Image forming apparatus with a conveyance section movable in a width direction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9592984-B2
Application number	US-201514884326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a first conveyance section disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in a sheet conveyance direction of the long sheet, and configured to convey the long sheet to the image formation position; a second conveyance section disposed on a downstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction, and configured to convey the long sheet on which the toner image is formed; a displacement detection section configured to detect displacement of the long sheet in a sheet width direction; and a control section configured to move the first conveyance section in the sheet width direction to orient the long sheet in the sheet width direction, and move the second conveyance section in a direction identical to a direction along which the first conveyance section is moved based on a detection result of the displacement detection section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming section configured to form a toner image on a long sheet at an image formation position;
a first conveyance section disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in a sheet conveyance direction of the long sheet, and configured to convey the long sheet to the image formation position;
a second conveyance section disposed on a downstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction, and configured to convey the long sheet on which the toner image is formed;
a displacement detection section configured to detect displacement of the long sheet in a sheet width direction which is perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction; and
a control section configured to move the first conveyance section and the second conveyance section in the same sheet width direction to orient the long sheet being conveyed by the first conveyance section and the second conveyance section in the sheet width direction, based on a detection result of the displacement detection section.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section repeats moving and stopping of the first and second conveyance sections based on the detection result of the displacement detection section.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed on the upstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed at a position nearer to the image formation position relative to the first conveyance section in the sheet conveyance direction.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section changes movement speeds of the first and second conveyance sections in accordance with rigidity of the long sheet.

6. An image formation system comprising:
a sheet feeding apparatus configured to feed a long sheet;
an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on the long sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus, the image forming apparatus including:
an image forming section configured to form a toner image on the long sheet at an image formation position,
a first conveyance section disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in sheet conveyance direction of the long sheet, and configured to convey the long sheet to the image formation position,
a second conveyance section disposed on a downstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction, and configured to convey the long sheet on which the toner image is formed,
a displacement detection section configured to detect displacement of the long sheet in a sheet width direction which is perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, and
a control section configured to move the first conveyance section and the second conveyance section in the sheet width direction to orient the long sheet being conveyed by the first conveyance section and the second conveyance section in the sheet width direction based on a detection result of the displacement detection section; and

a winding apparatus configured to wind up the long sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus.

7. The image formation system according to claim 6 , wherein the control section repeats moving and stopping of the first and second conveyance sections based on the detection result of the displacement detection section.

8. The image formation system according to claim 6 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed on the upstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction.

9. The image formation system according to claim 6 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed at a position nearer to the image formation position relative to the first conveyance section in the sheet conveyance direction.

10. The image formation system according to claim 6 , wherein the control section changes movement speeds of the first and second conveyance sections in accordance with rigidity of the long sheet.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming section configured to form a toner image on a long sheet at an image formation position;
a first conveyance section disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in a sheet conveyance direction of the long sheet, and configured to convey the long sheet to the image formation position;
a second conveyance section disposed on a downstream sice of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction, and configured to convey the long sheet on which the toner image is formed;
displacement detection section configured to detect displacement of the long sheet in a sheet width direction which is perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction; and
a control section configured to move the first conveyance section in the sheet width direction to orient the long sheet in the sheet width direction, and move the second conveyance section in a direction identical to a direction along which the first conveyance section is moved based on a detection result of the displacement detection section
wherein the image forming section includes a fixing section with an upper fixing section and a lower fixing section, the second conveyance section being formed by the upper fixing section and the lower fixing section of the fixing section.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first conveyance section comprises a registration roller pair upstream of the image forming section arranged it to correct SKU and displacement of the long sheet.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section includes a light emission section and a light receiving section disposed to receive light emitted by the light emission section.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section includes a light emission section and a light receiving section disposed to receive light emitted by the light emission section and reflected by the long sheet.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section includes an actuator that contacts an end portion of the long sheet in the sheet width direction.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement detection section includes a CCD camera.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the control section repeats moving and stopping of the first and second conveyance sections based on the detection result of the displacement detection section.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed on the upstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the displacement detection section is disposed at a position nearer to the image formation position relative to the first conveyance section in the sheet conveyance direction.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the control section changes movement speeds of the first and second conveyance sections in accordance with rigidity of the long sheet.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Oonishi Taizou

Classifications

• G03G15/6567

  for deskewing or aligning · CPC title

• B65H18/145 Primary

  Reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanisms · CPC title

• G03G2215/00561

  Aligning or deskewing · CPC title

• G03G15/652 Primary

  Feeding a copy material originating from a continuous web roll · CPC title

• B65H2511/24

  Irregularities, e.g. in orientation or skewness · CPC title