CN114436000A

CN114436000A - Conveying device

Info

Publication number: CN114436000A
Application number: CN202111210816.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 神林卓也
Original assignee: Riso Kagaku Corp
Current assignee: Riso Kagaku Corp
Priority date: 2020-11-02
Filing date: 2021-10-18
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Also published as: JP7556749B2; JP2022073530A

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying device which can inhibit the complication of the device structure and reduce the jam of the conveyed object. The conveying unit (21A) has a conveying surface (31A) for conveying the paper (P), and the conveying unit (21A) is arranged so that the conveying surface (31A) is on the upper surface side, and has a holding region for holding the paper (P) on the conveying surface (31A). The conveying unit (21B) has a conveying surface (31A) for conveying the paper (P), and the conveying unit (21B) is disposed adjacent to the conveying unit (21A) in the conveying direction of the paper (P) such that the conveying surface (31A) is the lower surface side. An upper guide plate (25a) and a lower guide plate (25B) guide the paper (P) between the conveying unit (21A) and the conveying unit (21B). The upper guide plate (25a) extends to the holding area of the conveying unit (21A).

Description

Conveying device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying a sheet-like object to be conveyed.

Background

In an image forming apparatus, it is sometimes necessary to convey a sheet having images formed on both sides thereof and to inspect the images on both sides of the sheet.

As an image inspection apparatus for performing such an image inspection, patent document 1 discloses an image inspection apparatus including: an upstream-side 1 st conveying unit arranged such that a conveying surface on which a sheet is conveyed is an upper surface side; a 2 nd conveying unit disposed so that a conveying surface on which the sheet is conveyed is a lower surface side and is adjacent to the conveying surface of the 1 st conveying unit; a 1 st inspection unit that inspects a front surface of the sheet conveyed by the 1 st conveying unit; and a 2 nd inspection portion that inspects a back surface of the sheet conveyed by the 2 nd conveying portion.

In the image inspection apparatus, a pair of guide plates is provided between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit. By guiding the sheet by the guide plate, the sheet is prevented from being jammed between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit, and the sheet is delivered from the 1 st conveying unit to the 2 nd conveying unit.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2020 and 37486

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the above-described image inspection apparatus, for example, there are cases where: since the sheet is lifted from the conveying surface of the 1 st conveying portion, the sheet does not enter between the pair of guide plates, and the sheet is not guided by the guide plates. As a result, the sheet may be jammed, and the delivery of the sheet between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit may fail.

If a dedicated member for preventing the sheet from being lifted up from the conveying surface of the 1 st conveying unit is provided, the above-described jamming can be reduced. However, providing such a member causes the apparatus structure to be complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a transport apparatus capable of reducing the occurrence of jamming of an object to be transported while suppressing the complexity of the apparatus configuration.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a transport device including: a 1 st conveying unit having a 1 st conveying surface for conveying a sheet-like object to be conveyed, the 1 st conveying unit being disposed such that the 1 st conveying surface is on an upper surface side, the 1 st conveying surface having a holding area for holding the object to be conveyed; a 2 nd conveying unit having a 2 nd conveying surface for conveying the object to be conveyed, the 2 nd conveying unit being disposed adjacent to the 1 st conveying unit in a conveying direction of the object to be conveyed so that the 2 nd conveying surface is a lower surface side; and a pair of guide plates that guide the conveyed object between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit, wherein a guide plate that guides an upper surface side of the conveyed object of the pair of guide plates extends to the holding area of the 1 st conveying unit.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

The conveying device of the invention can inhibit the complication of the device structure and reduce the jam of the conveyed object.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image inspection apparatus of the image forming system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of the image inspection apparatus shown in fig. 2.

Description of the reference numerals

1. An image forming system; 2. an image forming apparatus; 3. an image inspection device; 4. a post-processing device; 21A, 21B, a conveying part; 22A, 22B, a press roller; 23A, 23B, an inspection part; 24. a lead-in guide part; 25. an intermediate guide portion; 25a, an upper side guide plate; 25b, a lower side guide plate; 26. a discharge guide; 31. a conveyor belt; 31a, a conveying surface; 31b, a holding region; 32. a drive roller; 33-35, driven rollers; 36. a platform part; 37. a chamber; 38. a fan.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent parts and components in the drawings are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals.

The embodiments described below are illustrative of devices and the like for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the technical ideas of the present invention are not intended to specify the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, and the like of the respective constituent members as described below. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified in the claims.

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system including an image inspection apparatus including a conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image inspection apparatus of the image forming system shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of the image inspection apparatus shown in fig. 2. In the following description, the top, bottom, left, and right of the paper plane in fig. 1 will be referred to as the top, bottom, left, and right directions. In fig. 1, the direction from left to right is the conveying direction of a sheet P (see fig. 2) as a sheet-like conveyed object. The upstream and downstream in the following description refer to upstream and downstream in the transport direction of the sheet P.

As shown in fig. 1, an image forming system 1 of the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 2, an image inspection apparatus 3, and a post-processing apparatus 4.

The image forming apparatus 2 includes a plurality of inkjet heads 11 that eject inks of different colors, a conveyance path 12 that conveys the paper P, and a conveyance unit 13 that is provided directly below the inkjet heads 11 and is connected to the conveyance path 12. Other structures such as a feeding member for the sheet P are not shown.

In the image forming apparatus 2, the paper P that is transported by the transport unit 13 and printed on one surface by the inkjet head 11 is fed back to the transport unit 13 after reversing the front and back surfaces of the paper P on the transport path 12, and the paper P is transported by the transport unit 13 and printed on the other surface of the paper P by the inkjet head 11, thereby enabling duplex printing.

The image inspection apparatus 3 conveys the sheet P printed by the image forming apparatus 2 and inspects an image formed on the sheet P. The image inspection apparatus 3 will be described in detail later.

The post-processing device 4 is a device that applies various post-processes to the paper P on which the image is printed by the image forming apparatus 2 and the image is inspected by the image inspection apparatus 3 and discharges the paper P. The post-processing includes sorting operations such as sorting and stacking, stapling, inserting inserts, folding sheets of various forms, and inserting into envelopes. In the image forming system 1, the post-processing apparatus 4 having a desired function can be provided according to the purpose.

Next, the details of the image inspection apparatus 3 will be described.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the image inspection apparatus 3 includes

conveying units

21A and 21B, pressing

rollers

22A and 22B,

inspection units

23A and 23B, an introduction guide 24, an intermediate guide 25, and a discharge guide 26. The transport device is constituted by the parts of the image inspection apparatus 3 other than the

inspection parts

23A and 23B.

The conveying section 21A (corresponding to the 1 st conveying section) sucks and holds the paper P conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2 by air suction and conveys the paper P. The conveying portion 21A is disposed so that a conveying surface 31A described later is on the upper surface side (upward). The conveying unit 21A includes a conveyor belt 31, a drive roller 32, driven rollers 33 to 35, a platen 36, a chamber 37, and a fan 38.

The conveying belt 31 suctions and holds the paper P and conveys the paper P. The conveying belt 31 is an endless belt suspended from the driving roller 32 and the driven rollers 33 to 35. The conveyor belt 31 has a large number of holes (not shown). The conveying belt 31 sucks and holds the paper P in the holding area 31b of the conveying surface 31a by suction force generated in the belt holes by the driving of the fan 38. The conveyor belt 31 of the conveyor section 21A rotates clockwise in fig. 2, and conveys the paper P sucked and held by the holding area 31b of the conveyor surface 31A to the right.

The conveying surface 31a is an upper surface of a horizontal portion of the conveying belt 31 between the driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33. The conveying surface 31A of the conveying section 21A corresponds to the 1 st conveying surface.

The holding area 31b is an area where suction force (holding force) by driving of the fan 38 is generated and the paper P is sucked and held. The holding area 31b is an area of the conveying surface 31a that overlaps the chamber 37 in a plan view. The upstream end of the holding region 31b is located downstream of the upstream end of the conveying surface 31a, and the downstream end of the holding region 31b is located upstream of the downstream end of the conveying surface 31 a.

The driving roller 32 rotates the conveying belt 31. The drive roller 32 is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown).

The driven rollers 33 to 35 support the transport belt 31 together with the drive roller 32. The driven rollers 33 to 35 rotate following the rotating conveyor belt 31. The driven roller 33 is disposed at the same height as the driving roller 32 on the left of the driving roller 32. The driven

rollers

34, 35 are disposed at the same height below the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction.

The platen portion 36 is disposed below the conveyor belt 31 between the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33, and the platen portion 36 supports the lower surface of the conveyor belt 31 so that the conveyor belt 31 can slide. The platen 36 has many suction holes (not shown) formed in a portion of the conveyor belt 31 through which the belt holes pass.

The chamber 37 is used to form a negative pressure chamber for generating an adsorption force to the belt holes of the conveyor belt 31 through the suction holes of the platen 36. The chamber 37 is provided on the lower surface side of the platen portion 36 between the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33.

A fan 38 exhausts the chamber 37. As a result, the fan 38 generates a negative pressure in the chamber 37, and sucks air through the suction holes of the platen 36 and the holes of the conveyor belt 31. Thus, the fan 38 causes the perforated holes to generate a negative pressure, and causes the paper P to be attracted to the holding area 31b of the conveying surface 31 a.

The conveying section 21B (corresponding to the 2 nd conveying section) sucks and holds the sheet P conveyed from the conveying section 21A by air suction, conveys the sheet P, and discharges the sheet P to the post-processing apparatus 4. The conveying unit 21B has the same configuration as the conveying unit 21A, but is disposed such that the conveying unit 21A is inverted in the vertical direction. Thus, the conveying portion 21B is disposed such that the conveying surface 31a is on the lower surface side (facing downward). The conveying surface 31a of the conveying portion 21B corresponds to the 2 nd conveying surface.

The conveying unit 21B is disposed on the downstream side (right side) of the conveying unit 21A adjacent to the conveying unit 21A so that the height position of the conveying surface 31A is the same as the height position of the conveying surface 31A of the conveying unit 21A.

In the conveying section 21B, the conveyor belt 31 rotates counterclockwise in fig. 2, and thereby conveys the paper P sucked and held by the holding area 31B of the conveying surface 31a to the right.

The pressing roller 22A is a roller for pressing the paper P against the conveyor belt 31 of the conveyor section 21A, and the pressing roller 22B is a roller for pressing the paper P against the conveyor belt 31 of the conveyor section 21B. The

pressing rollers

22A and 22B rotate following the rotating conveyor belt 31. The pressing roller 22A is disposed at an upstream end of the conveying surface 31A of the conveying portion 21A, and the pressing roller 22B is disposed at an upstream end of the conveying surface 31A of the conveying portion 21B.

The pressing roller 22B (corresponding to a sagging prevention member) is disposed on the downstream side (right side) of a lower guide plate 25B of the intermediate guide 25 described later, and the pressing roller 22B presses the sheet P against the conveying surface 31a of the conveying unit 21B to prevent the sheet P from sagging from the conveying surface 31 a.

The inspection unit 23A reads an image formed on the upward surface of the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 21A for inspection. The inspection unit 23A is disposed above the conveying unit 21A.

The inspection unit 23B reads an image formed on the downward surface of the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 21B for inspection. The inspection unit 23B is disposed below the conveying unit 21B.

The

inspection units

23A and 23B are configured by a CIS (Contact Image Sensor). The

inspection units

23A and 23B are not limited to the CIS, and may be sensors of other principles or configurations, or may be cameras.

The introduction guide 24 guides the sheet P, which is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2 toward the image inspection apparatus 3, to the conveying section 21A.

The intermediate guide portion 25 guides the sheet P between the conveying portion 21A and the conveying portion 21B. The intermediate guide 25 includes an upper guide plate 25a and a lower guide plate 25b constituting a pair of guide plates.

The upper guide plate 25a guides the upper surface side of the sheet P. The upper guide plate 25a is disposed at a position higher than the conveying surface 31A of the conveying

units

21A, 21B. The downstream end (right end) of the upper guide plate 25a is horizontal, and an inclined portion that is inclined upward toward the upstream side is formed continuously on the upstream side (left side) of the horizontal portion. The upper guide plate 25a extends to the holding area 31b of the conveying section 21A. That is, the upstream end (left end) of the upper guide plate 25a is located at the same position as the downstream end (right end) of the holding section 31b or upstream of the downstream end (right end) of the holding section 31 b. In the example of fig. 2 and 3, the upstream end of the upper guide plate 25a is located upstream of the downstream end of the holding area 31 b.

The lower guide plate 25b guides the lower surface side of the sheet P. The lower guide plate 25B is disposed at a position lower than the conveying surface 31A of the conveying

units

21A and 21B with a predetermined interval from the upper guide plate 25 a. The lower guide plate 25b is horizontally disposed. The lower guide plate 25B extends downstream of the downstream end (end on the conveying unit 21B side) of the upper guide plate 25a and extends to the vicinity of the pressing roller 22B. That is, the downstream end of the lower guide plate 25B is located downstream of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25a and is located in the vicinity of the upstream side of the pressing roller 22B. The upstream end of the lower guide plate 25b is located upstream of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25 a.

The discharge guide 26 guides the sheet P discharged from the conveying unit 21B to the post-processing apparatus 4.

Next, the operation of the image forming system 1 will be described.

Here, the image forming apparatus 2 performs duplex printing. In the image forming apparatus 2, the paper P is transported by the transport unit 13, one surface of the paper P is printed by the inkjet head 11, the front surface and the back surface of the paper P printed on the one surface are reversed on the transport path 12, and the paper P is then fed to the transport unit 13 again. Then, in the image forming apparatus 2, the paper P printed on one surface is conveyed by the conveying section 13, and printing is performed on the other surface of the paper P by the inkjet head 11. Thereby, images are printed on both sides of the paper P. The sheet P after the duplex printing is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2 to the image inspection apparatus 3.

The sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus 2 to the image inspecting apparatus 3 is guided to the conveying portion 21A by the introduction guide portion 24. The paper P guided to the conveying section 21A is pressed against the conveying surface 31A by the pressing roller 22A and conveyed toward the holding area 31 b. The conveying section 21A sucks and holds the paper P to the holding area 31b of the conveying surface 31A by air suction and conveys the paper P. The inspection unit 23A reads an image formed on the upward surface of the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 21A for inspection.

The sheet P conveyed by the conveying section 21A is guided by the intermediate guide section 25 and conveyed toward the conveying section 21B.

Here, in the area of the conveying surface 31A of the conveying portion 21A on the downstream side of the downstream end of the holding area 31b, air is not sucked from the perforated holes, and therefore, the paper P is easily lifted from the conveying surface 31A.

In contrast, in the intermediate guide portion 25, the upper guide plate 25a extends to the holding area 31b of the conveying portion 21A, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the paper P from being lifted from the conveying surface 31A and not entering the space between the upper guide plate 25a and the lower guide plate 25 b. Thus, the following are reduced: the paper P is lifted from the conveyance surface 31A of the conveyance unit 21A, and the paper P is jammed, and the transfer of the paper P between the conveyance unit 21A and the conveyance unit 21B fails.

In the intermediate guide portion 25, the lower guide plate 25B extends downstream of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25a, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the paper P from drooping and being not received by the conveying portion 21B. Thus, the following are reduced: the paper P is jammed due to the sagging of the paper P, and the transfer of the paper P between the conveying unit 21A and the conveying unit 21B fails.

The sheet P guided to the conveying section 21B by the intermediate guide section 25 is pressed against the conveying surface 31a by the pressing roller 22B and conveyed toward the holding area 31B. The pressing roller 22B presses the sheet P against the conveyance surface 31a, thereby preventing the sheet P from hanging down from the conveyance surface 31a of the conveyance unit 21B. This further reduces jamming of the sheet P caused by sagging of the sheet P.

The conveying section 21B sucks and holds the paper P to the holding area 31B of the conveying surface 31a by air suction and conveys the paper P. The inspection unit 23B reads an image formed on the downward surface of the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 21B for inspection.

The sheet P conveyed by the conveying section 21B is guided to the post-processing apparatus 4 by the discharge guide section 26. The post-processing device 4 performs post-processing on the sheet P conveyed from the image inspection device 3.

As described above, in the image inspection apparatus 3, the upper guide plate 25a of the intermediate guide 25 extends to the holding area 31b of the conveying unit 21A. This can prevent the paper P from being lifted from the conveyance surface 31a and not entering the space between the upper guide plate 25a and the lower guide plate 25 b. As a result, jamming of the sheet P caused by the sheet P being lifted from the conveying surface 31A of the conveying section 21A can be reduced.

Further, by extending the upper guide plate 25a to the holding area 31b of the conveying unit 21A, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated member for preventing the paper P from being lifted from a portion of the conveying surface 31A of the conveying unit 21A in the area downstream of the downstream end of the holding area 31 b. Therefore, the complexity of the device structure can be suppressed.

Therefore, with the image inspection apparatus 3, it is possible to reduce jamming of the sheet P while suppressing complication of the apparatus configuration.

In the image inspection apparatus 3, the lower guide plate 25b of the intermediate guide 25 extends downstream of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25 a. This can prevent the paper P from hanging down and being not received by the conveying unit 21B, and thus can reduce jamming of the paper P due to hanging down of the paper P.

The image inspection apparatus 3 further includes a pressing roller 22B that prevents the paper P from hanging down from the conveying surface 31a of the conveying unit 21B. This can further reduce jamming of the paper P due to drooping of the paper P.

The downstream end (right end) of the lower guide plate 25b may be located at the same position as the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25a or at a position upstream (left side) of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 25 a. In this case, the lower guide plate 25B can also suppress the sagging of the sheet P, and the pressing roller 22B can reduce the jamming of the sheet P due to the sagging of the sheet P by pressing the sheet P.

In this case, the pressing roller 22B may be omitted. In this case, the lower guide plate 25b suppresses the sagging of the sheet P, and also suppresses the jamming of the sheet P due to the sagging of the sheet P. Further, by extending the upper guide plate 25a to the holding area 31b of the conveying unit 21A, jamming of the sheet P caused by the sheet P being lifted from the conveying surface 31A of the conveying unit 21A can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the direction of conveying the paper P in the image inspection apparatus 3 is the direction of conveying the paper P from the conveying unit 21A to the conveying unit 21B, but the direction may be the opposite direction. In this case, the jam of the sheet P due to the sagging of the sheet P can be reduced by pressing the sheet P by the pressing roller 22B and extending the lower guide plate 25B to the right side of the right end of the upper guide plate 25 a. Further, by extending the upper guide plate 25a to the holding area 31b of the conveying unit 21A, it is possible to suppress the sheet P from being lifted from the conveying surface 31A of the conveying unit 21A and being not received by the conveying unit 21A. Therefore, jamming of the sheet P due to lifting of the sheet P can be reduced.

Even when the transport direction of the sheet P is set to be opposite to that of the above embodiment, the right end of the lower guide plate 25b may be located at the same position as the right end of the upper guide plate 25a or at a position on the left side of the right end of the upper guide plate 25 a. In this case, the pressing roller 22B may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the case where the conveying

units

21A and 21B suck and hold the paper P by air suction and convey the paper P has been described, but the mode of holding and conveying the paper is not limited to this. For example, the paper may be held by electrostatic attraction on a belt and conveyed, or the paper may be held by an adhesive on a roller or a belt and conveyed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and constituent elements can be modified and embodied in the implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some of the components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments.

[ attached notes ] the present invention discloses the following technical means.

(attached note 1)

A conveying device is characterized by comprising: a 1 st conveying unit having a 1 st conveying surface for conveying a sheet-like object to be conveyed, the 1 st conveying unit being disposed such that the 1 st conveying surface is on an upper surface side, the 1 st conveying surface having a holding area for holding the object to be conveyed; a 2 nd conveying unit having a 2 nd conveying surface for conveying the object to be conveyed, the 2 nd conveying unit being disposed adjacent to the 1 st conveying unit in a conveying direction of the object to be conveyed so that the 2 nd conveying surface is a lower surface side; and a pair of guide plates that guide the conveyed object between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit, wherein a guide plate that guides an upper surface side of the conveyed object of the pair of guide plates extends to the holding area of the 1 st conveying unit.

(attached note 2)

The transport device according to supplementary note 1, wherein the guide plate that guides the lower surface side of the transported object out of the pair of guide plates extends toward the 2 nd transport unit side than an end portion on the 2 nd transport unit side of the guide plate that guides the upper surface side of the transported object.

(attached note 3)

The conveying device according to supplementary note 1 or 2, characterized in that the conveying device further includes a sagging prevention member disposed on a side of the 2 nd conveying surface of the one of the pair of guide plates that guides the lower surface side of the conveyed object, for preventing the conveyed object from sagging from the 2 nd conveying surface.

Claims

1. A conveying device is characterized in that the conveying device comprises a conveying device body,

the conveying device is provided with:

a 1 st transport unit having a 1 st transport surface for transporting a sheet-like object to be transported, the 1 st transport unit being disposed so that the 1 st transport surface is on an upper surface side, the 1 st transport surface having a holding area for holding the object to be transported;

a 2 nd conveying unit having a 2 nd conveying surface for conveying the object to be conveyed, the 2 nd conveying unit being disposed adjacent to the 1 st conveying unit in a conveying direction of the object to be conveyed so that the 2 nd conveying surface is a lower surface side; and

a pair of guide plates for guiding the conveyed object between the 1 st conveying unit and the 2 nd conveying unit,

the guide plate that guides the upper surface side of the object to be conveyed, out of the pair of guide plates, extends to the holding area of the 1 st conveying unit.

2. The delivery device of claim 1,

the guide plate that guides the lower surface side of the object to be conveyed, out of the pair of guide plates, extends toward the 2 nd conveying unit side than an end portion on the 2 nd conveying unit side of the guide plate that guides the upper surface side of the object to be conveyed.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2,

the conveying device further includes a sagging prevention member that is disposed on a side of the 2 nd conveying surface of the guide plate that guides the lower surface side of the conveyed object among the pair of guide plates, and that prevents the conveyed object from sagging from the 2 nd conveying surface.