Relay Conveyance Device Sheet Interval Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional relay conveyance devices face issues with maintaining uniform sheet intervals due to differences in conveyance speeds caused by wear and slip in reversing units, leading to variations in sheet arrival times and intervals between sheets.
Innovation Solution
The relay conveyance device incorporates a second control device that monitors and adjusts the stop times of reversing units using correction values to synchronize the interval times between reverse paths, ensuring uniform sheet conveyance by alternately switching and correcting for malfunctions such as sheet slip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple reverse paths are used to convey sheets one by one while alternately switching paths, then the interval between sheets before branching and after joining is shortened, improving productivity, but differences in conveyance speeds due to wear and slip cause differences in sheet arrival times at the joining destination
Solution Approach 1:
The control device measures the actual interval time between sheets passing through the confluence section and compares it with the target interval time. Based on this feedback, it calculates correction values and adjusts the stop times of reversing units to compensate for speed differences in each reverse path, thereby maintaining uniform sheet intervals despite wear and slip variations
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the stop time parameter of reversing units based on measured performance. By adjusting the stop time correction values for each reverse path according to actual conveyance conditions, the system compensates for speed variations and maintains consistent sheet intervals at the confluence section
2Productivity
If the relay conveyance device is provided with a plurality of reverse paths to convey sheets one by one, then the interval between sheets before branching and after joining is shortened, but it becomes necessary to equalize path lengths and synchronize reverse control, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The control device independently adjusts the stop time parameter for each reversing unit based on measured performance data. By changing these time parameters dynamically, the system compensates for path length differences and synchronization issues without requiring complex mechanical equalization of all reverse paths
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously measures the arrival time of sheets at the confluence section and uses this feedback to adjust the stop times of reversing units. This closed-loop control simplifies the overall system by replacing complex mechanical synchronization with adaptive temporal adjustment based on actual performance
Data Source
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AI summary
A relay conveyance device (4) includes a relay conveyance path (50) arranged between an image forming apparatus (2) and a post processing device (3) to convey a sheet from the image forming apparatus (2) to the post processing device (3), two reversing units (41) reversing a surface side and a back-face side of the sheet, and a control device (45) controlling conveyance of the sheet on the relay conveyance path. The relay conveyance path includes two reverse paths (54a, 54b) respectively passing through the two reversing units (41), a branch section (53) branching into the two reverse paths (54a, 54b) at an upstream side, and a confluence section (55) joining the two reverse paths (54a, 54b). The control device (45) controls the branch and confluence sections (53, 55) to convey the sheet while alternately switching the two reverse paths (54a, 54b), measures an interval time between the sheets passing through the confluence section (55), and controls conveyance of the sheet in the two reverse paths (54a, 54b) so as to uniformize the interval time.