JPS60248558A - Transport apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily separate a transported material from a rotary member by providing means for deforming the transported material to keep the transported material from winding round the rotary member. CONSTITUTION:In the midway of a transport path 28 for a copy sheet 12 extending from a paper feeder 11 to a photoreceptor drum 9 which the sheet contacts, there is provided a curl mechanism 29 for bending the copy sheet 12. The curl mechanism 29 comprises a roll 14 formed by flexible rubber or the like and a roll 15 formed by a metal or the like. The copy sheet 12 passed through the curl mechanism 29 is curled, and after a toner image on the photoreceptor drum 9 is transferred, the copy sheet is separated from the photoreceptor drum 9 by utilizing the elasticity of the copy sheet 12, which is produced by restration to the curling state, whereby a jam phenomenon is prevented.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 1. Industrial application field The present invention relates to a transport device that transports a transported object.

2. Prior Art First, an outline of a copying machine using a conventional conveying device will be explained. When the copy button is operated, the document placed on the document table is illuminated by an exposure lamp, and this reflected light is guided through a reflective mirror, main lens, etc., and is directed onto an image carrier such as a photoreceptor drum. Expose. The surface of the photoreceptor drum is already uniformly charged before it is exposed to light, and when it is irradiated with reflected light from the original, the charge on the exposed portion disappears, and the charge on the unexposed portion is reduced. An electrostatic latent image is formed there. This electrostatic latent image is developed by a developer supplying toner charged with a polarity different from that of the photoreceptor drum, and a toner image corresponding to the image of the document is formed on the photoreceptor drum. It is formed. This toner image is transferred by a transfer pole onto copy paper conveyed from a paper feeder. The copy paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is then separated from the photosensitive drum and sent to a fixing device. The toner image is fixed on the copy paper by applying heat and pressure within the fixing device, and the copy paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray. Meanwhile, the photosensitive drum continues to rotate during this time, and after the residual charge is removed by the static eliminator and the residual toner on the surface is removed by the cleaning device, the photosensitive drum is used for the next copying.

There are various means for separating the copy paper onto which the toner image has been transferred from the photoreceptor drum. For example, a means for forcibly separating the copy paper from the photoreceptor drum by providing a separation claw on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum can reliably separate the copy paper from the photoreceptor drum, but the separation claw may not come into contact with the photoreceptor drum. This has the drawback of damaging the surface of the photoreceptor drum and causing image stains. As another method, some copying machines provide a separation belt between the photoreceptor drum and the copy paper to regulate the conveyance direction of the copy paper, and the separation belt separates the copy paper from the photoreceptor drum. This narrows the image area of the photosensitive drum by the width of the separation heald.

In addition, many methods are used to provide a separation electrode that neutralizes static charges on the photoreceptor drum and copy paper by corona discharge caused by high AC voltage, but AC voltage must be applied to the separation electrode. , the cost of this power supply is high. To explain this separation pole in detail, as shown in FIG. The upper toner image adheres to copy paper 12. The copy paper 12 remains charged with the transfer polarity 6, and this interacts with the remaining charge on the photoreceptor drum 9, causing them to be attracted to each other by electrostatic force. Therefore, an alternating current voltage is applied to the separation electrode 39 to cancel the electrostatic force acting between the two, and the copy paper 12 is separated from the photoreceptor drum 9 by its own weight. However, this means only cancels the electrostatic force and thereby loses the mutual attraction force, but does not actively exert a force to separate the copy paper 12 from the photoreceptor drum 9. For this reason, sometimes the copy paper 12 does not separate and wraps around the photoreceptor drum 9, resulting in a so-called jam phenomenon.

In addition to the above means, the diameter of the photoreceptor drum 9 may be set to 25 m, for example.
If it is less than mφ, the curvature of the contacting portion of the copy paper 12 will be large, and the copy paper 12 will naturally separate from the photosensitive drum 9 due to its elasticity, eliminating the need for the separation pole 39, separation claw, etc. However, it is necessary to arrange a developing device, a cleaning device, a charging electrode, etc. near the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 9, and if the diameter is made too small, there will not be enough space for development, transfer, cleaning, etc. Each step of the process becomes difficult and manufacturing becomes difficult.

3. Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made with the above considerations in mind, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a conveying device that can easily separate a conveyed object from the rotating member while being conveyed while being in contact with the rotating member. It is an object.

4. Structure of the Invention That is, the present invention is a conveying device that conveys the object while being in contact with a rotating member, and in which a conveyor is placed on the rotating member in front of the contact area with the rotating member in the conveying path of the conveyed object. The present invention relates to a conveyance device characterized in that a means for deforming the conveyed body so that the conveyed body does not wrap around the conveyed body is provided.

5. Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to examples shown in the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a copying machine incorporating a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an original 2 placed on an original placing table l made of a transparent glass plate is moved by a platen cover 3. When the copy button (not shown) is operated, the original table 1 initially moves in the direction of arrow A.
When the end portion 2A of the document 2 is placed above the slit 6, the exposure lamp 4 is turned on, and the document table 1 is moved in the direction of arrow B. Light 5 from the exposure lamp 4 illuminates the original 2, and this reflected light passes through a self-hock lens array 7 and exposes an image carrier, for example, a photosensitive drum 9. The surface of the photosensitive drum 9 is, for example, uniformly charged by the charger 8, and when it is exposed to light reflected from the original 2, the charge on the portion where the light is reflected disappears, and the irradiation is stopped. Charges in the parts that are not removed will remain, and an electrostatic latent image will be formed there. The photoreceptor drum 9 is rotating in the direction of arrow C, and when the portion of the photoreceptor drum 9 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed approaches the development area, the photoreceptor drum 9 is rotated in the developing device 10.
The toner T, which is charged with a polarity different from that of the developing sleeve IOA, is transported by the developing sleeve IOA, and is attached by the electrostatic force of the portion where the charge remains, so that a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor drum 9. This toner image is transferred from the paper feed device 11 to the paper feed roller 3. The image is transferred by the transfer pole 16 to the copy paper 12 conveyed by the timing rolls 14 and 15, and then the copy paper 12 is sent to the fixing device W27. Inside the fixing device 27, a heating roller 20 with a built-in heater 21 and a pressure roller 22 are disposed, and the heat and pressure applied when passing between both rollers 20 and 22 cause the toner image to be attached to the copy paper. It is fixed at 12. After this, the copy paper 12 is separated by the separation claw 2.
3, the paper is separated from the heating roller 20, and the paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 26 by a paper discharge roller 25. A roller 24 disposed adjacent to the heating roller 20 is a cleaning roller provided to clean the surface of the heating roller 200. On the other hand, the photosensitive drum 9 continues to rotate during this time, and after the residual charge is removed by the removing electrode 17 and the remaining toner is removed by the cleaning blade 19 of the cleaning device 18, the photosensitive drum 9 is used for the next copying.

What should be noted about the copying machine described above is that the copy paper 1
A curling mechanism 29 for bending the copy paper 12 as shown in FIG. This configuration will be explained below.

The curl mechanism 29 includes a roll 14 made of flexible rubber or the like and a roll 15 made of a hard material such as metal.
As shown in Figure 3, both rolls 14.15
When both rolls are rotated with pressure applied between them,
The roll 14 rotates in an elastically deformed state, and the circumferential speed in the region of the radius r of the roll 14 and the radius r
The circumferential speeds in the second region are different. The flat copy paper 12 conveyed from the paper feed device 11 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 13 is subjected to pressure (pressure between the rolls 14.15, After passing through the curling mechanism 29, the copy paper 12 is deformed by the pressure caused by the difference in circumferential speed between the regions rl and r of the roll 14, and is in a loosely curled state as shown by the imaginary line. By incorporating a heater 31A into the roll 31 of the curling mechanism 29 and heating it as shown by the imaginary line, the curvature of the curl of the copy paper 12 can be increased. Generally, the copy paper 12 is instructed to be inserted into the paper feeder 11 with the top side convex as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. In some cases, the device is inserted and transported as shown by the solid line in FIG. Even in such a case, the curling mechanism 29 makes it possible to curl the upper side into a convex surface.

Both rolls constituting the curl mechanism 29 shown in FIG. 3 are used also as the timing rolls 14 and 15 of the copying machine shown in FIG. It may also be provided in the path 28. In FIG. 5, a roll 35 is provided which presses against a belt 34 which is stretched between rolls 32 and 33, and the copy paper 12 is passed between the belt 34 and the roll 35 to curl the copy paper 12. The curl mechanism 29 shown in FIG.
The copy paper 12 can be easily curled using the same principle. FIG. 6 shows a curling mechanism 29 in which the copy paper 12 conveyed from the paper feeder 11 is curled by applying heat with a heater 37 when it passes between the guide plates 36.
This curling mechanism can also curl the copy paper 12 in the same way as the curling mechanisms shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Then, as shown in FIG.
If the copy paper 12 conveyed from
It also removes the moisture contained in 2.

The copy paper 12 that has passed through the curl mechanism 29 described above is
It is in a curled state as shown by the imaginary line in FIGS. 6 to 6, and is conveyed in the direction of the photoconductor drum 9 through the conveyance path 28 of the copying machine shown in FIG. The toner image on drum 9 is transferred by transfer pole 16 .

As shown in FIG. 7, when the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 9 is transferred, the copy paper 12 is conveyed to some extent along the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 9, but after the transfer, it tends to return to a curled state. Due to the elastic force of the copy paper 12, a force is applied to the leading end 12A of the copy paper 12 in a direction away from the photoreceptor drum 9. The photoreceptor drum 9 is rotating in the direction of arrow C, and if the leading edge 12A of the copy paper 12 moves away from the photoreceptor drum 9 even a little, a gap 38 will be created between the two and air will flow into this space, causing the copy paper 12 to become exposed to light. A force is applied in the direction of separating the copy paper 12 from the photoreceptor drum 9, and the copy paper 12 can be easily separated from the photoreceptor drum 9 without providing any other member such as a separation pole. That is, in this copying machine, by providing a curling mechanism 29 on the conveyance path 28 from the paper feeder 11 to the photosensitive drum, the conveyed copy paper 12 is curled so that the top side is convex.
After the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 9 has been transferred, the copy paper 12 is pulled away from the photoreceptor drum 9 by utilizing the elastic force of the copy paper 12, which tends to return to its curled state. If the leading edge 12A of the copy paper 12 separates from the photosensitive drum 9 even a little, it will naturally separate due to wind pressure and the copy paper's own weight, causing the entire copy paper 12 to curl as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. Instead, the copy paper 12 can be separated from the photoreceptor drum 9 by bending only the tip 12A in the same direction as the curl.

In the conventional copying machine, the curling mechanism 29 is not provided in the conveyance path 28 of the copy paper 12 from the paper feeder 11 to the photoconductor drum 9, and the copy paper 12 that comes into contact with the photoconductor drum 9 is flat without any curls. It was something. As shown in Figure 1,
When the flat copy paper 12 comes into contact with the photoreceptor drum 9 for transfer, the copy paper 12 does not separate from the photoreceptor drum 9 due to the electrostatic charge applied from the transfer pole 16 and is conveyed while remaining in close contact with the photoreceptor drum 9. Become. Therefore, high-voltage alternating current is applied to the separation electrode 39 to remove the electrostatic charge and lose the electrostatic force, and the copy paper 12 is lifted from the photoreceptor drum 9 by the elastic force that tends to flatten the copy paper 12 and its gravity. We are trying to separate them. However, the separation electrode 39 only cancels the electrostatic force acting between the copy paper 12 and the photoreceptor drum 9, and does not actively apply a force to separate the copy paper 12 from the photoreceptor drum 9. Therefore, sometimes the copy paper 12 does not separate from the photoreceptor drum 9, resulting in a so-called jam phenomenon.

In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7 as well, a force is applied to the copy paper 12 to adhere to the photoreceptor drum 9 due to the electrostatic charge applied by the transfer pole I6, but before the copy paper 12 comes into contact with the photoreceptor drum 9. Because the copy paper 12 is curled, the elastic force that tends to return to the original curled state after the toner image is transferred is much greater than that of conventional flat copy paper, and the copy paper 12
A gap 38 as shown in FIG. 7 is likely to occur between the leading end 12A of the photosensitive drum 9 and the photosensitive drum 9. For this reason, the separation electrode 3
Even without providing the photosensitive drum 9, the copy paper 12 can be easily separated from the photosensitive drum 9, and the jam phenomenon can be reliably prevented.

In the copying machine shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to apply a high DC voltage to the charger 8 and the transfer pole 16, but since they need to have the same polarity, they can be wired in parallel from the same power source. However, the separation pole 39 is at high AC voltage, and the transfer pole 1
It had to be installed separately from the 6th class power supply. However, as shown in this embodiment, the curl mechanism 2 that bends the copy paper 12
By providing 9, the separation electrode 39 and its power supply become unnecessary, and the cost of the copying machine can be reduced accordingly. Furthermore, the copy paper 12 can be separated from the photoreceptor drum 9 without reducing the diameter of the photoreceptor drum 9 to 25 mm ψ or less, which would make it difficult to attach the cleaning device 18 or the like.
Manufacture and maintenance of the copying machine becomes easier.

If the copy paper 12 on which the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 9 has been transferred is sent to the paper discharge tray 26 in a curled state, it will be inconvenient when editing the copy paper later. but,
The copy paper 12 on which the toner image has been transferred is heated at approximately 200°C and 1.6 kg/cm per unit length in the axial direction of the roller by a heating roller 20 and a pressure roller 22 in a fixing device 27.
By applying a certain amount of force to the paper, the curled state becomes flat and the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 26. here,
Separately from the fixing device 27, a means for flattening the copy paper 12 from a curled state may be provided separately.

Note that the present invention can be further modified based on its technical idea. In the above embodiments, a photoreceptor drum is used as the image carrier, but the present invention can also be applied to a belt-shaped photoreceptor.

The present invention can be applied not only to copying machines but also to recording devices using laser light or cathode ray tubes as exposure sources, wire dot printers, and the like.

6. Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, the conveyed object that is conveyed while being in contact with the rotating member is deformed so as not to be wrapped around the rotating member on the conveying path until it comes into contact with the rotating member. Therefore, even if the conveyed object comes into contact with the rotating member, the elastic force of the conveyed object makes it easy to separate from the rotating member, and the conveyed object can be prevented from coming into close contact with the rotating member and being wrapped around it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example when copy paper leaves a photosensitive drum. 2 to 6 show embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a copying machine, and FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are copies of copy paper. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape change before and after the copy paper passes through the curling mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing when the copy paper is separated from the photoreceptor drum. Regarding the symbols used in the drawings, 8-...
---Charger 9-----Photosensitive drum 1t--Paper feeder 12--Copy paper 14.15-- ---One timing roller 30.
3L32,33-----1 Roll 3, t----
--- Heald 36 --- Guide plate 37 --- Heater 38 ------ Gap. Agent Patent Attorney Hiroshi Aisaka Figure 3 1b Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveyance device that conveys a conveyed object while bringing it into contact with a rotating member, wherein the conveyed object is placed on the rotating member in front of the contact area with the rotating member in the conveying path of the conveyed object. A conveying device characterized in that a means is provided for deforming the conveyed object so that the conveyed object does not become wrapped.