US20050156373A1 - Feeding device for sheet material and image recording apparatus for recording an image thereon - Google Patents
Feeding device for sheet material and image recording apparatus for recording an image thereon Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050156373A1 US20050156373A1 US11/033,262 US3326205A US2005156373A1 US 20050156373 A1 US20050156373 A1 US 20050156373A1 US 3326205 A US3326205 A US 3326205A US 2005156373 A1 US2005156373 A1 US 2005156373A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- roller pair
- sheet material
- carrier
- recording
- carrying
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H9/00—Registering, e.g. orientating, articles; Devices therefor
- B65H9/06—Movable stops or gauges, e.g. rising and falling front stops
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H9/00—Registering, e.g. orientating, articles; Devices therefor
- B65H9/10—Pusher and like movable registers; Pusher or gripper devices which move articles into registered position
- B65H9/103—Pusher and like movable registers; Pusher or gripper devices which move articles into registered position acting by friction or suction on the article for pushing or pulling it into registered position, e.g. against a stop
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a feeding device for feeding a sheet material and for correcting a skew thereof, and further relates to an image recording apparatus for recording an image on the sheet material (recording material) of which the skew is corrected by the feeding device.
- the photosensitive materials are carried in parallel and are simultaneously exposed in the scanning direction for the purpose of improving processing ability (amount) of unit time.
- anterior ends of the photosensitive materials which are carried in parallel, abut on a feed roller pair of a stop state, and in this state, the photosensitive material is deflected so as to have flexure.
- the whole of the anterior end of the respective photosensitive materials becomes parallel relative to an axial direction of the feed roller pair (the scanning direction).
- the skew of the photosensitive material is corrected by performing so-called top resist.
- a photographic paper is used as the photosensitive material.
- the photographic paper has stiffness.
- this paper is not deflected so as to make the whole of the anterior end thereof abut on the feed roller pair.
- the feed roller pair on which the anterior end of the photosensitive material abuts is reversed in a state that the photosensitive material is deflected, such as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-195424.
- the whole of the anterior end is adapted to abut on the feed roller pair, and the skew is accurately corrected.
- the feeding device comprises a carrier for carrying a sheet material, and an abutting member disposed at a downstream side of the carrier in a carrying direction of the sheet material. After an anterior end of the sheet material has butted against the abutting member, the sheet material is further carried to form a deflection portion thereof between the carrier and the abutting member.
- the feeding device further comprises a pressing mechanism for pushing the deflection portion of the sheet material. The pressing mechanism presses the entire anterior end of the sheet material against the abutting member to correct a skew of the sheet material.
- the abutting member is a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the sheet material, and the anterior end of the sheet material butts against the feed roller pair of a stop state.
- the carrier and the feed roller pair are disposed at a curved passage of the sheet material.
- a carrying guide for guiding the sheet material to the feed roller pair is used to push the deflection portion of the sheet material.
- the carrying guide is formed with ribs for reducing a contact area of the carrying guide and the sheet material.
- the abutting member is an abutting guide removably disposed at a passage of the sheet material.
- a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the sheet material is disposed between the carrier and the abutting guide.
- the feed roller pair is changed between a nip state for nipping/feeding the sheet material, and a release state for releasing the nip of the sheet material.
- the feed roller pair is changed from the nip state to the release state.
- the image recording apparatus comprises a carrier for carrying a recording material, and an abutting member disposed at a downstream side of the carrier in a carrying direction of the recording material. After an anterior end of the recording material has butted against the abutting member, the recording material is further carried to form a deflection portion thereof between the carrier and the abutting member.
- the image recording apparatus further comprises a pressing mechanism for pushing the deflection portion of the recording material. The pressing mechanism presses the entire anterior end of the recording material against the abutting member to correct a skew of the recording material.
- the abutting member is a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the recording material, and the anterior end of the recording material butts against the feed roller pair of a stop state.
- the carrier and the feed roller pair are disposed at a curved passage of the recording material.
- a carrying guide for guiding the recording material to the feed roller pair is used to push the deflection portion of the recording material.
- the carrying guide is formed with ribs for reducing a contact area of the carrying guide and the recording material.
- the abutting member is an abutting guide removably disposed at a passage of the recording material.
- a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the recording material is disposed between the carrier and the abutting guide.
- the feed roller pair is changed between a nip state for nipping/feeding the recording material, and a release state for releasing the nip of the recording material.
- the feed roller pair is changed from the nip state to the release state.
- the present invention it is possible to quickly and accurately correct the skew of the sheet material and the recording material, even if these materials have stiffness. As a result, processing ability of unit time is improved.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a photographic printer using a feeding device according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of the feeding device of the photographic printer
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the feeding device shown in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in that a carrying guide is moved to an evacuation position so as to deflect a recording-paper sheet at the time of skew correction;
- FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in that the carrying guide is moved to a press position so as to push the deflected recording-paper sheet and so as to press an anterior end thereof against a resist roller pair;
- FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in that the recording-paper sheet is fed by the register roller pair after correcting the skew;
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the feeding device of another embodiment in which the recording-paper sheet is fed in a single row.
- FIG. 8 is a side view of the feeding device of the other embodiment.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a photographic printer 10 using a feeding device according to the present invention.
- the photographic printer 10 carries photosensitive materials of a cut-sheet shape in two rows. The photosensitive materials of two rows are simultaneously exposed and are outputted as photo prints.
- the photographic printer 10 is constituted of magazines 12 and 13 , cutters 15 and 16 , a back-printing unit 18 , a skew correcting unit 19 , an exposing unit 21 , a processing unit 22 , and so forth.
- the magazines 12 and 13 are disposed at predetermined positions in the photographic printer 10 to respectively contain a recording-paper roll 25 formed by winding a strip-shaped photosensitive recording paper 24 in a roll form.
- the photosensitive recording paper 24 is regarded as a photosensitive material.
- a roller pair 27 is disposed near a paper mouth of the respective magazines 12 and 13 . Upon rotating the roller pair 27 by a motor, which is not shown, the photosensitive recording paper 24 is drawn out of the recording-paper roll 25 and is forwarded to the corresponding cutter 15 or 16 .
- the cutters 15 and 16 are respectively disposed so as to nip a passage of the photosensitive recording paper 24 .
- a cutter driving mechanism which is not shown, is actuated to cut the recording paper 24 into a paper sheet 28 having the predetermined length (see FIGS. 2 and 3 ).
- a single cutter may be disposed near the back-printing unit 18 .
- the paper sheets 28 cut by the cutters 15 and 16 are carried by carrying roller pairs 30 and 31 disposed at the passages.
- the paper sheets 28 are carried along the passages shown by dotted lines in the drawing to pass through the back-printing unit 18 , the skew correcting unit 19 , the exposing unit 21 and the processing unit 22 in order.
- timing for advancing the paper sheets 28 from the respective magazines 12 and 13 to the passages is previously adjusted.
- the magazines 12 and 13 are vertically disposed in the drawing. Instead of this, the magazines may be disposed in parallel in a width direction of the paper sheet 28 . Further, instead of disposing two magazines, the recording-paper rolls 25 may be set in the same magazine.
- the paper sheets 28 may be arranged in parallel by using a sorting unit (not shown), which moves the paper sheets 28 in the width direction thereof.
- the back-printing unit 18 prints film ID, a frame number and so forth on a rear surface (opposite surface to a recording surface) of the respective paper sheets 28 carried in parallel (in two rows).
- the paper sheet 28 on which back-printing has been performed is forwarded to the skew correcting unit 19 by the carrying roller pair 31 .
- the skew correcting unit 19 which is described later in detail, corresponds to the feeding device of the present invention.
- the skew correcting unit 19 simultaneously corrects skews of the paper sheets 28 of two rows.
- the paper sheet 28 of which the skew has been corrected is fed to the exposing unit 21 .
- the exposing unit 21 comprises a laser printer and an image memory, which are well known.
- the image memory stores image data read by a film scanner, which is not shown. Alternatively, the image data is transferred from a recording medium of a memory card and so forth, which is also not shown.
- the laser printer simultaneously exposes the paper sheets 28 of two rows such that laser beams are scanned in a scanning direction perpendicular to a feed direction (sub-scanning direction). Intensity of the laser beam is modulated in accordance with an image to be recorded.
- the exposed paper sheet 28 is forwarded to the processing unit 22 wherein processes of coloring/developing, fixing and washing are executed. After that, the paper sheet 28 is dried and forwarded to the outside of the photographic printer 10 as a photo print.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of the skew correcting unit 19 .
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the skew correcting unit 19 .
- the skew correcting unit 19 is provided with a pre-resist roller pair 35 and a resist roller pair 36 , which are well known, and carrying guides 37 and 38 .
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 and the resist roller pair 36 correct the skews of the paper sheets 28 carried in two rows.
- the carrying guides 37 and 38 guide an anterior end of the respective paper sheets 28 , which are carried by the pre-resist roller pair 35 , to the resist roller pair 36 .
- the skew correcting unit 19 is provided with a pressing mechanism 40 described later in detail.
- the pressing mechanism 40 presses the anterior end of the partially deflected paper sheet 28 by using the carrying guide 37 .
- the pressing mechanism 40 and the respective roller pairs 35 and 36 are controlled by a controller 41 (see FIG. 1 ) controlling the whole operation of the photographic printer 10 .
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 and the resist roller pair 36 are disposed at the curved passage to carry the paper sheet 28 by means of a motor, which is not shown. These roller pairs 35 and 36 carry the paper sheet 28 in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction respectively (see FIGS. 1 and 3 ).
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 is provided with a release mechanism (not shown) for releasing a nip state of the roller pair.
- the resist roller pair 36 is rotatable in forward and backward directions.
- the carrying directions of the respective roller pairs 35 and 36 are perpendicular to each other so that the carrying guides 37 and 38 form the arc-shaped passage wherein the carrying direction of the paper sheet 28 is turned at about 90 degrees.
- the release mechanism is also controlled by the controller 41 .
- a deflection portion is formed on the paper sheet 28 as well known.
- the deflection portion is formed such that the paper sheet 28 is advanced by a predetermined amount after one corner of the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 , which is carried by the pre-resist roller pair 35 , has abutted on the resist roller pair 35 .
- the whole of the anterior end is adapted to abut on the resist roller pair 36 by utilizing only resilience of the deflected paper sheet 28 .
- the whole of the anterior end is likely to be prevented from abutting on the resist roller pair 36 when the paper sheet 28 has stiffness.
- the pressing mechanism 40 is used for pushing the deflection portion (see FIG. 5 ) of the paper sheet 28 to press the anterior end thereof against the resist roller pair 36 .
- the anterior end is compulsorily interposed between the rollers of the resist roller pair 36 .
- the skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at a corner of the passage wherein the carrying direction of the paper sheet 28 is turned at about 90 degrees.
- the paper sheet 28 is partially deflected such that the recording surface (exposure surface) thereof has a convex shape.
- the skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at the corner of the passage, the paper sheet 28 is easily deflected.
- a force for pressing the anterior end against the resist roller pair 36 is effectively applied when the deflection portion is pushed. In other words, pressing effect is improved.
- the carrying guide 37 is used as a press member for pushing the deflection portion.
- the photographic printer 10 carries the paper sheets 28 of two rows.
- the carrying guide 37 is divided into a first carrying guide 37 a and a second carrying guide 37 b , which are disposed in parallel in the scanning direction, so as to individually push the respective paper sheets 28 .
- another press member may be provided instead of using the carrying guide 37 .
- the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b anything may be used on condition that the paper sheet 28 is prevented from adhering due to charged static electricity, and further, the recording surface of the paper sheet 28 is prevented from being damaged at the time of pushing the paper sheet 28 .
- Surfaces of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b confronting the paper sheets 28 are formed with ribs 42 , which are parallel to the carrying direction of the paper sheet 28 and are arranged in a width direction of the paper sheet 28 . In virtue of the ribs 42 , it is possible to prevent scratches and adhesion from occurring.
- the surfaces confronting the paper sheets 28 may be formed with rollers, wheels or projections.
- the roller and the wheel rotate, abutting on the paper sheet 28 .
- a surface of the projection is smoothly treated. In these cases, it is possible to reduce an area coming into contact with the paper sheet 28 . Further, it is also possible to reduce friction to be caused at the time of contacting with the paper sheet 28 .
- the pressing mechanism 40 moves the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to at least three positions of a guide position, an evacuation position and a press position.
- the carrying guide guides the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 to the resist roller pair 36 before correcting the skew.
- the carrying guide In the evacuation position, the carrying guide is evacuated from the paper sheet 28 so as to partially deflect the paper sheet 28 at the time of commencing the skew correction.
- the carrying guide In the press position, the carrying guide pushes the deflection potion of the deflected paper sheet 28 to press the anterior end thereof against the resist roller pair 36 .
- deflection amounts of the paper sheets 28 are also different.
- the pressing mechanism 40 is divided into a first pressing mechanism 40 a for moving the carrying guide 37 a , and a second pressing mechanism 40 b for moving the carrying guide 37 b .
- the evacuation position is not especially restricted. The evacuation position may be optionally determined on condition that the carrying guide is prevented from coming into contact with the deflected paper sheet 28 .
- the first pressing mechanism 40 a is constituted of the first carrying guide 37 a , a grip member 44 a for gripping a ball screw 43 a , a retainer plate 45 a for retaining the carrying guide 37 a , and a motor 47 a .
- the grip member 44 a is fixed to the carrying guide 37 a to rotatably grip the ball screw 43 a along a direction perpendicular to the recording surface of the paper sheet 28 .
- the retainer plate 45 a is formed with a through hole (internal thread) to mesh with the ball screw 43 a via which the carrying guide 37 a is retained.
- the motor 47 a rotates the ball screw 43 a .
- the above-mentioned controller 41 see FIG.
- the second pressing mechanism 40 b has a structure being identical to that of the first pressing mechanism 40 a .
- the second pressing mechanism 40 b is constituted of a ball screw 43 b , a grip member 44 b , a retainer plate and a motor, although the retainer plate and the motor are not shown in the drawings.
- the pressing mechanisms 40 a and 40 b may be any mechanism on condition that the distance between the carrying guide and the recording surface of the paper sheet 28 is adjustable. For instance, it is possible to adopt an actuator using an air cylinder, a lead screw and so forth. It is also possible to adopt a mechanism for rotating the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b by using a cam and a link member.
- a deflection amount of the paper sheet 28 deflected at the time of the skew correction depends on a kind and an inclination amount of the paper sheet 28 .
- the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b kept in the evacuation position are moved toward the paper sheets 28 .
- a relationship between the inclination amount and the deflection amount is obtained in advance relative to the respective kinds of the paper sheets 28 .
- an inclination sensor (not shown) for detecting the inclination amount (skew amount) of the respective paper sheets 28 is disposed in the passage at an upstream side of the resist roller pair 36 . It is possible to estimate the deflection amount of the respective paper sheets 28 on the basis of kind information of the paper sheet 28 inputted by a user in advance, and inclination-amount information detected by the inclination sensor. Consequently, it is possible to move the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to the press positions where the force for pressing the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 against the resist roller pair becomes substantially constant. In other words, it is possible to move each of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to the press position corresponding to the estimated deflection amount. Thus, even if the inclination amount and the kind of the paper sheet 28 are changed, the anterior end thereof is pressed against the resist roller pair 36 by the substantially constant force.
- a pressure sensor (not shown) may be disposed at a surface of the carrying guide confronting the paper sheet 28 .
- the press position is defined as a position where a pressure measured by the pressure sensor becomes a predetermined value.
- the pressure measured by the pressure sensor means a force pushing the deflection portion of the paper sheet 28 with the carrying guide. It is needless to say that the pressure sensor and the rib 42 have the same level when the pressure sensor is used.
- FIGS. 3 through 6 are side views of the skew correcting unit 19 shown in FIG. 2 .
- the second pressing mechanism 40 b is not shown in the respective drawings, the structure thereof is identical with that of the first pressing mechanism 40 a , such as mentioned in the foregoing. For this reason, only the operation of the first pressing mechanism 40 a is described below.
- the carrying guide 37 a is kept in the guide position such as shown in FIG. 3 to guide the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 , which is carried by the pre-resist roller pair 35 , to the resist roller pair 36 of a stop state. At this time, a carrying amount is measured after the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 has passed the pre-resist roller pair 35 . Carrying-amount information of the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 may be easily obtained by disposing a photo sensor (not shown) or the like near the pre-resist roller pair 35 , for example.
- the controller 41 (see FIG. 1 ) halts the pre-resist roller pair 35 from carrying the paper sheet 28 when the carrying amount of the paper sheet 28 has reached the predetermined amount, such as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the pressing mechanism 40 a is actuated to move the carrying guide 37 a from the evacuation position to the press position corresponding to the estimated deflection amount.
- the deflection portion of the deflected paper sheet 28 is pushed by the carrying guide 37 a to press the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 against the resist roller pair 36 . Since the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 is compulsorily inserted between the rollers of the resist roller pair 36 , the whole of the anterior end abuts on the resist roller pair 36 .
- the skew of the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 is corrected so as to become parallel in an axial direction of the resist roller pair 36 , or in the scanning direction.
- the controller 41 After correcting the skew of the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 , the controller 41 (see FIG. 1 ) rotates only the resist roller pair 36 such as shown in FIG. 6 to commence feeding the paper sheet 28 .
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 is released from the nip state.
- the skew of the paper sheet 28 is perfectly corrected and the paper sheet 28 is fed to the exposing unit 21 (see FIG. 1 ) in a proper attitude.
- the second pressing mechanism 40 b similarly corrects the skew of the paper sheet 28 by pressing the anterior end thereof against the resist roller pair 36 .
- the paper sheet 28 is likely to be shifted in the scanning direction when the skew is corrected. If the shift is caused in the scanning direction, an image to be exposure-recorded in the exposure unit 21 is shifted in the scanning direction.
- a measurement sensor is provided, for example. This sensor measures a shift amount in the scanning direction after the skew has been corrected.
- the shift amount in the scanning direction may be calculated by using the detected inclination amount. On the basis of the calculated shift amount, a recording position of the exposing unit 21 is shifted in the scanning direction.
- the photosensitive recording papers 24 are advanced from the recording-paper rolls 25 of the magazines 12 and 13 , such as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the advanced recoding papers 24 are cut by the cutters 15 and 16 into the paper sheets 28 having the predetermined length.
- the carrying roller pairs 30 forward the cut paper sheets 28 to the back-printing unit 18 in parallel.
- the back-printing unit 18 prints the necessary information of the film ID, the frame number and so forth.
- the back-printed paper sheet 28 is forwarded to the skew correcting unit 19 by the carrying roller pairs 31 .
- the controller 41 keeps the respective carrying guides 37 a and 37 b in the guide position such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- the controller 41 rotates only the pre-resist roller pair 35 to carry the paper sheets 28 toward the rollers of the resist roller pair 36 .
- Carrying the paper sheet 28 by the pre-resist roller pair 35 is continued such as shown in FIG. 4 to fully deflect the paper sheet 28 .
- the respective pressing mechanisms 40 a and 40 b are driven to move the respective carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to the evacuation position. Meanwhile, the deflection amount of the paper sheet 28 is preliminarily estimated on the basis of the inclination information and the kind information of the paper sheet 28 , which are measured and inputted in advance.
- the controller 41 halts the pre-resist roller pair 35 when the carrying amount of the paper sheet 28 has reached the predetermined amount. And then, the controller 41 actuates the pressing mechanisms 40 a and 40 b to move each of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b from the evacuation position to the press position corresponding to the estimated deflection amount of the paper sheet 28 . In virtue of this, the deflection portions of the deflected paper sheets 28 are pushed by the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to press the anterior ends thereof against the resist roller pair 36 . Since the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 is compulsorily inserted into the resist roller pair 36 , the whole of the anterior end abuts on the resist roller pair 36 .
- the resist roller pair 36 is rotated to commence feeding the paper sheet 28 , such as shown in FIG. 6 .
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 is released from the nip state. Even if the paper sheet 28 has stiffness, it is possible to accurately correct the skews of the parallel two rows at the same time. It is unnecessary to reverse the resist roller pair 36 such as described in the previously cited Publication No. 2003-195424, so that processing ability of unit time is improved.
- the paper sheet 28 of which the skew has been corrected is fed to the exposing unit 21 by the carrying roller pairs 31 .
- image exposures of two rows are performed in parallel.
- the exposed paper sheet 28 is forwarded to the processing unit 22 wherein the respective processes of coloring/developing, fixing, washing, and drying are executed. After that, the paper sheet 28 is discharged to the outside of the photographic printer 10 as a photo print.
- the paper sheets 28 of two rows are carried to simultaneously perform the skew correction thereof and to simultaneously perform the exposure thereof.
- a number of rows for carrying the paper sheets in parallel is not exclusive to two, but may be three or more.
- the pre-resist roller pair 35 and the resist roller pair 36 are adapted to have a sufficient length in the axial direction so as to carry a few rows.
- the above-described pressing mechanisms are disposed in parallel by a number corresponding to the rows.
- the carry is performed in two rows and the exposure thereof is simultaneously performed.
- the skew may be corrected by using either of the pressing mechanisms 40 a and 40 b shown in FIG. 2 .
- the paper sheet 28 may be moved to a central portion of the passage, such as shown in FIG. 7 , by providing a guide rail (not shown) and a shifting mechanism (not shown), which shifts the paper sheet in a width direction, at the passage along which the paper sheet 28 is carried to the pre-resist roller pair 35 .
- the skew is corrected, the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 is pressed against the resist roller pair 36 by using both of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b.
- the skew may be corrected by reversing the resist roller pair 36 in a state that the paper sheet 28 is deflected, such as described in the previously cited Publication No. 2003-195424.
- the photographic printer 10 may be manufactured at a low cost since it is unnecessary to balance the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b.
- the resist roller pair 36 is rotatable in forward and backward directions so that it is possible, in both cases of the two-row carry and the single-row carry, to correct the skew by reversing the resist roller pair 36 such as described in the forgoing Publication No. 2003-195424.
- the skew is corrected by using the pressing mechanisms 40 a and 40 b when the two-row carry requiring the processing ability is performed, and the skew is corrected during the reverse rotation of the resist roller pair 36 when the single-row carry hardly requiring the processing ability is performed.
- the pressing mechanism 40 of the above embodiment is constituted of the ball screws 43 a and 43 b , the motor 47 a and so force.
- the retainer plate 45 a (see FIG. 3 ) and the carrying guide 37 a (also the carrying guide 37 b ) may be connected by means of a spring, and the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b may push the deflection portion of the paper sheet 28 by utilizing urging force of the spring.
- the skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at the corner of the passage where the carrying direction of the paper sheet 28 is turned at 90 degrees. In other words, the skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at the curved passage.
- the present invention is not exclusive to this.
- the skew correcting unit may be disposed at a straight portion of the passage.
- the paper sheet 28 may be carried by using a chucker and so forth being movable in a parallel direction with the sub-scanning direction.
- the paper sheet 28 is deflected so as to make the recording surface thereof convex.
- the paper sheet 28 may deflected so as to make the rear surface thereof convex.
- the exposing unit 21 is disposed at an opposite side relative to the paper sheet 28 in the photographic printer 10 , and at the same time, the paper sheet 28 is carried in a state that the surfaces thereof are reversed. In this case, since the rear surface of the paper sheet 28 is pushed, the recording surface is prevented from being damaged.
- an abutting guide 50 may be disposed at a downstream side of the resist roller pair 36 in the sheet carrying direction.
- the abutting guide 50 is removable from the passage.
- the anterior end of the paper sheet 28 butts against the abutting guide 50 so that the paper sheet 28 is partially deflected.
- a changeover mechanism for changing the resist roller pair 36 between a nip state for nipping the paper sheet 28 , and a release state for releasing the nip of the paper sheet 28 .
- the changeover mechanism is actuated to change the resist roller pair 36 to the release state. And then, the abutting guide 50 is removed from the passage after the skew of the anterior end has been corrected. At the same time, the resist roller pair 36 is set to the nip state.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Registering Or Overturning Sheets (AREA)
- Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
- Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a feeding device for feeding a sheet material and for correcting a skew thereof, and further relates to an image recording apparatus for recording an image on the sheet material (recording material) of which the skew is corrected by the feeding device.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- For example, in a photographic printer, feed roller pairs disposed at a passage nip a photosensitive material having a cut-sheet shape to feed it in a sub-scanning direction. While the photosensitive material is fed, recording light is scanned in a scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction to record an image by means of scanning exposure. In many photographic printers, the photosensitive materials are carried in parallel and are simultaneously exposed in the scanning direction for the purpose of improving processing ability (amount) of unit time.
- In order to obtain a high-quality photo print, it is necessary that the photosensitive material is exposed at a proper position and in a proper direction. However, the photosensitive material of the cut-sheet shape often inclines while carried. This means the photosensitive material is often in a skew state. If the photosensitive material is exposed in the skew state, an image is slantingly recorded on the photosensitive material. Thus, quality of the photo print remarkably deteriorates. In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-174927 describes a skew correcting method for the photosensitive material. In this method, anterior ends of the photosensitive materials, which are carried in parallel, abut on a feed roller pair of a stop state, and in this state, the photosensitive material is deflected so as to have flexure. In virtue of this, the whole of the anterior end of the respective photosensitive materials becomes parallel relative to an axial direction of the feed roller pair (the scanning direction). The skew of the photosensitive material is corrected by performing so-called top resist.
- In many photographic printers, a photographic paper is used as the photosensitive material. However, the photographic paper has stiffness. Thus, when the method described in the above-noted Publication No. 2001-174927 is used for correcting the skew of the photographic paper, this paper is not deflected so as to make the whole of the anterior end thereof abut on the feed roller pair. There is a possibility that the skew is prevented from perfectly corrected. In view of this, in the photographic printer using the photosensitive material having stiffness, the feed roller pair on which the anterior end of the photosensitive material abuts is reversed in a state that the photosensitive material is deflected, such as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-195424. In virtue of this, the whole of the anterior end is adapted to abut on the feed roller pair, and the skew is accurately corrected.
- By using the photographic printer described in the above-noted Publication No. 2003-195424, it is possible to accurately correct the skew even if the photosensitive material having stiffness is used. However, it is necessary at the time of correcting the skew to reverse the feed roller pair after deflecting the photosensitive material. Thus, it takes time for correcting the skew. As a result, processing ability of unit time deteriorates. Accordingly, there arises a problem in that it is unfavorable to adopt this kind of the photographic printer relative to a minilab apparatus and so forth requiring high processing ability.
- In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a feeding device in which a skew of a sheet material is quickly and accurately corrected even if the sheet material has stiffness.
- It is a second object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus comprising the above-mentioned feeding device.
- In order to achieve the above and other objects, the feeding device according to the present invention comprises a carrier for carrying a sheet material, and an abutting member disposed at a downstream side of the carrier in a carrying direction of the sheet material. After an anterior end of the sheet material has butted against the abutting member, the sheet material is further carried to form a deflection portion thereof between the carrier and the abutting member. The feeding device further comprises a pressing mechanism for pushing the deflection portion of the sheet material. The pressing mechanism presses the entire anterior end of the sheet material against the abutting member to correct a skew of the sheet material. In a preferred embodiment, the abutting member is a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the sheet material, and the anterior end of the sheet material butts against the feed roller pair of a stop state. The carrier and the feed roller pair are disposed at a curved passage of the sheet material. A carrying guide for guiding the sheet material to the feed roller pair is used to push the deflection portion of the sheet material. The carrying guide is formed with ribs for reducing a contact area of the carrying guide and the sheet material.
- In another embodiment, the abutting member is an abutting guide removably disposed at a passage of the sheet material. A feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the sheet material is disposed between the carrier and the abutting guide. The feed roller pair is changed between a nip state for nipping/feeding the sheet material, and a release state for releasing the nip of the sheet material. When the anterior end of the sheet material butts against the abutting guide, the feed roller pair is changed from the nip state to the release state.
- The image recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a carrier for carrying a recording material, and an abutting member disposed at a downstream side of the carrier in a carrying direction of the recording material. After an anterior end of the recording material has butted against the abutting member, the recording material is further carried to form a deflection portion thereof between the carrier and the abutting member. The image recording apparatus further comprises a pressing mechanism for pushing the deflection portion of the recording material. The pressing mechanism presses the entire anterior end of the recording material against the abutting member to correct a skew of the recording material. In a preferred embodiment, the abutting member is a feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the recording material, and the anterior end of the recording material butts against the feed roller pair of a stop state. The carrier and the feed roller pair are disposed at a curved passage of the recording material. A carrying guide for guiding the recording material to the feed roller pair is used to push the deflection portion of the recording material. The carrying guide is formed with ribs for reducing a contact area of the carrying guide and the recording material.
- In another embodiment, the abutting member is an abutting guide removably disposed at a passage of the recording material. A feed roller pair for nipping and feeding the recording material is disposed between the carrier and the abutting guide. The feed roller pair is changed between a nip state for nipping/feeding the recording material, and a release state for releasing the nip of the recording material. When the anterior end of the recording material butts against the abutting guide, the feed roller pair is changed from the nip state to the release state.
- According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly and accurately correct the skew of the sheet material and the recording material, even if these materials have stiffness. As a result, processing ability of unit time is improved.
- The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a photographic printer using a feeding device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of the feeding device of the photographic printer; -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the feeding device shown inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in that a carrying guide is moved to an evacuation position so as to deflect a recording-paper sheet at the time of skew correction; -
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in that the carrying guide is moved to a press position so as to push the deflected recording-paper sheet and so as to press an anterior end thereof against a resist roller pair; -
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in that the recording-paper sheet is fed by the register roller pair after correcting the skew; -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the feeding device of another embodiment in which the recording-paper sheet is fed in a single row; and -
FIG. 8 is a side view of the feeding device of the other embodiment. -
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing aphotographic printer 10 using a feeding device according to the present invention. Thephotographic printer 10 carries photosensitive materials of a cut-sheet shape in two rows. The photosensitive materials of two rows are simultaneously exposed and are outputted as photo prints. Such as shown inFIG. 1 , thephotographic printer 10 is constituted ofmagazines cutters printing unit 18, askew correcting unit 19, an exposingunit 21, aprocessing unit 22, and so forth. - The
magazines photographic printer 10 to respectively contain a recording-paper roll 25 formed by winding a strip-shapedphotosensitive recording paper 24 in a roll form. Thephotosensitive recording paper 24 is regarded as a photosensitive material. Aroller pair 27 is disposed near a paper mouth of therespective magazines roller pair 27 by a motor, which is not shown, thephotosensitive recording paper 24 is drawn out of the recording-paper roll 25 and is forwarded to thecorresponding cutter - The
cutters photosensitive recording paper 24. When an anterior end of therecording paper 24 is advanced from the cutter by a predetermined length, a cutter driving mechanism, which is not shown, is actuated to cut therecording paper 24 into apaper sheet 28 having the predetermined length (seeFIGS. 2 and 3 ). By the way, instead of providing the two cutters, a single cutter may be disposed near the back-printing unit 18. - The
paper sheets 28 cut by thecutters paper sheets 28 are carried along the passages shown by dotted lines in the drawing to pass through the back-printing unit 18, theskew correcting unit 19, the exposingunit 21 and theprocessing unit 22 in order. In this case, timing for advancing thepaper sheets 28 from therespective magazines magazines paper sheet 28. Further, instead of disposing two magazines, the recording-paper rolls 25 may be set in the same magazine. Furthermore, thepaper sheets 28 may be arranged in parallel by using a sorting unit (not shown), which moves thepaper sheets 28 in the width direction thereof. The back-printing unit 18 prints film ID, a frame number and so forth on a rear surface (opposite surface to a recording surface) of therespective paper sheets 28 carried in parallel (in two rows). - The
paper sheet 28 on which back-printing has been performed is forwarded to theskew correcting unit 19 by the carryingroller pair 31. Theskew correcting unit 19, which is described later in detail, corresponds to the feeding device of the present invention. Theskew correcting unit 19 simultaneously corrects skews of thepaper sheets 28 of two rows. Thepaper sheet 28 of which the skew has been corrected is fed to the exposingunit 21. - The exposing
unit 21 comprises a laser printer and an image memory, which are well known. The image memory stores image data read by a film scanner, which is not shown. Alternatively, the image data is transferred from a recording medium of a memory card and so forth, which is also not shown. The laser printer simultaneously exposes thepaper sheets 28 of two rows such that laser beams are scanned in a scanning direction perpendicular to a feed direction (sub-scanning direction). Intensity of the laser beam is modulated in accordance with an image to be recorded. The exposedpaper sheet 28 is forwarded to theprocessing unit 22 wherein processes of coloring/developing, fixing and washing are executed. After that, thepaper sheet 28 is dried and forwarded to the outside of thephotographic printer 10 as a photo print. - Next, the
skew correcting unit 19 is described below, referring toFIGS. 2 and 3 .FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of theskew correcting unit 19.FIG. 3 is a side view of theskew correcting unit 19. Such as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , theskew correcting unit 19 is provided with apre-resist roller pair 35 and a resistroller pair 36, which are well known, and carryingguides pre-resist roller pair 35 and the resistroller pair 36 correct the skews of thepaper sheets 28 carried in two rows. The carrying guides 37 and 38 guide an anterior end of therespective paper sheets 28, which are carried by thepre-resist roller pair 35, to the resistroller pair 36. In addition, theskew correcting unit 19 is provided with apressing mechanism 40 described later in detail. Thepressing mechanism 40 presses the anterior end of the partially deflectedpaper sheet 28 by using the carryingguide 37. Incidentally, thepressing mechanism 40 and the respective roller pairs 35 and 36 are controlled by a controller 41 (seeFIG. 1 ) controlling the whole operation of thephotographic printer 10. - The
pre-resist roller pair 35 and the resistroller pair 36 are disposed at the curved passage to carry thepaper sheet 28 by means of a motor, which is not shown. These roller pairs 35 and 36 carry thepaper sheet 28 in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction respectively (seeFIGS. 1 and 3 ). Thepre-resist roller pair 35 is provided with a release mechanism (not shown) for releasing a nip state of the roller pair. The resistroller pair 36 is rotatable in forward and backward directions. The carrying directions of the respective roller pairs 35 and 36 are perpendicular to each other so that the carrying guides 37 and 38 form the arc-shaped passage wherein the carrying direction of thepaper sheet 28 is turned at about 90 degrees. Incidentally, the release mechanism is also controlled by thecontroller 41. - When the skew of the
paper sheet 28 is corrected, a deflection portion is formed on thepaper sheet 28 as well known. The deflection portion is formed such that thepaper sheet 28 is advanced by a predetermined amount after one corner of the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28, which is carried by thepre-resist roller pair 35, has abutted on the resistroller pair 35. In a conventional way, the whole of the anterior end is adapted to abut on the resistroller pair 36 by utilizing only resilience of the deflectedpaper sheet 28. However, the whole of the anterior end is likely to be prevented from abutting on the resistroller pair 36 when thepaper sheet 28 has stiffness. In view of this, in the present invention, thepressing mechanism 40 is used for pushing the deflection portion (seeFIG. 5 ) of thepaper sheet 28 to press the anterior end thereof against the resistroller pair 36. In virtue of this, the anterior end is compulsorily interposed between the rollers of the resistroller pair 36. Thus, it is possible to make the whole of the anterior end abut on the resistroller pair 36 even when thepaper sheet 28 having the stiffness is used. - The
skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at a corner of the passage wherein the carrying direction of thepaper sheet 28 is turned at about 90 degrees. When the skew is corrected, thepaper sheet 28 is partially deflected such that the recording surface (exposure surface) thereof has a convex shape. By disposing theskew correcting unit 19 at the corner of the passage, thepaper sheet 28 is easily deflected. At the same time, a force for pressing the anterior end against the resistroller pair 36 is effectively applied when the deflection portion is pushed. In other words, pressing effect is improved. Since the recording surface of thepaper sheet 28 is partially deflected so as to have the convex shape, the carryingguide 37 is used as a press member for pushing the deflection portion. In the meantime, thephotographic printer 10 carries thepaper sheets 28 of two rows. In consideration of this, the carryingguide 37 is divided into a first carryingguide 37 a and a second carryingguide 37 b, which are disposed in parallel in the scanning direction, so as to individually push therespective paper sheets 28. Incidentally, another press member may be provided instead of using the carryingguide 37. - As to the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b, anything may be used on condition that the
paper sheet 28 is prevented from adhering due to charged static electricity, and further, the recording surface of thepaper sheet 28 is prevented from being damaged at the time of pushing thepaper sheet 28. For instance, isused a Teflon (registered trademark)-based plastic material on which antistatic processing is treated. Surfaces of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b confronting thepaper sheets 28 are formed withribs 42, which are parallel to the carrying direction of thepaper sheet 28 and are arranged in a width direction of thepaper sheet 28. In virtue of theribs 42, it is possible to prevent scratches and adhesion from occurring. Instead of forming theribs 42, the surfaces confronting thepaper sheets 28 may be formed with rollers, wheels or projections. The roller and the wheel rotate, abutting on thepaper sheet 28. A surface of the projection is smoothly treated. In these cases, it is possible to reduce an area coming into contact with thepaper sheet 28. Further, it is also possible to reduce friction to be caused at the time of contacting with thepaper sheet 28. - The
pressing mechanism 40 moves the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to at least three positions of a guide position, an evacuation position and a press position. In the guide position, the carrying guide guides the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 to the resistroller pair 36 before correcting the skew. In the evacuation position, the carrying guide is evacuated from thepaper sheet 28 so as to partially deflect thepaper sheet 28 at the time of commencing the skew correction. In the press position, the carrying guide pushes the deflection potion of the deflectedpaper sheet 28 to press the anterior end thereof against the resistroller pair 36. When skew angles of thepaper sheets 28 carried in two rows are different, deflection amounts of thepaper sheets 28 are also different. Thus, it is necessary to independently adjust the press positions of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b. For this reason, thepressing mechanism 40 is divided into a firstpressing mechanism 40 a for moving the carryingguide 37 a, and a secondpressing mechanism 40 b for moving the carryingguide 37 b. Incidentally, the evacuation position is not especially restricted. The evacuation position may be optionally determined on condition that the carrying guide is prevented from coming into contact with the deflectedpaper sheet 28. - The first
pressing mechanism 40 a is constituted of the first carryingguide 37 a, agrip member 44 a for gripping aball screw 43 a, aretainer plate 45 a for retaining the carryingguide 37 a, and amotor 47 a. Thegrip member 44 a is fixed to the carryingguide 37 a to rotatably grip the ball screw 43 a along a direction perpendicular to the recording surface of thepaper sheet 28. Theretainer plate 45 a is formed with a through hole (internal thread) to mesh with the ball screw 43 a via which the carryingguide 37 a is retained. Themotor 47 a rotates the ball screw 43 a. The above-mentioned controller 41 (seeFIG. 1 ) controls the rotational dive of themotor 47 a to adjust a distance between the carryingguide 37 a and the recording surface of thepaper sheet 28. In other words, thecontroller 41 moves the carryingguide 37 a to the respective positions of the guide position, the evacuation position and the press position. The secondpressing mechanism 40 b has a structure being identical to that of the firstpressing mechanism 40 a. The secondpressing mechanism 40 b is constituted of aball screw 43 b, agrip member 44 b, a retainer plate and a motor, although the retainer plate and the motor are not shown in the drawings. Incidentally, thepressing mechanisms paper sheet 28 is adjustable. For instance, it is possible to adopt an actuator using an air cylinder, a lead screw and so forth. It is also possible to adopt a mechanism for rotating the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b by using a cam and a link member. - A deflection amount of the
paper sheet 28 deflected at the time of the skew correction depends on a kind and an inclination amount of thepaper sheet 28. Thus, it is preferable to change the press positions of the respective carrying guides 37 a and 37 b in accordance with the kind and the inclination amount. When thepaper sheet 28 is pushed, the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b kept in the evacuation position are moved toward thepaper sheets 28. At this time, a relationship between the inclination amount and the deflection amount is obtained in advance relative to the respective kinds of thepaper sheets 28. In addition, an inclination sensor (not shown) for detecting the inclination amount (skew amount) of therespective paper sheets 28 is disposed in the passage at an upstream side of the resistroller pair 36. It is possible to estimate the deflection amount of therespective paper sheets 28 on the basis of kind information of thepaper sheet 28 inputted by a user in advance, and inclination-amount information detected by the inclination sensor. Consequently, it is possible to move the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to the press positions where the force for pressing the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 against the resist roller pair becomes substantially constant. In other words, it is possible to move each of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to the press position corresponding to the estimated deflection amount. Thus, even if the inclination amount and the kind of thepaper sheet 28 are changed, the anterior end thereof is pressed against the resistroller pair 36 by the substantially constant force. - Meanwhile, a pressure sensor (not shown) may be disposed at a surface of the carrying guide confronting the
paper sheet 28. In this case, the press position is defined as a position where a pressure measured by the pressure sensor becomes a predetermined value. Incidentally, the pressure measured by the pressure sensor means a force pushing the deflection portion of thepaper sheet 28 with the carrying guide. It is needless to say that the pressure sensor and therib 42 have the same level when the pressure sensor is used. - Next, an operation of the
pressing mechanism 40 is described below withFIGS. 3 through 6 , which are side views of theskew correcting unit 19 shown inFIG. 2 . Although the secondpressing mechanism 40 b is not shown in the respective drawings, the structure thereof is identical with that of the firstpressing mechanism 40 a, such as mentioned in the foregoing. For this reason, only the operation of the firstpressing mechanism 40 a is described below. - First of all, the carrying
guide 37 a is kept in the guide position such as shown inFIG. 3 to guide the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28, which is carried by thepre-resist roller pair 35, to the resistroller pair 36 of a stop state. At this time, a carrying amount is measured after the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 has passed thepre-resist roller pair 35. Carrying-amount information of the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 may be easily obtained by disposing a photo sensor (not shown) or the like near thepre-resist roller pair 35, for example. - Such as shown in
FIG. 4 , carrying thepaper sheet 28 with thepre-resist roller pair 35 is continued by a predetermined length until thepaper sheet 28 is fully deflected. When thepaper sheet 28 skews, one corner of the anterior end thereof abuts on the resistroller pair 36 of the stop state, and then, thepaper sheet 28 is deflected by further carrying thepaper sheet 28. At this time, thepressing mechanism 40 a (themotor 47 a) is preliminarily actuated to move the carryingguide 37 a from the guide position to the evacuation position. Moreover, the deflection amount of thepaper sheet 28 is estimated in advance on the basis of the inclination-amount information, which is obtained from the above-mentioned sensor (not shown), and the kind information, which is inputted by the user. - The controller 41 (see
FIG. 1 ) halts thepre-resist roller pair 35 from carrying thepaper sheet 28 when the carrying amount of thepaper sheet 28 has reached the predetermined amount, such as shown inFIG. 5 . Successively, thepressing mechanism 40 a is actuated to move the carryingguide 37 a from the evacuation position to the press position corresponding to the estimated deflection amount. Thus, the deflection portion of the deflectedpaper sheet 28 is pushed by the carryingguide 37 a to press the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 against the resistroller pair 36. Since the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 is compulsorily inserted between the rollers of the resistroller pair 36, the whole of the anterior end abuts on the resistroller pair 36. As a result, the skew of the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 is corrected so as to become parallel in an axial direction of the resistroller pair 36, or in the scanning direction. - After correcting the skew of the anterior end of the
paper sheet 28, the controller 41 (seeFIG. 1 ) rotates only the resistroller pair 36 such as shown inFIG. 6 to commence feeding thepaper sheet 28. When an amount advanced by the resistroller pair 36 has become a predetermined amount, thepre-resist roller pair 35 is released from the nip state. The skew of thepaper sheet 28 is perfectly corrected and thepaper sheet 28 is fed to the exposing unit 21 (seeFIG. 1 ) in a proper attitude. Incidentally, the secondpressing mechanism 40 b similarly corrects the skew of thepaper sheet 28 by pressing the anterior end thereof against the resistroller pair 36. - The
paper sheet 28 is likely to be shifted in the scanning direction when the skew is corrected. If the shift is caused in the scanning direction, an image to be exposure-recorded in theexposure unit 21 is shifted in the scanning direction. In view of this, a measurement sensor is provided, for example. This sensor measures a shift amount in the scanning direction after the skew has been corrected. Alternatively, in the case that the inclination amount is detected at the time of the skew correction, the shift amount in the scanning direction may be calculated by using the detected inclination amount. On the basis of the calculated shift amount, a recording position of the exposingunit 21 is shifted in the scanning direction. - Next, an operation of the
photographic printer 10 having the above structure is described below. Upon print instruction of the user, thephotosensitive recording papers 24 are advanced from the recording-paper rolls 25 of themagazines FIG. 1 . Theadvanced recoding papers 24 are cut by thecutters paper sheets 28 having the predetermined length. The carrying roller pairs 30 forward thecut paper sheets 28 to the back-printing unit 18 in parallel. The back-printing unit 18 prints the necessary information of the film ID, the frame number and so forth. - The back-printed
paper sheet 28 is forwarded to theskew correcting unit 19 by the carrying roller pairs 31. Thecontroller 41 keeps the respective carrying guides 37 a and 37 b in the guide position such as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 . At this time, thecontroller 41 rotates only thepre-resist roller pair 35 to carry thepaper sheets 28 toward the rollers of the resistroller pair 36. Carrying thepaper sheet 28 by thepre-resist roller pair 35 is continued such as shown inFIG. 4 to fully deflect thepaper sheet 28. At this time, the respectivepressing mechanisms paper sheet 28 is preliminarily estimated on the basis of the inclination information and the kind information of thepaper sheet 28, which are measured and inputted in advance. - The
controller 41 halts thepre-resist roller pair 35 when the carrying amount of thepaper sheet 28 has reached the predetermined amount. And then, thecontroller 41 actuates thepressing mechanisms paper sheet 28. In virtue of this, the deflection portions of the deflectedpaper sheets 28 are pushed by the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b to press the anterior ends thereof against the resistroller pair 36. Since the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 is compulsorily inserted into the resistroller pair 36, the whole of the anterior end abuts on the resistroller pair 36. After the skew of the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 has been corrected, only the resistroller pair 36 is rotated to commence feeding thepaper sheet 28, such as shown inFIG. 6 . When the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 has been nipped by the resistroller pair 36, thepre-resist roller pair 35 is released from the nip state. Even if thepaper sheet 28 has stiffness, it is possible to accurately correct the skews of the parallel two rows at the same time. It is unnecessary to reverse the resistroller pair 36 such as described in the previously cited Publication No. 2003-195424, so that processing ability of unit time is improved. - The
paper sheet 28 of which the skew has been corrected is fed to the exposingunit 21 by the carrying roller pairs 31. At theexposure unit 21, image exposures of two rows are performed in parallel. The exposedpaper sheet 28 is forwarded to theprocessing unit 22 wherein the respective processes of coloring/developing, fixing, washing, and drying are executed. After that, thepaper sheet 28 is discharged to the outside of thephotographic printer 10 as a photo print. - In the
photographic printer 10 of the above embodiment, thepaper sheets 28 of two rows are carried to simultaneously perform the skew correction thereof and to simultaneously perform the exposure thereof. However, a number of rows for carrying the paper sheets in parallel is not exclusive to two, but may be three or more. In this case, thepre-resist roller pair 35 and the resistroller pair 36 are adapted to have a sufficient length in the axial direction so as to carry a few rows. Further, the above-described pressing mechanisms are disposed in parallel by a number corresponding to the rows. - In the
photographic printer 10 of the above embodiment, the carry is performed in two rows and the exposure thereof is simultaneously performed. However, when a fraction is processed and when high processing ability is not required, single-row carrying may be performed as need arises. In this case, the skew may be corrected by using either of thepressing mechanisms FIG. 2 . Alternatively, for example, thepaper sheet 28 may be moved to a central portion of the passage, such as shown inFIG. 7 , by providing a guide rail (not shown) and a shifting mechanism (not shown), which shifts the paper sheet in a width direction, at the passage along which thepaper sheet 28 is carried to thepre-resist roller pair 35. When the skew is corrected, the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 is pressed against the resistroller pair 36 by using both of the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b. - When both the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b are used for pressing, there is a possibility that the
paper sheet 28 is not pressed by uniform force in a balanced manner. In view of this, the skew may be corrected by reversing the resistroller pair 36 in a state that thepaper sheet 28 is deflected, such as described in the previously cited Publication No. 2003-195424. Although processing ability deteriorates in this case, thephotographic printer 10 may be manufactured at a low cost since it is unnecessary to balance the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b. - In the above embodiment, the resist
roller pair 36 is rotatable in forward and backward directions so that it is possible, in both cases of the two-row carry and the single-row carry, to correct the skew by reversing the resistroller pair 36 such as described in the forgoing Publication No. 2003-195424. Thus, for example, the skew is corrected by using thepressing mechanisms roller pair 36 when the single-row carry hardly requiring the processing ability is performed. - The
pressing mechanism 40 of the above embodiment is constituted of the ball screws 43 a and 43 b, themotor 47 a and so force. However, theretainer plate 45 a (seeFIG. 3 ) and the carryingguide 37 a (also the carryingguide 37 b) may be connected by means of a spring, and the carrying guides 37 a and 37 b may push the deflection portion of thepaper sheet 28 by utilizing urging force of the spring. - In the above embodiment, the
skew correcting unit 19 is disposed at the corner of the passage where the carrying direction of thepaper sheet 28 is turned at 90 degrees. In other words, theskew correcting unit 19 is disposed at the curved passage. The present invention, however, is not exclusive to this. The skew correcting unit may be disposed at a straight portion of the passage. Further, instead of carrying thepaper sheet 28 with thepre-resist roller pair 35, thepaper sheet 28 may be carried by using a chucker and so forth being movable in a parallel direction with the sub-scanning direction. - In the above embodiment, the
paper sheet 28 is deflected so as to make the recording surface thereof convex. However, thepaper sheet 28 may deflected so as to make the rear surface thereof convex. In this case, the exposingunit 21 is disposed at an opposite side relative to thepaper sheet 28 in thephotographic printer 10, and at the same time, thepaper sheet 28 is carried in a state that the surfaces thereof are reversed. In this case, since the rear surface of thepaper sheet 28 is pushed, the recording surface is prevented from being damaged. - In the present invention, when the skew is corrected, the
paper sheet 28 is deflected so that the anterior end thereof abuts on the resistroller pair 36 of the stop state. However, as shown inFIG. 8 , an abuttingguide 50 may be disposed at a downstream side of the resistroller pair 36 in the sheet carrying direction. The abuttingguide 50 is removable from the passage. The anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 butts against the abuttingguide 50 so that thepaper sheet 28 is partially deflected. In this case, is provided a changeover mechanism for changing the resistroller pair 36 between a nip state for nipping thepaper sheet 28, and a release state for releasing the nip of thepaper sheet 28. When the anterior end of thepaper sheet 28 butts against the abuttingguide 50, the changeover mechanism is actuated to change the resistroller pair 36 to the release state. And then, the abuttingguide 50 is removed from the passage after the skew of the anterior end has been corrected. At the same time, the resistroller pair 36 is set to the nip state. - Although the present invention has been fully described by way of the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those having skill in this field. Therefore, unless otherwise these changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention, they should be construed as included therein.
Claims (28)
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JP2004-009755 | 2004-01-16 | ||
JP2004009755A JP2005200183A (en) | 2004-01-16 | 2004-01-16 | Carrying device and image recorder |
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US11/033,262 Abandoned US20050156373A1 (en) | 2004-01-16 | 2005-01-12 | Feeding device for sheet material and image recording apparatus for recording an image thereon |
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JP2010149975A (en) * | 2008-12-24 | 2010-07-08 | Seiko Epson Corp | Skew correcting device and recorder |
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US20070206444A1 (en) * | 2003-01-03 | 2007-09-06 | The Sapling Company, Inc. | Clock diagnostics |
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US7447478B2 (en) * | 2005-05-19 | 2008-11-04 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
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US8021521B2 (en) * | 2005-10-20 | 2011-09-20 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Method for agile workpiece temperature control in a plasma reactor using a thermal model |
US9486992B2 (en) | 2008-02-29 | 2016-11-08 | Goss International Americas, Inc. | Conveyor and method for changing the pitch of printed products |
US20090217833A1 (en) * | 2008-02-29 | 2009-09-03 | Goss International Americas, Inc. | Conveyor and method for changing the pitch of printed products |
WO2009108631A1 (en) * | 2008-02-29 | 2009-09-03 | Goss International Americas, Inc. | Conveyor and method for changing the pitch of printed products |
US20100237554A1 (en) * | 2009-03-19 | 2010-09-23 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Recording apparatus |
US8109507B2 (en) * | 2009-03-19 | 2012-02-07 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Recording apparatus |
US8585047B2 (en) * | 2010-04-28 | 2013-11-19 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet conveyance apparatus and recording apparatus |
CN102476510A (en) * | 2010-11-24 | 2012-05-30 | 虹光精密工业股份有限公司 | Paper leveling mechanism and printing equipment using same |
CN102653350A (en) * | 2011-03-01 | 2012-09-05 | 精工爱普生株式会社 | Medium transport apparatus, scanner apparatus, and recording apparatus |
EP3152142B1 (en) * | 2014-06-05 | 2020-04-22 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Printing device, corresponding printing system, and method of operating a printing device |
EP3455081A4 (en) * | 2016-10-25 | 2020-01-22 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Temporary fixation of a portion of a printable medium |
US20200023656A1 (en) * | 2016-10-25 | 2020-01-23 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Temporary fixation of a portion of a printable medium |
US10994558B2 (en) | 2016-10-25 | 2021-05-04 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Temporary fixation of a portion of a printable medium |
CN109677965A (en) * | 2018-12-29 | 2019-04-26 | 厦门汉印电子技术有限公司 | A kind of printing paper inclination correction method, device, printer and storage medium |
US20220380162A1 (en) * | 2021-05-26 | 2022-12-01 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Post-processing device |
US20230312295A1 (en) * | 2022-03-29 | 2023-10-05 | Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. | Medium transport device and image forming apparatus |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:KONAGAYA, TATSUYA;REEL/FRAME:016198/0336 Effective date: 20041221 |
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Owner name: FUJIFILM CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:FUJIFILM HOLDINGS CORPORATION (FORMERLY FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.);REEL/FRAME:018904/0001 Effective date: 20070130 Owner name: FUJIFILM CORPORATION,JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:FUJIFILM HOLDINGS CORPORATION (FORMERLY FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.);REEL/FRAME:018904/0001 Effective date: 20070130 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |