Conveying device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12337591-B2
Application number	US-202318360052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2023
Priority date	Aug 2, 2022
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A conveying device includes a conveyor, a detector, and circuitry. The conveyor conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction. The detector detects a skew amount and a shift amount of a posture of the recording medium to be sent to the conveyor and detects, in parallel, end positions of the recording medium in a width direction of the recording medium intersecting with the conveyance direction, at at least three different points in the conveyance direction on one end of the recording medium in the width direction. The circuitry controls an operation of the conveyor and causes the detector to detect a corner folded portion of the recording medium based on the end positions of the recording medium in the width direction detected at the at least three different points.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveying device comprising:
a conveyor to convey a recording medium in a conveyance direction;
a detector to:
detect a skew amount and a shift amount of a posture of the recording medium to be sent to the conveyor; and
detect, in parallel, end positions of the recording medium in a width direction of the recording medium intersecting with the conveyance direction, at at least three different points in the conveyance direction on one end of the recording medium in the width direction; and

circuitry configured to:
control an operation of the conveyor; and
cause the detector to detect a corner folded portion of the recording medium based on the end positions of the recording medium in the width direction detected at the at least three different points.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes a first sensor and a second sensor disposed at different positions in the conveyance direction,
wherein the first sensor detects a first end position that is one of the end positions of the recording medium detected at the at least three different point,
wherein the second sensor detects a second end position that is another of the end positions of the recording medium detected at the at least three different point, and
wherein the first sensor and the second sensor detect the first end position and the second end position simultaneously.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes a plurality of sensors disposed facing each other in the width direction, and
wherein the circuitry, in a case where the end positions detected by the detector are not on a straight line, causes the detector to detect the corner folded portion and controls the operation of the conveyor according to the detected corner folded portion.

4. The conveying device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes a plurality of sensors disposed facing each other in the width direction,
wherein the circuitry calculates lengths of the recording medium in the width direction at two different points in the conveyance direction, based on end positions of the recording medium facing each other in the width direction,
wherein the circuitry detects the posture of the recording medium and the corner folded portion based on the calculated lengths of the recording medium in the width direction at the two different points, and
wherein the circuitry controls the operation of the conveyor in accordance with the posture of the recording medium and the corner folded portion.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the conveying device according to claim 1 , and
a discharge head to discharge liquid on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying device.

Assignees

• Takahashi Yoshihiro
• Takahashi Motoharu
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Yoshihiro
• Takahashi Motoharu

Classifications

• B41J2203/011

  Inspecting the shape or condition, e.g. wrinkled or warped, of a medium to be printed before printing on it · CPC title

• B41J2025/008

  comprising a plurality of print heads placed around a drum · CPC title

• B65H9/002

  changing orientation of sheet by only controlling movement of the forwarding means, i.e. without the use of stop or register wall · CPC title

• B65H7/10

  responsive to incorrect side register (controlling transverse register of webs B65H23/032) · CPC title

• B65H7/06

  responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title