belt 3 and the reverse rotation of the reverse roller 4.

  The pickup roller 2 preferably carries the uppermost one original from the original bundle into the conveyance path. However, even when a plurality of originals are carried into the conveyance path, the pickup roller 2 feeds as described above. The belt 3 and the reverse roller 4 are appropriately separated into one original.

  The original document separated into one sheet is transported to the transport belt 11 by the pull-out roller pair 5, the turn roller pair 6, and the reading entrance roller pair 7. Next, the transport belt 11 sandwiches and transports the document between the slit glass 51 and a reading unit (not shown) provided below the reading position 52 of the slit glass 51 reads the document. The document that has been read is further conveyed by the reading exit roller pair 12, discharged from the conveying path by the discharge roller pair 13, and stacked on the discharge tray 14.

  When the conveyance belt 11 conveys an original while being sandwiched between the slit glass 51 and the conveyance belt 11, the conveyance belt 11 is rotated in the circumferential direction by the tension of the conveyance belt driving roller 8, the conveyance belt pressure roller 9, and the conveyance belt driven roller 10. A compressive force is applied so as to extend in the transport direction and to shrink in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction).

  This compressive force raises the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 at the portion where the protrusion 11a is provided. In this embodiment, since the concave portion 11b is formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 at the portion where the protrusion 11a is provided, the raised portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 is shown in FIGS. As shown, it is absorbed into the recess 11 b and does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11. Therefore, the transport belt 11 stably transports the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.

  In addition, as described with reference to FIG. 8, even when the interval between the protrusions 11a is narrow and the recesses 11b are coupled to each other to form a linear groove 11c, the cross section of the conveyor belt 11 is as shown in FIGS. Similarly, the raised portion of the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 at the portion where the protrusion 11 a is provided is absorbed into the groove 11 c and does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11. Therefore, also in this case, the conveyance belt 11 stably conveys the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 11a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 and aligned in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt 11, the conveyor belt driving roller 8, the conveyor belt pressure roller 9, and the conveyor belt driven. A groove 8a that is provided on each of the rollers 10 and engages with the protrusion 11a to restrict movement of the conveyance belt 11 in the width direction, and a recess 11b that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance belt 11 that faces the base of the protrusion 11a. Provided.

  For this reason, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 can be absorbed into the recess 11b, and the protrusion from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 can be prevented. As a result, the conveyance belt 11 can stably convey the document while maintaining the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface in contact with the document.

  In addition, when the width of the recess 11b is substantially the same as the width of the protrusion 11a, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the conveyor belt 11 can be absorbed into the recess 11b and protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11. Can be prevented. For this reason, it is possible to stably carry the document.

  Further, as described above, even when the width of the recess 11b is slightly smaller than the width of the protrusion 11a, the protruding portion on the outer peripheral surface side of the transport belt 11 can be absorbed into the recess 11b, and the transport belt 11 can be prevented from protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the document 11, and the document can be conveyed stably. In short, it is preferable that the recess 11b has a shape including the base of the protrusion 11a.

Further, when the width of the concave portion 11b is made larger than the width of the protrusion 11a, the concave portion 11b reliably absorbs the protrusion on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying belt 11, and the document can be conveyed stably.
Further, when the groove 11c is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11 instead of the recess 11b due to a narrow interval between the protrusions 11a, the groove 11c absorbs the protrusion on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 11. Thus, the document can be stably conveyed.

  As described above, the document conveying apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that the document can be stably conveyed, and is a slit glass of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a printer apparatus, or a multifunction machine. The apparatus is useful as a conveyance belt that conveys a document by a conveyance belt, a document conveyance device, an image forming apparatus including the document conveyance device, and the like.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a conveyance belt and a document conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an original conveying apparatus according to an embodiment. The perspective view which shows the conveyance belt of the document conveying apparatus of one Embodiment (A) Top view showing conveyance belt drive roller of document conveyance device according to one embodiment (b) Side view showing conveyance belt drive roller of document conveyance device according to one embodiment (A) Cross-sectional view showing a conveyance belt and a conveyance belt drive roller of a document conveyance device according to an embodiment (b) Cross-sectional view showing a conveyance belt and a conveyance belt drive roller of the document conveyance device according to an embodiment Sectional drawing which shows the detail of the conveyance belt of the document conveying apparatus of one Embodiment Sectional drawing which shows the detail of the conveyance belt of the document conveying apparatus of one Embodiment The perspective view which shows the conveyance belt of the document conveying apparatus of one Embodiment FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a conveyance belt of a conventional document conveyance device and a roller on which the conveyance belt is suspended.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Document table 2 Pickup roller 3 Paper feed belt 4 Reverse roller 5 Pull-out roller pair 6 Turn roller pair 7 Reading entrance roller pair 8 Conveying belt drive roller 8a Groove 9 Conveying belt pressure roller 10 Conveying belt driven roller 11 Conveying belt 11a Protrusion ( Convex part)
11b Concave portion 11c Groove 12 Reading exit roller pair 13 Paper discharge roller pair 14 Paper discharge tray 40 Document transport device 200 Image forming device

Claims (8)

An endless transport belt that is spanned between a plurality of rollers and rotated by the rollers,
A plurality of convex portions provided on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt, aligned in the circumferential direction of the transport belt , and concave portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the transport belt facing the base of the convex portion ;
The conveyance belt, wherein the width of the concave portion is substantially the same as the width of the conveyance belt side base end portion of the convex portion or larger than the width of the conveyance belt side base end portion . The conveyance belt according to claim 1 , wherein a depth of the concave portion is smaller than a thickness of the conveyance belt. The conveyor belt according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is formed continuously in a circumferential direction of the conveyor belt . An endless transport belt that is spanned between a plurality of rollers and rotated by the rollers, a plurality of convex portions that are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the transport belt and are aligned in the circumferential direction of the transport belt, and the rollers A groove that engages with the convex portion and restricts movement of the conveying belt in the width direction, and a concave portion that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying belt facing the convex portion,
The document conveying apparatus , wherein the width of the concave portion is substantially the same as the width of the conveying belt side base end portion of the convex portion or larger than the width of the conveying belt side base end portion . The document conveying apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a depth of the concave portion is smaller than a thickness of the conveying belt . The recess includes a document conveying device according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that it is formed continuously in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt. The document conveying device according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein the conveying belt is disposed at a position facing a reading position for reading a document to be conveyed. An image forming apparatus comprising the document conveying device according to claim 4 .

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