Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming system including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9988231-B2
Application number	US-201615257010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2015
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

A sheet conveying apparatus, including: a support portion configured to support a second sheet different from a first sheet among a plurality of sheets when the first sheet located undermost among the plurality of sheets conveyed by a conveyance portion is placeable on a placement portion; and a restriction unit configured to bring the second sheet into a first state in order to restrict downward movement of the second sheet at a restriction position located downstream of a support position at which the support portion supports the second sheet when the first sheet is placeable on the placement portion, and to bring the second sheet into a second state in order to remove or reduce a restriction force for restricting the downward movement of the second sheet to less than a restriction force in the first state after bringing the second sheet into the first state at the restriction position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying apparatus, comprising:
a pair of rollers configured to nip and convey a plurality of sheets in a predetermined direction, the plurality of sheets being overlaid on top of each other, the plurality of sheets including a first sheet and a second sheet, the first sheet being located undermost among the plurality of sheets, the second sheet being different from the first sheet, and an upstream edge of the first sheet being located downstream of an upstream edge of the second sheet in the predetermined direction when the pair of rollers is conveying the plurality of sheets;
a placement portion on which the plurality of sheets conveyed by the pair of rollers is placed;
a support portion configured to support the second sheet when the first sheet is located at a position at which the first sheet is placeable on the placement portion;
a support member configured to be movable to a first position and to a second position, a downstream end, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the support member being located, in a case where the support member is located at the first position, downstream, with respect to the predetermined direction, of a downstream end, with respect to the predetermined direction, of a support area at which the support portion supports the second sheet, the downstream end of the support member being located, in a case where the support member is located at the second position, upstream, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the downstream end of the support member which is located at the first position, a first state being a state that the support member is located at the first position to support a lower surface of the second sheet without supporting a lower surface of the first sheet, a second state being a state that the support member is located at the second position not to support the lower surface of the first sheet which has passed through a nip in which the pair of rollers nip sheets; and
a control portion configured to, in a state in which the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet has passed through the nip and the second sheet is being nipped by the pair of rollers, bring the support member into the second state in which the support member is located at the second position, and after bringing the support member into the second state, bring the support member into the first state in which the support member is located at the first position.

2. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a moving range of the support member overlaps with an outer periphery of a lower roller of the pair of rollers as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

3. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the support member comprises a plurality of support members, and the plurality of support members are arranged on both sides of the pair of rollers in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

4. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pair of rollers is configured to convey the second sheet in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, and
wherein the control portion is configured to locate the support member at the first position when the second sheet is being conveyed in the opposite direction.

5. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of support members each have a curved support surface configured to restrict from below the plurality of sheets nipped by the pair of rollers.

6. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an abutment member configured to abut the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet supported by the support portion; and
a conveyance portion configured to convey the first sheet supported by the support portion so as to cause the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet to abut against the abutment member,
wherein the support member is configured to move to a third position at which the downstream end, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the support member is located downstream, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first position, and
wherein the control portion causes the support member to be located at the third position in a case where the conveyance portion causes the first sheet supported by the support portion to abut against the abutment member.

7. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control portion causes the support member to move from the third position to the second position by a time the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet passes through the nip.

8. A sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion causes the support member to be located at the second position by a time the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet passes through the nip.

9. An image forming system, comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; and
a sheet conveying apparatus configured to convey a plurality of sheets conveyed from the image forming unit,
the sheet conveying apparatus comprising:
a pair of rollers configured to nip and convey the plurality of sheets in a predetermined direction, the plurality of sheets being overlaid on top of each other, the plurality of sheets including a first sheet and a second sheet, the first sheet being located undermost among the plurality of sheets, the second sheet being different from the first sheet, and an upstream edge of the first sheet being located downstream of an upstream edge of the second sheet in the predetermined direction when the pair of rollers is conveying the plurality of sheets;
a placement portion on which the plurality of sheets conveyed by the pair of rollers is placed;
a support portion configured to support the second sheet when the first sheet is located at a position at which the first sheet is placeable on the placement portion;
a support member configured to be movable to a first position and to a second position, a downstream end, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the support member being located, in a case where the support member is located at the first position, downstream, with respect to the predetermined direction, of a downstream end, with respect to the predetermined direction, of a support area at which the support portion supports the second sheet, the downstream end of the support member being located, in a case where the support member is located at the second position, upstream, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the downstream end of the support member which is located at the first position, a first state being a state that the support member is located at the first position to support a lower surface of the second sheet without supporting a lower surface of the first sheet, a second state being a state that the support member is located at the second position not to support the lower surface of the first sheet which has passed through a nip in which the pair of rollers nip sheets; and

a control portion configured to, in a state in which the upstream edge, with respect to the predetermined direction, of the first sheet has passed through the nip and the second sheet is being nipped by the pair of rollers, bring the support member into the second state in which the support member is located at the second position, and after bringing the support member into the second state, bring the support member into the first state in which the support member is located at the first position.

Assignees

• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Nakano Takahiro
• Komiyama Daiki
• Aikawa Noritoshi

Classifications

• B65H31/3027

  by the nip between moving belts or rollers (pile being formed between belts or rollers B65H29/145) · CPC title

• B65H29/52

  Stationary guides or smoothers · CPC title

• B65H31/02

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H2406/323

  Overhead suction belt, i.e. holding material against gravity · CPC title

• B65H2404/1521

  rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis, e.g. parallel to the roller axis · CPC title