Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
399406000 | Curl correction | 58 |
20080219734 | IMAGE-FORMING SYSTEM, PAPER CURL CORRECTION APPARATUS, IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS, POST-PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR CONTROLLING PAPER CURL CORRECTION - There is provided a paper curl correction apparatus including: an input curl determining unit that determines, on the basis of curl characteristic information of a first apparatus which processes a sheet, input curl information corresponding to an amount of curl of a sheet input from the first apparatus; a target curl acquiring unit that acquires, from a post-processing apparatus which performs a post process on a sheet, target curl information suited for the post process; a correction determining unit that determines, on the basis of the input curl information and the target curl information, an amount of curl correction for correcting an amount of curl of the sheet input from the first apparatus to an amount of curl suited for the post process; and a curl correcting unit that corrects the curl of the sheet input from the first apparatus in accordance with the amount of curl correction. | 09-11-2008 |
20080247796 | SDM AUTOMATIC CONTROL ALGORITHM - A device, method and program for automatically adjusting a paper curl of media in an imaging device are provided. The imaging device includes a decurler having two rollers defining a nip. A first roller has a substantially uncompressible surface, and a second roller has a substantially compressible surface. The first roller penetrates the second roller at the nip. The amount of curl of the media is adjusted at the nip by automatically adjusting the penetration of the second roller into the first roller. The amount of penetration of the second roller into the first roller is based on a set of factors and conditions. A penetration value based on the factors and conditions is used to adjust the position of the first roller and the second roller respective to each other, which in turn, will alter or reduce the media curl to a target curl. | 10-09-2008 |
20080247797 | Recording Medium Deburring Apparatus and Image Forming Apparatus - The recording medium deburring apparatus is provided with: a transporting device that transports a recording medium; and a pressure applying device that applies pressure to edge portions of the recording medium. The edge portions are in parallel to a transporting direction of the recording medium transported by the transporting device. | 10-09-2008 |
20080304887 | CURL CORRECTING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND SHEET FINISHER - Disclosed is a curl correcting device comprising: a first nip forming member conveying a sheet by rotation; and a second nip forming member having pressing members, wherein at least one of the pressing members is opposed to the first nip forming member in a standstill state at a time of curl correcting, presses the first nip forming member to press the sheet, and is capable of being switched between the pressing members. | 12-11-2008 |
20080310900 | DISCHARGING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME - A discharging unit for discharging a printing medium from an image forming apparatus includes an elastic roller and a curl preventing roller to oppose each other in a pressing relationship forming a nip therebetween to reduce curling of a print medium passing through the nip. At least one of the elastic roller and the curl preventing roller is allowed to move towards or away from the other roller so that the nip can be adjusted to accommodate different thicknesses of varying types of printing medium. | 12-18-2008 |
20090003912 | CURL CORRECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A curl correcting device for correcting a curl of a sheet at a curved belt-nip portion includes an endless belt extending between a driving roller and a driven roller, and a pressing roller configured to press a belt surface of the endless belt. A stepping motor is controlled in accordance with a pressing amount of the pressing roller to the belt surface of the endless belt to adjust a speed of the endless belt, thereby preventing the speed from being decreased. | 01-01-2009 |
20090010698 | TRANSFER APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS EQUIPPED THEREWITH - A transfer apparatus for transferring a toner image onto a sheet having: an endless belt; a plurality of rollers for supporting the endless belt around the plurality of rollers; and a discharge section for corona discharging the sheet, wherein the plurality of rollers includes a transfer roller for forming a transfer nip used to transfer the toner image onto the sheet and a separation roller for separating the sheet from the endless belt, and the transfer roller and the separation roller are straight shaped rollers each having a substantially uniform diameter along the longitudinal direction; and wherein at least one of the plurality of rollers other than the transfer roller and the separation roller is formed into a crown shape in which an axially central portion thereof is larger in outer diameter than both end portions thereof. | 01-08-2009 |
20090041523 | Image Forming Apparatus - An image forming apparatus which inhibits sheet curl without requesting a user to do tiresome work, such as resetting of sheets. On a touch panel, a user makes a setting whether to inhibit sheets of a printing medium from curling. When the setting indicates necessity of inhibiting sheet curl, a controller controls a reversing section and feed rollers to turn over and feed a sheet, and when the setting indicates unnecessity of inhibiting sheet curl, the controller controls the reversing section and the feed rollers to feed a sheet without turning over the sheet. | 02-12-2009 |
20090110460 | SHEET MOISTURIZING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED THEREWITH - A sheet moisturizing device having a moisturizing section that moisturizes a sheet and a guide which guides the sheet that has been moisturized by the moisturizing section, the guide includes a first guide member made of resin having a plurality of ribs, arranged immediately downstream of the moisturizing section in a sheet conveyance direction, which guides the sheet in a vertical direction. | 04-30-2009 |
20090116890 | DECURL DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH DECURL DEVICE AND FINISHING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH DECURL DEVICE - A decurl device which corrects a curl of a sheet includes: a soft roller having a surface layer which is deformed by receiving a contact force; a hard roller which contacts the soft roller and deforms the surface layer of the soft roller; a driving section which drives independently each of the soft roller and the hard roller; and a control section which controls the driving section independently to drive the soft roller with a first line speed of a peripheral surface of the soft roller and drive the hard roller with a second line speed of a peripheral surface of the hard roller. | 05-07-2009 |
20090154976 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED SHEET HOLD DOWN ON AN IMAGING TRANSPORT - A method of enhancing cut sheet edge hold-down on an imaging transport surface, the method including: (a) moving a cut sheet towards the sheet the imaging transport surface; (b) inducing a desired curl on one of the lead edge and trail edge of the cut sheet before the cut sheet enters the imaging transport surface, inducing a desired curl comprises inducing into the cut sheet a curl tending into the surface of the imaging transport surface. | 06-18-2009 |
20090190982 | PRINTING SYSTEM - In a printing system, a position changing element moves a decurling roller around a conveyance roller to switch the position of the decurling roller relative to the conveyance roller at least between a decurling position in which a paper web is conveyed while being decurled and a conveyance position in which paper is conveyed without being decurled, and positions the decurling roller in the conveyance position when the conveyance of the paper is stopped. | 07-30-2009 |
20090190983 | DECURLING MECHANISM - A decurling mechanism moves a decurling roller around a conveyance roller by means of a position changing roller to change the relative position of the decurling roller to the conveyance roller to a decurling position in which a piece of paper web is conveyed while being decurled and a conveyance position in which a paper sheet is conveyed without being decurled. In this case, the clearance between the decurling roller and the conveyance roller when the decurling roller is in the decurling position is set to be larger than that when the decurling roller is in the conveyance position. | 07-30-2009 |
20090190984 | DECURLING MECHANISM - A decurling mechanism is configured so that a position changing roller moves a decurling roller among a plurality of decurling positions from the weakest decurling position to the strong decurling position. In this manner, the decurling force applied to each piece of paper web is set large when the piece of paper web has a length not smaller than a predetermined value, but set small when the piece of paper web has a length smaller than the predetermined value. | 07-30-2009 |
20090190985 | DECURLING MECHANISM - A decurling mechanism for performing a decurling process of correcting the curl of paper includes: a first roller; a second roller disposed travelably around the first roller; and a roller position changing mechanism for changing the second roller to a plurality of positions set on a traveling path of the second roller. The plurality of positions include a decurling position in which the decurling process to the paper is enabled and the paper is conveyed while being pinched between the first and second rollers, a conveyance position in which the decurling process to the paper is disabled and the paper is conveyed while being pinched between the first and second rollers and a pinch release position in which the paper is released from the pinch between the first and second rollers. | 07-30-2009 |
20090257801 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CURL STRAIGHTENING DEVICE - An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section that conveys a sheet; an image forming section that forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section according to an image signal; a sheet heating section that heats the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section; and a curl straightening section that straightens curl of the sheet after the sheet is heated by the sheet heating section. The sheet heating section curls the sheet in a different direction according to a sheet thickness. The curl straightening section includes: a first curl straightening section that straightens the curl of the sheet curled in a first direction for curling thick sheet; and a second curl straightening section disposed on a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction to straighten the curl of the sheet curled in a second direction opposite to the first direction. | 10-15-2009 |
20090257802 | CURL CORRECTION DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMNIG APPARATUS - A curl correction device that corrects curl, including: a curl correction shaft that drives to carry a sheet; a first supporting member that supports the curl correction shaft; a curl correction roll that holds the sheet between the curl correction shaft and the curl correction roll and presses the sheet against the curl correction shaft; a second supporting member that supports the curl correction roll and rotates the curl correction roll around a first end in the longitudinal direction of the curl correction roll between closed state and open state; and a cam mechanism that provides, via a cam, the curl correction shaft with driving force for pressing the curl correction roll according to a position of the cam, the cam mechanism being provided with a cam shaft, a connecting member, a first cam receiving member, and a second cam receiving member. | 10-15-2009 |
20090304429 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - There is a provided a curl corrector which corrects a curl formed by a fixer when a duplex image formation mode is selected. The curl corrector is provided in a conveying path other than conveying paths commonly used in a conveying path for multiple image formation and a conveying path for duplex image formation. | 12-10-2009 |
20090311022 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE ALIGNMENT OF SHEET-SHAPED SUBSTRATES - Provided is a device ( | 12-17-2009 |
20090317160 | SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - A sheet processing apparatus including: a humidifier that humidifies a sheet; a curl correcting section that corrects a curl by applying mechanical bending force on a sheet; and a control section that causes humidification by the humidifier and curl correction by the curl correcting section to be possible for a prescribed sheet, and causes either one of humidification by the humidifier and curl correction by the curl correcting section to be possible for sheets other than the prescribed sheet. | 12-24-2009 |
20100067967 | IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming system includes: a decurl section which corrects a curl on a sheet on which an image has been formed; a sheet ejection section on which the sheet to be ejected is stacked; a finishing section which conducts post processing on the sheet on which the image has been formed and ejects the sheet on the sheet ejection section; and an operation and display section having a setting screen for setting a post-processing condition and a selection screen for selecting a decurl direction to be corrected by the decurl section. A selection section that selects the decurl direction given by the decurl section, and a decurl image that shows a decurl direction on the sheet ejection section for the sheet, are indicated on the selection screen, and the selection section and the decurl image are displayed on the same selection screen. | 03-18-2010 |
20100086338 | Transfer control mechanism for printer and transfer control method - A conveyance control mechanism for a printer including an image forming unit forming an image on a sheet being conveyed on a conveyance route, includes a curl detector configured to detect a curl of the sheet conveyed on the conveyance route, in an upstream of the image forming unit on the conveyance route. The conveyance route controller may drive and stop the conveyance route differently depending on whether the curl detector detects a curl at either a front end or at a position other than the front end. When the curl detector detects a curl of the sheet, an image forming route where the image forming unit performs an image formation may be separated and retreated from the conveyance route and the sheet being conveyed may be discharged onto the retreated image forming route. | 04-08-2010 |
20100135708 | Curl correcting device, image forming apparatus, and sheet post-processing device - A curl correcting unit can be attached in a normal orientation and inverse orientation. In the normal orientation, a sponge roller being on the lower side, a sliding plate is pressed down by a curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism. When the sliding plate is pressed down, a roller-side plate is lifted up via a link, where the link works as a shaft of a seesaw that connects the sliding plate and the roller-side plate. As a result, the sponge roller moves up and comes into press-contact with a metallic roller. In the inverse orientation, the sponge roller being on the upper side, the roller-side plate is directly pressed down by the curl-correction-amount adjusting mechanism and thereby the sponge roller comes into press-contact with the metallic roller. | 06-03-2010 |
20100143014 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Disclosed herein is an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device configured to fix a visible image transferred on a printing medium, a decurl device configured to correct a curl produced on the printing medium, a discharging device configured to discharge the printing medium to a space outside of a main body of the image forming apparatus, and a guide device disposed between the fixing device and the discharging device. The guide device guides the printing medium around the decurl device when a transport direction of the printing medium is reversed for duplex printing. | 06-10-2010 |
20100150635 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus for conducting a fixing process by plural fixing devices for a sheet on which a toner image has been transferred from a transfer section, comprises: a first fixing device arranged on a sheet conveyance passage; a second fixing device arranged on the sheet conveyance passage at a downstream side of the first fixing device; and a curl correcting section arranged on the sheet conveyance passage between the first fixing device and the second fixing device. | 06-17-2010 |
20100221052 | RECORDING SHEET DE-CURLING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A sheet de-curling device: including a first de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft clockwise from a predetermined portion of a center of the round axial shaft toward a left end of the round axial shaft, and counterclockwise from the predetermined portion of the center of the round axial shaft toward a right end of the round axial shaft with the same spiraling pitch; a second de-curling roller, structured of a round axial shaft and a long bar-shaped member, wherein the long bar-shaped member is spiraled on the round axial shaft in opposite spiraling directions against the first de-curling roller; and a driving mechanism which rotates the paired first and second de-curling rollers. | 09-02-2010 |
20110058873 | Conveyer and image forming apparatus including the same - A conveyer includes a first rotating body; a second rotating body pair; and an intermediate rotating body arranged between the first rotating body and the second rotating body pair. A curl of the recording medium is corrected by winding and bending the recording medium around and with the intermediate rotating body at a bent angle formed by a tangent line shared by the intermediate rotating body and the first rotating body, and a line on which such a tangent line of the intermediate rotating body is connected to a nip point of the second rotating body pair. The intermediate rotating body includes an escape mechanism that is capable of causing the intermediate rotating body to escape in a direction to increase the bent angle depending on the width of the recording medium. | 03-10-2011 |
20110064502 | FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING THE FIXING DEVICE - A fixing system includes a fixing device that fixes a non-fixed image with heat onto a recording medium. The fixing device includes a fixing roller that generates heat and a pressing roller that presses against the fixing roller. A curl correction device is provided to correct curling of the recording medium passing through the fixing device. The curl correction device includes a heating roller unit that generates heat and an elastic roller that presses against the heating roller unit. A magnetic flux generating device is arranged in the vicinity of the fixing device and the curl correction device and generates magnetic flux. | 03-17-2011 |
20110091258 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix the image formed by the image forming unit on the sheet, a cooling unit configured to cool the sheet having the image fixed thereon by the fixing unit, a curl amount changing unit configured to change an amount of curl of the sheet by bending the sheet having the image fixed thereon, and a path configured to guide the sheet having the image fixed thereon to the image forming unit, after the sheet is conveyed through the curl amount changing unit and the curl amount changing unit. The curl amount changing unit changes an amount of bending the sheet according to whether the sheet is stopped at the cooling unit or not. | 04-21-2011 |
20110097127 | METHOD OF CORRECTING CURL OF SHEET AND RECORDING APPARATUS - In a first step, a sheet is conveyed in a direction, whereby a leading end portion of the sheet is fed to a position between a decurl roller and a decurl pinch roller, which are in positions spaced apart from each other. In a second step, the leading end portion of the sheet is curved and held by causing the decurl pinch roller to come close to or press against the decurl roller. In a third step, the leading end portion of the sheet is withdrawn from between the decurl roller and the decurl pinch roller by conveying the sheet in a direction opposed to the conveying direction. After executing the first to third steps, the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction through the first step while the sheet is curved by the decurl roller. | 04-28-2011 |
20110142517 | IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - An image forming device includes: an image forming section forming an image on a surface of a recording medium; a conveyance section conveying the recording medium on which the image is formed on a first conveyance course; a return section that returns the recording medium on which the image is formed to the image forming section, by conveying the recording medium on a second conveyance course diverging from the first conveyance course and running to the image forming section; and a medium correction section disposed at a point on the first conveyance course before a diverging location of the second conveyance course, corrects a curl of a recording medium conveyed by the conveyance section after passing through the point, and gives a curl bulging in a predetermined direct ion to a recording medium conveyed by the return section after passing through the point, among recording media passing through the point. | 06-16-2011 |
20110142518 | MEDIUM CORRECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE - A medium correcting device includes: a first holding body that holds a first rotating body having a surface moving circumferentially; a second holding body that holds a second rotating body having a surface that moves following the circumferential movement of the first rotating body and becoming a coupled body incorporating the first and second rotating bodies; a rotation shaft connected to a driving system when the coupled body is housed in a housing body and separated from the driving system when the coupled body is removed; an off-center cam eccentrically fixed to the rotation shaft, presses one rotating body against the other by an amount of pressing according to an angle of the off-center cam, the amount being larger in a downward eccentric direction; and a center-of-gravity correction section fixed to the rotation shaft, causing a larger torque than a torque produced by the off-center cam's own gravity. | 06-16-2011 |
20110182642 | IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS - An image-forming apparatus having an image-forming unit, a fixation unit for fixing a toner image transferred to paper, a double-sided print conveyance path for conveying the paper imprinted on one side toward the image-forming unit, a decurling unit for passing the paper discharged from the fixation unit in a double-roller nip including a hard roller and a soft roller and decurling the paper, a rotation unit for rotating the decurling unit, and a calculation unit for calculating an amount of toner deposited on each of a first side, which is the side printed first, and a second side, which is the side on the reverse of the first side and is the side printed next. The rotation unit rotates the decurling unit on the basis of calculation results from the calculation unit. | 07-28-2011 |
20110211889 | PRINTING APPARATUS AND SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS - A decurling unit regulates a decurling force so as to be smaller when a sheet is returned from a printing unit to a sheet feeding unit than when the sheet is fed from the sheet feeding unit to the printing unit. | 09-01-2011 |
20110211890 | PRINTING APPARATUS AND DECURLING DEVICE - With front face printing, the sheet fed from a sheet feeding unit is led into a nipped position between a first pinch roller and a decurling roller from a first direction, and is discharged by decurling force being applied thereto at the decurling roller. On the other hand, the sheet fed from a reverse unit is led into the nipped position from a second direction opposite to the first direction, and is discharged by decurling force being applied thereto at the decurling roller. | 09-01-2011 |
20110236102 | SHEET CURL CORRECTION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip. | 09-29-2011 |
20120087706 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, MEDIA DECURLING SYSTEM USABLE WITH IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD THEREOF - A method of decurling media supplied by a media supply roll includes determining an amount of media remaining in a form of a media supply roll and forming a media decurling path having a wrap angle around a decurling roller corresponding to at least the amount of the media remaining in the form of the media supply roll. | 04-12-2012 |
20120099911 | CONCURRENTLY REMOVING SHEET CHARGE AND CURL - Decurling a charged sheet and removing charge from the charged sheet prior to stacking, includes forming a nip between a roller and a compliant surface and applying pressure between the roller and compliant surface so that the nip has a decurling shape and when the nip engages the sheet it will perform a decurling function; and moving the charged sheet through the nip while the compliant surface has an AC voltage applied thereto so that a first side of the charged sheet is in contact with the compliant surface and has its charge substantially dissipated, whereby charge substantially remains on a second side of the charged sheet in contact with the roller and curling of the charged sheet is reduced. The method further includes using at least one non-contact charge removal device to remove charge from the second side of the charged sheet; and stacking the discharged sheet. | 04-26-2012 |
20120128397 | SHEET DE-CURLING MECHANISM AND PRINTING APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A sheet de-curling mechanism includes a passageway, a first roller and a second roller. The first roller, disposed in the passageway, transports a sheet at a first speed in a transporting direction. The second roller, disposed downstream of the first roller, transports the sheet at a second speed greater than the first speed, to stretch and flatten the sheet. A printing apparatus using the sheet de-curling mechanism is also provided. | 05-24-2012 |
20120148322 | ANGLED ARRAY SENSOR METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING MEDIA CURL - A method and system for accurately measuring a lead edge and a trail edge media curl utilizing an angled array sensor. One or more curled media sheets can be propelled in a process direction via a set of rollers/nips associated with a curler from a leading edge and/or trailing edge towards the angled array sensor. The angled array sensor having a rotation vector in the cross-process direction can be placed upstream or downstream of a media-propelling device and at an angle relative to the media sheet exiting the curler in order to calculate a function of sheet curl. The function of sheet curl can be obtained by measuring a point at which the propelled media sheet touches an array associated with the angled array sensor. Such a curl measurement approach enhances accuracy and robustness to environmental induced errors. | 06-14-2012 |
20130195534 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CURL CORRECTING METHOD - An image forming apparatus includes: a curl correction device which corrects curl generated in a recording medium having passed through a fixing device; a temperature/humidity sensor unit which is installed in a conveying path between the fixing device and the curl correction device, and detects and outputs temperature and humidity near a surface of the recording medium; a calculation unit which calculates temperature and moisture content of the recording medium from the temperature and humidity output values output from the temperature/humidity sensor unit, and calculates curl correction efficiency of the curl correction device from the temperature and moisture content of the recording medium; a control value determination unit which determines a control value to perform a curl correction in the curl correction device, based on the curl correction efficiency calculated by the calculation unit; and a control unit which controls the curl correction device by the control value. | 08-01-2013 |
20130259555 | IMAGE FORMING MEMBER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming member includes a rotation body that is configured to rotate in contact with a medium and to form an image on the medium, and a separation member that is positioned in contact with or in a vicinity of the surface of the rotation body and that separates the medium attached to the rotation body. The separation member includes a plurality of partial contact parts formed along a rotational axis direction of the rotation body, and a plurality of ridge parts respectively formed from the partial contact parts toward the downstream of a carrying direction of the medium. | 10-03-2013 |
20140126945 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A representative configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the invention includes: an image forming portion; a transfer portion; a fixing portion; a curl correcting unit which is provided on a downstream of the fixing portion in a sheet conveyance direction and includes a first roller and a second roller; a holding portion which movably holds the second roller; a biasing member which applies a force to the holding portion; a door which rotatably holds the first roller, is supported to be opened and closed, and separates the first roller from the second roller by being opened; and a retracting portion which allows the holding portion to be retracted to a position where the second roller deviates from a movement path of the door against a biasing force of the biasing member according to a closing operation of the door. | 05-08-2014 |
20140140746 | DECURLER DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - A decurler device corrects a curl of a sheet. The decurler device includes a first roller, a second roller and a support unit. The first roller rotates about a first rotational shaft as an axial center. Further, the first roller is elastically deformable. The second roller rotates about a second rotational shaft in parallel with the first rotational shaft as an axial center. Further, the second roller is pressed by the first roller to elastically deform the first roller, thereby forming a curved nip portion between itself and the first roller. The second roller rotates to convey a sheet. The support unit rotatably supports the first and second rollers. Further, the support unit is rotatable about a third rotational shaft in parallel with the first rotational shaft as an axial center. The support unit rotates when a sheet is conveyed with it nipped by the nip portion. | 05-22-2014 |
20140153991 | SHEET CONVEYANCE APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A curl correction apparatus includes a supporting member. The supporting member supports a shaft of an elastic roller and a shaft of a metal roller at a first position, and supports only one of the shaft of the elastic roller and the shaft of the metal roller at a second position. When the supporting member is located at the second position, the nip between the elastic roller and the metal roller can be opened by moving the other of the elastic roller and the metal roller. | 06-05-2014 |
20140219697 | CURL CORRECTION APPARATUS, SHEET CONVEYING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A curl correction apparatus that corrects a curl of a sheet includes: a hard roller that is disposed in the downstream in a sheet conveying direction of a heating apparatus; a soft roller that is disposed in the downstream in the sheet conveying direction of the heating apparatus; and a guide member that is disposed in the immediate upstream in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the hard roller, and guides the sheet; wherein a nip width in the sheet conveying direction of a nip portion between the hard roller and the soft roller is set to be narrower in a central portion in an axial direction than end portions in the axial direction, and the guide member is configured to protrude in the central portion in the axial direction toward the downstream in the sheet conveying direction from the both end portions in the axial direction. | 08-07-2014 |
20140234002 | CURL STRAIGHTENING METHOD AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A curl straightening method in an image apparatus including a fixing apparatus and a curl straightening apparatus is disclosed. The method includes calculating moisture content of a sheet before being supplied to the fixing apparatus; measuring a temperature of a heating unit and a pressurizing unit; calculating a temperature and moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a conveying time of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections from the calculated temperature and the moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections, the calculated conveying time, and the stress relaxation characteristics of the sheet; calculating a final curl amount using the calculated residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; and controlling the curl straightening apparatus based on the final curl amount obtained. | 08-21-2014 |
20140294478 | CURL CORRECTING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH SAME - A curl correcting device includes a first roller, a second roller and a supporting unit. The supporting unit includes a first conveyance path and a second conveyance path. The first roller is rotated about a first rotary shaft and elastically deformable. The second roller is rotated about a second rotary shaft and elastically deforms the first roller by being pressed against the first roller, thereby forming a curved nip portion between the first and second rollers. The supporting unit is rotatable about a third rotary shaft and rotatably supports the first and second rollers. The first conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a first position about the third rotary shaft. The second conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a second position about the third rotary shaft. | 10-02-2014 |
20140376981 | SHEET CURL CORRECTION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip. | 12-25-2014 |
20140376982 | SHEET CURL CORRECTION APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip. | 12-25-2014 |
20150030366 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, a curling direction determination portion, and a rotation control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling direction determination portion determine a direction of curling in a recording medium in which images forms on both surfaces thereof, based on an image density of each of both surfaces of the recording medium in which the images forms on both surfaces thereof. The rotation control portion is configured to rotate the curling correction portion such that the curling correction portion is set in an orientation for correcting the curling that has occurred in the recording medium, in a direction opposite to the direction of the curling determined by the curling direction determination portion. | 01-29-2015 |
20150055996 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - In an image forming apparatus, a sensor section includes a sheet path through which the sheet passes in a sheet feeding direction. In the sensor section, a light source unit emits light to an irradiation area set in the sheet path. Here, the light is elongated in a main-scanning direction and has quantities of light varying according to positions in the main-scanning direction and according to positions in a height direction perpendicular to a sheet feed surface. In addition, in the sensor section, a light-receiving section receives light diffused in a predetermined diffusing direction among the light emitted from the light source and then irradiated to the sheet passing in the sheet path and outputs information representing quantities of the received light. In the image forming apparatus, a control section extracts a parameter from the information and derives an amount of curl of the sheet. | 02-26-2015 |
20150331377 | CURLING DETECTION DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CURLING DETECTION METHOD, IMAGE ADJUSTMENT METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM STORING A CURLING DETECTION PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING AN IMAGE ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM - A curling detection device includes an endless belt entrained around at least two rollers, a conveyance unit that conveys the endless belt by driving the rollers, an image forming unit that forms an image by transferring a toner image to either a surface of the endless belt directly or a recording medium on the endless belt, a pattern image forming controller that instructs the image forming unit to form lines of a curling detection pattern at predetermined intervals in a conveying direction of the endless belt and a predetermined angle against the conveying direction of the endless belt at a predetermined timing, a curling scanning unit that scans the curling detection pattern, and a detecting unit that detects a curling of the endless belt based on the interval of the curling detection pattern scanned by the curling scanning unit. | 11-19-2015 |
20160062298 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT CORRECTS SHEET CURL BY PRINTING ON THE EDGES OF THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE SHEET - An image forming apparatus comprises a printer configured to print the display image on a first surface of paper in a case of simplex printing; a curl suppression image determination section configured to determine, in simplex printing case, a printing position and a printing pattern of a curl suppression image for suppressing the curl of the paper caused by the display image based on an analysis result of a display image analysis section which analyzes the printing range and the density of the display image for each page; and a curl-preventive image addition setting section configured to set image information of the printing position and the printing pattern of the curl suppression image which is determined by the curl suppression image determination section and is supposed to be printed on a second surface of the paper with color erasable material by the printer section. | 03-03-2016 |
20160070224 | SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - In order to correct a corrugation caused when a sheet widthwise edge portion elongates more than the vicinity of the center in a sheet feeding direction, a sheet processing apparatus includes: a fixing portion that fixes a toner image onto a sheet by heating, a plurality of pairs of rollers provided along a sheet feeding direction with an interval in the downstream of the fixing portion in the feeding direction to nip and convey a sheet; and a tensioning device that applies a tensile strength of the sheet feeding direction to a sheet in a center area of a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. | 03-10-2016 |
20160077481 | SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A sheet processing apparatus includes a first roller pair configured to nip a sheet at a nip portion and convey the sheet, and a second roller pair disposed on a downstream side of the first roller pair in a sheet conveyance direction and configured to nip the sheet at a nip portion and convey the sheet. When the sheet is nipped by the first and the second roller pairs, a bending stress occurs on the sheet. | 03-17-2016 |
20160103411 | SHEET CONVEYANCE APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A sheet conveyance apparatus is equipped with a first rotator, a second rotator conveying a sheet together with the first rotator, a cam member changing a position of the second rotator with respect to the first rotator, a drive unit rotating the cam member, and a load portion applying load on a rotation of the cam member. The load portion includes a contact member having a cam surface formed on a side surface in an axial direction of the cam member, an abutment member capable of abutting against the cam surface, and a biasing member biasing one of the contact member and the abutment member toward the other, a biasing force of the biasing member converted into a force, applying load to the rotating cam member, by the cam surface opposing to a rotating direction in which the cam member is driven by the drive unit. | 04-14-2016 |
20160103412 | SHEET CONVEYING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A sheet conveying apparatus is provided with a driving portion, and the driving portion is normally rotated, driving power from the driving portion is transmitted to a cam member through a transmitting portion. Then, one of a rotary roller pair is moved to another one. The sheet conveying apparatus further includes a restricting portion that restricts the cam member from turning in a direction opposite to a turning direction turned in response to a normal rotation of the driving portion. | 04-14-2016 |