Conveying device

Abstract

To provide a configuration that can correct positional deviation of an envelope while suppressing damage to the envelope.SOLUTION: A pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B can regulate the two edge portions of the sheet width direction Y of a sheet that is conveyed being interposed between a conveying surface 12A of a conveyor belt and a sphere. The pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B can also move between a regulating position where they regulate the two edge portions of the sheet in accordance with a conveying reference line L1 and a retracted position that is farther from the two edge portions of the sheet than the regulating position. When an envelope is conveyed with this configuration, if the flap portion of the envelope overlaps the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt when the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B move from the retracted position to the regulating position, a positional deviation correction control is performed by which the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B move from the retracted position to the envelope regulating position where they regulate the envelope in accordance with an envelope reference line L2 so that the flap portion of the envelope does not overlap the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In a conveying device that conveys a sheet, there is a risk that the sheet may become misaligned with respect to the conveying reference of the device during conveyance. If the sheet is conveyed to an image forming device that forms an image on the sheet while the misalignment remains, problems such as misalignment of the image on the sheet may occur. For this reason, conveying devices that correct the misalignment of the sheet during conveyance are known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration including an endless conveyor belt on which a sheet is placed and conveyed, pulleys on which the conveyor belt is stretched, a pair of regulating guides provided on both sides in a width direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction to regulate the position of both widthwise edge portions of the sheet to prevent the conveyed sheet from shifting from a predetermined position, and a sphere that holds the sheet between the conveyor belt and the conveying surface. In the conveying device described in Patent Document 1, while the sheet is conveyed while being held between the conveyor belt and the sphere, the positions of the pair of regulating guides are moved according to the width of the sheet so as to align the center reference of the sheet in the width direction with the conveyance reference of the device, thereby regulating the sheet.

[0004] Furthermore, this conveying device can accommodate sheets of various sizes and can also convey envelopes. Since there is a risk of the envelope being misaligned with respect to the conveying reference of the device when conveying the envelope, the conveying device described in Patent Document 1 corrects the positional deviation of the envelope during conveyance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7438755 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The envelopes conveyed by the conveying device described in Patent Document 1 include Western-style envelopes (envelopes with flaps on the long side of the envelope). Western-style envelopes are conveyed by the conveying belt with the folded side of the flap in contact with the conveying belt and the flap oriented along the conveying direction.

[0007] When an envelope is transported in this direction, the position of a pair of regulating guides is moved according to the width of the envelope so that the widthwise center reference of the envelope is aligned with the device's transport reference, in the same way as positional misalignment correction control for sheets, and the envelope is regulated.

[0008] Depending on the size and position of the envelope, the flap may not be on the conveyor belt. If a pair of guides are used to restrict the envelope from the conveyor belt to the conveyor's standard, the guides may cause the envelope to move, causing the flap to slip under the conveyor belt. If the flap gets caught in the pulley at the end of the conveyor belt, the flap may be damaged.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration that can correct the positional deviation of an envelope while suppressing damage to the envelope. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention relates to an endless conveyor belt having a conveying surface on which a sheet is placed and conveying the sheet placed on the conveying surface in a predetermined conveying direction; a pair of pulleys around which the conveyor belt is stretched and which rotate in a predetermined direction; a sphere that can rotate in any direction while sandwiching the sheet between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt; guide surfaces that are arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt in a sheet width direction that intersects with the predetermined conveying direction and that regulate both edge portions in the sheet width direction of the sheet that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere; and a guide surface between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere. a pair of regulating guides having support surfaces for supporting both ends in the sheet width direction of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched; a sheet recognition means for recognizing the length, width, and type of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveying surface of the conveying belt and the sphere; a first roller provided on the upstream side of the conveying belt in the predetermined conveying direction and for conveying the sheet to the conveying belt in the predetermined conveying direction; a second roller provided on the downstream side of the conveying belt in the predetermined conveying direction and for conveying the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt in the predetermined conveying direction; a regulating position at which the pair of regulating guides are moved to a position where a distance between the pair of regulating guides is approximately equal with respect to a conveying reference line that extends in a direction along the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and passes near the center of the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, a distance between the guide surfaces of the pair of regulating guides is longer by a predetermined distance than the width of the sheet recognized by the sheet recognition means, and the support surfaces support both ends of the sheet width direction, in order to regulate both ends of the sheet width direction of the sheet that is conveyed while being held between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere; a guide moving means for moving the pair of regulating guides to a retracted position where the pair of regulating guides are spaced apart from the pair of regulating guides by a predetermined distance from the regulating positions and where the support surfaces support the pair of regulating guides in the width direction of the sheet, and for moving the pair of regulating guides from the retracted position to the regulating positions after the rear end of the sheet has passed the first roller and before the front end of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt reaches the second roller,In a Western-style envelope conveying state in which the sheet conveyed by the conveying device is an envelope, the direction in which the long side of the envelope extends is along the predetermined conveying direction, a flap portion on the long side of the envelope is closed, and the surface of the envelope having the closed flap portion is in contact with the conveying surface of the conveying belt, the sheet recognition means recognizes the length and width of the envelope, the type of envelope, and the position of the flap of the envelope with respect to the conveying reference line for the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state, the width of the conveying belt is narrower than the width of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state in the sheet width direction, and the guide movement means retracts the pair of regulating guides from a state in which the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state is not placed on the conveying surface of the conveying belt. When the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state overlaps the transport surface of the transport belt due to the width and flap position of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state recognized by the sheet recognition means, the pair of regulation guides are moved from the retracted position to an envelope regulation position where the envelope is regulated in accordance with an envelope reference line that extends in the predetermined transport direction and is positioned closer to the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state from the transport reference line and is a predetermined distance away from the transport reference line so that the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state does not overlap the transport surface of the transport belt after the rear end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state passes the first roller and before the front end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state transported by the transport belt reaches the second roller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to correct the positional deviation of the envelope while suppressing damage to the envelope. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an intermediary transport device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a plan view of an intermediary transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the intermediary transport device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the support structure and its surroundings for the conveyor belt of the intermediary conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conveyor belt and a regulating guide of the intermediary conveyance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] (a) An oblique view of a regulating guide according to an embodiment, (b) a view from the left side of (a), (c) a cross-sectional view cut in a direction along the sheet conveying direction, and (d) a cross-sectional view cut in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a contact / separation mechanism for a conveying roller according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 5A and 5B are side views showing a nipped state and a released state of the conveying rollers, respectively, of the conveying roller contact / separation mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram relating to sheet conveyance control according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating an operation in which a restriction guide moves to a restriction position shown in FIG. 5A and a retracted position shown in FIG. 5B according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating the orientation of envelopes SF1 and SF2 relative to the conveyance direction X according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of moving the regulating guide to the retracted position shown in FIG. 10A, the regulating position shown in FIG. 10B, and the envelope regulating position shown in FIG. 10C when regulating the envelope SF2 with the regulating guide according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart relating to sheet conveyance control according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] Schematic diagram of how the regulation guide on the side without the flap is moved to regulate envelope SF2. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of moving the restriction guide to an envelope retraction position shown in FIG. 10A and an envelope restriction position shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 16. First, the image forming system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0014] [Image formation system] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of an image forming system including a multistage feeding device and an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. In the following description, an electrophotographic laser printer system (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be used as an example of an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit. Note that the image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system may be a copier, facsimile, multifunction peripheral, or the like, in addition to a printer. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus may be configured using other methods, such as an inkjet method, regardless of the electrophotographic method.

[0015] Image forming system 1000 of this embodiment includes image forming apparatus 100, multistage feeding apparatus 200 as a sheet feeding apparatus connected to image forming apparatus 100, and feeding deck 500. As will be described in detail later, multistage feeding apparatus 200 has a plurality of storage cabinets each capable of storing a plurality of sheets, and is capable of feeding sheets from each storage cabinet to image forming apparatus 100. Feeding deck 500 also has storage cabinets capable of storing a plurality of sheets, and is disposed upstream of multistage feeding apparatus 200 in the sheet conveying direction. Sheets fed from feeding deck 500 are conveyed to image forming apparatus 100 via relay conveying apparatus 400 provided in multistage feeding apparatus 200. Examples of sheets include paper such as plain paper, thin paper, and cardboard, and plastic sheets. Envelopes can also be fed from the feeding deck 500 and transported to the image forming apparatus 100 via the relay conveying device 400 provided in the multistage feeding device 200 .

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 forms a toner image (image) on a sheet in response to an image signal from a document reading device 102 connected to the image forming apparatus main body 101 or a host device such as a personal computer connected to the image forming apparatus main body 101 so as to be able to communicate with the image forming apparatus main body 101. In this embodiment, the document reading device 102 is disposed above the image forming apparatus main body 101.

[0017] When reading an original, the original reading device 102 irradiates light from a scanning optical system light source onto the original placed on a platen glass 103, and the reflected light is input to a CCD to read the original image. The original reading device 102 also includes an automatic document feeder (ADF) 104, which can automatically transport an original placed on a tray 105 to a reading unit of the original reading device 102 and read the original image. The read original image is then converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to a laser scanner 113 of an image forming unit 110, which will be described later. Note that the laser scanner 113 may also receive image data transmitted from a personal computer or the like, as described above.

[0018] The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 110, a plurality of sheet feeding devices 120, a conveying device 130, etc. Each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by an image forming apparatus control unit 140. The image forming apparatus control unit 140 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each unit by reading a program corresponding to a control procedure stored in the ROM. In addition, working data and input data are stored in the RAM, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the above-mentioned programs, etc.

[0019] Each of the plurality of sheet feeding devices 120 includes a cassette 121 that stores sheets S, a pickup roller 122, and a separation conveying roller pair 125 that is composed of a feed roller 123 and a retard roller 124. The sheets S stored in the cassette 121 are separated and fed one by one by the pickup roller 122 and the separation conveying roller pair 125 that move up and down and rotate at a predetermined timing.

[0020] The conveying device 130 includes a conveying roller pair 131 and a registration roller pair 133. The sheet S fed from the sheet feeding device 120 is passed through a sheet conveying path 134 by the conveying roller pair 131, and then guided to the registration roller pair 133. Thereafter, the sheet S is sent to the image forming unit 110 by the registration roller pair 133 at a predetermined timing.

[0021] Note that sheets conveyed from a multistage feeding device 200 or a feeding deck 500 (described later) via a pair of conveying rollers 201 are conveyed into the image forming apparatus 100 via a connection path 202 with the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the sheets conveyed from the multistage feeding device 200 or the feeding deck 500 into the image forming apparatus 100 are sent into the image forming unit 110 at a predetermined timing via a pair of registration rollers 133, similar to sheets conveyed from a sheet feeding device 120 in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0022] The image forming unit 110 includes a photosensitive drum 111, a charger 112, a laser scanner 113, a developing device 114, a transfer device 115, a cleaner 117, and the like. During image formation, the photosensitive drum 111 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and first, the surface of the photosensitive drum 111 is uniformly charged by the charger 112. Then, the charged photosensitive drum 111 is irradiated with laser light from the laser scanner 113, which is emitted in response to an image signal, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 111. Furthermore, the electrostatic latent image thus formed on the photosensitive drum 111 is then visualized as a toner image by the developing device 114.

[0023] Thereafter, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred to the sheet S by a transfer device 115 in a transfer section 116. Furthermore, the sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred in this manner is conveyed to a fixing device 150 where the toner image is fixed, and thereafter the sheet S is discharged by a discharge roller 151 onto a discharge tray 152 outside the apparatus.

[0024] When a toner image is formed on the back side of the sheet S, the sheet S discharged from the fixing device 150 is conveyed to a reversing conveying path 160. Then, the sheet S is turned over by the reversing conveying path 160 and conveyed again to the transfer unit 116 of the image forming unit 110. The sheet S with the toner image transferred to the back side is conveyed to the fixing device 150, where the toner image is fixed, and then the sheet S is discharged to a discharge tray 152 by a discharge roller 151. Note that any residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 111 after transfer is removed by a cleaner 117.

[0025] [Multi-stage feeding device] Continuing with the above, an overview of the multistage feeding device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The multistage feeding device 200 includes a plurality of storage cabinets 210a-210c, an intermediary conveying device 400, etc. In this embodiment, three storage cabinets 210a-210c are arranged vertically in three stages, and the intermediary conveying device 400 is disposed between the bottom storage cabinet 210c and the second-highest storage cabinet 210b.

[0026] A sheet fed from the top storage case 210a is transported to transport path 212, a sheet fed from the second top storage case 210b is transported to transport path 213, and a sheet fed from the bottom storage case 210c is transported to transport path 214. Furthermore, a sheet transported from relay transport device 400 is transported to transport path 215. Transport path 213 merges with transport path 212 midway. Furthermore, transport paths 212, 214, and 215 merge at a junction 216, and the sheet is transported to transport roller pair 201 via transport path 217 and then transported to image forming apparatus 100 via connection path 202.

[0027] Furthermore, a multi-feed detection sensor (not shown) that detects multi-feeding of sheets is arranged on each of the conveyance path 212, the relay conveyance device 400, and the conveyance path 214 after merging with the conveyance path 213. A sheet for which a multi-feed is detected by the multi-feed detection sensor is conveyed to the conveyance path 217. A multi-feed sheet storage unit (escape tray) 218 ​​that stores sheets for which a multi-feed is detected is arranged below the conveyance path 217. A sheet for which a multi-feed is detected and conveyed to the conveyance path 217 is conveyed to the multi-feed sheet storage unit by switching the conveyance path by a switching member 219 provided on the conveyance path 217.

[0028] Each unit of the multistage feeding device 200 is controlled by a multistage feeding device control unit 203. The multistage feeding device control unit 203 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The multistage feeding device control unit 203 is capable of communicating with the image forming device control unit 140 of the image forming device 100, and controls the timing of sheet feeding by communicating with the image forming device control unit 140.

[0029] A sheet fed from the feeding deck 500 is conveyed to the relay conveying device 400 through a conveying path 512. The multistage feeding device 200 is also capable of manually feeding a sheet. A sheet manually fed from a manual feed tray 522 is conveyed to a conveying path 510 that merges with the conveying path 512, and is conveyed to the relay conveying device 400 through the conveying path 512 by a pair of conveying rollers 511.

[0030] As will be described in detail below, the relay conveyance device 400 includes a misalignment correction unit 410 including a conveyance belt 12, a conveyance roller pair 401 located upstream of the misalignment correction unit 410 in the sheet conveyance direction, and a conveyance roller pair 402 located downstream of the misalignment correction unit 410 in the sheet conveyance direction. A sheet conveyed along a conveyance path 512 is sent to the misalignment correction unit 410 by the conveyance roller pair 401. After the side registration (misalignment of the sheet width direction edge) and side skew (inclination of the sheet width direction edge with respect to the sheet conveyance direction) are corrected by the misalignment correction unit 410, the sheet is handed over to the downstream conveyance roller pair 402. The sheet is then conveyed to the conveyance path 215 by the conveyance roller pairs 402 and 403. In this way, the relay conveyance device 400 corrects misalignment of the sheet conveyed from the upstream feed deck 500, manual feed tray 522, etc., and hands it over to the downstream image forming apparatus 100.

[0031] [Relay transport device] Next, the relay conveyance device 400 as a conveying device will be described. First, the schematic configuration of the relay conveyance device 400 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 7. As shown in Fig. 2, the relay conveyance device 400 has an upstream conveyance roller pair 401, a downstream conveyance roller pair 402, the above-mentioned positional deviation correction unit 410, and the like, and conveys a sheet in the conveying direction X. The positional deviation correction unit 410 has a conveyance belt 12, a plurality of spheres 20, a pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B, a guide movement unit 420, and the like.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4, the conveyor belt 12 is disposed downstream (downstream in the conveying direction) of the conveying roller pair 401 in the conveying direction X (predetermined conveying direction). The conveyor belt 12 is an endless belt stretched over pulleys 11A and 11B, and has a conveying surface 12A extending along the conveying direction X. A motor M1 serving as a drive source is connected to the pulley 11A on one side, and the conveyor belt 12 is rotated by the driving of the motor M1. The conveyor belt 12 conveys, in the conveying direction X, a sheet that has been handed over to the conveying surface 12A from the conveying roller pair 401 on the upstream side in the conveying direction X.

[0033] A plurality of spheres 20 are arranged along the conveying direction X at positions facing the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12, and are arranged at the center of the gap between the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B. The direction in which the plurality of spheres 20 are arranged coincides with the direction in which the sheets are regulated by the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the regulating guides 14A and 14B, which will be described later.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 , the spheres 20 are exposed from the holding holes 18A, placed on the surface opposite the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12, and are rotatable in any direction. Each sphere 20 abuts against the conveying surface 12A due to its own weight. The number of spheres 20 may be determined depending on the pressing force required for the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt 12. Furthermore, since the sheet is conveyed while being regulated on the conveyor belt 12 by a pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B, as will be described later, the spheres 20 are preferably made of a material with a relatively low coefficient of friction, such as glass or plastic. In this embodiment, a configuration in which multiple spheres 20 are arranged in a single row along the conveying direction X has been described. However, multiple spheres 20 may also be arranged in multiple rows, such as two rows, each aligned in the conveying direction X.

[0035] A more detailed explanation will be given using FIG. 5. The relay conveying device 400 has a holding plate 18 that rotatably holds a plurality of spheres 20, and a conveyor belt support member 481 arranged below the holding plate 18. The conveyor belt support member 481 is made of a long plate member that extends along the conveying direction X, similar to the holding plate 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the conveyor belt support member 481 has a central portion 482 in the sheet width direction that protrudes upward, forming a relatively narrow, flat conveyor belt support surface 483 over substantially the entire length in the conveying direction X. The conveyor belt support member 481 is arranged opposite the holding plate 18 in the vertical direction so that the spheres 20 are located at the central position of the conveyor belt support surface 483 in the sheet width direction.

[0036] It is desirable that the sphere 20 be placed at the center of the distance between the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B, and at the center of the conveying belt support surface 483 in the sheet width direction, but some misalignment is acceptable as long as it is located opposite the conveying belt support surface 483.

[0037] The conveyor belt support member 481 has side edge portions 484 on both sides of a central portion 482 in the sheet width direction that extend somewhat outward beyond both side edges of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction, and these outer edges are bent downward and fixed to a lower frame 485 of the relay conveying device 400. The lower frame 485 has mounting end wall pieces 485a, 485b at both ends in the conveying direction X that extend outward in the sheet width direction, and the mounting end wall pieces 485a, 485b are fixed to the relay conveying device 400 (e.g., a housing) by appropriate fastening means such as set screws. By supporting the conveyor belt 12 with such a conveyor belt support member 481, the central portion 12B of the conveyor belt 12 is pushed up by the central portion 482 of the conveyor belt support member 481, and the distance between the centers of the endless conveyor belts 12 facing each other in the vertical direction is longer than the distance between the ends of the conveyor belts 12.

[0038] 5, the holding plate 18 is fixed onto an upper frame 486 of the relay conveying device 400. The upper frame 486 has mounting end wall pieces 486a, 486b, 486c, and 486d that extend outward in the sheet width direction, and the mounting end wall pieces 486a to 486d are fixed to the relay conveying device 400 by appropriate fastening means such as set screws. This maintains a positional relationship between the holding plate 18 and the conveyor belt support member 481 such that the plurality of spheres 20 are rotatably held on the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12 at the center position in the sheet width direction of the conveyor belt support surface 483.

[0039] A plurality of blocking members 490 are arranged along the conveying direction X on the side edge portions 484 on both sides in the sheet width direction of the conveyor belt support member 481. The outer ends of the blocking members 490 in the sheet width direction extend a predetermined width outward beyond both side edge portions of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction. An outward blocking surface 491 is provided at the outer end of the blocking member 490 in the sheet width direction. Note that, although a plurality of blocking members 490 are arranged along the conveying direction X, there are portions of the gap d400 between the sheet width direction end portion of the conveyor belt 12 and the side edge portions 484 on both sides in the sheet width direction that are not covered by the blocking surfaces 491 of the blocking members 490. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, there is a risk that the flap portion of the envelope may enter the gap d400 when the envelope is conveyed by the conveyor belt 12.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3 , the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 12 in a sheet width direction Y (a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in this embodiment) that intersects with the conveying direction X. The pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can regulate both edge portions in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spherical bodies 20. That is, the regulating guide 14A arranged on one side (the front side of the device) in the sheet width direction Y can regulate one edge portion in the sheet width direction of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spherical bodies 20. The regulating guide 14B arranged on the other side (the back side of the device) in the sheet width direction Y can regulate the other edge portion in the sheet width direction of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spherical bodies 20. Note that the one side (the front side) in the sheet width direction Y is the side from which a user operates the image forming system 1000. Further, as long as the edge on the other side in the sheet width direction can be regulated, one of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B may be fixed.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, each of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B has a side plate portion 15, a lower plate portion 16, and an upper plate portion 17, and an end of the sheet S conveyed by the conveyor belt 12 can enter the space surrounded by these plate portions 15, 16, and 17. The pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are supported on support shafts 421A and 421B shown in FIG. 3 so as to be movable by a guide movement unit 420, which will be described later. The support shafts 421A and 421B are each disposed approximately parallel to the sheet width direction Y, and support the end sides of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B in the conveying direction X. The pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can move in the sheet width direction Y along the support shafts 421A and 421B.

[0042] 6, the side plate portion 15 has guide surfaces 15A and 15B that face the edge in the sheet width direction Y (sheet width direction edge) of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20. The guide surfaces 15A and 15B are arranged in a direction along the conveying direction X. Furthermore, the guide surfaces 15A and 15B are surfaces that are approximately perpendicular to the conveying direction X and the sheet width direction Y, respectively, and in this embodiment, are surfaces that are approximately vertical.

[0043] The lower plate portion 16 is disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the side plate portions 15, and has support surfaces 16A and 16B that support the ends in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20. The support surfaces 16A and 16B extend in a substantially horizontal direction from the vertical lower end of the guide surface 15A. The support surfaces 16A and 16B are located vertically below the conveyor surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12.

[0044] Consider a case where the support surfaces 16A and 16B and the conveying surface 12A are at the same height, or where the support surfaces 16A and 16B are positioned vertically higher than the conveying surface 12A. In this case, if a stiff sheet S, such as cardboard, is conveyed between the conveying belt 12 and the spheres 20 in a curled-down state (with both ends in the width direction Y lower than the center) as shown in FIG. 6, both ends in the width direction Y of the sheet S are supported by the support surfaces 16A and 16B. In this case, the center of the sheet S in the width direction Y is lifted (bridged), pushing up the spheres 20. As a result, the conveying belt 12 and the spheres 20 are separated, preventing the conveying force of the conveying belt 12 from being transmitted to the sheet S, potentially resulting in conveyance problems. For this reason, in this embodiment, the support surfaces 16A and 16B are positioned vertically lower than the conveying surface 12A of the conveying belt 12.

[0045] The upper plate portion 17 has opposing surfaces 17A and 17B disposed opposite the support surface 16A. The opposing surfaces 17A and 17B are located above the edge in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20. The opposing surfaces 17A and 17B are formed substantially parallel to the support surfaces 16A and 16B.

[0046] 2 and 3, the guide moving unit 420 as a guide moving means has a first moving unit 420A that moves one of the pair of restriction guides 14A, 14B, the restriction guide 14A, and a second moving unit 420B that moves the other restriction guide 14B. The guide moving unit 420 also has a motor M2 that generates a driving force to move the restriction guide 14A, and a motor M3 that generates a driving force to move the other restriction guide 14B.

[0047] The first moving section 420A has a pair of pulleys 422A and 423A, an endless belt 424A wound around the pulleys 422A and 423A, and a connection section 425A that connects the belt 424A to the regulating guide 14A. Similarly, the second moving section 420B has a pair of pulleys 422B and 423B, an endless belt 424B wound around the pulleys 422B and 423B, and a connection section 425B that connects the belt 424B to the other regulating guide 14B.

[0048] 2, the first moving unit 420A is driven by a motor M2 as a drive source, and the second moving unit 420B is driven by a motor M3 as a drive source. In other words, in this embodiment, separate motors are used as drive sources for moving the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B, and the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can move independently. For this purpose, a pulley 422A of the first moving unit 420A is connected to a pulley 427A via a connecting shaft 426A, and a belt 428A is stretched between the pulley 427A and a pulley that is rotationally driven by the motor M2. The rotational drive of the motor M2 is transmitted to the belt 424A via the belt 428A, the pulley 427A, the connecting shaft 426A, and the pulley 422A. As described above, the regulating guide 14A is connected to the belt 424A via the connecting portion 425A, and therefore, when the motor M2 is driven, the regulating guide 14A moves in the sheet width direction Y along the support shafts 421A and 421B.

[0049] Similarly, the pulley 422B of the second moving section 420B is connected to a pulley 427B via a connecting shaft 426B, and a belt 428B is stretched between the pulley 427B and a pulley that is rotationally driven by the motor M3. The rotational drive of the motor M3 is transmitted to the belt 424B via the belt 428B, the pulley 427B, the connecting shaft 426B, and the pulley 422B. As described above, the other side regulating guide 14B is connected to the belt 424B via the connecting portion 425B, and therefore, when the motor M3 is driven, the other side regulating guide 14B moves in the sheet width direction Y along the support shafts 421A and 421B.

[0050] By driving the motors M2 and M3 in this manner, the restriction guides 14A and 14B can be moved, respectively. In this embodiment, the motors M2 and M3 are pulse motors (stepping motors), and the positions of the restriction guides 14A and 14B are controlled by the number of pulses sent to the motors. Furthermore, the restriction guides 14A and 14B each have a home position, and the home positions are provided with HP sensors 440A and 440B (not shown) that detect the restriction guides 14A and 14B, respectively. Therefore, the positions of the restriction guides 14A and 14B are detected at the home positions, and thereafter, the restriction guides 14A and 14B are moved to the restriction position, the envelope restriction position, the retracted position, or the envelope retracted position, as described below, depending on the number of pulses sent to the motors.

[0051] In this embodiment, the motor M1 that drives the conveyor belt 12, the motors M2 and M3 that move the regulating guides 14A and 14B, and the motors M5, M7, and M8 described below are arranged on the other regulating guide 14B side. In particular, with respect to the conveying direction X, it is preferable that the motors within the sheet conveying range of the positional deviation correction unit 410 are arranged on the rear side (the other regulating guide 14B side) of the conveyor belt 12. This is because, in this embodiment, a jammed sheet is removed from the front side (the one-side regulating guide 14A side).

[0052] 3 and 4, in this embodiment, a multi-feed detection sensor 430 that detects multi-feeding of sheets is disposed between the upstream conveying roller pair 401 and the conveying belt 12. The multi-feed detection sensor 430 is a sensor that detects that two or more sheets are conveyed overlapping each other, for example, by ultrasonic waves. When the multi-feed detection sensor 430 detects multi-feeding of sheets, the multi-feeding device control unit 203 (FIG. 1) of the multi-feeding device 200 conveys the multi-fed sheets to the multi-fed sheet storage unit 218 via the relay conveying device 400 and the conveying paths 215 and 217.

[0053] 4, the relay conveyance device 400 of this embodiment has multiple sheet detection sensors 433, 435 to detect sheet jams. A sheet jam refers to a sheet becoming stuck in the conveyance path due to clogging or the like. The sheet detection sensor 433, which serves as an upstream detection means, is disposed between the conveyance belt 12 and the pair of conveyance rollers 401 on the upstream side of the conveyance direction X of the conveyance belt 12 (upstream side in the conveyance direction) and detects the presence or absence of a sheet. The sheet detection sensor 435 is disposed between the conveyance belt 12 and the pair of conveyance rollers 402 on the downstream side of the conveyance direction X of the conveyance belt 12 (downstream side in the conveyance direction) and detects the presence or absence of a sheet.

[0054] The multistage feeding device control unit 203 (FIG. 1) of the multistage feeding device 200 determines whether a sheet has jammed in the conveyance path based on detection signals from various sheet detection sensors such as the sheet detection sensors 433 and 435. If the multistage feeding device control unit 203 determines that a sheet has jammed, it stops conveying the sheet and displays the fact that the sheet has jammed and the location of the jam on a display unit such as the liquid crystal panel 1001 provided in the image forming system 1000. At this time, it prompts an operator such as a user or a service person to open the door at the relevant location.

[0055] 3, in this embodiment, opposing members 450 and 460 that face the lower surface of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt 12 are arranged between the conveyor belt 12 and the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B in the sheet width direction Y. If the edge of the sheet is conveyed without being supported by either of the support surfaces 16A and 16B of the regulating guides 14A and 14B, the opposing members 450 and 460 support the edge of the sheet.

[0056] In the relay conveyance device 400 configured as described above, a sheet transferred from a pair of conveyance rollers 401 upstream in the conveyance direction X to the conveyance belt 12 is sandwiched between the conveyance belt 12 and the spheres 20. The sheet is then conveyed by the rotation of the conveyance belt 12. At this time, as will be described in detail later, both ends of the sheet in the width direction Y conveyed by the conveyance belt 12 abut against the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B. When the sheet abuts against the guide surfaces 15A and 15B, the sheet is conveyed in a direction along the guide surfaces 15A and 15B while slipping between the sheet and the conveyance belt 12 with both ends aligned with the guide surfaces 15A and 15B. At this time, the sheet is sandwiched between the conveyance belt 12 and the spheres 20, and because the spheres 20 can rotate in any direction, the sheet can move on the conveyance belt 12 while slipping in any direction. This corrects the side registration and side skew of the sheet.

[0057] [Regulatory Guide] Next, the detailed configuration of the first and second restriction guides 14A and 14B will be described with reference to Figures 7(a) to 7(d). Note that Figures 7(a) to 7(d) only show the restriction guide 14A on one side, but the restriction guide 14B on the other side has the same configuration. As shown in Figure 6, the restriction guide 14A has a side plate portion 15 having a guide surface 15A, a lower plate portion 16 having a support surface 16A, and an upper plate portion 17 having an opposing surface 17A.

[0058] 7(a) and 7(b), the lower plate portion 16 and the upper plate portion 17 are provided continuously over almost the entire longitudinal area of ​​the regulating guide 14A. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the regulating guide 14A is disposed substantially parallel to the conveying direction X, and therefore the range in which the lower plate portion 16 and the upper plate portion 17 are continuous in the conveying direction X is defined as a predetermined area A. Therefore, in this embodiment, the support surface 16A of the lower plate portion 16 and the opposing surface 17A of the upper plate portion 17 are provided continuously over the predetermined area A in the conveying direction X. The predetermined area A is almost the entire area in which the sheet is conveyed by the positional deviation correction unit 410.

[0059] 7(a) to 7(c), the side plate portion 15 is provided continuously over a guide region B, which is a region shorter than the predetermined region A. In this embodiment, the upstream end B1 of the side plate portion 15 in the conveying direction X (upstream end in the conveying direction) is located downstream of the upstream end A1 of the predetermined region A in the conveying direction X. The guide surface 15A is also provided continuously up to a downstream end A2 of the predetermined region A in the conveying direction X. Therefore, the position of the downstream end B2 of the side plate portion 15 in the conveying direction X and the position of the downstream end A2 of the predetermined region A in the conveying direction X are substantially the same position in the conveying direction X.

[0060] In this embodiment, a notch 19C is provided upstream of the upstream end B1 of the side plate portion 15. An outer plate portion 19 is disposed in a part of this notch 19C, and is positioned outside the side plate portion 15 in the sheet width direction Y. The outside in the sheet width direction Y is the side that is farther away from the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction Y. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7(c), an inner surface 19A of the outer plate portion 19 is positioned outside in the sheet width direction Y of a guide surface 15A, which is the inner surface of the side plate portion 15. In addition, an inclined plate portion 19B is provided between the outer plate portion 19 and the side plate portion 15 in the conveying direction X, which is inclined so as to approach the side plate portion 15 as it goes downstream.

[0061] The pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B are configured as described above, so that the distance in the width direction Y between the inner surfaces 19A of the outer plate portions 19 on the upstream side in the conveying direction X is wider than the distance in the width direction Y between the guide surfaces 15A of the side plate portions 15. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, both edge portions in the width direction Y of the sheet transferred from the upstream conveying roller pair 401 to the conveying belt 12 are located between the inner surfaces 19A of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B on the upstream side in the conveying direction X, and are located between the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B as the sheet is conveyed downstream. Note that the inner surfaces 19A and the guide surfaces 15A have the same function of regulating both edge portions in the width direction Y of the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt 12.

[0062] The outer plate portion 19 and the inclined plate portion 19B may be omitted. However, if the end portion in the width direction Y of a sheet transferred from the upstream conveying roller pair 401 to the conveying belt 12 is positioned within the notch 19C, there is a risk that the end portion of the sheet will get caught on the upstream end B1 of the side plate portion 15 when the sheet is further conveyed. For this reason, in this embodiment, the outer plate portion 19 and the inclined plate portion 19B are provided so that even if the sheet is conveyed deviating from its normal position in the width direction Y, the outer plate portion 19 regulates its position, and the inclined plate portion 19B guides the end portion of the sheet to the guide surface 15A of the side plate portion 15.

[0063] [Contact / separate structure of conveying roller pair] Next, the contact and separation configuration of the conveying roller pairs 401 to 403 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As described above, the conveying roller pairs 401 to 403 are arranged upstream and downstream in the conveying direction X of the conveying belt 12, respectively. Each of the conveying roller pairs 401 to 403 has a drive roller 32 and a driven roller 33 as a pair of conveying rollers. The drive roller 32 is an elastic roller having an elastic body such as rubber provided around the periphery of a rotation shaft 32a. The driven roller 33 contacts the drive roller 32 to form a nip portion that sandwiches and conveys a sheet. The drive roller 32 of the conveying roller pair 401 can be rotated independently by a motor M4, the drive roller 32 of the conveying roller pair 402 can be rotated independently by a motor M5, and the drive roller 32 of the conveying roller pair 403 can be rotated independently by a motor M6.

[0064] In this embodiment, the pair of conveying rollers 402 and 403, which are arranged downstream in the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 12 (downstream in the conveying direction), have a configuration that allows the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 to contact and separate from each other. The pair of conveying rollers 402 can independently contact and separate from each other the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 by a motor M7, and the pair of conveying rollers 403 can independently contact and separate from each other the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 by a motor M8. Since the pairs of conveying rollers 402 and 403 have the same configuration, the contact and separation configuration will be described below using the pair of conveying rollers 402 as an example with reference to FIGS. 8, 9(a) and 9(b).

[0065] The contact / separation mechanism 31, which brings the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 into contact with and separates them, has a compression spring 34 as a biasing means, a support member 35, a motor M7, a separation cam 36, and a link member 37. The contact / separation mechanism 31 corresponds to a roller moving means that can move at least one of the pair of conveying rollers, i.e., the driven roller 33, between a nip position where the sheet can be nipped and conveyed, and a nip release position where the pair of conveying rollers are spaced apart from the nip position.

[0066] The compression spring 34 is a spring that urges the driven roller 33 toward the drive roller 32. The support member 35 supports the rotation shaft 33a of the driven roller 33 and is supported so as to be swingable about the swing shaft 37a. The support member 35 is also urged by the compression spring 34 in a direction that presses the driven roller 33 toward the drive roller 32 about the swing shaft 37a. The support member 35 is fixed to the swing shaft 37a and rotates together with the swing shaft 37a, moving the driven roller 33 in a direction toward the drive roller 32 and a direction away from the drive roller 32.

[0067] The motor M7 drives and rotates the spacing cam 36 via pulleys 38a, 38b and a belt 38c. The pulley 38a is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor M7, and the pulley 38b is fixed to the rotation shaft 36a of the spacing cam 36. The belt 38c is an endless belt that is stretched over the pulleys 38a, 38b. The spacing cam 36 is an eccentric cam whose center of the outer circumferential surface is eccentric from the center of the rotation shaft 36a, and rotates together with the rotation shaft 36a when driven by the motor M7.

[0068] The link member 37 is fixed to the swing shaft 37a and is provided so as to be swingable together with the swing shaft 37a. Therefore, the link member 37 rotates in synchronization with the support member 35 via the swing shaft 37a. The link member 37 is disposed so as to come into contact with the separating cam 36 when the support member 35 is biased by the compression spring 34.

[0069] When the separating cam 36 is in the phase shown in FIG. 9(a), the driven roller 33 is pressed against the drive roller 32 by the biasing force of the compression spring 34. The state shown in FIG. 9(a) is the nip position. When the separating cam 36 is rotated, for example, 180° by the motor M7 from this state, the link member 37 is pushed by the separating cam 36 and swings counterclockwise around the swing shaft 37a, as shown in FIG. 9(b). Then, the support member 35, which is connected to the link member 37 via the swing shaft 37a, swings in the same direction around the swing shaft 37a. Because the driven roller 33 is supported by the support member 35 via the rotation shaft 33a, the swing of the support member 35 separates the driven roller 33 from the drive roller 32. In other words, the driven roller 33 is moved to the nip release position.

[0070] To move the driven roller 33 from the nip release position to the nip position, the separating cam 36 is rotated another 180° by the motor M7 from the state shown in Figure 9(b). The contact / separation mechanism that brings the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 into and out of contact with each other may be configured to move both the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33. In the above example, the contact / separation mechanism is driven by a motor, but the pair of conveying rollers may also be contacted and separated by another drive source such as a solenoid.

[0071] In the above example, the pair of conveying rollers 402 and 403 on the downstream side in the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 12 are capable of contacting and separating, but only the pair of conveying rollers 402 may be capable of contacting and separating. Furthermore, the pair of conveying rollers 401 on the upstream side in the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 12 may be capable of contacting and separating. In this case, only the pair of conveying rollers 401 on the upstream side may be capable of contacting and separating, or the pair of conveying rollers 402 on the downstream side and even the pair of conveying rollers 403 may be capable of contacting and separating.

[0072] [Regulatory guide operation] The operation of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B when a sheet is conveyed by the relay conveying device 400 in this embodiment will be described. First, a conveyance control block diagram of the relay conveying device is shown in FIG. 10. The control board of the multistage feeding device control unit 203 of the multistage feeding device 200 has a CPU (or ASIC) 230, a motor driver 231, and a sensor input circuit 232. The CPU 230 detects the timing of sheet conveyance and sheet jams based on output signals from sheet detection sensors 433 and 435, a head position sensor 440A that detects the home position of the regulating guide 14A, and a head position sensor 440B that detects the home position of the regulating guide 14B. The CPU 230 then controls the various motors M1 to M6 based on output signals from the sheet detection sensors 433 and 435, etc. As described above, motor M1 drives conveyor belt 12, motor M2 drives first drive unit 420A of regulating guide 14A, motor M3 drives first drive unit 420B of regulating guide 14B, motor M4 drives conveying roller pair 401, motor M5 drives conveying roller pair 402, and motor M6 drives conveying roller pair 403. Note that multistage feeding device control unit 203 is connected via a bus to sheet feed deck control unit 555 of sheet feed deck 500 and image forming device control unit 140 of image forming device 100, and image forming device control unit 140 controls image forming unit 110, which can adjust the transfer position of an image when transferring an image onto a sheet.

[0073] Next, a specific example of sheet conveyance control will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. In this embodiment, the multistage feeding device control unit 203 controls the motors M2 and M3 according to the conveyance state of the sheet to change the positions of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B in the sheet width direction Y and move the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B to the regulating position and the retracted position. When conveying an envelope, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can be moved to the envelope regulating position, the retracted position, and the envelope retracted position according to conditions described later.

[0074] As shown in Figure 11(a), in this embodiment, the regulating position is a conveying reference line L1 that extends in a direction along a predetermined conveying direction X and passes near the center of the conveying surface 12A of the conveying belt 12, a position where, when a sheet is conveyed, the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B are approximately equal, and where the distance between the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B (between the guide surfaces) is a predetermined distance d1 longer than the length in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet being conveyed while being clamped between the conveying belt 12 and the spherical body 20, so that the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can regulate the edge in the width direction Y of the sheet being conveyed while being clamped between the conveying belt 12 and the spherical body 20, and where both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction Y are supported by the support surfaces 16A and 16B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B. The pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B move to this regulating position according to the width of the sheet, so that the center of gravity of the sheet S1 is conveyed so as to substantially coincide with the conveyance reference line L1, thereby correcting side registration and side skew.

[0075] In this case, the vicinity of the center of the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12, through which the conveying reference line L1 passes, is defined as the intersection of a line passing through the center of the length of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction Y and extending along the conveying direction X with a line passing through the center of the length of the conveyor belt 12 in the conveying direction X and extending along the conveying direction Y. This vicinity of the center of the conveying surface 12A is defined taking into consideration the manufacturing tolerances and assembly accuracy of the conveyor belt 12. Furthermore, the position where the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B are approximately equal indicates that the objective of correcting side registration and side skew of the sheet can be achieved even if the distances between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the guide surface 15B are not equal. For example, even if the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A is 60 mm and the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B is 61 mm, this embodiment still achieves the objective of correcting side registration and side skew of the sheet. Furthermore, the length in the sheet width direction Y (sheet width) of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20 may be determined by the user setting the sheet in the manual feed tray 522 or a storage compartment in the sheet feed deck 500 and inputting the sheet width into the liquid crystal panel 1001 provided in the image forming system 1000, and the information may be sent from the image forming apparatus control unit 140 to the multistage feeding device control unit 203 for recognition. Alternatively, the sheet feed deck control unit 555 of the sheet feed deck 500 may recognize the sheet width with a sensor, and the information may be sent from the sheet feed deck control unit 555 (or via the image forming apparatus control unit 140 in some cases) to the multistage feeding device control unit 203 for recognition. Note that this predetermined distance d1 can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and type of the sheet being conveyed, within a range that satisfies the purpose of correcting the side registration and side skew of the sheet.

[0076] In this manner, at the regulating position, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are positioned so that the distance between the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B is longer than the length of the sheet in the sheet width direction Y. This reduces the conveying load of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt 12. For example, if the predetermined distance d1 were not set and the distance between the guide surfaces were set equal to the length of the sheet in the sheet width direction Y, the sheet would be conveyed while its edge rubbing against the guide surfaces, resulting in increased conveying resistance. In particular, in this embodiment, the sheet is conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spherical bodies 20. Therefore, the nip pressure between the conveyor belt 12 and the spherical bodies 20 is small. Therefore, if the sheet conveying resistance is high, the sheet conveyance may be delayed, potentially resulting in conveyance problems such as sheet stoppage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are positioned at the regulating position as described above, thereby reducing the sheet conveying resistance.

[0077] As described above, it is desirable to transport the sheet so that its center of gravity is aligned with the transport reference line L1, in order to obtain the effect of suppressing side registration and side skew of the sheet. However, even if the center of gravity of the sheet is slightly deviated from the transport reference line L1, this embodiment can transport the sheet, and the sheet can also be regulated by a pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B.

[0078] 11(b), in this embodiment, the retracted position is a position where the distance between the above-mentioned conveyance reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the conveyance reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B are approximately equal, the distance between the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B (between the guide surfaces) is a predetermined distance d2 that is longer than the predetermined distance d1 at the regulating position, and both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction Y are supported by the support surfaces 16A and 16B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B. This retracted position is determined depending on the amount of side registration or side skew of the sheet conveyed to the conveyor belt 12, and is a position where the sheet S1 conveyed to the conveyor belt 12 by the conveying roller pair 401 does not contact the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B at the retracted position.

[0079] At this time, the position where the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B are approximately equal means that even if the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the conveying reference line L1 and the guide surface 15B do not match, it is possible to achieve the purpose of preventing the sheet being conveyed to the conveying belt 12 by the conveying roller pair 401 from coming into contact with the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B which are in the retracted position. Furthermore, the length in the sheet width direction Y (sheet width) of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20 may be determined by the user setting the sheet in the manual feed tray 522 or a storage in the sheet feed deck 500 and inputting the sheet width into the liquid crystal panel 1001 provided in the image forming system 1000, and the information may be sent from the image forming apparatus control unit 140 to the multistage feeding device control unit 203 for recognition, or the sheet feed deck control unit 555 of the sheet feed deck 500 may recognize the sheet width with a sensor, and the information may be sent from the sheet feed deck control unit 555 (in some cases via the image forming apparatus control unit 140) to the multistage feeding device control unit 203 for recognition. Note that this predetermined interval d2 can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the sheet being conveyed.

[0080] The sheet S is delivered to the conveyor belt 12 with the regulating guides 14A and 14B in the retracted positions, and in this state the vertical movement of the sheet S is regulated by the support surface 16A and the opposing surface 17A. As a result, even if the sheet S is curled, both end edges of the sheet S can be contained within the area surrounded by the guide surface 15A, the support surface 16A, and the opposing surface 17A when the regulating guides 14A and 14B move from the retracted positions to the regulating positions.

[0081] In this embodiment, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are positioned at the retracted positions before the sheet is handed over to the conveyor belt 12. Then, after the leading edge of the sheet is handed over to the conveyor belt 12 and the trailing edge of the sheet passes through a pair of conveying rollers on the upstream side of the conveyor belt 12, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted positions to the regulating positions. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the trailing edge of the sheet passes through a sheet detection sensor 433 disposed between the conveyor belt 12 and the pair of conveying rollers 401, the pair of regulating guides start moving from the retracted positions to the regulating positions. Then, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B regulate the sheet at the regulating positions, thereby correcting the side registration and side skew of the sheet.

[0082] In this embodiment, the sheets conveyed include not only paper but also envelopes. When conveying an envelope, the same control as that for correcting side registration and side skew of the paper is performed. That is, before the envelope is handed over to the conveyor belt 12, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are positioned at the retracted position. Then, after the leading edge of the envelope is handed over to the conveyor belt 12 and placed on the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12, and the trailing edge of the envelope passes through the upstream pair of conveying rollers, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the regulating position. Specifically, when the trailing edge of the envelope passes the sheet detection sensor 433 disposed between the conveyor belt 12 and the pair of conveying rollers 401, the pair of regulating guides begin to move from the retracted position to the regulating position. The pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B then regulating the envelope at the regulating position, thereby correcting the side registration and side skew of the envelope.

[0083] In this embodiment, the orientation of an envelope relative to the conveying direction X when the envelope is conveyed on the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12 varies depending on the size of the envelope. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the orientation of an envelope SF1 relative to the conveying direction X. FIG. 12(a) shows the orientation of an envelope relative to the conveying direction X when an envelope of a predetermined size is conveyed with its flap F1 open and an image is formed on the surface (image forming surface Fa1) having the envelope fold SF1B. Envelopes of a predetermined size, for example, include standard envelope sizes such as long envelope No. 3, square envelope No. 2, 9" x 12", and 10" x 13", as shown in FIG. 12(a). In this case, the direction in which the envelope fold SF1B extends is perpendicular to the direction in which the conveying reference line L1 extends.

[0084] FIG. 12(b) shows the orientation of an envelope SF2 relative to the conveying direction X when an envelope of a predetermined size is conveyed with its flap F2 closed and an image is formed on the side without the closed flap (image forming surface Fa2). For example, a standard size envelope, COM10, No. 10, ISO-C5, DL, Monarch, or Western Long No. 3, 6" x 9", is shown. At this time, the envelope is conveyed by conveying surface 12A of conveying belt 12 with the side with the closed flap in contact with conveying surface 12A of conveying belt 12, and with the fold SF2B of the envelope extending in the direction parallel to the conveying reference line L1. In this embodiment, an envelope conveyed in this state is defined as a Western-style envelope conveying state. Note that Figure 12(b) shows the envelope flap F2 leaning toward the regulating guide 14B, but even if the envelope flap F2 leans toward the regulating guide 14A (the envelope is rotated 180 degrees), in this embodiment, the envelope is defined as being in a Western envelope conveying state as long as the envelope flap F2 is closed, the surface having the closed flap is in contact with the conveying surface 12A of the conveying belt 12, and the direction in which the envelope fold SF2B extends is in the direction along the conveying reference line L1.

[0085] In envelopes transported in this Western envelope transport mode, depending on the size of the envelope, the width of the envelope flap, and the degree of misalignment of the envelope relative to the transport belt, when the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B are in the retracted position, the envelope may be transported in a state where the envelope flap may not be resting on the transport belt. Figure 13(a) is a schematic diagram showing a case where the envelope is transported in a state where the envelope flap may not be resting on the transport belt.

[0086] If the width of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction Y is smaller than the width of the envelope when conveying a Western-style envelope, and the flap F2 of the envelope is not on the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12, when the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the regulating position as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 13(b), depending on the length of the envelope flap in the sheet width direction Y, the envelope flap may move toward the edge of the conveyor belt 12A and enter the gap d400 shown in Figure 5. In this state, if the envelope flap reaches the pulley 11A at the end of the conveyor belt 12 shown in Figure 4, the flap may get caught between the conveyor belt 12 and the pulley 11A, causing damage to the flap.

[0087] To solve this problem, in this embodiment, when an envelope is transported in this Western envelope transport state in a state where the flap of the envelope may not be on the transport belt due to the size of the envelope, a pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B are moved from the retracted position to the envelope regulating position.

[0088] 13(c), the envelope regulating position is a position that extends in a direction along a predetermined conveying direction X, and is a position where the distance between an envelope reference line L2 (described later) and the guide surface 15A and the distance between the envelope reference line L2 and the guide surface 15B are substantially equal, and the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can regulate the edge of the sheet in the width direction Y while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the sphere 20. The position where the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B are moved to is the envelope regulating position where the distance between the guide surfaces 15A, 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B (the guide surfaces) is longer by a predetermined distance d1 than the length in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveyor belt 12 and the spheres 20, and where the support surfaces 16A, 16B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B support both ends of the sheet width direction Y. By moving the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B to this envelope regulating position, the envelope SF2 is conveyed along the envelope reference line L2, and side registration and side skew can be corrected while suppressing damage to the envelope flaps. Note that the position where the distance between envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15A and the distance between envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15B are approximately equal indicates that, similar to the above-mentioned regulating position, the purpose of correcting the side registration and side skew of the envelope can be achieved even if the distance between envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15A and the distance between envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15B are not the same. Also, although the example given above shows that the predetermined distance d1 at the envelope regulating position is the same as d1 at the regulating position, the predetermined distance at the envelope regulating position can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and type of envelope being conveyed, as long as the purpose of correcting the side registration and side skew of the envelope is achieved and the predetermined distance is different from d1 at the regulating position.

[0089] 13(c), the envelope reference line is a reference line extending in a predetermined conveying direction X, and positioned closer to the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state from the conveying reference line L1 by a predetermined distance d10 so that the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state does not overlap the conveying surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12. In this embodiment, the predetermined distance d10 is determined based on the width F2Y of the flap of the envelope conveyed by the conveyor belt 12, the length 12Y from the conveying reference line L1 to the edge of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction Y, the maximum amount of misalignment expected in the configuration of this embodiment with respect to side registration and side skew of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt 12, and tolerances of the length 12Y from the conveying reference line L1 to the edge of the conveyor belt 12 in the sheet width direction Y and the width F2Y of the envelope flap. The flap width F2Y can be determined by the user setting an envelope in the manual feed tray 522 or in a storage compartment in the paper feed deck 500 and inputting the length of the flap width F2Y into the liquid crystal panel 1001 provided in the image forming system 1000, and the information can be sent from the image forming device control unit 140 to the multistage feeding device control unit 203 for recognition; alternatively, the paper feed deck control unit 555 of the paper feed deck 500 can recognize the envelope width and paper length using a sensor, and the information can be sent from the paper feed deck control unit 555 (possibly via the image forming device control unit 140) to the multistage feeding device control unit 203, and the multistage feeding device control unit 203 can determine the length of the flap width F2Y according to the envelope width and paper length. For example, the length of the flap width F2Y when transporting a Western envelope size COM10 is 32 mm, and this value may be recognized by the user entering information, or the multi-stage feeding device control unit 203 may recognize the envelope as COM10 from its length and width and recognize the length value of the flap width F2Y.In addition, the means for recognizing the position of the envelope flap F2 in the sheet width direction Y with respect to the conveying reference line L1 may be such that the user sets the envelope in a storage compartment in the manual feed tray 522 or the paper feed deck 500 and inputs the orientation of the envelope in the conveying direction X to the liquid crystal panel 1001 provided in the image forming system 1000, thereby recognizing the position of the envelope flap F2 in the sheet width direction Y with respect to the conveying reference line L1; alternatively, the user may specify the orientation in which to set the envelope for each specified envelope size in the procedure for setting the envelope in the storage compartment in the manual feed tray 522 or the paper feed deck 500, thereby recognizing the position of the envelope flap F2 in the sheet width direction Y with respect to the conveying reference line L1; alternatively, the user may set the orientation of the image when forming an image on the envelope, thereby recognizing the position of the envelope flap F2 in the sheet width direction Y with respect to the conveying reference line L1.

[0090] [flowchart] This control will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 14. First, when starting sheet conveyance, the multistage feeding device control unit 203 moves the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B from their home positions (HP positions) to their retracted positions (S1). In this state, the pair of conveying rollers 401 conveys the sheet in a predetermined conveying direction X toward the conveying belt 12 (S2).

[0091] Next, the length, width, and type of the sheet being delivered to the conveyor belt 12 are recognized (S3), and a determination is made as to whether the conveyance reference line should be changed to the envelope reference line (S4). This determination is made based on whether the sheet is an envelope, and if so, whether the envelope is being conveyed in the Western envelope conveyance mode described above, and based on the size of the envelope, whether the envelope flap may not be resting on the conveyor belt. For example, for a given envelope size, e.g., COM10, the configuration of this embodiment determines that depending on the degree of envelope misalignment, the envelope flap may not be resting on the conveyor surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12. Therefore, if the regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from their retracted positions to their regulating positions, the envelope flap may overlap the conveyor surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12. Depending on the degree of envelope side skew, a portion of the envelope flap may overlap the conveyor surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12. At this time, the configuration of this embodiment determines that the flap portion of the envelope is on conveying surface 12A of conveyor belt 12, and proceeds to the process if the conveying reference line is not to be changed to the envelope reference line (No in S4). However, if the envelope is made of thin paper, recycled paper, or other paper with little stiffness, and there is a risk that the edge of the flap portion of the envelope will rub against the edge of conveyor belt 12 and be damaged when regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the regulating position, it determines that the flap portion of the envelope is not on conveying surface 12A of conveyor belt 12, changes the conveying reference line to the envelope reference line (Yes in S4), and proceeds with the process.

[0092] If it is determined that the conveyance reference line should not be changed to the envelope reference line (No in S4), the sheet position deviation correction control is performed without changing the conveyance reference line. That is, the process waits for the trailing edge of the sheet delivered from the conveyance roller pair 401 to the conveyance belt 12 to pass the sheet detection sensor 433 (No in S11). After the trailing edge of the sheet passes the sheet detection sensor 433 (Yes in S11), the sheet is conveyed a predetermined distance until the leading edge of the sheet reaches beyond the upstream edge of guide area B (FIG. 7B) (S12), and the regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from their retracted positions to regulating positions aligned with the conveyance reference line (S13). At this time, the conveyance of the conveyance belt 12 continues. After correcting the side registration and side skew of the sheet in this way, the process proceeds to a process (S9) in which it is determined whether the next sheet will be conveyed to the conveyance belt 12.

[0093] If it is determined that the conveyance reference line should be changed to the envelope reference line (Yes in S4), the conveyance reference line is changed to the envelope reference line (S5). Then, the process waits for the trailing edge of the sheet (envelope) transferred from the conveyance roller pair 401 to the conveyance belt 12 to pass the sheet detection sensor 433 (No in S6). After the trailing edge of the sheet (envelope) passes the sheet detection sensor 433 (Yes in S6), the sheet (envelope) is conveyed a predetermined distance until its leading edge reaches beyond the upstream edge of guide area B (FIG. 7B) (S7), and the regulating guide is moved from the retracted position to the envelope regulating position aligned with the envelope reference line (S8). At this time, the conveyance of the conveyance belt 12 continues. After correcting the side registration and side skew of the sheet (envelope), the process proceeds to a process (S9) in which it is determined whether the next sheet will be conveyed to the conveyance belt 12.

[0094] Then, it is determined whether the next sheet is to be conveyed to the conveyor belt 12 (S9), and if the next sheet is not to be conveyed (No in S9), the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B are moved from the regulating position to the home position (HP position) (S10), and the conveying process ends.

[0095] If the next sheet is to be conveyed (Yes in S9), the process waits until the leading edge of the sheet passes the sheet detection sensor 435 (No in S14), and after the leading edge of the sheet passes the sheet detection sensor 435 (Yes in S14), the sheet is conveyed a predetermined distance until the leading edge of the sheet reaches the pair of conveying rollers 402 (S15), and the regulating guide is moved from the regulating position to the retracted position (S16). At this time, the conveyance of the conveying belt 12 continues. Then, the pair of conveying rollers 401 arranged upstream of the conveying belt 12 conveys the next sheet (S2), and sheet position deviation correction control is performed on the next sheet.

[0096] The multistage feeding device control section 203 may perform the following control. When using a regulating guide to correct side registration or side skew of an envelope being transported as a Western-style envelope, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 15, regulating guide 14B, which regulates from the side of the envelope with the flap, is not moved from its retracted position, and regulating guide 14A, which regulates from the side of the envelope without the flap, is moved from its retracted position to a one-side fixed envelope regulating position where the distance between the guide surfaces 15A, 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B (between the guide surfaces) is a predetermined distance d1 longer than the length in the sheet width direction Y of the sheet being transported while being clamped between the conveyor belt 12 and the sphere 20, and where the support surfaces 16A, 16B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B support both ends of the sheet width direction Y. As a result, the envelope flap always moves in a direction away from the end of conveyor belt 12A, thereby more reliably correcting side registration and side skew while suppressing damage to the envelope flap. Note that, although the example given assumes that the predetermined distance d1 at the single-side fixed envelope regulating position is the same as d1 at the regulating position, this predetermined distance can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and type of envelope being conveyed, as long as it satisfies the purpose of correcting envelope side registration and side skew and is a value different from the predetermined distance d1 at the regulating position.

[0097] Furthermore, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 16(a), when the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B are moved to the envelope retraction position, which is a position where the distance between the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B and the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B is approximately equal to the envelope reference line L2, and is a position that is a predetermined distance d2 away from both end edges of the sheet width direction than the above-mentioned envelope regulating position, which is longer than the predetermined distance d1 of the regulating position, and where the support surfaces 16A, 16B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B support both end portions of the sheet width direction Y, the envelope SF2 handed over from the conveying roller pair 401 to the conveying belt 12 is conveyed in alignment with the envelope reference line L2, and as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 16(b), when the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B move from the envelope retraction position to the envelope regulating position, the envelope SF2 is conveyed along the envelope reference line L2. As a result, the envelope is conveyed by the conveyor belt along the envelope reference line where the flap portion of the envelope does not overlap the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, so that side registration and side skew can be corrected while more reliably suppressing damage to the envelope flap. At this time, the position where the distance between the envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15A and the distance between the envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15B are approximately equal means that even if the distance between the envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15A and the distance between the envelope reference line L2 and guide surface 15B do not match, the purpose of preventing the envelope conveyed to the conveyor belt 12 by the conveying roller pair 401 from contacting the guide surfaces 15A and 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B in the envelope retracted position can be achieved. In addition, although the example given is that the predetermined distance d2 at the envelope retraction position is the same as d2 at the retraction position, the predetermined distance at the envelope retraction position can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and type of envelope being transported, within a range that satisfies the purpose of preventing the envelope transported to the transport belt 12 by the transport roller pair 401 from coming into contact with the guide surfaces 15A, 15B of the pair of regulating guides 14A, 14B at the envelope retraction position, and to a value different from the predetermined distance d2 at the retraction position.

[0098] At this time, before the envelope SF2 is conveyed by the conveyor belt 12, the envelope SF2 is shifted from the conveyance reference line L1 to the envelope reference line L2 so that the above-mentioned envelope reference line L2 passes through the center of the surface of the envelope SF2 that is in contact with the conveyance surface 12A of the conveyor belt 12. The center of the surface of the envelope that is in contact with the conveyance surface of the conveyor belt and through which the envelope reference line L2 passes is the intersection of a straight line that passes through the center of the length of the envelope SF2 in the sheet width direction Y and extends along the conveyance direction X, and a straight line that passes through the center of the length of the envelope SF2 in the conveyance direction X and extends along the conveyance direction Y. The means for shifting the envelope SF2 may, for example, detect the edge position of the envelope with a sensor, and from the detection result of this edge position, determine the amount of deviation between the vicinity of the center of the envelope surface in the sheet width direction and the envelope reference line L2, and correct this deviation using shift rollers that move in the width direction Y while the conveying roller pair 401 nips the envelope, or using shift rollers in the paper feed deck 500 upstream of the relay conveying device 400, or using an envelope setting component that can be set so that the vicinity of the center of the envelope surface in the sheet width direction and the envelope reference line L2 are aligned when the user sets the envelope in the manual feed tray 522 or a storage compartment in the paper feed deck 500, thereby allowing the envelope handed over to the conveying belt 12 to shift in line with the envelope reference line L2 and be conveyed. Note that even if regulation guide 14B, which regulates the envelope from the side with the flap, is not moved from the envelope retracted position, and regulation guide 14A, which regulates the envelope from the side without the flap, is moved from the envelope retracted position to the above-mentioned single-side fixed envelope regulation position, it is still possible to achieve the purpose of correcting side registration and side skew while suppressing damage to the envelope flap. Also, before conveying envelope SF2 with conveyor belt 12, the envelope is shifted so that the envelope's flap overlaps the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, and regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from their retracted positions to the regulation position or envelope regulation position for the envelope in this state, so that the envelope flap does not enter gap d400 of conveyor belt 12, and it is still possible to achieve the purpose of correcting side registration and side skew while suppressing damage to the flap.

[0099] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the multistage feeding device control unit 203 that controls the relay conveying device 400 is provided in the multistage feeding device 200, but these controls may also be performed by the image forming device control unit 140 of the image forming device 100. Also, the relay conveying device 400 may be provided with a control unit that controls each unit of the relay conveying device 400. Also, the sheet feed deck control unit 555 is provided in the sheet feed deck 500, but the sheet feed deck control unit 555 may not be provided in the sheet feed deck 500, and the multistage feeding device control unit 203 may receive an output signal from a sensor in the sheet feed deck 500 and detect the width and length of sheets in a storage cabinet of the sheet feed deck 500, sheet jams, etc.

[0100] Furthermore, the conveying device may have another configuration as long as it is a conveying device that can correct the positional deviation of a sheet, regardless of the above-described relay conveying device 400. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a conveying device is disposed inside the image forming apparatus main body 101, and an image is formed on the sheet by the image forming unit 110 after the positional deviation of the sheet is corrected by this embodiment. Also, after the image is formed on the sheet by the image forming unit 110, the positional deviation of the sheet may be corrected by this embodiment.

[0101] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the trailing edge of the sheet passes the upstream sheet detection sensor 433, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B start moving to the regulating position or the envelope regulating position. However, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B may also start moving to the regulating position when the trailing edge of the sheet passes the pair of conveying rollers 401. For example, if the sheet detection sensor 433 is omitted or if the sheet conveying position can be determined based on the detection result of a sensor that detects the presence or absence of a sheet provided upstream of the pair of conveying rollers 401, the movement of the regulating guides 14A and 14B may start at such timing.

[0102] Furthermore, if the upstream conveying roller pair 401 is configured to be capable of contacting and separating, the conveying roller pair 401 may be separated after the leading edge of the sheet is transferred to the conveying belt 12 and before the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the conveying roller pair 401. That is, the contact / separation mechanism (conveying roller pair moving means) 31 described above in FIGS. 8 and 9 can also be applied to the conveying roller pair 401. The contact / separation mechanism 31 not only contacts and separates the conveying roller pair, but also moves the conveying roller pair between a nip position where a conveying force is applied to the sheet and a nip release position where the nip pressure is weaker than at the nip position. Therefore, after the leading edge of the sheet S is transferred to the conveying belt 12 and before the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the conveying roller pair 401, the conveying roller pair 401 may be moved to the nip release position where the nip pressure is weaker.

[0103] In this case, the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B start moving to the regulating position or the envelope regulating position when the pair of conveying rollers 401 is separated by the contact / separation mechanism 31 (when the sheet moves from the nip position to the nip release position). In short, the timing at which the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B start moving can be set appropriately as long as the pair of regulating guides 14A and 14B can reach the regulating position or the envelope regulating position after the sheet is no longer in contact with the pair of conveying rollers 401. Note that the nip release position corresponds to a state in which the pair of conveying rollers are separated, and a state in which the pair of conveying rollers are in contact with each other but the nip pressure is lower than when conveying a sheet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 11A, 11B... pulley / 12... conveyor belt / 12A... conveying surface / 14A, 14B... regulating guide / 20... sphere / 200... multi-stage feeding device / 203... multi-stage feeding device control section (sheet recognition means) / 400... relay conveying device (conveying device) / 401... conveying roller pair (first roller) / 402... conveying roller pair (second roller) / 420... guide moving section (guide moving means) / 433... sheet detection sensor / 435... sheet detection sensor

Claims

1. an endless conveyor belt having a conveyance surface on which a sheet is placed and conveying the sheet placed on the conveyance surface in a predetermined conveyance direction; a pair of pulleys around which the conveyor belt is stretched and which rotate in a predetermined direction; a sphere that can rotate in any direction while holding the sheet between itself and the conveying surface of the conveying belt; a pair of regulating guides arranged on both sides of the conveying belt in a sheet width direction intersecting the predetermined conveying direction, the regulating guides having guide surfaces for regulating both end edges in the sheet width direction of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveying surface of the conveying belt and the spherical bodies, and support surfaces for supporting both end edges in the sheet width direction of the sheet being conveyed while being sandwiched between the conveying surface of the conveying belt and the spherical bodies; a sheet recognition unit that recognizes the length, width, and type of a sheet being conveyed while being held between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere; a first roller provided upstream of the conveyor belt in the predetermined conveying direction and configured to convey a sheet to the conveyor belt in the predetermined conveying direction; a second roller provided downstream of the conveyor belt in the predetermined conveying direction, the second roller conveying the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt in the predetermined conveying direction; a regulating position at which the pair of regulating guides are moved to a position where the distance between the pair of regulating guides is approximately equal with respect to a conveying reference line that extends in a direction along the predetermined conveying direction and passes near the center of the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, and where the distance between the guide surfaces of the pair of regulating guides is longer by a predetermined distance than the width of the sheet recognized by the sheet recognition means, in order to regulate both end edges in the sheet width direction of the sheet that is conveyed while being held between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere; a guide moving means for moving the pair of regulating guides to a retracted position where the pair of regulating guides are spaced substantially equally apart from a reference line, are spaced a predetermined distance from both end edges of the sheet width direction relative to the regulating position, and where the support surface supports both end edges of the sheet width direction, after the trailing end of the sheet has passed the first roller and before the leading end of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor belt reaches the second roller, In a Western-style envelope conveying state in which the sheet conveyed by the conveying device is an envelope, the direction in which the long side of the envelope extends is along the predetermined conveying direction, the flap portion on the long side of the envelope is closed, and the surface of the envelope having the closed flap portion is in contact with the conveying surface of the conveying belt, the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state is conveyed in the predetermined conveying direction while being held between the conveying surface of the conveying belt and the sphere, the sheet recognition means recognizes the length and width of the envelope, the type of the envelope, and the position of the envelope flap relative to the conveyance reference line; The width of the conveyor belt is narrower than the width of the envelope in the sheet width direction, When the pair of regulating guides are moved from the retracted position to the regulating position in a state in which the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state is not on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, if the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state overlaps the conveying surface of the conveyor belt due to the width of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state and the position of the flap recognized by the sheet recognition means, the guide moving means moves the pair of regulating guides from the retracted position to an envelope regulating position where the envelope is regulated in accordance with an envelope reference line that extends in the direction along the predetermined conveying direction and is positioned closer to the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state from the conveying reference line and that is a predetermined distance away from the conveying reference line so that the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state does not overlap the conveying surface of the conveyor belt after the rear end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state leaves the first roller and before the front end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state conveyed by the conveyor belt reaches the second roller. A conveying device characterized by:

2. The pair of regulating guides are configured such that the sheets conveyed by the conveying device are envelopes, and the pair of regulating guides are composed of a first regulating guide having a guide surface that regulates the edge of a flap portion on a long side of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state, and a support surface that supports the end of the flap portion of the envelope conveyed while being held between the conveying belt and the spherical body, and a second regulating guide having a guide surface that regulates the edge of a long side without a flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state, and a support surface that supports the end of the long side without a flap portion of the envelope conveyed while being held between the conveying belt and the spherical body, When the sheet conveyed by the conveying device is an envelope, and the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state is not on the conveying surface of the conveying belt, the guide moving means moves the first regulating guide and the second regulating guide from the retracted position to the regulating position, and when the flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state overlaps the conveying surface of the conveying belt according to the width of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state and the position of the flap recognized by the sheet recognition means, after the rear end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state has passed the first roller, the front end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state conveyed by the conveying belt moves before the end reaches the second roller, the first regulating guide is not moved from the retracted position, and the second regulating guide is moved from the retracted position to a one-side fixing envelope regulating position where the distance between the guide surfaces of the first regulating guide and the second regulating guide is a predetermined distance longer than the width of the envelope recognized by the sheet recognition means, and where the support surface supports both ends of the envelope in the sheet width direction, in order to regulate both end edges of the envelope in the sheet width direction by the first regulating guide and the second regulating guide, the envelope being conveyed while being held between the conveying surface of the conveyor belt and the sphere. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

3. the sheet conveyed by the conveying device is an envelope, and before the conveying belt conveys the envelope in the foreign envelope conveying state in the predetermined conveying direction, a shifting means is provided for shifting the envelope in the foreign envelope conveying state from the conveying reference line to the envelope reference line so that the envelope reference line passes near the center of the surface of the envelope in the foreign envelope conveying state that is in contact with the conveying surface of the conveying belt, The first roller conveys the envelope in the envelope conveying state shifted by the shifting means to the conveyor belt, When the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state shifted by the shifting means is conveyed to the conveying belt by the first roller, after the rear end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state passes the first roller, and before the front end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state conveyed by the conveying belt reaches the second roller, the guide moving means moves the pair of regulating guides from an envelope retracted position to a position where the distances from the pair of regulating guides to the pair of regulating guides are approximately equal with respect to the envelope reference line, and where the distance is a predetermined distance away from both end edges of the envelope in the sheet width direction than the envelope regulating position, and where the support surface supports both end edges of the sheet width direction. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

4. The pair of regulating guides are configured such that the sheets conveyed by the conveying device are envelopes, and the pair of regulating guides are composed of a first regulating guide having a guide surface that regulates the edge of a flap portion on a long side of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state, and a support surface that supports the end of the flap portion of the envelope conveyed while being held between the conveying belt and the spherical body, and a second regulating guide having a guide surface that regulates the edge of a long side without a flap portion of the envelope in the Western-style envelope conveying state, and a support surface that supports the end of the long side without a flap portion of the envelope conveyed while being held between the conveying belt and the spherical body, When an envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state shifted by the shift means is transported to the transport belt by the first roller, after the rear end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state passes the first roller and before the front end of the envelope in the Western-style envelope transport state transported by the transport belt reaches the second roller, the guide moving means does not move the first regulating guide from the envelope retraction position, and moves the second regulating guide from the envelope retraction position to a one-side fixing envelope regulating position where the distance between the guide surfaces of the first regulating guide and the second regulating guide is a predetermined distance longer than the width of the envelope recognized by the sheet recognition means and where the support surface supports both ends of the envelope in the sheet width direction, in order to regulate both end edges of the envelope in the sheet width direction by the first regulating guide and the second regulating guide, the envelope being transported while being sandwiched between the transport surface of the transport belt and the sphere. The conveying device according to claim 3 .

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