Sheet conveyance apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019025750-A1
Application number	US-201816038891-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Jul 24, 2017
Publication date	Jan 24, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet conveyance apparatus including: a first oblique-feed unit configured to convey the sheet by imparting to the sheet a force in a first direction inclined relative to the sheet conveyance direction so that the sheet approaches an abutment surface in the width direction as the sheet proceeds downstream in the sheet conveyance direction; and a second oblique-feed unit configured to convey the sheet by imparting to the sheet a force in a second direction inclined relative to the sheet conveyance direction so that the sheet approaches the abutment surface as the sheet proceeds downstream, wherein an angle of the first direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction is larger than an angle of the second direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction, and the second oblique-feed unit is disposed at a position closer to the abutment surface than the first oblique-feed unit in the width direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sheet conveyance apparatus, comprising:
an abutment surface extending along a sheet conveyance direction and configured to abut against an edge, in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, of a sheet which passes through a sheet conveyance path; a first oblique-feed unit configured to convey the sheet by imparting to the sheet a force in a first direction inclined relative to the sheet conveyance direction so that the sheet approaches the abutment surface in the width direction as the sheet proceeds downstream in the sheet conveyance direction; and a second oblique-feed unit configured to convey the sheet by imparting to the sheet a force in a second direction inclined relative to the sheet conveyance direction so that the sheet approaches the abutment surface in the width direction as the sheet proceeds downstream in the sheet conveyance direction, wherein an angle of the first direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction is larger than an angle of the second direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction, and wherein the second oblique-feed unit is disposed at a position closer to the abutment surface than the first oblique-feed unit in the width direction.

2 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first oblique-feed unit is disposed on an opposite side to the abutment surface with respect to a center position of the sheet conveyance path in the width direction, and
wherein the second oblique-feed unit is disposed on a same side as the abutment surface with respect to the center position of the sheet conveyance path in the width direction.

3 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first oblique-feed unit has at least one first roller which is rotatable around an axis orthogonal to the first direction, and
wherein the second oblique-feed unit has at least one second roller which is rotatable around an axis orthogonal to the second direction.

4 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein an area in which the first roller is disposed in the sheet conveyance direction and an area in which the second roller is disposed in the sheet conveyance direction at least partially overlap when viewed from the width direction.

5 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first oblique-feed unit includes a first oblique-feed roller configured to rotate to convey the sheet,
wherein the second oblique-feed unit includes a second oblique-feed roller configured to rotate to convey the sheet, and wherein, in a state in which both the first oblique-feed roller and the second oblique-feed roller convey the sheet, a circumferential speed of the first oblique-feed roller is higher than a circumferential speed of the second oblique-feed roller.

6 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an angle of the first direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction is 20 degrees to 40 degrees, and
wherein an angle of the second direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction is not more than one-half of the angle of the first direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction.

7 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a changeover unit configured to change over each of the first oblique-feed unit and the second oblique-feed unit between a pressure state in which each of the first oblique-feed unit and the second oblique-feed unit nips the sheet and a released state in which the pressure state is released; and a control unit configured to control the changeover unit, wherein after the control unit causes the first oblique-feed unit to start conveying the sheet in a state in which the first oblique-feed unit is in the pressure state and the second oblique-feed unit is in the released state, the control unit starts a first operation in which the control unit changes over a state of the second oblique-feed unit to the pressure state to cause the second oblique-feed unit to convey the sheet.

8 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein after the control unit starts the first operation, the control unit executes a second operation in which the control unit increases a driving speed of the second oblique-feed unit.

9 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit is configured to execute a first mode in which the control unit starts the second operation while keeping the first oblique-feed unit in the pressure state even after starting the first operation and a second mode in which after starting the first operation, the control unit changes over a state of the first oblique-feed unit to the released state to start the second operation, the control unit executing the first mode in a case of conveying a sheet having a first basis weight and executing the second mode in a case of conveying a sheet having a second basis weight less than the first basis weight.

10 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first conveyance unit disposed upstream of the first oblique-feed unit and the second oblique-feed unit in the sheet conveyance direction and having a nip portion configured to nip and convey the sheet, the first conveyance unit being adapted to open the nip portion,
wherein the nip portion of the first conveyance unit is opened after a downstream edge of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction arrives at the first oblique-feed unit.

11 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second conveyance unit disposed downstream of the first oblique-feed unit and the second oblique-feed unit in the sheet conveyance direction and configured to nip and convey the sheet,
wherein the first oblique-feed unit is changed over between a pressure state in which the first oblique-feed unit nips and conveys the sheet and a released state in which the pressure state is released, and wherein after the first oblique-feed unit starts an operation of conveying the sheet toward the abutment surface in the pressure state, a state of the first oblique-feed unit is changed over to the released state before at least a downstream edge of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction arrives at the second oblique-feed unit.

12 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet which is butted against the abutment surface by the first oblique-feed unit and the second oblique-feed unit to correct a skew of the sheet.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Matsumoto So
• Sato Koki
• Yamabe Daisuke

Classifications

• G03G15/602

  for transporting · CPC title

• G03G15/2028

  with means for handling the copy material in the fixing nip, e.g. introduction guides, stripping means · CPC title

• G03G15/1615

  relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning · CPC title

• G03G15/6511 Primary

  Feeding devices for picking up or separation of copy sheets · CPC title

• G03G15/0865

  Arrangements for supplying new developer · CPC title