JP4992857B2 - Sheet conveying apparatus, image recording apparatus, and image reading apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus capable of determining the skewing degree of a conveyed sheet, and an image recording apparatus and an image reading apparatus provided with the sheet conveying apparatus.

  Printers and scanners include a sheet conveying device that conveys sheets such as recording paper and originals. Generally, a sheet conveying apparatus conveys a sheet by rotating a roller that is in contact with the sheet with an appropriate pressure. In a sheet conveying apparatus, a problem that skewing occurs when a sheet is conveyed is generally well known. However, in this type of sheet conveying apparatus, a sheet is conveyed by the rotational force of a roller. The sheet may be skewed due to shaft eccentricity or the like. When a sheet (recording paper) is conveyed obliquely in the printer, there arises a problem that an image is recorded obliquely with respect to the sheet. When a sheet (original) is conveyed obliquely in the scanner, there arises a problem that an image of the original is read obliquely. For this reason, the conventional sheet conveying apparatus is provided with a function of detecting the skew of the sheet in order to perform an appropriate process according to the skew of the sheet (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). .

  The sheet conveying apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 include a plurality of optical sensors that detect the leading edge of the sheet. The plurality of optical sensors are arranged apart from each other in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction in the conveyance path in which the sheet is conveyed. When the sheet is conveyed without being skewed, the leading ends of the sheet are simultaneously detected by a plurality of optical sensors. When the sheet is conveyed while being skewed, a deviation occurs in the timing at which the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the plurality of optical sensors. By measuring this timing shift, the degree of skew of the sheet is detected.

  The sheet conveying apparatus described in Patent Document 4 is provided with two vibration transmission flags and an acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor is of a capacitance type that converts vibration into an electric signal. The two vibration transmission flags are both disposed below the conveyance path, and are separated in the width direction of the conveyance path perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. Each vibration transmission flag includes a shaft that can rotate with the width direction as an axial direction, a protrusion provided on one end side of the shaft, and a hammer portion provided on the other end side of the shaft. In the process of conveying the sheet, the leading edge of the sheet collides with the protrusion. Thereby, the axis | shaft of a vibration transmission flag rotates and an acceleration sensor is hit by a hammer part. When the sheet is conveyed without being skewed, the acceleration sensor is hit at the same timing by the respective hammer portions of the two vibration transmission flags. For this reason, an electrical signal having one peak is output from the acceleration sensor. On the other hand, when the sheet is conveyed while being skewed, the acceleration sensor is hit at different timings depending on the hammer portions of the two vibration transmission flags. For this reason, an electrical signal having two peaks is output from the acceleration sensor. The degree of skew of the sheet is detected according to the time difference between the two peaks.

JP-A-10-53355 JP 2005-263396 A JP-A-2005-350155 JP 2007-31104 A

  Incidentally, in the sheet conveying apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a plurality of optical sensors are used to detect the skew of the sheet. Moreover, in the sheet conveying apparatus described in Patent Document 4, an acceleration sensor that is more expensive than an optical sensor is used to detect the skew of the sheet. For this reason, the conventional sheet conveying apparatus has a problem that the cost of the apparatus increases in order to detect the skew of the sheet. That is, in order to configure the apparatus at a low cost, it is preferable that the skew of the sheet is detected by one optical sensor.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a sheet conveying apparatus capable of detecting the skew of a sheet with a single optical sensor, and an image recording apparatus and an image reading apparatus provided with the sheet conveying apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

(1) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveying path, a first roller pair, a processing unit, a supplying unit, a first detector and a second detector, one optical sensor, and a determining unit. . The conveyance path is where the sheet is conveyed. The first roller pair is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path, and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path. The processing means is provided downstream of the first roller pair in the sheet conveyance direction. The processing means performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. The supply unit supplies the sheet from the placement unit to the conveyance path. The first detector and the second detector are arranged apart from each other in the first direction intersecting the transport direction on the upstream side of the first roller pair in the transport direction. The first detector and the second detector are rotated by contact with the sheet supplied by the supply means. The optical sensor detects the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector, respectively. The determining means determines the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor. The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. The first detector includes a first contacted part and a first shielding part. The first abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means is abutted. The first shielding portion is configured such that when a sheet is brought into contact with the first contacted portion, a first position that opens an optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element through a second position that blocks the optical path. Move to the third position to open the optical path. The second detector includes a second contacted part and a second shielding part. The second abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means comes into contact. The second shielding portion moves from the fourth position at which the optical path is opened to the fifth position at which the optical path is blocked by the sheet being brought into contact with the second contacted portion.

  The supply unit includes, for example, a supply roller that is rotated while being in contact with a sheet on the placement unit with an appropriate pressure. The sheet on the placement unit receives the rotational force of the supply roller and is supplied to the conveyance path. The first roller pair includes, for example, a driving roller that rotates by receiving a driving force of a motor, and a driven roller that is driven by being pressed against the driving roller. When the driving roller is rotated in the first direction by the control means, the sheet receives the rotational force of the first roller pair and is sent to the processing means to perform predetermined processing on the sheet. Examples of the predetermined process include a process of recording an image on a sheet and a process of reading an image on the sheet.

  The first detector and the second detector are arranged at the same position in the transport direction in the transport path. Further, the first detector and the second detector are separated in the first direction. By arranging the first detector and the second detector in this way, when the sheet is skewed, the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector are different depending on the optical sensor. Detected at timing. The timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector varies depending on the skew of the sheet. That is, the timing difference increases as the sheet skew increases, and the timing difference decreases as the sheet skew decreases. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the skew of the sheet from the timing difference.

  In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the “direction” is represented by a straight line having opposite directions such as + and −, for example. For example, it is represented by an arrow having one arrow head such as + or-.

  In the optical sensor, for example, a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval. In the state where the optical path of the optical sensor from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is opened, an electrical signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting element is output from the optical sensor. When the first detector or the second detector is disposed on the optical path, the signal level of the electric signal output from the optical sensor is reduced. That is, when the first detector or the second detector passes on the optical path of the optical sensor, the signal level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor changes.

  By the way, if the first shielding part remains arranged on the optical path due to the rotation of the first detector, the second sensor cannot be detected by the optical sensor. In the present invention, when the sheet contacts the first contacted part and the first detector rotates, the first shielding part moves from the first position to the third position via the second position. Thus, the optical path is opened after being blocked by the first shielding portion. For this reason, when the 2nd shielding part moves from the 4th position to the 5th position, it is possible to detect this 2nd shielding part with an optical sensor. When the sheet is skewed, the second shielding unit is arranged on the optical path after the first shielding unit opens the optical path. The rotation can be detected individually.

( 2 ) The placement section can place a plurality of types of sheets having different widths in the first direction with reference to the center in the first direction. The second abutted portion is disposed at the center in the first direction in the transport path. The first abutted portion is disposed on both sides of the second abutted portion in the first direction.

  If the second detector rotates prior to the first detector, the second shield moves to the fifth position, and the optical path of the optical sensor remains shielded. For this reason, the rotation of the first detector cannot be detected. In the present invention, the first abutted portion is disposed on both sides of the second abutted portion in the first direction. For this reason, when the sheet is skewed, the leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with the first contacted part before the second contacted part, regardless of the direction of skewing of the sheet. Thereby, when the sheet is skewed, the first detector rotates prior to the second detector. Therefore, the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector are individually detected regardless of the skew direction of the sheet.

( 3 ) The above placement unit is capable of placing a plurality of types of sheets having different widths in the first direction on the basis of one end in the first direction. The first abutted portion is disposed closer to the one end side in the first direction than the second abutted portion.

  Regardless of the size of the sheet, the sheet is placed on the placement unit with reference to one end in the first direction. For this reason, the sheet does not skew in the direction in which the leading end moves to one end side in the first direction, but in the direction in which the leading end moves to the other end side in the first direction. Since the first abutted portion is disposed on one end side in the first direction with respect to the second abutted portion, when the sheet is skewed, the leading edge of the sheet is ahead of the second abutted portion. In contact with the first contacted portion. Thereby, when the sheet is skewed, the first detector rotates prior to the second detector. Therefore, the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector are individually detected regardless of the skew direction of the sheet.

( 4 ) The timing difference may be a time from when the first shielding portion moves to the third position to when the second shielding portion moves to the fifth position.

  Thereby, the timing difference can be easily detected.

( 5 ) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveying path, a first roller pair, a processing unit, a supplying unit, a first detector and a second detector, one optical sensor, and a determining unit. . The conveyance path is where the sheet is conveyed. The first roller pair is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path, and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path. The processing means is provided downstream of the first roller pair in the sheet conveyance direction. The processing means performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. The supply unit supplies the sheet from the placement unit to the conveyance path. The first detector and the second detector are arranged apart from each other in the first direction intersecting the transport direction on the upstream side of the first roller pair in the transport direction. The first detector and the second detector are rotated by contact with the sheet supplied by the supply means. The optical sensor detects the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector, respectively. The determining means determines the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor. The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. It is. The first detector includes a first contacted part and a first shielding part. The first abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means is abutted. The first shielding portion is configured such that when a sheet is brought into contact with the first contacted portion, a first position that opens an optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element through a second position that blocks the optical path. Move to the third position to open the optical path. The second detector includes a second contacted part and a second shielding part. The second abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means comes into contact. The second shielding portion is configured to open the optical path from a sixth position that opens the optical path to a seventh position that blocks the optical path when the sheet contacts the second contacted portion. Move to.

  In the optical sensor, for example, a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval. In the state where the optical path of the optical sensor from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is opened, an electrical signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting element is output from the optical sensor. When the first detector or the second detector is disposed on the optical path, the signal level of the electric signal output from the optical sensor is reduced. That is, when the first detector or the second detector passes on the optical path of the optical sensor, the signal level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor changes.

  When the leading edge of the sheet contacts the first contacted part, the first shielding part moves from the first position to the third position via the second position. Thus, the optical path is opened after being blocked by the first shielding portion. When the leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with the second contacted part, the second shielding part moves from the sixth position to the eighth position via the seventh position. As a result, the optical path is opened after it is once blocked by the second shielding portion. For this reason, the optical path of the optical sensor is opened regardless of which detector is rotated first, so that the detector that rotates later can be detected. That is, regardless of the order in which the detectors rotate, the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector are detected individually.

( 6 ) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveying path, a first roller pair, a processing unit, a supplying unit, a first detector and a second detector, one optical sensor, and a determining unit. . The conveyance path is where the sheet is conveyed. The first roller pair is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path, and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path. The processing means is provided downstream of the first roller pair in the sheet conveyance direction. The processing means performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. The supply unit supplies the sheet from the placement unit to the conveyance path. The first detector and the second detector are arranged apart from each other in the first direction intersecting the transport direction on the upstream side of the first roller pair in the transport direction. The first detector and the second detector are rotated by contact with the sheet supplied by the supply means. The optical sensor detects the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector, respectively. The determining means determines the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor. The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. It is. The first detector includes a first contacted part and a first shielding part. The first abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means is abutted. The first shielding part moves from the ninth position where the optical path is opened to the tenth position on the optical path when the sheet is in contact with the first abutted part. The second detector includes a second shield part and a second shield part. The second abutted portion is a portion to which the sheet supplied by the supplying means comes into contact. The second shielding portion moves from the eleventh position at which the optical path is opened to the twelfth position on the optical path when the sheet comes into contact with the second abutted portion. The first shielding part transmits a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element when arranged at the tenth position. The second shielding part transmits a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element when disposed at the twelfth position.

  In the optical sensor, for example, a light emitting element such as an LED and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval. In the state where the optical path of the optical sensor from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is opened, an electrical signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting element is output from the optical sensor. When the first detector or the second detector is disposed on the optical path, the signal level of the electric signal output from the optical sensor is reduced. That is, when the first detector or the second detector passes on the optical path of the optical sensor, the signal level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor changes.

  When the sheet contacts the first contacted portion, the first shielding portion moves from the ninth position to the tenth position. Thereby, a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked, and the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element is reduced. As a result, the level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor is reduced. When the sheet comes into contact with the second contacted part in this state, the second shielding part moves from the 11th position to the 12th position. Thereby, the intensity of light received by the light receiving element is further reduced. As a result, the level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor is further reduced. Since the first shielding part and the second shielding part have the same configuration, even if the sheet contacts the second contacted part and then contacts the first contacted part, the same signal Change occurs. In this way, when one detector rotates and when the other detector rotates, the level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor changes. For this reason, it is possible to individually detect the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector regardless of the order in which the detector rotates.

( 7 ) The image forming apparatus further includes control means for rotating the first roller pair in a first direction for feeding the sheet in the conveying direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction. The determination means determines whether the timing difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. The control means is conditioned on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the first threshold before rotating the first roller pair in the first direction. Is rotated in the second direction, and the first roller pair is stopped on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is less than the first threshold value.

  When the first detector and the second detector are detected by the optical sensor, it is determined whether or not the timing difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. When the timing difference is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it can be determined that the degree of skew of the sheet is large. In this case, the first roller pair is rotated in the second direction while the sheet is supplied by the supply unit (hereinafter, this operation is also referred to as “reverse registration process”). Accordingly, the leading edge of the sheet is aligned by receiving a force so that the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the supply unit is pushed back to the upstream side in the conveying direction.

  If the timing difference is less than the first threshold, it can be determined that the degree of skew of the sheet is small. In this case, the sheet is supplied by the supplying unit in a state where the first roller pair is stopped (hereinafter, this operation is also referred to as “stationary registration process”). Accordingly, the leading edge side of the sheet is stopped by the stopped first roller pair, and the leading edges of the sheets are aligned.

  By the way, when the sheet is subjected to the reverse registration process, the skew of the sheet is corrected more effectively than in the case where the static registration process is performed. However, in the reverse registration process, since the first roller pair rotates in the second direction, the leading edge of the sheet that receives the rotational force of the first roller pair may be scraped, and the quality of the sheet may deteriorate. In particular, when the sheet is a recording paper, the tip of the recording paper is scraped to generate paper dust, which may cause the apparatus to deteriorate quickly. On the other hand, when the sheet is subjected to the static resist process, the leading edge of the sheet is not scraped. However, when the degree of skew of the sheet is large, the skew of the sheet cannot be sufficiently corrected by the static resist process.

  In the present invention, the reverse registration process and the stationary registration process are switched according to the determination result of the determination means. That is, when the skew of the sheet is large, the reverse registration process is performed, and when the skew of the sheet is small, the static registration process is performed. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently correct the skew of the sheet and to prevent the leading edge of the sheet from being scraped as much as possible.

( 8 ) a discharge unit on which the sheet discharged from the conveyance path is placed; a second roller pair provided downstream of the processing unit in the conveyance direction and configured to convey the sheet along the conveyance path; Are further provided. The control means simultaneously rotates the first roller pair and the second roller pair in the first direction or the second direction.

  For example, there may be a case where a sufficient height difference cannot be provided between the second roller pair and the sheet stacking surface of the discharge portion in order to reduce the thickness of the image recording apparatus on which the sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention is mounted. For this reason, when the sheets discharged to the discharge unit are stacked to almost the same height as the second roller pair, the uppermost sheet of the discharge unit is rotated by the second roller pair rotated in the second direction to perform the reverse registration process. May be caught and reversely transported to the transport path.

  As described above, when the timing difference is less than the first threshold value, the first roller pair is stationary. Since the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated at the same time, when the first roller pair is stationary, the second roller pair is also stationary. That is, when the timing difference is less than the first threshold, the sheet is not reversely conveyed from the discharge unit to the conveyance path. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the sheet is reversely conveyed as compared with the case where the sheet is always subjected to the reverse registration process regardless of the skew.

( 9 ) The determination means further determines whether or not the timing difference is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. The control means moves the first roller pair and the second roller pair to the first condition on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is not less than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value. The first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the first direction on condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. The processing means stops the predetermined processing on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.

(10) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveying path, a first roller pair, a processing unit, a supplying unit, a first detector and a second detector, one optical sensor, and a determining unit. . The conveyance path is where the sheet is conveyed. The first roller pair is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path, and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path. The processing means is provided downstream of the first roller pair in the sheet conveyance direction. The processing means performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. The supply unit supplies the sheet from the placement unit to the conveyance path. The first detector and the second detector are arranged apart from each other in the first direction intersecting the transport direction on the upstream side of the first roller pair in the transport direction. The first detector and the second detector are rotated by contact with the sheet supplied by the supply means. The optical sensor detects the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector, respectively. The determining means determines the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor. The image forming apparatus further includes control means for rotating the first roller pair in a first direction for feeding the sheet in the conveying direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction. The determination means determines whether the timing difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. The control means is conditioned on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the first threshold before rotating the first roller pair in the first direction. Is rotated in the second direction, and the first roller pair is stopped on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is less than the first threshold value. A discharge unit on which the sheet discharged from the conveyance path is placed; and a second roller pair provided downstream of the processing unit in the conveyance direction and configured to convey the sheet along the conveyance path. Prepare. The control means simultaneously rotates the first roller pair and the second roller pair in the first direction or the second direction. The determination means further determines whether or not the timing difference is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. The control means moves the first roller pair and the second roller pair to the first condition on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is not less than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value. The first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the first direction on condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. The processing means stops the predetermined processing on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.

  When the timing difference is greater than or equal to the first threshold and less than the second threshold, the skew of the sheet is large, so the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the second direction. As a result, the reverse registration process is performed on the sheet. When the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the skew of the sheet is greater, so that even if reverse registration processing is performed, the skew of the sheet may not be sufficiently corrected. If the processing by the processing means is performed without sufficiently correcting the skew, for example, when the sheet conveying apparatus is mounted on the image recording apparatus, there arises a problem that an image is recorded obliquely with respect to the sheet. For this reason, when the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the first direction, and the predetermined process is stopped. Accordingly, the sheet is discharged from the conveyance path to the discharge unit without being subjected to predetermined processing. By setting the first threshold and the second threshold to appropriate values, it is possible to perform appropriate processing on the sheet.

  (11) A display means for displaying information is further provided. The determination means further determines whether or not the timing difference is greater than or equal to a third threshold value that is greater than the second threshold value. The control means moves the first roller pair and the second roller pair to the first condition on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is not less than the second threshold value and less than the third threshold value. The feed means, the first roller pair, and the second roller pair are stopped on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the third threshold value. The processing means stops the predetermined process on condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value and less than the third threshold value. The display means displays information indicating that the removal of the sheet from the conveyance path is instructed on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the third threshold value.

  When the timing difference is greater than or equal to the second threshold value and less than the third threshold value, the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the first direction, and the sheet is not subjected to predetermined processing as described above. It is discharged from the transport path to the discharge section. When the timing difference is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, the degree of skew of the sheet is very large. Therefore, when the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated, the sheet may be jammed in the conveyance path. For this reason, the supply unit, the first roller pair, and the second roller pair are stopped, and information for instructing the removal of the sheet in the conveyance path is displayed by the display unit. By setting the second threshold value and the third threshold value to appropriate values, the sheet is prevented from being jammed in the conveyance path due to the skew of the sheet.

  (12) It is preferable that the control unit stops the first roller pair and the second roller pair from the start of the sheet supply by the supply unit until the determination by the determination unit is performed.

  Thus, the sheet is not conveyed backward from the discharge unit to the conveyance path at least until the determination by the determination unit is performed. For this reason, even if the first roller pair and the second roller pair are rotated in the second direction after the determination by the determination unit and the sheet is reversely conveyed from the discharge unit to the conveyance path, the sheet is supplied by the supply unit. Compared to the case where the first roller pair and the second roller pair are configured to start rotating in the second direction at the same time when the sheet is started, the distance in which the sheet is reversely conveyed is shorter. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a problem that the sheet reversely conveyed from the discharge unit to the conveyance path collides with the first roller pair and bends.

  (13) Further, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described sheet conveying apparatus, and the processing unit records an image on a sheet conveyed along the conveying path as the predetermined process. It is a recording part.

  When the sheet is sent to the recording unit while being skewed, there arises a problem that an image is recorded obliquely with respect to the sheet. The present invention is suitable for such a configuration.

  (14) Further, an image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described sheet conveyance device, and the processing unit reads the image of the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path as the predetermined process. Part.

  When the sheet is sent to the reading unit while being skewed, there arises a problem that an image of the sheet is read obliquely. The present invention is suitable for such a configuration.

  According to the present invention, when the sheet is skewed, the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector are detected by the optical sensor at different timings. The skewing degree of the sheet is determined based on the timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector. Therefore, the skew of the sheet can be detected by one optical sensor.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that each embodiment described below is merely an example embodying the present invention, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Explanation of drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the paper feed cassette 33. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the drive transmission mechanism 90. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the detection unit 70. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 viewed from the width direction 122, showing a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the first position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit 100. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the recording paper 50 and the contact parts 132 to 135, 142. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the recording paper 50 is not skewed, and FIG. A state in which the recording paper 50 is skewed is shown. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 as seen from the width direction 122. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fifth position. (B) and (C) show a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fifth position. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 as viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position, and (C) and (D) show the shielding part 136 at the third position. And the shielding part 143 is disposed at the fifth position. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71. FIG. 11A shows an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed without being skewed. (B) shows an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. 12 and 13 are flowcharts illustrating an example of a procedure of processing performed in the printer unit 11 when the start of recording is instructed. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding portions 136 and 145 as viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 14A is a state in which the shielding portion 136 is disposed at the first position and the shielding portion 145 is disposed at the sixth position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the sixth position, and (C) shows that the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and (D) shows a state where the shielding part 145 is arranged at the sixth position, (D) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the seventh position, (E) The state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the eighth position is shown. FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding parts 147 and 149 viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 16A shows a state in which the shielding part 147 is arranged at the ninth position and the shielding part 149 is arranged at the eleventh position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 147 is arranged at the tenth position and the shielding part 149 is arranged at the eleventh position, and (C) and (D) show the shielding part 147 at the tenth position. And the shielding part 149 is disposed at the twelfth position. FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the ADF 29. In FIG. 2, a part of the paper feed tray 20 and a part of the paper discharge tray 21 are omitted.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, a case where the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the printer unit 11 (an example of the image recording apparatus of the present invention) of the multifunction machine 10 will be described.

[Schematic configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is wider in the width direction 122 and the depth direction 123 than in the height direction 121. The multifunction machine 10 is integrally provided with a printer unit 11 and a scanner unit 12, and has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and the like.

  A printer unit 11 is provided in the lower part of the multifunction machine 10. The printer unit 11 is communicably connected to an external information device (not shown) such as a personal computer. The printer unit 11 records an image on a recording sheet 50 (an example of the sheet of the present invention, see FIG. 2) based on print data received from an external information device or image data of a document read by the scanner unit 12. It is. As will be described later, in the printer unit 11, the recording paper 50 accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 (an example of the loading unit of the present invention) is supplied into the printer unit 11. The recording paper 50 is recorded on the paper discharge tray 21 (an example of the discharge unit of the present invention) after an image is recorded by the recording unit 24 (an example of the processing unit of the present invention, see FIG. 2) provided in the printer unit 11. To be discharged.

  A scanner unit 12 is provided in the upper part of the multifunction machine 10. The scanner unit 12 includes a document table 19 and a document cover 15. The document table 19 functions as a so-called flatbed scanner. The document cover 15 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the document table 19 via a hinge (not shown) on the back side of the multifunction machine 10. Although not shown in the drawing, a contact glass is provided on the upper surface of the document table 19. The contact glass is a transparent plate member on which a document is placed. A line sensor (not shown) extending in the depth direction 123 is disposed inside the document table 19. This line sensor is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the width direction 122 along the back surface of the contact glass. An image of the original placed on the contact glass is read by the line sensor.

  The document cover 15 functions as a top plate of the multifunction machine 10. The document cover 15 is provided with an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 29. The ADF 29 conveys the document placed on the document tray 30 to the document discharge tray 31 via the conveyance path 151 (see FIG. 18). A pair of document guides 34 is provided on the document tray 30. The document guide 34 is configured to be slidable in the depth direction 123 of the multifunction machine 10. The pair of document guides 34 are interlocked by a known interlocking mechanism. That is, when one of the document guides 34 is slid, the other document guide 34 is slid in the opposite direction. As a result, the pair of document guides 34 abuts on both side edges of the document on the document tray 30. As a result, the center of the document in the width direction is positioned approximately at the center of the document tray 30 in the depth direction 123. In the process of transporting the document by the ADF 29, the document passes over the contact glass 153 (see FIG. 18). At that time, the image of the document is read by the line sensor 160 (see FIG. 18) arranged in a stationary state below the contact glass 153. The document whose image has been read is held on both sides in the depth direction 123 by the document discharge tray 31 and is held in a state separated from the document on the document tray 30.

  An operation panel 14 is provided at the upper front of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 14 is provided with a display for displaying various types of information and buttons for receiving input of information. This operation panel 14 functions as display means of the present invention. The multifunction machine 10 operates based on instruction information input from the operation panel 14. When the multifunction device 10 is connected to an external information device, the multifunction device 10 also operates based on instruction information transmitted from the external information device through a printer driver, a scanner driver, or the like.

[Printer 11]
The printer unit 11 is roughly divided into a paper feed cassette 33, a conveyance path 23 (an example of a conveyance path of the present invention), a supply unit 32 (an example of a supply unit of the present invention), a conveyance unit 55, a recording unit 24, and a detection unit. 70. In the printer unit 11, the conveyance path 23, the supply unit 32, the conveyance unit 55, the recording unit 24, the detection unit 70, and a control unit 100 (see FIG. 7) described later constitute the sheet conveyance device and the image recording apparatus of the present invention. ing.

[Paper cassette 33]
As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is formed on the front side of the printer unit 11. A paper feed cassette 33 is attached to the printer unit 11 through the opening 13. The paper feed cassette 33 includes a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are arranged in two upper and lower stages with the paper discharge tray 21 as the upper side of the paper feed tray 20.

  The paper discharge tray 21 is for placing the recording paper 50 discharged from a conveyance path 23 described later. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper discharge tray 21 is a plate-like one that has substantially the same length in the width direction 122 and a shorter length in the depth direction 123 than the paper feed tray 20. The paper discharge tray 21 is provided on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the multifunction machine 10. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed tray 20 is partially opened on the back side of the multifunction machine 10. A supply unit 32 to be described later is disposed in the opening.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed tray 20 has a container shape that can store the recording paper 50 in a stacked state. Note that the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 are conceptually simplified and described, and are different from the actual shapes. In the internal space of the paper feed tray 20, a standard size rectangular recording paper 50 is placed. The paper feed tray 20 can accommodate recording paper 50 of various sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, and postcard size. That is, a plurality of types of recording paper 50 having different widths in the width direction 122 can be placed on the paper feed tray 20. Examples of the recording paper 50 include plain paper, glossy paper capable of recording photographic images, inkjet special paper, resin films, and the like.

  The paper feed tray 20 includes a pair of side guides 36 (see FIG. 3). The side guide 36 is a plate-like member having a depth direction 123 as a longitudinal direction, and a longitudinal section in the width direction 122 is formed in a substantially L shape. Each side guide 36 is configured to be slidable in the width direction 122 with respect to the main body of the paper feed tray 20. When one of the two side guides 36 is slid in the width direction 122, the other is slid in the opposite direction in conjunction with the other. The side guide 36 is slid in the width direction 122 so as to contact both sides of the recording paper 50 in the width direction. As a result, the center in the width direction of the recording paper 50 placed on the paper feed tray 20 substantially coincides with the center in the width direction 122 of the paper feed tray 20. Thus, placing the recording paper 50 on the paper feed tray 20 with the center in the width direction 122 as a reference is generally called a center register. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the side guide 36 can be moved inward in the width direction 122 to guide the side edge in the width direction 122 of the recording paper 50.

  An inclined plate 22 is provided on the back side (the right side in FIG. 2) of the paper feed tray 20. The inclined plate 22 is inclined at a predetermined angle toward the back side of the apparatus (the right side in FIG. 2). When the paper feed tray 20 is attached to the printer unit 11, the inclined plate 22 is disposed below the conveyance path 23. The recording paper 50 accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 is guided to the transport path 23 along the inclined plate 22. Although the inclined plate 22 is shown in an upright state in FIG. 3 for the sake of simplicity, the inclined plate 22 is actually inclined toward the back side of the apparatus as described above.

[Conveyance path 23]
The transport path 23 is a path through which the recording paper 50 supplied from the paper feed tray 20 is transported. The conveyance path 23 is directed upward from the inclined plate 22 and then bent to the front side of the multifunction machine 10 (left side in FIG. 2). Thereafter, the conveyance path 23 linearly extends straight to the paper discharge tray 21 through the recording unit 24. ing.

[Supply unit 32]
As shown in FIG. 2, the supply unit 32 is disposed above the opening portion of the paper feed tray 20. The supply unit 32 includes a paper feed roller 25, an arm 26, and a shaft 28. The shaft 28 is supported by a frame (not shown) of the printer unit 11 with the width direction 122 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) as the axial direction. The arm 26 is rotatably provided on the shaft 28. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported on the distal end side of the arm 26. The arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the paper feed tray 20 by its own weight or receiving an elastic force from a spring or the like. Therefore, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the uppermost recording paper 50 in the paper feed tray 20 with an appropriate pressure. In this state, the driving force of the motor 84 (see FIG. 7) is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25 via the shaft 28 and a power transmission mechanism (not shown) provided on the arm 26, and the paper feed roller 25 rotates. The uppermost recording sheet 50 on the sheet feeding tray 20 receives the rotational force of the sheet feeding roller 25 and is sent out from the sheet feeding tray 20 to the conveyance path 23 along the inclined plate 22. As a result, the recording paper 50 is supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23.

  A platen 42 is provided in the linear region of the conveyance path 23. The platen 42 supports the recording paper 50 conveyed along the conveyance path 23 from below. A recording unit 24 is provided on the upper side of the platen 42. The recording unit 24 is disposed to face the platen 42 with a predetermined interval. An image is recorded on the recording paper 50 conveyed on the platen 42 along the conveyance path 23 by the recording unit 24. The recording unit 24 will be described later.

[Conveyor 55]
A conveyance unit 55 is provided in a straight line region of the conveyance path 23. The transport unit 55 transports the recording paper 50 along the transport path 23. The conveyance unit 55 includes a conveyance roller pair 59 (an example of a first roller pair of the present invention) and a discharge roller pair 64 (an example of a second roller pair of the present invention).

  The conveyance roller pair 59 is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path 23. Specifically, the transport roller pair 59 is provided at a position upstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 17. The conveyance roller pair 59 includes a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61. The conveyance roller 60 is disposed on the upper side of the conveyance path 23. The conveyance roller 60 is driven by a motor 85 (see FIG. 7) through a drive transmission mechanism 90 (see FIG. 4) and rotates. The pinch roller 61 is rotatably disposed below the transport roller 60 and is urged toward the transport roller 60 by a spring. That is, the pinch roller 61 is in pressure contact with the transport roller 60. When the recording paper 50 enters between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the pinch roller 61 moves away from the conveyance roller 60. Since the pinch roller 61 is biased toward the conveying roller 60 by the spring, the rotational force of the conveying roller 60 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper 50. The recording paper 50 is conveyed along the conveyance path 23 by receiving the rotational force of the conveyance roller 60 while being sandwiched between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61.

  The discharge roller pair 64 is provided at a position close to the discharge tray 21 on the downstream side of the transport direction 17 with respect to the recording direction 24 in the transport path 23. The discharge roller pair 64 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur 63. The paper discharge roller 62 is disposed below the conveyance path 23. That is, the paper discharge roller 62 is disposed on the opposite side of the conveyance roller 60 with the conveyance path 23 interposed therebetween. The paper discharge roller 62 is driven by a motor 85 (see FIG. 7) through a drive transmission mechanism 90 (see FIG. 4) and rotates. The spur 63 is rotatably disposed above the paper discharge roller 62 and is urged toward the paper discharge roller 62 by a spring. That is, the spur 63 is in pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 62. When the recording paper 50 enters between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63, the spur 63 moves away from the paper discharge roller 62. Since the spur 63 is biased by the spring toward the paper discharge roller 62, the rotational force of the paper discharge roller 62 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper 50. The recording paper 50 is conveyed along the conveyance path 23 under the rotational force of the paper discharge roller 62 while being sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63.

  The drive transmission mechanism 90 (see FIG. 4) transmits the driving force of the motor 85 (see FIG. 7) to the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive transmission mechanism 90 includes a motor gear 91, a gear 92, a connection gear 95, a pulley 94, a belt 98, and a pulley 93. In FIG. 3, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are omitted, and the teeth formed on the motor gear 91, the gear 92, the connecting gear 95, the pulley 94, the belt 98, and the pulley 93 are omitted.

  The motor gear 91 is connected to the motor 85. The gear 92 is fixed to a shaft 76 (see FIG. 2) of the transport roller 60 and rotates around the shaft 76 together with the transport roller 60. The gear 92 is meshed with the motor gear 91. A connecting gear 95 is provided at a position close to the gear 92. The connection gear 95 can rotate around the shaft 77. The gear 92 is also meshed with the connecting gear 95. A pulley 93 is fixed to the shaft 78 (see FIG. 2) of the paper discharge roller 62. The pulley 93 rotates around the shaft 78 together with the paper discharge roller 62. A belt 98 is stretched between the pulley 93 and a pulley 94 fixed to the shaft 77 of the connecting gear 95. The belt 98 is an endless ring having teeth on the inside.

  When a predetermined driving force is transmitted from the motor 85 to the motor gear 91, the driving force is transmitted to the gear 92. As a result, the transport roller 60 (see FIG. 2) rotates. Further, the driving force transmitted to the gear 92 is transmitted to the pulley 93 via the connecting gear 95, the pulley 94, and the belt 98. As a result, the paper discharge roller 62 (see FIG. 2) rotates. As a result, the rotation of the transport roller 60 and the rotation of the paper discharge roller 62 are synchronized, so the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 rotate simultaneously with the transport roller 60 and the pinch roller 61.

  In FIG. 4, the rotation directions of the motor gear 91 and the shafts 76 to 78 when the recording paper 50 is transported in the transport direction 17 are indicated by arrows. As is apparent from FIG. 4, the driving force of the motor 85 is transmitted to the shafts 76 and 78 via the drive transmission mechanism 90, so that the shaft 76 of the transport roller 60 and the shaft 78 of the paper discharge roller 62 are reversed. Rotate to. As described above, since the discharge roller 62 is disposed on the opposite side of the conveyance roller 60 with the conveyance path 23 interposed therebetween, the shaft 76 of the conveyance roller 60 and the shaft 78 of the discharge roller 62 rotate in opposite directions. Thus, the direction in which the recording paper 50 is sent out by the conveying roller pair 59 and the direction in which the recording paper 50 is sent out by the discharge roller pair 64 coincide. Further, by reversing the polarity of the electric power supplied to the motor 85, the motor gear 91 and the shafts 76 to 78 rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG.

  When the shafts 76 to 78 receiving the rotational force of the motor 85 are rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4, the recording paper 50 supplied to the conveyance path 23 is sandwiched between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. Then, it is fed onto the platen 42. When the leading edge of the recording paper 50 reaches between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63, the recording paper 50 is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 and sent out above the paper discharge tray 21. Thus, the recording paper 50 discharged from the transport path 23 is placed on the paper discharge tray 21.

  The height difference between the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 21 and the pressure contact positions of the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 is set according to the number of recording sheets 50 that can be stacked on the paper discharge tray 21. In the present embodiment, in order to make the multifunction machine 10 thin, it is designed only to the extent that several tens of sheets of recording paper 50 can be placed on the paper discharge tray 21. The height difference between the pressure contact position of the paper roller 62 and the spur 63 is set small.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed downstream of the conveyance roller pair 59 in the conveyance direction 17 and upstream of the discharge roller pair 64 in the conveyance direction 17. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 38 and an ink jet recording type recording head 39. The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38 such that the nozzles are exposed downward from the bottom surface of the carriage 38. The carriage 38 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the width direction 122. Ink is supplied to the recording head 39 from an ink cartridge (not shown) arranged inside the printer unit 11. While the carriage 38 is moved, minute ink droplets are selectively ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 39 toward the platen 42. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper 50 conveyed on the platen 42. That is, the predetermined process of the present invention is a process of recording an image on the recording paper 50 conveyed along the conveyance path 23 in the present embodiment.

[Detection unit 70]
The detection unit 70 is for detecting the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit 70 includes a first detector 130 (an example of the first detector of the present invention), a second detector 140 (an example of the second detector of the present invention), and an optical sensor. 71 (an example of the optical sensor of the present invention).

  The first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are provided at the same position across the conveyance path 23 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction 17 from the conveyance roller pair 59 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the first detector 130 is disposed above the transport path 23, and the second detector 140 is disposed below the transport path 23. The recording paper 50 passes between the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 in the process of being transported along the transport path 23.

[First detector 130]
The first detector 130 includes a rotating shaft 131, contacted parts 132 to 135 (an example of a first contacted part of the present invention), and a shielding part 136 (an example of a first shielding part of the present invention). . The rotation shaft 131 has a cylindrical shape that is long in the width direction 122 and is supported so as to be rotatable in the rotation direction 116 with the width direction 122 as an axis direction.

  Four contact parts 132 to 135 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 131. The contact parts 132 to 135 are provided so that the positions in the rotation direction 116 are the same, and the positions in the width direction 122 (an example of the first direction of the present invention) intersecting the transport direction 17 are different. As described above, in the present embodiment, the fixed size recording paper 50 accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 is aligned by a so-called center register. For this reason, the approximate center of the leading end of the recording paper 50 supplied to the conveyance path 23 in the width direction 122 serves as a contact portion 142 (an example of the second contact portion of the present invention) of the second detector 140 described later. Abut. The paper feed tray 20 accommodates recording paper 50 having a standard size such as A4 size, B5 size, or postcard size. In the present embodiment, a pair of contact portions 133 and 134 are provided at positions corresponding to both ends in the width direction 122 of the B5 size or postcard size recording paper 50. In addition, a pair of contact portions 132 and 135 are provided at positions corresponding to both ends of the A4 size recording paper 50 in the width direction 122. As described above, the rotating shaft 131 is provided with a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) first contact portions according to the size of the recording paper 50 of the standard size. For this reason, regardless of the size of the recording paper 50, the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 can be accurately detected.

  The contact parts 132 to 135 are provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 131. The length from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 131 to the tips of the contact parts 132 to 135 is such that the tips of the contact parts 132 to 135 are in a state where the rotating shaft 131 is not rotating (the state shown in FIG. 5). It is set to be positioned below the conveyance path 23 and above the rotation shaft 141. For this reason, in the process in which the recording paper 50 is conveyed by the supply unit 32, the leading end of the recording paper 50 first comes into contact with any one of the contact parts 132 to 135. Thereby, the rotating shaft 131 rotates in the rotation direction 116 and the shielding portion 136 also rotates.

  As described above, the paper feed tray 20 can accommodate a plurality of types of standard size recording paper 50 having different lengths in the width direction 122. For this reason, there are four on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 131 so that the rotary shaft 131 rotates regardless of the size type (width in the width direction 122) of the recording paper 50 supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. The contact parts 132 to 135 are provided. However, the number of the first contact parts of the present invention is not limited to four. That is, if the rotating shaft 131 rotates by contact with the recording paper 50, the number of the first contacted parts of the present invention may be two, for example.

  A shielding part 136 is provided on the other end side in the width direction 122 of the rotating shaft 131. The shield 136 is provided so as to protrude upstream in the transport direction 17 (see FIG. 6) in a state where the rotating shaft 131 is not rotating (see FIG. 5). The shielding part 136 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape that is longer in the depth direction 123 than in the width direction 122 and the height direction 121. As will be described later, the shielding unit 136 enters the space 66 (see FIG. 5) of the optical sensor 71 with the rotation of the rotation shaft 131 in the rotation direction 116 and then exits from the space 66. For this reason, the dimension of the shielding part 136 is set to an appropriate value according to the size of the space 66 so that the shielding part 136 can enter the space 66. The shield 136 is disposed on the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 by entering the space 66 of the optical sensor 71. The shield 136 is formed in black so as not to transmit light emitted from the light emitting element 67 of the optical sensor 71. For this reason, the shielding unit 136 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 in the state of being disposed on the optical path 69.

[Second detector 140]
The second detector 140 includes a rotating shaft 141, a contacted part 142, and a shielding part 143 (an example of the second shielding part of the present invention). The rotation shaft 141 has a cylindrical shape that is long in the width direction 122 and is supported so as to be rotatable in the rotation direction 117 with the width direction 122 as an axis direction. That is, the rotation shaft 141 is arranged in parallel with the rotation shaft 131 and rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation shaft 131.

  A contact portion 142 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 141. The contacted portion 142 is disposed at the center in the width direction 122 of the rotating shaft 141. For this reason, the contact portion 142 of the second detector 140 and the contact portions 132 to 135 of the first detector 130 are spaced apart in the width direction 122. The contacted part 142 is disposed at the same position in the conveying direction 17 as the contacted parts 132 to 135 as shown in FIG. 5 in a state where the rotating shafts 131 and 141 are not rotating.

  The contacted part 142 is provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 141. The length from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 141 to the tip of the contacted portion 142 is such that the tip of the contacted portion 142 is above the transport path 23 in a state where the rotating shaft 141 is not rotating (the state shown in FIG. 5). And is set to be positioned below the rotary shaft 131. For this reason, the recording paper 50 comes into contact with the contacted portion 142 in the process of being conveyed by the supply unit 32. Thereby, the rotating shaft 141 rotates in the rotation direction 117 and the shielding portion 143 is displaced.

  A shielding part 143 is provided on the other end side in the width direction 122 of the rotating shaft 141. The shield 143 is provided so as to protrude upstream in the transport direction 17 in a state where the rotating shaft 141 is not rotating (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding portion 143 is formed in a substantially sector shape so that the width of the rotation direction 117 increases from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 141 toward the radially outer side. As will be described later, the shielding portion 143 enters the space 66 of the optical sensor 71 as the rotation shaft 141 rotates in the rotation direction 117. For this reason, the dimension of the shielding part 143 is set to an appropriate value according to the size of the space 66 so that the shielding part 143 can enter the space 66. Further, the shielding portion 143 is arranged so as to be shifted from the shielding portion 136 in the width direction 122 so as not to contact the shielding portion 136. The shield 143 is disposed on the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 by entering the space 66 of the optical sensor 71. The shielding part 143 is formed in black so as not to transmit the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 of the optical sensor 71. For this reason, the shielding part 143 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 in a state of being disposed on the optical path 69.

  Since the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are configured as described above, the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are rotated by contact with the recording paper 50 supplied by the supply unit 32. Further, since the contact portions 132 to 135 of the first detector 130 and the contact portion 142 of the second detector 140 are arranged so as to be separated from each other in the width direction 122, the recording paper 50 is skewed. In this case, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 are detected by the optical sensor 71 at different timings. That is, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the shielding part 136 of the first detector 130 and the shielding part 143 of the second detector 140 are arranged on the optical path 69 at different timings.

[Optical sensor 71]
One optical sensor 71 is provided on the other end side of the rotary shafts 131 and 141. The optical sensor 71 detects the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140, respectively. The optical sensor 71 includes a light emitting element 67 such as an LED, a light receiving element 68 such as a phototransistor, and a housing 65 made of resin. The housing 65 is formed by assembling a plurality of resin members into a substantially U shape. The housing 65 has two projecting portions 45 and 46. These two protruding portions 45 and 46 protrude from both sides of the base end portion 47 of the housing 65. Of the two protrusions 45, 46, a light emitting element 67 is incorporated in the protrusion 45 and a light receiving element 68 is incorporated in the protrusion 46. Thus, the light emitting element 67 and the light receiving element 68 are arranged to face each other with the space 66 therebetween.

  The light emitted from the light emitting element 67 travels outside the protrusion 45 through the opening of the protrusion 45 facing the space 66. Then, this light enters the protruding portion 46 through an opening (not shown) of the protruding portion 46 facing the space 66 and is received by the light receiving element 68. Thus, since the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 is received by the light receiving element 68, an optical path 69 through which the light passes is formed in the space 66 between the light emitting element 67 and the light receiving element 68. When light is received by the light receiving element 68, an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the received light is generated by the optical sensor 71. That is, when the optical path 69 is open, an HI level electrical signal (hereinafter referred to as “OFF signal”) corresponding to the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 is generated. In a state where the shielding unit 136 or the shielding unit 143 is disposed on the optical path 69, an electrical signal having a low signal level (hereinafter referred to as an “ON signal”) that is smaller than the OFF signal is generated. For this reason, when the shielding unit 136 or the shielding unit 143 blocks the optical path 69 or opens the optical path 69, the signal level of the electrical signal generated by the optical sensor 71 changes. The electrical signal generated by the optical sensor 71 is output to the control unit 100 (see FIG. 7). The control unit 100 determines the skew state (degree of skew) of the recording paper 50 based on the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71.

[Control unit 100]
The control unit 100 (see FIG. 7) controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10 in an integrated manner. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 100 is configured as a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an EEPROM 104, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 109. The control unit 100 functions as a determination unit of the present invention. The control unit 100 controls the motors 84 and 85, the printer unit 11, the driving devices of the scanner unit 12, and the like.

  The ROM 102 stores a program for the CPU 101 to control the motors 84 and 85 and the multifunction machine 10. The ROM 102 stores a predetermined time T0, a first threshold T1, a second threshold T2, and a third threshold T3, which will be described later. The second threshold T2 is set to a value larger than the first threshold T1. The third threshold T3 is set to a value larger than the second threshold T2. The RAM 103 is used as a storage area for temporarily storing various data used when the CPU 101 executes the program, or as a work area for data processing. The RAM 103 temporarily stores the elapsed time t0 measured by the control unit 100 and the elapsed time t1 measured by the control unit 100 as the timing difference of the present invention. The elapsed times t0 and t1 will be described later. The EEPROM 104 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  A drive circuit 80, a drive circuit 81, an optical sensor 71, and an operation panel 14 are connected to the ASIC 109. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the ASIC 109 is also connected to a head control circuit that controls the recording head 39, the scanner unit 12, and the like. However, since these components not shown in the drawings are not directly related to the gist of the present invention in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  The drive circuit 80 drives the motor 84. A feed roller 25 is connected to the motor 84 via a shaft 28 and a power transmission mechanism of the arm 26. The drive circuit 80 receives the output signal from the ASIC 109 and drives the motor 84. The driving force of the motor 84 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25 via the shaft 28 and the power transmission mechanism of the arm 26. As a result, the recording paper 50 on the paper feed tray 20 is supplied to the transport path 23. Hereinafter, this operation is also referred to as “supply operation”.

  The drive circuit 81 drives the motor 85. The motor 85 is connected to the shaft 76 of the transport roller 60 and the shaft 78 of the paper discharge roller 62 via a drive transmission mechanism 90 (see FIG. 4). The drive circuit 81 receives the output signal from the ASIC 109 and drives the motor 85. The driving force of the motor 85 is transmitted to the shafts 76 and 78 via the drive transmission mechanism 90. As a result, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 rotate simultaneously. In the present embodiment, in order to transport the recording paper 50 in the transport direction 17, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are rotated in the first direction 111, 112 (an example of the first direction of the present invention, see FIG. 2). The In addition, in order to perform the reverse registration process on the recording paper 50, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are second directions 113 and 114 opposite to the first directions 111 and 112 (an example of the second direction of the present invention). , See FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the control unit 100, the drive circuit 81, the motor 85, and the drive transmission mechanism 90 function as the control means of the present invention.

[Detection of skew of recording paper 50]
In a state where the recording paper 50 is not in contact with the contact parts 132 to 135 and the contact part 142, the shielding part 136 is disposed at the first position and the shielding part 143 is disposed at the fourth position (see FIG. 6). ). Here, the first position is a position where the shielding unit 136 is disposed above the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and opens the optical path 69. The fourth position is a position where the shielding part 143 is disposed below the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and opens the optical path 69.

  When the driving force of the motor 84 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper 50 is supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the recording paper 50 is conveyed without being skewed, the leading end of the recording paper 50 simultaneously contacts the contact parts 132 to 135 and the contact part 142. For this reason, the rotating shafts 131 and 141 start to rotate simultaneously. Specifically, the rotation shaft 141 starts to rotate in the rotation direction 117 at the same time as the rotation shaft 131 starts to rotate in the rotation direction 116. As the rotary shafts 131 and 141 rotate, the shield 136 moves from the first position to the second position, and at the same time, the shield 143 moves from the fourth position to the fifth position (FIGS. 6 and 9A). )reference). Here, the second position is a position where the shielding unit 136 is disposed on the optical path 69 and blocks the optical path 69. The fifth position is a position where the shielding unit 143 is disposed on the optical path 69 and blocks the optical path 69. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the optical path 69 is blocked by both the shielding portion 136 and the shielding portion 143.

  When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the rotation shafts 131 and 141 further rotate. Accordingly, the shield 136 moves from the second position to the third position (see FIGS. 9A and 9B). Here, the third position is a position where the shield 136 is disposed below the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and opens the optical path 69. In addition, since the shielding part 143 is formed in a fan shape as described above, even if the rotation shaft 141 further rotates, the state where the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fifth position is maintained. That is, the state where the optical path 69 is blocked by the blocking portion 143 is maintained (see FIGS. 9A to 9C).

  If it is assumed that the shielding unit 136 has moved from the first position to the third position via the second position while the shielding unit 143 is disposed at the fourth position, the signal EA shown in FIG. Output from the sensor 71. Since the optical path 69 is blocked by the shielding unit 136 when the shielding unit 136 moves from the first position to the second position, the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 changes from the OFF signal to the ON signal. Since the optical path 69 is opened when the shielding unit 136 moves from the second position to the third position, the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 changes from the ON signal to the OFF signal.

  If it is assumed that the shielding unit 143 has moved from the fourth position to the fifth position while the shielding unit 136 opens the optical path 69, the signal CA shown in FIG. Since the optical path 69 is blocked by the shielding unit 143 when the shielding unit 143 moves from the fourth position to the fifth position, the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 changes from the OFF signal to the ON signal.

  When the recording paper 50 is not skewed, the shield 136 moves from the first position to the second position, and at the same time, the shield 143 moves from the fourth position to the fifth position. Therefore, a signal EA + CA (see FIG. 11A) obtained by combining the signal EA and the signal CA is output from the optical sensor 71.

  When the driving force of the motor 84 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper 50 is supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the recording paper 50 is conveyed while being skewed, the leading end of the recording paper 50 first contacts the contacted part 132 and then contacts the contacted part 142. That is, the first detector 130 first rotates and then the second detector 140 rotates with a delay.

  At this time, the shielding part 136 moves from the first position to the second position while the shielding part 143 is disposed at the fourth position (see FIGS. 6 and 10A). Thereby, the optical path 69 is blocked by the shielding portion 136. When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the shielding unit 136 moves from the second position to the third position while the shielding unit 143 is disposed at the fourth position (see FIGS. 10A and 10B). . Thereby, the optical path 69 is opened. When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the leading end of the recording paper 50 comes into contact with the contacted portion 142. Thereby, the shielding part 143 moves from the fourth position to the fifth position while the shielding part 136 is disposed at the third position (see FIGS. 10B to 10D). As a result, the optical path 69 is blocked by the blocking portion 143 and the state is maintained.

  If it is assumed that the shielding unit 136 has moved from the first position to the third position via the second position while the shielding unit 143 opens the optical path 69, the signal EA shown in FIG. Is output from. If it is assumed that the shielding unit 143 has moved from the fourth position to the fifth position while the shielding unit 136 opens the optical path 69, the signal CA shown in FIG. As described above, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the shielding unit 143 moves from the fourth position to the fifth position with a delay after the shielding unit 136 moves from the second position to the third position. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11B, after the signal EA changes from the ON signal to the OFF signal, the signal CA changes from the OFF signal to the ON signal with a slight delay. Actually, the optical sensor 71 outputs a signal EA + CA (see FIG. 11B) obtained by combining these signals EA and CA. As indicated by the signal EA + CA, the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 changes from the ON signal to the OFF signal and then changes again to the ON signal. That is, an OFF signal is output from the optical sensor 71 during the elapsed time t1 from when the shielding unit 136 moves to the third position until the shielding unit 143 moves to the fifth position. The elapsed time t1 is a time corresponding to a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector 130 and the detection timing of the second detector 140 by the optical sensor 71. The elapsed time t1 varies depending on the degree (degree) of skew of the recording paper 50. That is, the elapsed time t1 increases as the skew (degree) of the recording paper 50 increases, and the elapsed time t1 decreases as the skew (degree) of the recording paper 50 decreases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the degree (degree) of skew of the recording paper 50 is determined based on the elapsed time t1, and the rotation of the motor 85 is controlled according to the determination result.

[Conveying process of recording paper 50]
Hereinafter, the procedure of the conveyance process of the recording paper 50 performed in the printer unit 11 when the start of recording is instructed will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13. Each process described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13 is performed according to a command issued by the control unit 100 based on a program stored in the ROM 102. The flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13 are always executed by the control unit 100.

  When the flowchart of FIG. 12 is started, the control unit 100 first determines whether or not there is a recording start command (S1). Specifically, the control unit 100 determines whether or not a command and print data for instructing recording start have been received from an external information device, or whether or not an operation input for instructing recording start has been performed from the operation panel 14. to decide. When the control unit 100 determines that there is no recording start command (S1: NO), the control unit 100 ends this flowchart. On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that there is a recording start command (S1: YES), the elapsed times t0 and t1 are reset (S2). Specifically, the control unit 100 erases (zero clears) the elapsed times t0 and t1 stored in the RAM 103.

  Next, the control unit 100 controls the drive of the motor 84 to start the rotation of the paper feed roller 25 (S3). Thereby, the supply operation of the recording paper 50 from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23 is started. Further, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from an OFF signal to an ON signal (S4). When the OFF signal is continuously output from the optical sensor 71 (S4: NO), the process of step S4 is repeated. When the control unit 100 determines that the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from the OFF signal to the ON signal (S4: YES), the control unit 100 starts counting the elapsed time t0 from the time of the signal change (S5). ). Then, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from the ON signal to the OFF signal (S6).

  By the way, when the recording paper 50 is not skewed, the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 start to rotate simultaneously due to contact with the leading end of the recording paper 50. For this reason, the shielding part 136 of the first detector 130 and the shielding part 143 of the second detector 140 are simultaneously arranged on the optical path 69. Since the shielding part 143 is formed in a fan shape as described above, even if the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are further rotated, the state where the optical path 69 is shielded by the shielding part 143 continues. That is, when the recording paper 50 is not skewed, the ON signal is continuously output from the optical sensor 71 until the rear end of the recording paper 50 is separated from the first detector 130 and the second detector 140. Therefore, when the control unit 100 determines that the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 remains the ON signal (S6: NO), the elapsed time t0 from when the optical sensor 71 starts to output the ON signal is predetermined. It is determined whether or not the time T0 has elapsed (S7). Specifically, the control unit 100 reads the predetermined time T0 from the ROM 102, and determines whether or not the value of the elapsed time t0 after determining “YES” in step S4 is equal to or greater than the predetermined time T0. The predetermined time T0 is from when the leading end of the recording paper 50 conveyed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 25 comes into contact with the first detector 130 or the second detector 140 and the optical path 69 is blocked, that is, the optical sensor. It is sufficient to set a sufficient time for the leading edge of the recording paper 50 to reach between the conveying roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 after the ON signal starts to be output from 71. When the control unit 100 determines that the elapsed time t0 has not passed the predetermined time T0 (S7: NO), the process of step S6 is repeated. When the control unit 100 determines that the elapsed time t0 has passed the predetermined time T0 (S7: YES), it is determined that the ON signal is continuously output from the optical sensor 71, that is, the recording paper 50 is not skewed. be able to. As described above, when the recording paper 50 is not skewed, the registration process is unnecessary, and therefore the process of step S15 described later is immediately executed.

  When the controller 100 determines that the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from the ON signal to the OFF signal before the elapsed time t0 has passed the predetermined time T0 (S6: YES), the controller 100 counts the elapsed time t0. Is stopped (S8). Then, the control unit 100 starts counting the elapsed time t1 (S9). The counting of the elapsed time t1 is started when the electric signal output from the optical sensor 71 changes from the ON signal to the OFF signal. Subsequently, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from an OFF signal to an ON signal (S10). When the OFF signal is continuously output from the optical sensor 71 (S10: NO), the process of step S10 is repeated.

  When determining that the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from the OFF signal to the ON signal (S10: YES), the control unit 100 stops counting the elapsed time t1 (S11). And the control part 100 judges whether the value of the elapsed time t1 is more than 1st threshold value T1 (S12). Specifically, the control unit 100 reads the first threshold value T1 from the ROM 102, and determines whether or not the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value T1.

  Incidentally, the elapsed time t1 changes according to the degree of skew of the recording paper 50. That is, the elapsed time t1 increases as the skew of the recording paper 50 increases, and the elapsed time t1 decreases as the skew of the recording paper 50 decreases. Further, as described above, when the recording paper 50 is not skewed, the elapsed time t1 becomes zero. Therefore, whether or not the skew of the recording paper 50 is large is determined by the determination process in step S12. For this reason, the first threshold value T1 is set to a suitable value for appropriately determining the skew of the recording paper 50.

  When determining that the value of the elapsed time t1 is less than the first threshold T1 (S12: NO), the control unit 100 determines whether the recording paper 50 has been conveyed by a predetermined amount after being detected by the optical sensor 71. (S13). Specifically, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the conveyance amount of the recording paper 50 after determining “YES” in step S4 has reached a predetermined amount. Here, the predetermined amount is such that the recording paper 50 is further slightly fed out by the paper feed roller 25 after the leading edge of the recording paper 50 detected by the optical sensor 71 reaches between the transport roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. The amount is set. In other words, the predetermined amount is set slightly longer than the length of the conveyance path of the recording paper 50 from between the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 to between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61. Has been. For this reason, the recording paper 50 reaches between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 before being conveyed by a predetermined amount by the paper feed roller 25, and is further fed by the paper feed roller 25. For example, the determination process in step S13 is performed by determining whether or not a time period for which the recording sheet 50 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the sheet feeding roller 25 has elapsed since the determination of “YES” in step S4. Done. The determination process in step S13 may be performed by detecting the rotation amount of the motor 84.

  When the control unit 100 determines that the recording sheet 50 detected by the optical sensor 71 is not conveyed by a predetermined amount (S13: NO), the process of step S13 is repeated. When it is determined that the recording paper 50 has been conveyed by a predetermined amount (S13: YES), the control unit 100 controls the motor 84 to stop the paper feed roller 25 (S14). Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the drive circuit 80 to stop the power supply to the motor 84 and stop the motor 84.

  The motor 85 is stopped by the controller 100 before the process of step S15 described later is performed after the process of step S3 is executed. That is, the recording paper 50 is supplied by the paper feed roller 25 in a state where the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are stopped. Therefore, the leading end side of the recording sheet 50 is stopped by the stopped conveying roller pair 59 until the recording sheet 50 is conveyed by a predetermined amount after being detected by the optical sensor 71, and the leading end is aligned. That is, the recording paper 50 is subjected to a stationary registration process. In the stationary registration process, although the leading edge of the recording paper 50 is stopped by the conveyance roller pair 59, it does not receive a force that pushes back upstream in the conveyance direction 17 unlike the reverse registration process. That is, the force that the leading edge of the recording paper 50 receives from the conveying roller pair 59 is smaller than that in the reverse registration process. For this reason, when the skew of the recording paper 50 is large, it is conceivable that the skew is not sufficiently corrected. However, since it is determined in step S12 that the elapsed time t1 is less than the first threshold T1, that is, the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 is small, the recording paper 50 is used even in the stationary registration process. The skew is corrected sufficiently.

  After correcting the skew of the recording paper 50 in this way, the control unit 100 causes the drive circuit 81 to rotate the motor 85 in the forward direction so that the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are rotated in the first direction 111 and 112. (S15). As a result, the recording paper 50 is sandwiched between the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 and transported in the transport direction 17. When the recording paper 50 passes over the platen 42, an image is recorded by the recording unit 24 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  After performing the process of step S15, the control unit 100 determines whether there is print data for the next page (S16). Specifically, the control unit 100 determines whether print data for the next page is stored in the RAM 103. When the control unit 100 determines that there is print data for the next page (S16: YES), the processes after step S2 are repeated. When the control unit 100 determines that there is no print data for the next page (S16: NO), a series of processing is completed.

  When determining that the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value T1 (S12: YES), the control unit 100 reads the second threshold value T2 from the ROM 102, and the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the second threshold value T2. It is further judged whether or not (S17). If the control unit 100 determines that the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the second threshold value T2 (S17: YES), the process proceeds to step S21. When the control unit 100 determines that the value of the elapsed time t1 is less than the second threshold T2 (S17: NO), that is, the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold T1 and less than the second threshold T2. Then, the motor 85 is controlled to start the rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 in the second direction 113, 114 (S18).

  The controller 100 determines whether or not the recording paper 50 has been conveyed by a predetermined amount after the determination of “YES” in step S4 (S19). Here, the predetermined amount is set to the same amount as the predetermined amount used in the determination process in step S13, and the determination process in step S19 is performed in the same manner as the determination process in step S13. When the control unit 100 determines that the recording sheet 50 is not conveyed by a predetermined amount (S19: NO), the process of step S19 is repeated. When it is determined that the recording paper 50 has been conveyed by a predetermined amount (S19: YES), the control unit 100 stops the paper feed roller 25, the conveyance roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 (S20). Specifically, the control unit 100 stops the motors 84 and 85.

  From the time when “NO” is determined in step S17 until the processing in step S20 is performed, the recording paper 50 is supplied by the paper supply roller 25, while the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are in the second direction 113, 114. Has been rotated. For this reason, the recording paper 50 supplied from the paper feed tray 20 is detected by the optical sensor 71 (from the determination of “YES” in step S4) to the time when the recording paper 50 is conveyed by a predetermined amount. A force is applied from 59 to push it back upstream in the conveying direction 17. That is, the reverse registration process for the recording paper 50 is performed. This reverse registration process is performed when the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold T1 and less than the second threshold T2 in the process of step S17, that is, when the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 is determined to be large. Done. As described above, in the reverse registration process, the force that the leading edge of the recording paper 50 receives from the conveying roller pair 59 is larger than that in the stationary registration process. Therefore, even when the skew of the recording paper 50 is relatively large, the skew of the recording paper 50 is sufficiently corrected by performing the reverse registration process. In addition, after the process of step S20 is performed, a process is advanced to step S15.

  When determining that the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the second threshold value T2 (S17: YES), the control unit 100 reads the third threshold value T3 from the ROM 102, and the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the third threshold value T3. It is further judged whether or not (S21). When the control unit 100 determines that the value of the elapsed time t1 is less than the third threshold T3 (S21: NO), that is, the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the second threshold T2 and less than the third threshold T3. Then, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are rotated in the first direction 111, 112 (S22). As a result, the recording paper 50 is transported in the transport direction 17. The control unit 100 determines whether or not the recording paper 50 is discharged from the transport path 23 to the paper discharge tray 21 (S23). The determination process in step S23 is performed, for example, by determining whether or not the rotation amount of the motor 85 has reached a predetermined rotation amount. When the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper 50 has not been discharged (S23: NO), the process of step S22 is repeated. That is, the recording paper 50 is discharged from the conveyance path 23 to the paper discharge tray 21 by the process of step S22.

  When the process of step S22 is performed, the control unit 100 causes the recording unit 24 to stop image recording. Therefore, the recording paper 50 is discharged from the transport path 23 to the paper discharge tray 21 without image recording by the recording unit 24. That is, the blank recording paper 50 on which no image is recorded is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. Therefore, when the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper 50 has been discharged (S23: YES), the control unit 100 stops the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 by stopping the motors 84 and 85. (S24). Then, the control unit 100 causes the operation panel 14 to display information indicating that the blank recording paper 50 has been discharged (S25). Specifically, the control unit 100 causes the operation panel 14 to display a message such as “recording paper is discharged as blank”. After the process of step S25 is performed, the processes after step S2 are performed.

  When determining that the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the third threshold T3 (S21: YES), the control unit 100 controls the motor 85 to stop the paper feed roller 25 (S26). Since the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are not rotating, the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 are all stopped by performing the process of step S26. After performing the process of step S26, the control unit 100 causes the operation panel 14 to display information for instructing the removal of the recording paper 50 (S27). Specifically, the control unit 100 displays a message such as “Open the cover and take out the recording paper” on the operation panel 14.

  The control unit 100 determines whether or not the recording paper 50 has been removed (S28). In a state where the recording paper 50 is detected by the optical sensor 71, an ON signal is output from the optical sensor 71. Therefore, the determination in step S28 can be made by determining whether or not the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 has changed from the ON signal to the OFF signal. When the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper 50 has not been removed from the transport path 23 (S28: NO), the process of step S28 is repeated. When the control unit 100 determines that the recording paper 50 has been removed from the transport path 23 (S28: YES), the processing after step S2 is performed.

[Operational effects of the first embodiment]
As described above, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 are detected by the optical sensor 71 at different timings. The elapsed time t1 representing this timing difference changes according to the skewing degree of the recording paper 50. That is, the elapsed time t1 increases as the skew of the recording paper 50 increases, and the elapsed time t1 decreases as the skew of the recording paper 50 decreases. Therefore, the skewing degree of the recording paper 50 can be detected based on the value of the elapsed time t1 obtained from the electrical signal output from one optical sensor 71.

  By the way, if the shielding part 136 remains on the optical path 69 due to the rotation of the first detector 130, the rotation of the second detector 140 cannot be detected by the optical sensor 71. That is, in order to detect the rotation of the second detector 140, a sensor different from the optical sensor 71 is required. In the present embodiment, since the shielding unit 136 is configured to move from the first position to the third position via the second position, the optical path 69 is once blocked by the shielding unit 136 and then opened. When the recording paper 50 is skewed, the shielding unit 143 moves onto the optical path 69 after the shielding unit 136 opens the optical path 69, so that one optical sensor 71 uses the two detectors 130 and 140. The rotation can be detected individually.

  In the present embodiment, the contact parts 132 to 135 are disposed on both sides of the contact part 142 in the width direction 122. For this reason, when the recording paper 50 is transported obliquely, the leading edge of the recording paper 50 is in contact with the contacted portion 142 before the contacted portion 142 regardless of the direction of skewing of the recording paper 50 in the width direction 122. It abuts on any of the parts 132-135. Thereby, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the first detector 130 is rotated prior to the second detector 140. Therefore, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 are individually detected regardless of the skew direction of the recording paper 50.

  By the way, when the recording paper 50 is subjected to the reverse registration processing, the skew of the recording paper 50 is more effectively corrected as compared with the case where the stationary registration processing is performed. However, in the reverse registration process, the conveyance roller pair 59 rotates in the second direction 113, 114, and therefore, the leading edge of the recording paper 50 that receives the rotational force of the conveyance roller pair 59 is scraped to generate paper dust. There is a risk of the deterioration of the multifunction machine 10 being accelerated. On the other hand, when the recording paper 50 is subjected to the stationary registration process, the leading edge of the recording paper 50 is not scraped. However, when the skew of the recording sheet 50 is large, the skew of the recording sheet 50 cannot be sufficiently corrected by the still registration process.

  In the present embodiment, the reverse registration process and the stationary registration process are switched according to the determination result of the control unit 100. That is, when the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold T1 and less than the second threshold T2 (when the skew of the recording paper 50 is large), the recording paper 50 is subjected to reverse registration processing. Further, when the value of the elapsed time t1 is less than the first threshold T1 (when the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 is small), the recording paper 50 is subjected to the stationary registration process. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently correct the skew of the recording paper 50 and to prevent the leading edge of the recording paper 50 from being scraped as much as possible.

  When the value of the elapsed time t1 is greater than or equal to the second threshold value T2 and less than the third threshold value T3, the skew of the recording sheet 50 is greater, so that even if the reverse registration process is performed, the skew of the recording sheet 50 is performed. There is a risk that it cannot be corrected sufficiently. If image recording is performed by the recording unit 24 without sufficiently correcting skew, a problem arises in that an image is recorded obliquely on the recording paper 50. In the present embodiment, the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 are rotated in the first directions 111 and 112 on condition that the value of the elapsed time t1 is not less than the second threshold T2 and less than the third threshold T3. The recording paper 50 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21 without image recording. By setting the first threshold T1 and the second threshold T2 to appropriate values, it is possible to perform suitable processing on the recording paper 50.

  When the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the third threshold value T3, the skew of the recording paper 50 is very large. Therefore, when the conveyance roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 are rotated, the recording paper 50 enters the conveyance path 23. There is a risk of clogging. In the present embodiment, on condition that the value of the elapsed time t1 is equal to or greater than the third threshold value T3, the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 are stopped and the recording paper 50 in the transport path 23 is stopped. Information to instruct removal is displayed on the operation panel 14. By setting the second threshold value T2 and the third threshold value T3 to appropriate values, the recording paper 50 is prevented from being jammed in the conveyance path 23 due to the skew of the recording paper 50.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the height difference between the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 21 and the pressure contact positions of the paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 is set small in order to make the multifunction machine 10 thin. For this reason, when the recording sheets 50 discharged to the discharge tray 21 are stacked to almost the same height as the discharge roller pair 64, the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 are moved in the second directions 113 and 114 for the reverse registration process. , The recording sheet at the uppermost position of the paper discharge tray 21 may be caught in the discharge roller pair 64 and conveyed back to the conveyance path 23.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyance roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 are stopped after the supply of the recording paper 50 by the paper feed roller 25 is started until the determination by the control unit 100 (the process of step S12). ing. Therefore, the recording paper is not reversely conveyed from the paper discharge tray 21 to the conveyance path 23 until at least the process of step S12 is performed. For this reason, even if the recording paper is reversely transported, the transport roller pair 59 and the discharge roller pair 64 start to rotate in the second directions 113 and 114 at the same time as the recording paper 50 starts to be supplied by the paper feed roller 25. Compared to the case where the recording paper is configured as described above, the distance in which the recording paper is reversely conveyed is short. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that the recording paper conveyed backward from the paper discharge tray 21 to the conveyance path 23 collides with the conveyance roller pair 59 and bends.

  In the present embodiment, when the value of the elapsed time t1 is less than the first threshold value T1, the discharge roller pair 64 is stopped together with the transport roller pair 59, so that the recording paper is not transported in reverse. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording paper is reversely conveyed as compared with the case where the recording paper 50 is always subjected to the reverse registration process regardless of the skew.

  In this embodiment, the recording paper 50 is placed on the paper feed tray 20 with the center in the width direction 122 as a reference. However, the paper feed tray 20 has a width on the basis of one end in the width direction 122. A plurality of types of recording paper 50 having different widths in the direction 122 may be placed. In this case, the first contacted portion (contacted portions 132 to 135 in the present embodiment) is disposed closer to the one end side in the width direction 122 than the second contacted portion (contacted portion 142 in the present embodiment). That's fine. In this configuration, the recording paper 50 does not skew in the direction in which the leading end moves to one end side in the width direction 122, and skews in the direction in which the leading end moves to the other end side in the width direction 122. Since the first abutted portion is disposed on one end side in the width direction 122 relative to the second abutted portion, the first detector is preceded by the second detector 140 when the recording paper 50 is skewed. 130 rotates. For this reason, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 can be detected individually.

[First Modification]
Hereinafter, a first modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. In the first modification, a configuration similar to that of the above-described embodiment is provided except that a shielding portion 145 (an example of a second shielding portion of the present invention) is provided on the rotating shaft 141 instead of the shielding portion 143. Have For this reason, in this 1st modification, about the component which is common in this embodiment, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in this embodiment is attached | subjected, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A shielding part 145 is provided on the other end side in the width direction 122 of the rotation shaft 141 of the second detector 140. The shield 145 is provided so as to protrude upstream in the transport direction 17 in a state where the rotating shaft 141 is not rotating (see FIG. 14A). The shielding part 145 is formed in a flat plate shape similar to the shielding part 136. The shield 145 is disposed on the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 by entering the space 66 of the optical sensor 71. The shield 145 is formed in black so as not to transmit light emitted from the light emitting element 67 of the optical sensor 71. For this reason, the shielding unit 145 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 in the state of being disposed on the optical path 69.

  When the driving force of the motor 84 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper 50 is supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. Thereby, when the recording paper 50 is conveyed in a skewed state, the first detector 130 rotates prior to the second detector 140. That is, the shielding part 136 moves from the first position to the second position while the shielding part 145 is disposed at the sixth position (see FIGS. 14A and 14B). Thereby, the optical path 69 is blocked by the shielding portion 136. Here, the sixth position is a position where the shielding portion 145 is disposed below the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and opens the optical path 69. When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the shielding unit 136 moves from the second position to the third position while the shielding unit 145 is disposed at the sixth position (see FIGS. 14B and 14C). . Thereby, the optical path 69 is opened.

  When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the second detector 140 is rotated. Thereby, the shielding part 145 moves from the sixth position to the seventh position while the shielding part 136 is disposed at the third position (see FIGS. 14C and 14D). Here, the seventh position is a position where the shielding unit 145 is disposed on the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and blocks the optical path 69. For this reason, the optical path 69 is blocked by the shielding portion 145. When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the shielding unit 145 moves from the seventh position to the eighth position while the shielding unit 136 is disposed at the third position (see FIGS. 14D and 14E). . Here, the eighth position is a position where the shielding portion 145 is disposed above the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 and opens the optical path 69. For this reason, the optical path 69 is opened.

  Assuming that the shielding unit 136 has moved from the first position to the third position via the second position while the shielding unit 145 opens the space 69, the signal EA shown in FIG. The If it is assumed that the shielding unit 145 has moved from the sixth position to the eighth position through the seventh position while the shielding unit 136 opens the space 69, the signal CA shown in FIG. Is output. When the recording paper 50 is skewed, the shielding unit 145 is delayed from the sixth position to the eighth position via the seventh position after the shielding unit 136 has moved from the second position to the third position. . Therefore, in practice, the signal EA + CA obtained by combining the signal EA and the signal CA is output from the optical sensor 71. As indicated by the signal EA + CA, when the recording paper 50 is skewed, the OFF signal is output only during the elapsed time t2 from when the ON signal is output until the ON signal is output again. Is done. Since the elapsed time t2 represents the timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector 130 and the detection timing of the second detector 140, recording is performed based on the value of the elapsed time t2 instead of the above-described elapsed time t1. The degree of skew of the paper 50 may be determined.

  According to the configuration of the first modified example, the optical path 69 of the optical sensor 71 is opened regardless of which of the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 is rotated first. Therefore, regardless of the order in which the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 rotate, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 can be detected individually. For this reason, it is not always necessary to provide the contact portions 132 to 135 on both sides of the contact portion 142 in the width direction 122. For example, only the contact portions 132 and 133 may be provided on the rotating shaft 131.

[Second Modification]
Hereinafter, a second modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. In the second modification, a shield 147 (an example of the first shield of the present invention) is provided on the rotating shaft 131 instead of the shield 136, and the shield 149 (of the present invention) is replaced with the shield 143. An example of the second shielding part) is the same as that of the above-described embodiment except that the rotating shaft 141 is provided. For this reason, in this 2nd modification, about the component which is common in this embodiment, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in this embodiment is attached | subjected, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A shielding part 147 is provided on the other end side in the width direction 122 of the rotating shaft 131. The shield 147 is provided so as to protrude upstream in the transport direction 17 in a state where the rotating shaft 131 is not rotating (see FIG. 16A). The shielding part 147 is formed in a fan shape having the same shape as the shielding part 143 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The shielding part 147 is different from the shielding part 143 in light transmittance. That is, in a state where the light is emitted from the light emitting element 67 in the state of being arranged on the optical path 69, the shielding part 147 shields the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 of the optical sensor 71. A part (here 50%) is transmitted. For this reason, 50% of the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 is received by the light receiving element 68 in a state where the shielding portion 147 is disposed on the optical path 69. Therefore, the signal level of the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 is half that when the optical path 69 is open.

  A shielding part 149 is provided on the other end side in the width direction 122 of the rotating shaft 141. The shield 149 is provided so as to protrude upstream in the transport direction 17 in a state where the rotating shaft 141 is not rotating (see FIG. 16A). Since this shielding part 149 is the same as the shielding part 147, detailed description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  When the driving force of the motor 84 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper 50 is supplied from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. Thereby, when the recording paper 50 is conveyed in a skewed state, the first detector 130 rotates prior to the second detector 140. That is, the shielding part 147 moves from the ninth position to the tenth position while the shielding part 149 is disposed at the eleventh position (see FIGS. 16A and 16B). Thereby, the shielding part 147 is disposed on the optical path 69. Here, the eleventh position is a position where the shielding portion 149 is disposed below the optical path 69 and opens the optical path 69. The ninth position is a position where the shielding part 147 is disposed above the optical path 69 and opens the optical path 69. The tenth position is a position where the shielding unit 147 is disposed on the optical path 69 and blocks a part (50% in this case) of the light passing through the optical path 69. Since the shielding part 147 is arranged at the tenth position, 50% of the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 is shielded by the shielding part 147, and the remaining 50% is transmitted through the shielding part 147 and received by the light receiving element 68. Is done.

  When the recording paper 50 is further conveyed, the shielding unit 149 moves from the 11th position to the 12th position while the shielding unit 147 is disposed at the 10th position (see FIGS. 16B to 16D). ). Here, the twelfth position is a position where the shielding portion 149 is disposed on the optical path 69 and transmits a part of light passing through the optical path 69 (here, 50%). Since both the shielding part 147 and the shielding part 149 are arranged on the optical path 69, the light emitted from the light emitting element 67 is completely blocked by the two shielding parts 147 and 149.

  Assuming that the shielding unit 147 has moved from the ninth position to the tenth position while the shielding unit 149 opens the optical path 69, the signal EA shown in FIG. Further, assuming that the shielding unit 149 has moved from the 11th position to the 12th position while the shielding unit 147 opens the optical path 69, the signal CA shown in FIG. When the recording paper 50 is skewed, after the shielding part 147 moves from the ninth position to the tenth position, the shielding part 149 moves from the eleventh position to the twelfth position with a delay. For this reason, the electrical signal EA + CA actually output from the optical sensor 71 changes in signal level from 100% to 50% and to 25% after the elapsed time t3. Since this elapsed time t3 represents a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector 130 and the detection timing of the second detector 140, the elapsed time t3 is based on the value of the elapsed time t3 instead of the above-described elapsed time t1. The degree of skew of the recording paper 50 may be determined.

  In the second modification, when one detector rotates and when the other detector rotates, even if one of the detectors is arranged on the optical path 69, the output from the optical sensor 71 is output. The signal level of the electrical signal to be changed changes. Therefore, regardless of the order in which the first detector 130 and the second detector 140 rotate, the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140 can be detected individually. For this reason, it is not always necessary to provide the contact portions 132 to 135 on both sides of the contact portion 142 in the width direction 122. For example, only the contact portions 132 and 133 may be provided on the rotating shaft 131.

  In the present embodiment, the first detector 130 is disposed on the upper side of the transport path 23 and the second detector is disposed on the lower side of the transport path 23, but the first detector 130 is disposed on the transport path 23. The second detector 140 may be disposed on the upper side of the transport path 23. In addition, the number of the first contact parts (contact parts 132 to 135 in the present embodiment) and the second contact parts (contact parts 142 in the present embodiment) described in the present embodiment and the width direction 122 are described. The position is an example, and may be appropriately changed according to the width of the recording paper 50, for example.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, a case where the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the scanner unit 12 of the multifunction machine 10 (an example of the image reading apparatus of the present invention) will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a document tray 30 (an example of a placement unit of the present invention) and a document discharge tray 31 (an example of a discharge unit of the present invention) are provided above the document cover 15. The document tray 30 and the document discharge tray 31 are provided in two upper and lower stages with the document discharge tray 31 as the upper side of the document tray 30. The document tray 30 is configured integrally with the document cover 15. A document (an example of the sheet of the present invention) placed on the document tray 30 is aligned by a document register 34 at a center register.

  In the transport path 151 (an example of the transport path of the present invention) of the ADF 29, a supply unit 155 (an example of the supply unit of the present invention) and a transport unit 156 are provided. The supply unit 155 supplies the document placed on the document tray 30 to the conveyance path 151. The conveyance unit 156 conveys the document supplied to the conveyance path 151 to the document discharge tray 31 along the conveyance path 151.

  The supply unit 155 includes a suction roller 167, a suction nip piece 168, a separation roller 169, and a separation nip piece 170. The suction roller 167 is rotatably provided below the conveyance path 151. A suction nip piece 168 is provided above the suction roller 167 across the conveyance path 151. The suction nip piece 168 is configured to be able to come into contact with and separate from the suction roller 167 and is biased by a spring toward the suction roller 167. The separation roller 169 is rotatably provided below the conveyance path 151. The separation roller 169 is provided downstream of the suction roller 167 in the document transport direction 177 (an example of the transport direction of the present invention). A separation nip piece 170 is disposed on the upper side of the separation roller 169 across the conveyance path 151. The separation nip piece 170 is configured to be able to contact and separate from the separation roller 169 and is biased toward the separation roller 169 by a spring.

  The transport unit 156 includes a first transport roller pair 161 (an example of the first roller pair of the present invention), a second transport roller pair 162 (an example of the second roller pair of the present invention), and a third transport roller pair 162 (the main roller pair). An example of the second roller pair of the invention).

  The first transport roller pair 161 is provided on the upstream side of the document transport direction 177 with respect to the line sensor 160 (an example of the processing unit of the present invention, which corresponds to the reading unit of the present invention). The first transport roller pair 161 includes a transport roller 181 and a pinch roller 184. The conveyance roller 181 is provided on the upper side of the conveyance path 151. The pinch roller 184 is rotatably disposed below the conveyance roller 181 with the conveyance path 151 interposed therebetween, and is urged toward the conveyance roller 181 by a spring.

  The second transport roller pair 162 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction 177 with respect to the line sensor 160. The second conveyance roller pair 162 includes a conveyance roller 182 and a pinch roller 185. The conveyance roller 182 is provided on the upper side of the conveyance path 151. The pinch roller 185 is rotatably disposed below the conveyance roller 182 across the conveyance path 151 and is urged by a spring toward the conveyance roller 182.

  The third conveyance roller pair 163 is provided at a position close to the document discharge tray 31 in the conveyance path 151. The third conveyance roller pair 163 includes a conveyance roller 183 and a pinch roller 186. The conveyance roller 183 is provided below the conveyance path 151. The pinch roller 186 is rotatably disposed above the transport roller 183 and is urged toward the transport roller 183 by a spring.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the shafts of the transport rollers 181 to 183 are connected to a motor via a drive transmission mechanism. The drive transmission mechanism and the motor here are the same as the drive transmission mechanism 90 and the motor 85 in the first embodiment. The driving force of the motor is transmitted to the shafts of the transport rollers 181 to 183 via the drive transmission mechanism. Thereby, the conveyance rollers 181 to 183 rotate simultaneously. Since the pinch rollers 184 to 186 are urged toward the conveying rollers 181 to 183 by the springs, the rotational force of the conveying rollers 181 to 183 is reliably transmitted to the document. The document is conveyed along the conveyance path 151 by receiving the rotational force of the conveyance rollers 181 to 183. In the process of transporting the original along the transport path 151, the image is read by the line sensor 160 disposed in a stationary state below the contact glass 153.

  The control unit 100 rotates the transport rollers 181 to 183 in the first direction 190 to 192 (an example of the first direction of the present invention) in order to transport the document in the transport direction 177. Further, the control unit 100 rotates the transport rollers 181 to 183 in the second direction 194 to 196 opposite to the first direction 190 to 192 in order to perform reverse registration processing on the document. In the second embodiment, the control unit 100, a motor (not shown), and a drive transmission mechanism (not shown) function as the control means of the present invention.

  An optical sensor 171 (an example of the optical sensor of the present invention) is provided on the upstream side of the transport direction 177 with respect to the transport roller pair 161 in the transport path 151. The optical sensor 171 is the same as the optical sensor 71 (see FIG. 5). A first detector 130 and a second detector 140 are disposed at a position close to the optical sensor 171. The first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The first detector 130 and the second detector 140 are rotated by contact with the document supplied from the document tray 30. That is, in the second embodiment, the optical sensor 171 detects the rotation of the first detector 130 and the rotation of the second detector 140, respectively, and the degree of skew of the document is determined based on the detection result. To be judged.

  The control unit 100 (an example of a determination unit of the present invention) determines the degree of skew of the document based on the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 171. This determination process is performed in the same manner as the determination of the degree of skew of the recording paper 50 in the first embodiment. The controller 100 determines the degree of skew based on the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 171 and then controls the rotation of the transport rollers 181 to 183 based on the determination result. Specifically, when the control unit 100 determines that the degree of skew of the document is small, the control unit 100 causes the supply unit 155 to transport the document while keeping the transport roller 181 stationary. As a result, the original is subjected to a stationary registration process. In this case, since the first conveying roller pair 161 is stationary, the leading edge of the document is not scraped by the rotational force of the conveying roller 181. When the controller 100 determines that the skew of the document is large, the controller 100 causes the supply unit 155 to transport the document while rotating the transport roller 181 in the second direction 194. As a result, the original is subjected to reverse registration processing.

  Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently correct the skew of the original and to prevent the leading edge of the original from being scraped as much as possible. Since the original is sent onto the contact glass 153 after the skew of the original is sufficiently corrected, the problem that the image of the original is read obliquely is prevented.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the paper feed cassette 33. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the drive transmission mechanism 90. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the detection unit 70. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 viewed from the width direction 122, showing a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the first position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit 100. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the recording paper 50 and the contact parts 132 to 135, 142. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the recording paper 50 is not skewed, and FIG. A state in which the recording paper 50 is skewed is shown. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 as seen from the width direction 122. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fifth position. (B) and (C) show a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fifth position. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding parts 136 and 143 as viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 143 is arranged at the fourth position, and (C) and (D) show the shielding part 136 at the third position. And the shielding part 143 is disposed at the fifth position. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71. FIG. 11A shows an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed without being skewed. (B) shows an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure performed by the printer unit 11 when an instruction to start recording is given. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure performed by the printer unit 11 when an instruction to start recording is given. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding portions 136 and 145 as viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 14A is a state in which the shielding portion 136 is disposed at the first position and the shielding portion 145 is disposed at the sixth position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the second position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the sixth position, and (C) shows that the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and (D) shows a state where the shielding part 145 is arranged at the sixth position, (D) shows a state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the seventh position, (E) The state where the shielding part 136 is arranged at the third position and the shielding part 145 is arranged at the eighth position is shown. FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view of the shielding parts 147 and 149 viewed from the width direction 122. FIG. 16A shows a state in which the shielding part 147 is arranged at the ninth position and the shielding part 149 is arranged at the eleventh position. (B) shows a state where the shielding part 147 is arranged at the tenth position and the shielding part 149 is arranged at the eleventh position, and (C) and (D) show the shielding part 147 at the tenth position. And the shielding part 149 is disposed at the twelfth position. FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing an electrical signal output from the optical sensor 71 when the recording paper 50 is conveyed obliquely. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the ADF 29.

11: Printer unit (an example of an image recording apparatus of the present invention)
14 ... operation panel (an example of display means of the present invention)
17, 177... Transport direction 20... Paper feed tray (an example of the placement unit of the present invention)
21... Paper discharge tray (an example of a discharge portion of the present invention)
23, 151 ... transport path 24 ... recording unit (an example of processing means of the present invention, corresponding to the recording unit of the present invention)
32, 155... Supply part (an example of the supply means of the present invention)
50: Recording paper (an example of the sheet of the present invention)
59... Conveying roller pair (an example of the first roller pair of the present invention)
64... Discharge roller pair (an example of the second roller pair of the present invention)
67 ... light emitting element 68 ... light receiving element 69 ... optical path 71,171 ... optical sensor 81 ... drive circuit 85 ... motor 90 ... drive transmission mechanism 100 ... control unit ( Part of the control means of the present invention, an example of the determination means of the present invention)
111, 112 ... first direction 113, 114 ... second direction 122 ... width direction (an example of the first direction of the present invention)
130: first detector 132, 133, 134, 135: contacted part (an example of a first contacted part of the present invention)
136, 147 ... shielding part (an example of the first shielding part of the present invention)
140: second detector 142: contacted part (an example of the second contacted part of the present invention)
143, 145, 149 ... shielding part (an example of the second shielding part of the present invention)
160... Line sensor (an example of processing means of the present invention, corresponding to the reading unit of the present invention)
161... First conveying roller pair (an example of the first roller pair of the present invention)
162 ... 2nd conveyance roller pair (an example of the 2nd roller pair of the present invention)
163... Third conveying roller pair (an example of the second roller pair of the present invention)
190,191,192 ... first direction 194,195,196 ... second direction

Claims (14)

A conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed;
A first roller pair that is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path;
A processing unit that is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair in the conveyance direction of the sheet and that performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path;
Supply means for supplying a sheet from the placement section to the conveyance path;
First detection that is arranged at a position upstream of the first roller pair in the conveying direction and spaced apart in a first direction that intersects the conveying direction, and rotates by contact with the sheet supplied by the supplying unit. A child and a second detector;
One optical sensor capable of detecting the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector;
Determination means for determining the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor;
The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. Because
The first detector is
A first abutted portion against which the sheet supplied by the supplying means abuts,
When the sheet is in contact with the first contacted portion, the optical path is opened from the first position that opens the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element through the second position that blocks the optical path. A first shielding part that moves to three positions,
The second detector is
A second abutted portion against which the sheet fed by the feeding means abuts,
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: a second shielding portion that moves from a fourth position that opens the optical path to a fifth position that blocks the optical path when the sheet comes into contact with the second abutted portion. The placement section is capable of placing a plurality of types of sheets having different widths in the first direction on the basis of the center in the first direction,
The second contacted portion is disposed in the center of the first direction in the transport path,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first contacted portion is disposed on both sides of the second contacted portion in the first direction. The placement section is capable of placing a plurality of types of sheets having different widths in the first direction on the basis of one end in the first direction,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first abutted portion is disposed closer to the one end side in the first direction than the second abutted portion.   4. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the timing difference is a time from when the first shielding unit moves to the third position to when the second shielding unit moves to the fifth position. 5. A conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed;
A first roller pair that is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path;
A processing unit that is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair in the conveyance direction of the sheet and that performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path;
Supply means for supplying a sheet from the placement section to the conveyance path;
First detection that is arranged at a position upstream of the first roller pair in the conveying direction and spaced apart in a first direction that intersects the conveying direction, and rotates by contact with the sheet supplied by the supplying unit. A child and a second detector;
One optical sensor capable of detecting the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector;
Determination means for determining the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor;
The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. Because
The first detector is
A first abutted portion against which the sheet supplied by the supplying means abuts,
When the sheet is in contact with the first contacted portion, the optical path is opened from the first position that opens the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element through the second position that blocks the optical path. A first shielding part that moves to three positions,
The second detector is
A second abutted portion against which the sheet fed by the feeding means abuts,
A second shield that moves from the sixth position that opens the optical path to the eighth position that opens the optical path through the seventh position that blocks the optical path when the sheet contacts the second contacted portion. A sheet conveying apparatus. A conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed;
A first roller pair that is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path;
A processing unit that is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair in the conveyance direction of the sheet and that performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path;
Supply means for supplying a sheet from the placement section to the conveyance path;
First detection that is arranged at a position upstream of the first roller pair in the conveying direction and spaced apart in a first direction that intersects the conveying direction, and rotates by contact with the sheet supplied by the supplying unit. A child and a second detector;
One optical sensor capable of detecting the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector;
Determination means for determining the skewing degree of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor;
The optical sensor includes a light emitting element that emits light and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element, and outputs an electric signal at a level corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. Because
The first detector is
A first abutted portion against which the sheet supplied by the supplying means abuts,
A first shielding portion that moves from a ninth position that opens the optical path to a tenth position on the optical path by contacting a sheet to the first abutted section;
The second detector is
A second abutted portion against which the sheet fed by the feeding means abuts,
A second shielding part that moves from an eleventh position that opens the optical path to a twelfth position on the optical path when the sheet is in contact with the second abutted part;
When the first shielding part is disposed at the tenth position, the first shielding part transmits a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element,
The sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the second shielding portion transmits a part of the light emitted from the light emitting element when disposed at the twelfth position. Control means for rotating the first roller pair in a first direction for feeding the sheet in the conveying direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
The determination means determines whether the timing difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold;
The control means is conditioned on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the first threshold before rotating the first roller pair in the first direction. 7. The first roller pair is stopped on the condition that the determination unit determines that the timing difference is less than the first threshold value by rotating the first roller pair in the second direction. The sheet conveying apparatus according to the description. A discharge unit on which the sheet discharged from the conveyance path is placed;
A second roller pair provided downstream of the processing means in the transport direction and transporting the sheet along the transport path;
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit rotates the first roller pair and the second roller pair simultaneously in the first direction or the second direction. The determination means further determines whether or not the timing difference is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value;
The control means moves the first roller pair and the second roller pair to the first condition on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is not less than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value. Rotating in two directions, rotating the first roller pair and the second roller pair in the first direction on condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit stops the predetermined processing on the condition that the determination unit determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. A conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed;
A first roller pair that is provided at a position in the middle of the conveyance path and conveys the sheet along the conveyance path;
A processing unit that is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair in the conveyance direction of the sheet and that performs a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path;
Supply means for supplying a sheet from the placement section to the conveyance path;
First detection that is arranged at a position upstream of the first roller pair in the conveying direction and spaced apart in a first direction that intersects the conveying direction, and rotates by contact with the sheet supplied by the supplying unit. A child and a second detector;
One optical sensor capable of detecting the rotation of the first detector and the rotation of the second detector;
Determining means for determining the skew of the sheet based on a timing difference between the detection timing of the first detector and the detection timing of the second detector by the optical sensor;
A discharge unit on which the sheet discharged from the conveyance path is placed;
A second roller pair provided downstream of the processing means in the transport direction and transporting the sheet along the transport path;
First direction to send the sheet to the conveying direction, or and a control means for rotating simultaneously the opposite second direction to the first roller pair and the second pair of rollers of the first direction,
The determination means determines whether the timing difference is greater than or equal to a first threshold and whether the timing difference is greater than or equal to a second threshold greater than the first threshold;
The control means is provided on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is less than the first threshold before rotating the first roller pair in the first direction. On the condition that the timing difference is greater than or equal to the first threshold and less than the second threshold is determined by the determination means. Rotating the first roller pair and the second roller pair in the first direction on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
The sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the processing unit stops the predetermined processing on the condition that the determination unit determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. It further comprises display means for displaying information,
The determination means further determines whether or not the timing difference is equal to or greater than a third threshold value greater than the second threshold value;
The control means moves the first roller pair and the second roller pair to the first condition on the condition that the judgment means judges that the timing difference is not less than the second threshold value and less than the third threshold value. Rotating in one direction and stopping the supply means, the first roller pair, and the second roller pair on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the third threshold value,
The processing unit stops the predetermined processing on the condition that the determination unit determines that the timing difference is greater than or equal to the second threshold value and less than the third threshold value.
The display means displays information for instructing the removal of the sheet from the conveyance path on the condition that the determination means determines that the timing difference is equal to or greater than the third threshold value. The sheet conveying apparatus according to 10.   12. The control unit according to claim 7, wherein the control unit stops the first roller pair and the second roller pair from the start of sheet supply by the supply unit until the determination by the determination unit is performed. The sheet conveying apparatus of crab. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The image processing apparatus, wherein the processing unit is a recording unit that records an image on a sheet conveyed along the conveyance path as the predetermined process. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The image reading apparatus is a reading unit that reads an image of a sheet conveyed along the conveyance path as the predetermined process.

Images