Conveying device

Abstract

To provide a conveying device capable of improving the productivity of sheet conveyance.SOLUTION: Belt conveying units 5A and 5B each have a rotating belt 31, and a sheet holding member 34 that is provided on the belt 31 and holds a sheet P, and are arranged offset from each other in a conveying direction of the sheet P, and convey the sheet P held by the sheet holding member 34. Depending on a length of the sheet P, a control unit selects whether to use only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the sheet P, or to use both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the sheet P. When both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B are used, the control unit 13 controls so that the sheet P is transferred from the belt conveying unit 5A to the belt conveying unit 5B for conveyance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device that conveys a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As a conveying device for conveying a sheet, a conveying device that conveys a sheet such as paper in a printing device is known.

[0003] As such a conveying device, Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying device in which a sheet conveyed toward a belt having a gripper for holding the sheet is held by the gripper and the belt is circulated to convey the sheet.

[0004] In this conveying device, when a sheet being conveyed while being held by the gripper hits a stopper, the gripper releases the sheet and the sheet is stacked on a tray. After releasing the sheet, the gripper moves in a circle by the circulating belt and returns to a position where it can receive a new sheet, and then conveys the new sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4838671 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the conveying device of Patent Document 1, the gripper that has released the sheet cannot convey a new sheet until the gripper returns to a position where it receives the sheet, which may result in insufficient productivity in sheet conveyance.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a conveying device capable of improving the productivity of sheet conveyance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a conveying device is provided which comprises a rotating circulating body, and a plurality of conveying sections each having a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, each shifted in the sheet conveying direction, and conveying the sheet held by the holding member, and a control unit which selects at least some of the plurality of conveying sections to be used for conveying the sheet depending on the length of the sheet, and if there are multiple selected conveying sections, controls the selected plurality of conveying sections to sequentially transfer and convey the sheet.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a conveying device is provided, which is characterized in that it comprises a rotating circulating body, and a plurality of conveying sections each having a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, each of which is arranged offset in the sheet conveying direction and conveys the sheet held by the holding member, and a control unit that controls the plurality of conveying sections to sequentially transfer and convey the sheets. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the conveying device of the present invention, the productivity of sheet conveyance can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the paper discharge device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a belt conveying section of the paper ejection device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of a belt unit of the belt transport section shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view of a paper holding member of the belt transport unit shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 5 is a front view of the paper holding member shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 7]4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line BB in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] 2 is a control block diagram of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the paper ejection device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the paper ejection device shown in FIG. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state of the paper when it strikes an end fence. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a sheet of paper that is separated upward from the sheets of paper stacked on the paper discharge tray and strikes an end fence. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet of paper is leaning against a regulating wall. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0013] The following embodiments are examples of devices for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention does not limit the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of each component to those described below. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a paper discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a belt conveying section of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a belt unit of the belt conveying section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a paper holding member of the belt conveying section shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view of the paper holding member shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of the paper discharge device shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction, and the front direction of the paper is referred to as the forward direction. Additionally, the top, bottom, left, and right directions on the plane of the paper in Fig. 1 are referred to as the up, down, left, and right directions. The up and down direction is the vertical direction, and the left and right directions and the front and back directions are perpendicular to each other and are all perpendicular to the up and down direction. The direction from left to right is the paper transport direction. In the following description, upstream and downstream refer to upstream and downstream in the paper transport direction.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 8, the paper discharge device (corresponding to the conveying device) 1 according to this embodiment includes two pairs of conveying rollers 2, a conveying roller drive motor 3, a paper sensor 4, a belt conveying section (corresponding to the conveying section) 5A, 5B, a belt drive motor 6A, 6B, an HP (home position) sensor 7A, 7B, an end fence 8, an end fence motor 9, a paper discharge tray (corresponding to the loading tray) 10, a lifting motor 11, a regulating wall 12, and a control section 13. The paper discharge device 1 conveys and discharges paper printed in a printing device (not shown). Note that the alphabetical suffixes in the reference numerals of the belt conveying sections 5A, 5B, etc. may be omitted to collectively indicate the components.

[0017] The conveying rollers 2 nip the paper (corresponding to a sheet) P and convey it toward the belt conveying units 5A and 5B. The two pairs of conveying rollers 2 are disposed on the upstream side of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B and spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction (left-right direction) of the paper P.

[0018] The transport roller drive motor 3 drives the two pairs of transport rollers 2 .

[0019] The paper sensor 4 detects the paper P being transported by the transport rollers 2. The paper sensor 4 is disposed between two pairs of transport rollers 2 in the left-right direction. The paper sensor 4 is used to control the timing at which the belt transport units 5A and 5B start transporting the paper P.

[0020] The belt conveying units 5A and 5B hold and convey the paper P conveyed by the conveying roller 2. The belt conveying unit 5B is disposed shifted downstream (to the right) in the conveying direction (left-right direction) of the paper P with respect to the belt conveying unit 5A. For example, the belt conveying unit 5B is disposed shifted downstream by a distance half the distance between a driving pulley 32 and a driven pulley 33 (described later) in the conveying direction of the paper P with respect to the belt conveying unit 5A. As described later, depending on the length of the paper P (length in the conveying direction), it is possible to switch between using only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P or using both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P.

[0021] The belt conveying section 5 includes two belt units 21 and a shaft 22, as shown in FIGS.

[0022] The two belt units 21 are arranged parallel to each other in the front-rear direction. The interval between the two belt units 21 of the belt conveyor 5B is wider than the interval between the two belt units 21 of the belt conveyor 5A. The front belt unit 21 of the belt conveyor 5B is arranged forward of the front belt unit 21 of the belt conveyor 5A, and the rear belt unit 21 of the belt conveyor 5B is arranged rear of the rear belt unit 21 of the belt conveyor 5A.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the belt unit 21 includes two belts (corresponding to circulating bodies) 31, a driving pulley 32, a driven pulley 33, and two paper holding members (corresponding to holding members) .

[0024] The two belts 31 hold and move the paper holding member 34. The belt 31 is a circular toothed belt that is stretched around a drive pulley 32 and a driven pulley 33. The two belts 31 are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. The two belts 31 rotate (circulate) when driven by the drive pulley 32, thereby moving the paper holding member 34.

[0025] The drive pulley 32 rotates (circulates) the belt 31. The drive pulleys 32 of the two belt units 21 in the belt conveyor 5 are connected to each other by a shaft 22. When the shaft 22 is rotated by the drive of the belt drive motor 6, the drive pulley 32 rotates, and the belt 31 rotates. The drive pulley 32 is a toothed pulley that meshes with the belt 31.

[0026] The driven pulley 33 supports two belts 31 together with the driving pulley 32. The driven pulley 33 rotates following the rotation of the rotating belts 31. Like the driving pulley 32, the driven pulley 33 is a toothed pulley that meshes with the belts 31.

[0027] The paper holding member 34 is a member that holds the paper P transported by the belt transport section 5. In the belt unit 21, two paper holding members 34 are attached to the belt 31, spaced apart from each other by half the circumference of the belt 31. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the paper holding member 34 includes a main body member 36 and a pressing member 37.

[0028] 4 and 5 show a state in which paper holding member 34 is suspended from belt 31 between driving pulley 32 and driven pulley 33. Unless otherwise specified, the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions of paper holding member 34 refer to the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions in the state shown in FIGS.

[0029] The main body member 36 is a member that constitutes the main body of the paper holding member 34. The main body member 36 is formed with a paper receiving section 38 that receives paper P transported by the belt transport section 5. The paper receiving section 38 is formed by hollowing out a part of the left surface 36a of the main body member 36. The paper receiving section 38 is formed with a paper holding surface 38a that holds paper between the paper receiving section 38 and the pressing member 37. The paper holding surface 38a is a horizontal surface that faces upward.

[0030] Furthermore, the main body member 36 is formed with a connection portion 39 for connecting the paper holding member 34 to the two belts 31. The connection portion 39 has a vertical plate portion 41 perpendicular to the front-rear direction and provided on the upper surface 36b of the main body member 36, and a horizontal plate portion 42 connected to the upper end of the vertical plate portion 41 and perpendicular to the up-down direction. The horizontal plate portion 42 is connected to the upper end of the vertical plate portion 41 at the center in the front-rear direction. A protrusion 42a protruding downward is formed on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 42.

[0031] 6 and 7, the front belt 31 is fitted between the horizontal plate portion 42 on the front side of the vertical plate portion 41 and the upper surface 36b of the main body member 36, and the rear belt 31 is fitted between the horizontal plate portion 42 on the rear side of the vertical plate portion 41 and the upper surface 36b of the main body member 36. The convex portion 42a of the horizontal plate portion 42 is fitted between two adjacent teeth of the belt 31. In this way, the paper holding member 34 is attached to the two belts 31.

[0032] Pressing member 37 is a member that presses down paper P inserted into paper receiving section 38 of main body member 36. Pressing member 37 is disposed facing paper holding surface 38a of paper receiving section 38. Pressing member 37 has multiple protrusions 37a that protrude downward. Pressing member 37 clamps paper P between paper holding surface 38a and protrusions 37a. In this way, paper holding member 34 holds paper P.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, shielding plates 46 are attached to the two paper holding members 34 of the belt unit 21 on the front side of the belt transport section 5A and the two paper holding members 34 of the belt unit 21 on the rear side of the belt transport section 5B.

[0034] The shielding plate 46 is provided to enable the HP sensor 7 to detect that the paper holding member 34 is in the home position. The home position of the paper holding member 34 is the position of the paper holding member 34 on the left side of the belt unit 21 of the belt conveying section 5B in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is the position to the left of the drive pulley 32.

[0035] The shaft 22 connects the drive pulleys 32 of the two belt units 21 in the belt conveying section 5. As described above, since the interval between the two belt units 21 in the belt conveying section 5B is wider than the interval between the two belt units 21 in the belt conveying section 5A, the shaft 22 in the belt conveying section 5B is longer than the shaft 22 in the belt conveying section 5A.

[0036] The belt drive motors 6A and 6B drive the belt conveying units 5A and 5B, respectively. Specifically, the belt drive motors 6A and 6B rotate the shafts 22 of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B, respectively, to rotate the drive pulleys 32. The belt drive motor 6 is a pulse motor. Note that a DC motor with an encoder may be used as the belt drive motor 6.

[0037] The HP sensors 7A and 7B detect the paper holding member 34 in the home position of the belt transport units 5A and 5B, respectively. Specifically, the HP sensor 7A detects that the paper holding member 34 of the belt transport unit 5A is in the home position by detecting the shielding plate 46 attached to the paper holding member 34 of the belt unit 21 on the front side of the belt transport unit 5A. The HP sensor 7B detects that the paper holding member 34 of the belt transport unit 5B is in the home position by detecting the shielding plate 46 attached to the paper holding member 34 of the belt unit 21 on the rear side of the belt transport unit 5B.

[0038] The end fence 8 is a member that receives the paper P transported by the belt transport section 5, releases the paper P from the paper holding members 34, and stacks the paper P released from the paper holding members 34 on the paper output tray 10. The end fence 8 is disposed between the two belt units 21 of the belt transport section 5A in the front-rear direction. The end fence 8 is movable in the left-right direction according to the length of the paper P (the length in the transport direction).

[0039] The end fence motor 9 moves the end fence 8 in the left and right directions.

[0040] The paper ejection tray 10 is configured to stack paper P that has been transported by the belt transport unit 5 and released from the paper holding member 34. The paper ejection tray 10 is disposed below the belt transport units 5A and 5B. The paper ejection tray 10 is configured to be movable up and down.

[0041] The lifting motor 11 lifts and lowers the paper ejection tray 10 .

[0042] The regulating wall 12 regulates the position of the upstream end (left end) of the paper P stacked on the paper receiving tray 10. The regulating wall 12 is disposed near the left side of the paper receiving tray 10.

[0043] The control unit 13 controls the operation of each part of the paper discharge device 1. The control unit 13 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and the like.

[0044] Specifically, the control unit 13 controls the conveying rollers 2 to convey the paper P, and when the paper P reaches the belt conveying unit 5A, controls the paper P to be conveyed by at least the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B.

[0045] The control unit 13 selects whether to use only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P or to use both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P according to the length of the paper P. Specifically, when the length of the paper P (length in the conveying direction) is less than a predetermined length, the control unit 13 uses only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P. When the length of the paper P is equal to or greater than the predetermined length, the control unit 13 uses both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B to convey the paper P. When both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B are used, the control unit 13 controls the paper P to be transferred from the belt conveying unit 5A to the belt conveying unit 5B for conveying. The above-mentioned predetermined length is a value set as a lower limit value of the length of the paper P at which desired productivity cannot be achieved when conveying the paper P using only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B.

[0046] Next, the operation of the paper discharge device 1 will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS.

[0047] 9, the control unit 13 determines whether the length of the paper P to be conveyed and discharged by the paper discharge device 1 is less than the above-mentioned predetermined length. Here, the control unit 13 can determine the length of the paper P, for example, from paper size information included in the print setting information of a printing device that prints on the paper P to be discharged by the paper discharge device 1.

[0048] When it is determined that the length of the paper P is less than the predetermined length (step S1: YES), in step S2, the control section 13 determines whether or not it is time to start driving the belt conveying section 5A.

[0049] Here, the belt transport section 5A waits for the paper P transported by the transport roller 2, with one of the paper holding members 34 of each of the two belt units 21 stopped at the paper receiving position. The paper receiving position of the paper holding member 34 is the position of the paper holding member 34 on the left side in Fig. 3, which is directly below the drive pulley 32. The paper holding member 34 can be positioned at the paper receiving position by moving it from the home position by a predetermined number of drive pulses of the belt drive motor 6.

[0050] The paper sheet P conveyed from the conveying rollers 2 to the belt conveying section 5A has its leading edge inserted between the paper holding surface 38a of the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveying section 5A and the pressing member 37 while being conveyed by the conveying rollers 2. This causes the paper sheet P to be held by the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveying section 5A. Then, the driving of the belt conveying section 5A starts.

[0051] The timing at which the belt conveyor 5A starts to drive is a first predetermined time after the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P conveyed by the conveyor roller 2 is detected by the paper sensor 4. The timing at which the belt conveyor 5A starts to drive is set to the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P inserted between the paper holding surface 38a of the paper holding member 34 and the pressing member 37 reaches a position a predetermined distance away from the right end of the paper receiving section 38, as shown in Fig. 5. This makes it possible to prevent the paper P from colliding with the right end surface of the paper receiving section 38 and being damaged, even if there is a deviation in the position of the paper P at the timing at which the belt conveyor 5A starts to drive.

[0052] When it is determined that it is time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5A (step S2: YES), in step S3, the control unit 13 starts driving the belt conveying unit 5A. The control unit 13 drives the belt conveying unit 5A at a predetermined conveying speed V2 that is slower than the conveying speed V1 of the paper P by the conveying roller 2.

[0053] Here, as shown in Fig. 11, the conveying speed V2 is preset as a conveying speed (movement speed of the paper holding member 34) at which the paper P conveyed by the belt conveying section 5A sags and hits the end fence 8, and the downstream side of the upstream end (rear end) of the paper P comes into contact with the paper P stacked on the paper output tray 10 (comes into contact with the paper output tray 10 if there is no paper P on the paper output tray 10). Note that the belt conveying section 5B and the like are omitted in Fig. 11. The same applies to Figs. 12 and 13 described below.

[0054] Unlike the present embodiment, for example, when the belt conveying unit 5A is driven at the same conveying speed V1 as the conveying roller 2, as shown in FIG. 12, the paper P being conveyed by the belt conveying unit 5A may strike the end fence 8 while being separated upward from the paper P stacked on the paper output tray 10.

[0055] In this case, the impact caused by the sheet P colliding with the end fence 8 may propagate to the rear end (upstream end) of the sheet P, disturbing the behavior of the rear end of the sheet P. This may cause stacking disturbance such that the sheet P that has hit the end fence 8 and been released from the hold of the sheet holding member 34 may lean against the restriction wall 12, as shown in FIG.

[0056] In contrast, in this embodiment, the belt conveyor 5A conveys the paper P at the conveying speed V2 described above, so that when the paper P hits the end fence 8, the paper P contacts the paper P stacked on the paper output tray 10 downstream of the upstream end of the paper P. If there is no paper P on the paper output tray 10, the belt conveyor 5A causes the paper P to contact the paper output tray 10 downstream of the upstream end of the paper P when the paper P hits the end fence 8.

[0057] Therefore, the impact caused when the sheet P conveyed by the belt conveying section 5A collides with the end fence 8 is only transmitted to the point where the sheet P contacts the paper output tray 10 or the sheet P on the paper output tray 10. Therefore, the behavior of the rear end of the sheet P conveyed by the belt conveying section 5A is prevented from being disturbed, and disturbance in the stacking of the sheet P, such as the sheet P leaning against the regulating wall 12, is prevented.

[0058] During the paper discharge operation, the control unit 13 lowers the paper discharge tray 10 in accordance with an increase in the number of papers P stacked on the paper discharge tray 10, and maintains the height position of the top surface of the topmost paper P on the paper discharge tray 10 at a predetermined position. The height position of the top surface of the topmost paper P on the paper discharge tray 10 is below the paper holding member 34 that holds and transports the paper P.

[0059] The above-mentioned conveying speed V2 may be adjusted in accordance with at least one of the length and the type of paper P. This makes it possible to prevent the conveying speed V2 from becoming excessively slow.

[0060] Returning to Fig. 9, in step S4, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the sheet P has hit the end fence 8. The control unit 13 can determine whether or not the sheet P has hit the end fence 8 based on the time that has elapsed since the leading edge of the sheet P was detected by the sheet sensor 4. If the control unit 13 determines that the sheet P has not hit the end fence 8 (step S4: NO), it repeats step S4.

[0061] If it is determined that the paper P has hit the end fence 8 (step S4: YES), in step S5, the control unit 13 accelerates the movement speed of the paper holding member 34 in the belt conveying unit 5A from conveying speed V2 to a predetermined movement speed V3 that is faster than conveying speed V1.

[0062] Here, the paper holding member 34 continues to move even after the paper P hits the end fence 8, so that the paper holding member 34 releases the paper P from its hold. As a result, the paper P released from the paper holding member 34 is stacked on the paper discharge tray 10.

[0063] As described above, by accelerating the movement speed of the paper holding member 34 in the belt conveying section 5A when the paper P hits the end fence 8, it is possible to shorten the time from when the paper holding member 34 releases its hold on the paper P until the paper holding member 34 reaches the paper receiving position to receive the next paper P. This makes it possible to achieve high productivity in conveying the paper P.

[0064] The above-mentioned moving speed V3 may be adjusted according to the length of the paper P. For example, the shorter the length of the paper P, the longer the moving distance from when the paper holding member 34 releases the paper P to when the paper holding member 34 reaches the paper receiving position to receive the next paper P, so the moving speed V3 may be made faster. This makes it possible to achieve high productivity in transporting paper P for paper P of various lengths.

[0065] Next, in step S6, the control unit 13 stops the paper holding member 34 of the belt transport unit 5A at the paper receiving position. Specifically, the control unit 13 stops the belt transport unit 5A when a paper holding member 34 different from the paper holding member 34 that was holding the paper P reaches the paper receiving position after the paper P hits the end fence 8 and is released from the paper holding member 34. Here, the control unit 13 can determine whether the paper holding member 34 has reached the paper receiving position based on the number of drive pulses of the belt drive motor 6A after the paper holding member 34 is detected by the HP sensor 7A.

[0066] When the belt conveying section 5A is stopped in step S6, the control section 13 returns to step S2.

[0067] In step S2, if it is determined that it is not time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5A (step S2: NO), in step S7, the control unit 13 determines whether or not there is the next sheet P to be discharged by the sheet discharging device 1. If it is determined that there is the next sheet P (step S7: YES), the control unit 13 returns to step S2.

[0068] When the control unit 13 determines that there is no next sheet of paper P (step S7: NO), the series of operations ends.

[0069] In step S1, when it is determined that the length of the paper P is equal to or longer than the predetermined length (step S1: NO), the control unit 13 proceeds to step S8 in Fig. 10. The processes of steps S8 and S9 are similar to the processes of steps S2 and S3 in Fig. 9 described above.

[0070] In step S10, the control unit 13 stops the paper holding member 34 of the belt transport unit 5B at the paper receiving position.

[0071] When conveying the first sheet P to be discharged in a series of sheet discharging operations, the sheet holding member 34 of the belt conveying unit 5A may be placed in the sheet receiving position and the sheet holding member 34 of the belt conveying unit 5B may be placed in the sheet receiving position before the driving of the belt conveying unit 5A starts in step S9. Also, when conveying the second or subsequent sheet P, that is, even when returning from step S15 to step S8 described below, the sheet holding member 34 of the belt conveying unit 5B may be stopped at the sheet receiving position before the driving of the belt conveying unit 5A starts in step S9.

[0072] Next, in step S11, the control unit 13 judges whether or not it is time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5B. If it is judged that it is not time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5A (step S11: NO), the control unit 13 repeats step S11.

[0073] Here, when the length of the paper P is equal to or longer than a predetermined length, the leading end of the paper P being conveyed by the belt conveyor 5A is inserted between the paper holding surface 38a of the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveyor 5B and the pressing member 37. This causes the paper P to be held by the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveyor 5B. After this, the driving of the belt conveyor 5B starts.

[0074] The timing at which the belt conveying unit 5B starts to drive is a second predetermined time after the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P conveyed by the conveying roller 2 is detected by the paper sensor 4. The timing at which the belt conveying unit 5B starts to drive is set to the timing at which the leading edge of the paper P reaches a position a predetermined distance away from the right end of the paper receiving unit 38 of the belt conveying unit 5B, as in the case of the driving start timing of the belt conveying unit 5A described above, as shown in FIG.

[0075] If it is determined that it is time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5B (step S11: YES), in step S12, the control unit 13 starts driving the belt conveying unit 5B and drives the belt conveying unit 5B at the aforementioned conveying speed V2.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit 13 starts driving the belt conveyor 5B and accelerates the movement speed of the paper holding member 34 in the belt conveyor 5A to the movement speed V3 described above. This releases the paper P from the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveyor 5A. As a result, the paper P is transferred from the belt conveyor 5A to the belt conveyor 5B. Here, the movement speed V3 is set to a speed at which the paper holding member 34 releasing the hold of the paper P by the paper holding member 34 before the paper holding member 34 holding the paper P in the belt conveyor 5A reaches the driven pulley 33 and moves upward along the driven pulley 33.

[0077] Next, in step S13, the control section 13 determines whether or not the sheet P has hit the end fence 8. If it is determined that the sheet P has not hit the end fence 8 (step S13: NO), the control section 13 repeats step S4.

[0078] If it is determined that the paper sheet P has hit the end fence 8 (step S13: YES), in step S14, the control section 13 accelerates the movement speed of the paper sheet holding member 34 in the belt conveying section 5B to the above-mentioned movement speed V3.

[0079] Here, the paper sheet P that has struck the end fence 8 is released from the paper sheet holding member 34 of the belt conveying section 5B and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 10.

[0080] Next, in step S15, the control unit 13 stops the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveying unit 5A at the paper receiving position. Specifically, when the paper holding member 34 in the belt conveying unit 5A, which is different from the paper holding member 34 that held the paper P until the paper P was handed over to the belt conveying unit 5B, reaches the paper receiving position, the control unit 13 stops the belt conveying unit 5A.

[0081] When the belt conveying section 5A is stopped in step S15, the control section 13 returns to step S8.

[0082] Here, after the paper P handed over to the belt conveying unit 5B hits the end fence 8, in step S10 after returning from step S15 to step S8, a paper holding member 34 different from the paper holding member 34 that has been holding the paper P of the belt conveying unit 5B is stopped at the paper receiving position. At this time, as described above, the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveying unit 5B may be stopped at the paper receiving position before the driving of the belt conveying unit 5A starts in step S9.

[0083] In step S8, if it is determined that it is not time to start driving the belt conveying unit 5A (step S8: NO), in step S16, the control unit 13 determines whether or not there is the next sheet P to be discharged by the sheet discharging device 1. If it is determined that there is the next sheet P (step S16: YES), the control unit 13 returns to step S8.

[0084] When the control unit 13 determines that there is no next sheet of paper P (step S16: NO), the series of operations ends.

[0085] As described above, the paper discharge device 1 includes the belt conveying unit 5A and the belt conveying units 5A and 5B that are arranged offset from each other in the conveying direction of the paper P. The control unit 13 selects, depending on the length of the paper P, whether to use only the belt conveying unit 5A of the belt conveying units 5A and 5B for conveying the paper P or to use both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B for conveying the paper P. When both the belt conveying units 5A and 5B are used, the control unit 13 controls the paper P to be transferred from the belt conveying unit 5A to the belt conveying unit 5B for conveying.

[0086] As a result, even if the length of the paper sheet P is relatively long, by transferring the paper sheet P from the belt conveyor 5A to the belt conveyor 5B, it is possible to shorten the time from when the belt conveyor 5A starts conveying the paper sheet P to when the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveyor 5A that receives the next paper sheet P is moved to the paper receiving position. This improves the productivity of conveying the paper sheet P.

[0087] Furthermore, in the paper discharge device 1, the control unit 13 controls the belt conveying unit 5 to convey the paper P at the aforementioned conveying speed V2. That is, the control unit 13 controls the conveying speed of the paper P by the belt conveying unit 5 so that the paper P conveyed by the belt conveying unit 5 is in contact with the paper output tray 10 or the papers P stacked on the paper output tray 10 downstream of the upstream end of the paper P at the time when the paper P hits the end fence 8. This prevents the impact caused by the paper P colliding with the end fence 8 from propagating to the rear end (upstream end) side of the paper P and disturbing the behavior of the rear end of the paper P, thereby preventing disturbance in the stacking of the paper P.

[0088] Furthermore, in the paper discharge device 1, when the paper P being conveyed by the belt conveyor 5 hits the end fence 8, the control unit 13 accelerates the movement speed of the paper holding member 34 of the belt conveyor 5. This shortens the time from when the paper holding member 34 releases its hold on the paper P until the paper holding member 34 that will receive the next paper P reaches the paper receiving position. This makes it possible to achieve high productivity in conveying the paper P.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the paper discharge device 1 is described as having two belt conveying units 5. However, the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which three or more belt conveying units 5 are arranged with each unit shifted in the conveying direction of the paper P. At least some of the belt conveying units 5 to be used for conveying the paper P are selected from among the multiple belt conveying units 5 according to the length of the paper P, and when there are multiple selected belt conveying units 5, the paper P is transferred and conveyed sequentially between the selected multiple belt conveying units 5.

[0090] Furthermore, the paper P may be conveyed by being sequentially transferred between a plurality of belt conveying units 5 for all paper sizes (lengths of paper P) used in the paper ejection device 1. This also improves the productivity of conveying paper P.

[0091] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which two paper holding members 34 are provided on one belt unit 21 is shown, but this is not limited to the above, and for example, one belt unit 21 may have only one paper holding member 34 provided thereon.

[0092] The present invention is also applicable to devices that transport sheets other than paper.

[0093] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment.

[0094] [Note] This application discloses the following inventions.

[0095] (Appendix 1) a plurality of conveying units each including a rotating circulating body and a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, the conveying units being arranged to be shifted in a sheet conveying direction and conveying the sheet held by the holding member; a control unit that selects at least a part of the plurality of conveying units to be used for conveying the sheet according to a length of the sheet, and when there are a plurality of the selected conveying units, controls the sheet to be sequentially transferred and conveyed by the selected plurality of the conveying units; A conveying device comprising:

[0096] (Appendix 2) a plurality of conveying units each including a rotating circulating body and a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, the conveying units being arranged to be shifted in a sheet conveying direction and conveying the sheet held by the holding member; a control unit that controls the plurality of conveying units to sequentially transfer and convey the sheets; A conveying device comprising:

[0097] (Appendix 3) an end fence that receives the sheet being held by the holding member and conveyed, releases the sheet from the holding member, and loads the sheet released from the holding member onto a stacking platform; The control unit controls the sheet conveying speed by the conveying unit so that the sheet being conveyed by the conveying unit is in contact with the loading platform or a sheet loaded on the loading platform downstream of the upstream end of the sheet in the conveying direction at the time the sheet hits the end fence.

[0098] (Appendix 4) The conveying device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit accelerates a moving speed of the holding member of the conveying unit when the sheet being conveyed by the conveying unit hits the end fence. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1 Paper ejection device 2 Conveyor roller 3. Transport roller drive motor 4 Paper Sensor 5,5A,5B Belt conveyor 6,6A,6B Belt drive motor 7A, 7B HP sensor 8 End Fence 9 End fence motor 10 Paper receiving tray 11 Lifting motor 12 Regulatory barriers 13 Control section 21 Belt unit 31 Belt 32 Drive pulley 33 Driven pulley 34 Paper holding member

Claims

1. a plurality of conveying units each including a rotating circulating body and a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, the conveying units being arranged to be shifted in a sheet conveying direction and conveying the sheet held by the holding member; a control unit that selects at least a part of the plurality of conveying units to be used for conveying the sheet according to a length of the sheet, and when there are a plurality of the selected conveying units, controls the sheet to be sequentially transferred and conveyed by the selected plurality of the conveying units; A conveying device comprising:

2. a plurality of conveying units each including a rotating circulating body and a holding member provided on the circulating body and holding a sheet, the conveying units being arranged to be shifted in a sheet conveying direction and conveying the sheet held by the holding member; a control unit that controls the plurality of conveying units to sequentially transfer and convey the sheets; A conveying device comprising:

3. an end fence that receives the sheet being held by the holding member and conveyed, releases the sheet from the holding member, and loads the sheet released from the holding member onto a stacking platform; The conveying device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the conveying speed of the sheet by the conveying unit so that the sheet being conveyed by the conveying unit is in contact with the loading table or a sheet loaded on the loading table downstream of the upstream end of the sheet in the conveying direction at the time it hits the end fence.

4. 4. The conveying device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit accelerates a moving speed of the holding member of the conveying unit when the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit hits against the end fence.

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