Sheet Conveyance Alignment Control for Stable Side Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses using side registration systems face issues with sheet conveyance speed variability due to part replacement, leading to potential sheet jams and reduced productivity, as the position of the sheet end detection and abutment member can be displaced by dimensional tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyance apparatus with a rotary member pair, movement portion, detection portion, and controller that adjusts the position of the rotary member pair in the width direction based on detected sheet end positions to stabilize the sheet conveyance speed, using an oblique conveyance portion to correct skew before the sheet reaches the abutment member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If part replacement is performed due to expiration or malfunction, then the position of the end portion of the sheet detected by the position sensor or the position of the abutment member in the width direction is displaced due to dimensional tolerance, causing error in the distance between the abutment member and the end portion of the sheet, leading to sheet conveyance speed variation and potential sheet jams
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement of the actual distance between the abutment member and the detected end portion of the sheet after part replacement. Based on this measurement, the control unit calculates and stores correction values before normal operation resumes, preventing conveyance errors from occurring during actual sheet processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The position sensor continuously detects the position of the end portion of the sheet, and the control unit uses this feedback information to calculate the actual distance to the abutment member. This feedback mechanism enables real-time monitoring and correction of position deviations caused by part replacement tolerances.
2Productivity
If the sheet is obliquely conveyed by the oblique conveyance roller pair to correct skew, then the sheet conveyance speed can be stabilized and occurrence of sheet jam can be reduced, but the time in which the sheet abuts the abutment member or the time in which the sheet is obliquely conveyed may vary due to position detection errors
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the conveyance parameters (such as roller speed and position) based on the calculated actual distance between the abutment member and the sheet end portion. This parameter adjustment compensates for position detection errors and ensures consistent conveyance timing despite part replacement variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a rotary member pair, a movement portion, a detection portion, an abutment member, an oblique conveyance portion, and a controller configured to, on a basis of a detection result of the detection portion, move the rotary member pair in a width direction by the movement portion such that a position, in the width direction, of the downstream end of the sheet is a set position in a state in which the rotary member pair is nipping the sheet and before the sheet reaches the oblique conveyance portion. The controller is configured to execute, after the sheet has reached the oblique conveyance portion, a correction mode of correcting the set position on a basis of the position of the downstream end, abutting the abutment surface, detected by the detection portion.