Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – By electrostatic or magnetic conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-10
2003-07-22
Mackey, Patrick H. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
By electrostatic or magnetic conveyor
C271S275000, C271S018100, C198S691000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595515
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a conveying device for conveying a sheet and a recording apparatus for recording an image recorded upon a sheet conveyed by the conveying device.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, as for a recording apparatus of this type, there is a recording apparatus such as an inkjet type printer. Among such type, there is a type using a full line type recording head having plural discharge ports arranged in a sheet-width direction, in which high speed and high grade recording is possible.
Accordingly, a commonly known conveying method is a method of arranging a conductive electrode to a conveying device for such recording apparatus, generating a static electricity by supplying electric voltage, and enabling attraction (absorption) of a conveying article such as a sheet.
FIG. 18
is a schematic structural view of a conventional conveying device and recording apparatus, and
FIG. 19
is a schematic cross-sectional view of an attraction means (also illustrates electric supplying means).
An attraction means
536
is arranged to a conveyor belt
531
. The attraction means
536
is comprised of an electrode plate
536
a
made from a conductive metal, a base layer
536
c,
a surface layer
536
b,
a targeted electric supply portion
536
e,
in which the surface layer
536
d
and the targeted electric supply portion
536
e
are in a flat state.
Electric voltage is supplied to the electrode plate
536
a
from the electric supplying brush
551
contacting with a targeted electric supply portion for generating electrostatic power. Owing to the generated electrostatic power, a constant suitable attraction strength is generated upon a conveyed article such as a sheet. Further, the electric power applied from electric supplying brush
551
is removed by an electric removal brush
539
.
Nevertheless, with the conventional structure as shown in
FIG. 18
, when the electric supplying brush of the electric supplying means serving to supply high electric voltage makes contact with the targeted electric supply portion
536
e
of the conveyor belt or when the electric removal brush
539
makes contact with the targeted electric supply portion, noise would be created from the large electric potential difference.
Further, as explained above, since the electric supplying brush
551
is suddenly applied with high voltage when making contact with the electric supply portion
536
e
, the electric supplying brush
551
receives shock when such making contact (when supplying electricity), which raises a problem of endurance when used for a long period; further, since the electric removal brush
539
is suddenly short-circuited when making contact with the electric supply portion
536
e
, the electric removal brush
539
receives shock when making such contact (when removing electric power), which raises a problem of endurance when used for a long period.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to reduce noise created when supplying electricity, to reduce shock when supplying electricity or when removing electric power, and to heighten the endurance of an electric supplying brush and an electric removal brush.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In means to achieve the foregoing object, this invention provides a sheet conveying device for attracting (absorbing) a sheet by electric power and conveying the sheet, the sheet conveying device comprising: a belt arranged with an electrode; and a plurality of electric supplying means being aligned in a sheet conveying direction for supplying electric voltage to the electrode, wherein an electric voltage value for an electric supplying means arranged at a primary area upstream in a sheet conveying direction is lower than an electric voltage value for an electric supplying means arranged at a secondary area downstream of the primary area in a sheet conveying direction.
According to the embodiment described afterwards, when an electric supplying means supplies electric voltage to an electrode, a low voltage is supplied first, and then a higher voltage is supplied; accordingly, compared to a case where a high voltage is suddenly supplied, the shock when making contact could be reduced and a creation of noise and the deterioration of a electric supplying brush could be restrained.
Further, this invention provides a sheet conveying device for attracting (absorbing) a sheet by electric power and conveying the sheet, the sheet conveying device comprising: a belt arranged with an electrode; and a plurality of electric supplying means being aligned in a sheet conveying direction for supplying electric voltage to the electrode, wherein an electric supply control means is provided for changing the electric voltage value of the plurality of electric supplying means.
Since an electric supply control means for changing the electric voltage value of an electric supplying means is provided, attraction strength most suitable for conveying a sheet could be generated by changing the electric voltage value of an electric supplying means in accordance with environmental conditions such as humidity or conditions such as the characteristic of a sheet.
Another structure of this invention for achieving the aforementioned object is a sheet conveying device supplying electric voltage to a non-end belt member while rotating the belt member, and conveying a sheet by attracting the sheet to a surface of the belt member, the sheet conveying device comprising: an electric supplying means being capable of supplying electric voltage to a belt member having a targeted electric supply portion, and having a plurality of electric supplying members aligned in a conveying direction; and a control means for controlling the electric voltage value of electric voltage supplied from the plurality of electric supplying members of the electric supplying means to the targeted electric supply portion of the belt member, wherein an electric supplying member of the electric supplying means being most upstream in a conveying direction gradually raises the electric voltage from a secondary electric voltage value being smaller than a primary electric voltage value for allowing attraction of a sheet upon the belt member after making contact to a targeted electric supply portion of the belt member, and raises the electric voltage to the primary electric voltage value until separated from the targeted electric supply portion.
With this invention, the electric supplying means having plural electric supplying members aligned in the conveying direction serves to reduce shock during contact compared to a case of suddenly applying high voltage so as to heighten the endurance for an electric supplying member, in which an electric supplying member at a non-recording area positioned upstream of a recording area gradually raises electric voltage from a secondary electric voltage value being smaller than that of the primary electric voltage value for allowing a sheet to be attracted (absorbed) upon a belt member after making contact with a targeted electric supply portion of the belt member, and the electric voltage is raised to the primary electric voltage value until being separated from the targeted electric supply portion. Accordingly, the noise caused by the conveyor belt could be exceedingly reduced to allow the device to operate steadily.
As for another structure of this invention, a sheet conveying device supplying electric voltage to a non-end belt member while rotating the belt member, and conveying a sheet by attracting the sheet to a surface of the belt member, the sheet conveying device comprising: an electric supplying means being capable of supplying electric voltage to a belt member having a targeted electric supply portion, and having a plurality of electric supplying members aligned in a conveying direction; and a control means for controlling the electric voltage value of electric voltage supplied from the plurality of electric supplying members of the electric supplying means to the targeted electric supply portion of the bolt member, w
Chino Noriyuki
Kanome Osamu
Numata Yasuhiro
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Mackey Patrick H.
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