Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092979-B2
Application number	US-202318175875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2023
Priority date	Mar 4, 2022
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A sheet conveying apparatus configured to convey a sheet includes a reversing portion, a reversing retraction portion provided in the reversing portion, a conveyance portion, a guide member provided in the reversing retraction portion, and a fan provided in the conveyance portion. The reversing portion conveys the sheet in a first direction and then a second direction opposite to the first direction. The reversing retraction portion temporarily retracts the sheet conveyed in the first direction. The conveyance portion has a conveyance path through which the sheet conveyed in the second direction passes and configured to convey the sheet. The guide member guides one surface of the sheet. The fan blows air toward the sheet guided by the guide member and is disposed to blow the air of the conveyance path in the conveyance portion toward the reversing retraction portion and along the guide member in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying apparatus configured to convey a sheet, the sheet conveying apparatus comprising:
a reversing portion configured to convey the sheet in a first direction and then convey the sheet in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a reversing retraction portion provided in the reversing portion and configured to temporarily retract the sheet conveyed in the first direction by the reversing portion;
a conveyance portion having a conveyance path through which the sheet conveyed in the second direction by the reversing portion passes and configured to convey the sheet;
a guide member provided in the reversing retraction portion and configured to guide one surface of the sheet; and
a fan provided in the conveyance portion and configured to blow air toward the sheet guided by the guide member,
wherein the fan is disposed to blow the air of the conveyance path in the conveyance portion toward the reversing retraction portion and along the guide member in the first direction.

2. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reversing portion includes:
a first conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed in the first direction and the second direction,
a second conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed in the second direction from the reversing portion to the conveyance portion, and
a switching member provided at a junction between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path and configured to switch a conveyance path for the sheet,
wherein the fan is disposed in a vicinity of the switching member.

3. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the air from the fan flows along the sheet guided by the guide member.

4. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a space accessible by a user is provided above the guide member in the reversing retraction portion.

5. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fan includes a plurality of fans disposed side by side along a conveyance surface of the conveyance portion in a direction orthogonal to the second direction in the conveyance portion.

6. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the conveyance surface of the conveyance portion is provided with a plurality of holes through which the air passes.

7. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second fan provided in the conveyance portion downstream of the fan, which is a first fan, in the second direction in the conveyance portion.

8. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second fan includes a plurality of fans disposed side by side along a conveyance surface of the conveyance portion in a direction orthogonal to the second direction in the conveyance portion.

9. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second fan is disposed to blow the air of the conveyance path in the conveyance portion toward the reversing retraction portion.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming portion configured to form a toner image;
a transfer portion configured to transfer the toner image formed by the image forming portion to a sheet;
a fixing portion configured to fix the toner image transferred to the sheet by the transfer portion to the sheet; and
a sheet conveying apparatus configured to convey the sheet on which an image is formed by fixing the toner image by the fixing portion,
wherein the sheet conveying apparatus includes:
a reversing portion configured to convey the sheet in a first direction and then convey the sheet in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
a reversing retraction portion provided in the reversing portion and configured to temporarily retract the sheet conveyed in the first direction by the reversing portion,
a conveyance portion having a conveyance path through which the sheet conveyed in the second direction by the reversing portion passes and configured to convey the sheet,
a guide member provided in the reversing retraction portion and configured to guide one surface of the sheet, and
a fan provided in the conveyance portion and configured to blow air toward the sheet guided by the guide member,
wherein the fan is disposed to blow the air of the conveyance path in the conveyance portion toward the reversing retraction portion and along the guide member in the first direction.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the sheet conveying apparatus conveys the sheet having one surface on which the image is formed in the first direction by the reversing portion to temporarily retract the sheet into the reversing retraction portion, then conveys the sheet to the conveyance portion in the second direction by the reversing portion, and then conveys the sheet from the conveyance portion to the transfer portion, so that an image is formed on another surface of the sheet.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the reversing portion includes:
a first conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed in the first direction and the second direction,
a second conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed in the second direction from the reversing portion to the conveyance portion, and
a switching member provided at a junction between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path and configured to switch a conveyance path for the sheet,
wherein the fan is disposed in a vicinity of the switching member.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the air from the fan flows along the sheet guided by the guide member.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a space accessible by a user is provided above the guide member in the reversing retraction portion.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein in a case in which the sheet is jammed, the reversing portion conveys a sheet remaining in the image forming apparatus to the reversing retraction portion.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the fan includes a plurality of fans disposed side by side along a conveyance surface of the conveyance portion in a direction orthogonal to the second direction in the conveyance portion, and
wherein the conveyance surface of the conveyance portion is provided with a plurality of holes through which the air passes.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a second fan provided in the conveyance portion downstream of the fan, which is a first fan, in the second direction in the conveyance portion.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the second fan includes a plurality of fans disposed side by side along the conveyance surface of the conveyance portion in the direction orthogonal to the second direction in the conveyance portion.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the second fan is disposed to blow the air of the conveyance path in the conveyance portion toward the reversing retraction portion.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising a controller configured to control driving and stopping of the first fan and the second fan.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Inoue Yuki

Classifications

• B65H2301/33312

  forward reverse rollers pairs · CPC title

• G03G2215/00438

  Inverter of refeeding path · CPC title

• B65H2301/517

  Drying material · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title

• G03G2215/00548

  Jam, error detection, e.g. double feeding · CPC title