Conveyor and printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401128-B2
Application number	US-202017078687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2020
Priority date	Nov 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A conveyor includes a first conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed in a first direction, a second conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed in a second direction different from the first direction, a switching part configured to switch a conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction, a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet at the switching part, a conveyance system driver configured to convey and stop the sheet, and circuitry configured to control the conveyance system driver to stop conveyance of the sheet in a predetermined condition, control the sheet detector to detect the sheet at the switching part, and control the switching part to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet from the first direction to the second direction when the sheet detector does not detect the sheet at the switching part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor comprising:
a first conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed in a first direction;
a second conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed in a second direction different from the first direction;
a switching part configured to switch a conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction;
a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet at the switching part;
a conveyance system driver configured to convey and stop the sheet;
circuitry configured to:
control the conveyance system driver to stop conveyance of the sheet in a predetermined condition,
control the sheet detector to detect the sheet at the switching part, and
control the switching part to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet from the first direction to the second direction when the sheet detector does not detect the sheet at the switching part; and

an inching switch configured to activate an inching operation, wherein, when the inching switch is pressed, the circuitry controls the conveyance system driver to convey the sheet on the first conveyance path by an inching operation in which a drum on the first conveyance path rotates at a lower speed than a rotation speed of the drum during a printing operation when the inching switch is pressed.

2. The conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first conveyance path comprises:
the drum, the drum being configured to bear the sheet and rotate;
an inlet rotor configured to transfer the sheet to the drum; and
an outlet rotor configured to receive the sheet from the drum.

3. The conveyor according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a conveyance failure detector, located downstream of the inlet rotor in the conveyance direction of the sheet, configured to detect a conveyance failure on the first conveyance path,
wherein, in the predetermined condition, the conveyance failure detector detects the conveyance failure.

4. The conveyor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the inlet rotor includes a gripper configured to grip the sheet, and
the gripper of the inlet rotor is retractable from the switching part when the switching part switches the conveyance direction of the sheet from the first direction to the second direction.

5. The conveyor according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a display configured to display an instruction received from the circuitry,
wherein, when the conveyance failure detector detects the conveyance failure, the circuitry
controls the conveyance system driver to stop conveyance of the sheet on the first conveyance path; and
controls the display to display the instruction of a removal of the sheet on the first conveyance path.

6. The conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the inching switch is pressed, the circuitry controls the conveyance system driver to:
convey at least one of:
the sheet across the switching part; and
the sheet on the first conveyance path.

7. The conveyor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a conveyance path upstream of the switching part; and
a duplex path in which a front surface and a back surface of the sheet is reversed,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the conveyance system driver to:
convey, to the second conveyance path, the sheet on the conveyance path upstream of the switching part and the sheet on the duplex path in which a front surface and a back surface of the sheet has been reversed.

8. The conveyor according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a branch pawl configured to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction;
a display configured to display an instruction received from the circuitry,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
control the display to display the instruction to perform a purge operation;
control the branch pawl to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path to perform the purge operation; and
control the conveyance system driver to eject the sheet to a purge tray via the second conveyance path.

9. The conveyor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a branch pawl configured to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction.

10. The conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switching part comprises:
a vertical moving part configured to advanceably retract the second conveyance path from the first conveyance path, and
the sheet is guided to the second conveyance path retracted from the first conveyance path.

11. The conveyor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a skew detector configured to detect a skew of the sheet.

12. The conveyor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sheet width detector configured to detect a width of the sheet.

13. The conveyor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sheet length detector configured to detect a length of the sheet.

14. A printer comprising:
an image forming unit configured to print an image on the sheet; and
the conveyor according to claim 1 .

15. A conveyor comprising:
a first conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed in a first direction;
a second conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed in a second direction different from the first direction;
a switching part configured to switch a conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction;
a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet at the switching part;
a conveyance system driver configured to convey and stop the sheet;
a conveyance failure detector configured to detect a conveyance failure;
circuitry configured to:
control the conveyance system driver to stop conveyance of the sheet when the conveyance failure detector detects the conveyance failure,
control the sheet detector to detect the sheet at the switching part, and
control the switching part to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet from the first direction to the second direction when the sheet detector does not detect the sheet at the switching part; and

an inching switch configured to activate an inching operation, wherein, when the inching switch is pressed, the circuitry controls the conveyance system driver to convey the sheet on the first conveyance path by an inching operation in which a drum on the first conveyance path rotates at a lower speed than a rotation speed of the drum during a printing operation when the inching switch is pressed.

16. A printer comprising:
an image forming unit configured to print an image on the sheet; and
the conveyor according to claim 15 .

17. A conveyor comprising:
a first conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed in a first direction;
a second conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed in a second direction different from the first direction;
a switching part configured to switch a conveyance direction of the sheet between the first direction and the second direction;
a conveyance path upstream of the switching part;
a duplex path in which a front surface and a back surface of the sheet is reversed;
a sheet detector configured to detect the sheet at the switching part;
a conveyance system driver configured to convey and stop the sheet; and
circuitry configured to:
control the conveyance system driver to stop conveyance of the sheet in a predetermined condition,
control the sheet detector to detect the sheet at the switching part, and
control the switching part to switch the conveyance direction of the sheet from the

Assignees

• Nakagaki Toshihiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakagaki Toshihiro

Classifications

• B65H29/125

  between two sets of rollers · CPC title

• B65H2511/51

  Presence · CPC title

• B65H2801/21

  Industrial-size printers, e.g. rotary printing press · CPC title

• B65H5/26

  Duplicate, alternate, selective, or coacting feeds · CPC title

• B65H5/226

  by suction rollers · CPC title