Sheet Conveying Device Two-Roller Widthwise Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet conveying devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges in downsizing due to the wide whirl of correcting rollers, which increases the apparatus size.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveying device with a correcting portion featuring two whirlable rollers, one on each side of the sheet, which corrects the sheet's position in the widthwise direction. This device includes a driving portion to whirl the rollers, a side end detecting portion to detect the sheet's side ends, and a control portion to control the driving based on detection results, allowing for precise correction in two stages of rough and fine adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single correcting roller is used to perform both oblique movement correction and lateral registration correction, then the device structure is simplified, but the roller must whirl widely which increases the apparatus size
Solution Approach 1:
The correcting roller is divided into two separate correcting rollers: a first correcting roller for oblique movement correction and a second correcting roller for lateral registration correction. This segmentation allows each roller to have a smaller, more focused whirl radius, reducing the overall apparatus size while maintaining correction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The correction function is extended from a single roller whirling in one dimension to two rollers whirling in different positions along the widthwise direction. This dimensional distribution allows for more compact individual roller movements while achieving the same overall correction capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a correcting roller whirles about the center of the sheet, then both oblique movement and lateral registration can be corrected, but the end portion of the roller whirles widely increasing apparatus size
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the sheet are assigned to different correcting rollers: the first correcting roller handles correction near one edge while the second correcting roller handles correction near the other edge. This local specialization reduces the whirl radius required at each location, shrinking the overall apparatus volume.
3Manufacturing precision
If two-stage correction (rough adjustment and fine adjustment) is implemented, then correction precision is improved, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first correcting roller performs preliminary rough adjustment of the sheet position, bringing it close to the desired position. Then the second correcting roller performs fine adjustment to achieve precise final positioning. This preliminary action approach achieves high precision without requiring overly complex control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveying device includes a correcting portion and a side end detecting portion for detecting a side end of a sheet. The correcting portion includes a first roller whirlable about a first axis in a crossing direction crossing a conveyance direction and a widthwise direction and for correcting a position of the sheet in the widthwise direction, and a second roller disposed at a position different from the first roller in the widthwise direction, whirlable about a second axis in the crossing direction and for correcting the position of the sheet. Based on a detection result of the side end detecting portion, a control portion executes a first control in which the correcting portion corrects the position of the sheet in the widthwise direction and executes a second correcting control in which the correcting portion corrects the position of the sheet after the first correcting control.