Sheet conveying device, and image forming apparatus and image forming system including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969592-B2
Application number	US-201615092302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2016
Priority date	May 1, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A sheet conveying device includes: a conveying unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path; a switching unit configured to switch a sheet conveying destination; a delivering unit configured to deliver the sheet on the delivery path toward a device at the sheet conveying destination; a reversing unit configured to first convey the sheet from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing to a position in which a part of the sheet protrudes and deliver the sheet from the position toward a circulation path while reversing the conveying direction of the sheet; a circulating unit configured to convey the sheet delivered toward the circulation path along the circulation path and return the sheet to the conveying path while the sheet is reversed; and a control unit configured to control the reversing unit when a jammed sheet is detected in the device at the sheet conveying destination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying device configured to convey a sheet toward a device at a sheet conveying destination in a normal operation state and to interrupt the sheet conveying operation toward the device at the sheet conveying destination when a jam is detected, the sheet conveying device comprising:
a conveying unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path;
a switching unit configured to switch a sheet conveying destination from a branch point as a downstream end of the conveying path to any one of a delivery path extending toward the device at the sheet conveying destination and a reversing port formed as an opening of a casing of the sheet conveying device so that a space outside the casing is used as a space for reversing a sheet conveying direction;
a delivering unit configured to deliver the sheet on the delivery path toward the device at the sheet conveying destination;
a reversing unit configured to first convey the sheet from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing to a position in which a part of the sheet protrudes and deliver the sheet from the position toward a circulation path while reversing the conveying direction of the sheet;
a circulating unit configured to convey the sheet delivered toward the circulation path along the circulation path and return the sheet to the conveying path while the sheet is reversed; and
a control unit configured to determine whether or not a jammed sheet is detected in the device at the sheet conveying destination, and when it is determined that the jammed sheet is detected, to control the reversing unit so that a first sheet, which is supposed to be reversed by the reversing unit, is not reversed and is purged from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing before stopping driving of the reversing unit to allow the jammed sheet to be removed,
wherein the control unit stops each sheet conveying operation by prohibiting the purging operation when the first sheet is a specific type of sheet.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein when there is a second sheet conveyed in any one of the conveying unit and the circulating unit separately from the first sheet at a jam detection time point, the control unit controls the conveying unit, the reversing unit, the circulating unit, and the switching unit so that the sheet conveying destination of the second sheet is switched to the reversing port and the second sheet is purged from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing while not reversing the second sheet after the first sheet is purged.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the first sheet does not exist and a second sheet currently reversed by the reversing unit exists at a jam detection time point, the control unit stops the reversing operation of the second sheet and re-reverses the second sheet in a direction toward the reversing port so that the second sheet is purged from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein when there is a third sheet conveyed in at least one of the conveying unit and the circulating unit separately from the second sheet at the jam detection time point, the control unit controls the conveying unit, the reversing unit, the circulating unit, and the switching unit so that the sheet conveying destination of the third sheet is switched to the reversing port and the third sheet is purged from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing while not reversing the third sheet after the second sheet is purged.

5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein a conveying speed of the second sheet during the re-reversing operation is faster than a conveying speed of the second sheet during the reversing operation of the reversing unit.

6. The sheet conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the circulating unit includes a pair of rotating and conveying members conveying the sheet along the circulation path while nipping the sheet during the reversing operation,
the reversing unit and the pair of rotating and conveying members are driven by different driving mechanisms, and
when a leading end of the second sheet in the sheet conveying direction during the reversing operation reaches the pair of rotating and conveying members at the jam detection time point, the control unit stops each sheet conveying operation by prohibiting the purging operation regardless of whether the predetermined condition is satisfied.

7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 6 , wherein the driving mechanism of the rotating and conveying member is not provided with a member stopping transmission of a driving force to the pair of rotating and conveying members at the jam detection time point so as to connect or disconnect a transmission route transmitting the driving force to the rotating and conveying member.

8. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the specific type of sheet is a thin sheet having a basis weight smaller than a predetermined value.

9. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet conveyed by a sheet conveying part, the image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 1 as the sheet conveying part.

10. An image forming system comprising:
the image forming apparatus according to claim 9 ; and
a post-processing device configured to perform predetermined post-processing on a sheet having an image formed thereon by the image forming apparatus,
wherein a device at a sheet conveying destination of the sheet conveying device of the image forming apparatus is the post-processing device.

11. A sheet conveying device configured to convey a sheet toward a device at a sheet conveying destination in a normal operation state and to interrupt the sheet conveying operation toward the device at the sheet conveying destination when a jam is detected, the sheet conveying device comprising:
a conveying unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveying path;
a switching unit configured to switch a sheet conveying destination from a branch point as a downstream end of the conveying path to any one of a delivery path extending toward the device at the sheet conveying destination and a reversing port formed as an opening of a casing of the sheet conveying device so that a space outside the casing is used as a space for reversing a sheet conveying direction;
a delivering unit configured to deliver the sheet on the delivery path toward the device at the sheet conveying destination;
a reversing unit configured to first convey the sheet from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing to a position in which a part of the sheet protrudes and deliver the sheet from the position toward a circulation path while reversing the conveying direction of the sheet;
a circulating unit configured to convey the sheet delivered toward the circulation path along the circulation path and return the sheet to the conveying path while the sheet is reversed; and
a control unit configured to determine whether or not a jammed sheet is detected in the device at the sheet conveying destination, and when it is determined that the jammed sheet is detected, to control the reversing unit so that a first sheet, which is supposed to be reversed by the reversing unit, is not reversed and is purged from the reversing port toward the outside of the casing before stopping driving of the reversing unit to allow the jammed sheet to be removed,
wherein if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the first sheet does not exist and a second sheet currently reversed by the revers

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Kowase Kazuhiko
• Takahashi Michio

Classifications

• B65H29/12

  by means of the nip between two, or between two sets of, moving tapes or bands {or rollers} · CPC title

• G03G15/5012

  Priority interrupt; Job recovery, e.g. after jamming or malfunction · CPC title

• B65H2601/11

  Clearing faulty handling, e.g. jams · CPC title

• B65H43/00

  Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable · CPC title

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title