JP2005200119A - Transporting device and image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correct efficiently the inclined attitude of sheets transported parallel. <P>SOLUTION: An inclination correcting device 19 is installed on the transport path of a photo printer in which recording sheets 28 of paper are transported in two rows to undergo a double-row simultaneous exposure, and is equipped with a first registration roller couple 35 and a second registration roller couple 36 arranged parallel on the transport path along the main scan direction and performing an inclination correction while they pinch the sheets 28 transported in two rows. The constitution includes first moving mechanism 43a and 55a and second moving mechanism 43b and 55b for moving the ends of each registration roller couple 35, 36 in the direction parallel to the auxiliary scanning direction. The moving mechanisms 43a, 43b, 55a, 55b are driven on the basis of the sensing signals given from photo-sensors 38 and 39 which sense the inclination amount of the sheet 28 so as to make correction of the inclination and put the leading edges of the sheets in alignment, and it is possible to correct the inclination of the sheet 28 efficiently. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyance device that conveys sheet bodies in parallel, and an image recording apparatus that records an image on a cut sheet-like recording material (sheet body) conveyed by the conveyance device.

  For example, a photographic printer scans recording light in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction while sandwiching and transporting a cut sheet-like photosensitive material in the sub-scanning direction using a plurality of transport roller pairs provided in the transport path. Thus, image recording by so-called scanning exposure is performed. In this photographic printer, in order to increase the processing capacity (number of sheets) per unit time, a photosensitive material is distributed before exposure, and a plurality of photosensitive materials are conveyed in parallel in the main scanning direction and simultaneously exposed. Many.

  In order to obtain a high-quality photographic print, the photosensitive material needs to be exposed at an appropriate position and orientation. However, the cut sheet-shaped photosensitive material may be tilted during conveyance and become a so-called skewed state. Many. If the photosensitive material is exposed while being tilted, an image is recorded obliquely with respect to the photosensitive material, so that the quality of the photographic print is significantly deteriorated. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, when sorting to each row by a sorting transport roller pair, the transport roller pair is placed on the recording surface of the photosensitive material while holding the photosensitive material. There are photographic printers that perform so-called tilt registration, in which the tilt of the photosensitive material is corrected by rotating it around an arbitrary vertical rotation axis.

JP 2003-222954 A (page 5)

  In the photographic printer described in Patent Document 1, in order to increase the processing capacity, the photosensitive material is distributed before exposure to perform parallel conveyance and simultaneous exposure. However, the processing capacity is further improved. Therefore, it is required to supply a plurality of photosensitive materials in parallel to the transport path from the beginning, and perform parallel transport and simultaneous exposure without performing sorting. As described above, when the photosensitive materials are supplied and transported in parallel, it is not possible to cope with the method of performing sorting after performing the tilt correction as described in Patent Document 1 in a single row.

  As a tilt correction method other than the tilt registration, there is a so-called top registration method in which the front end side of the photosensitive material is brought into contact with the rollers of the sandwiched conveying roller pair to correct the tilt. When performing top registration, it is possible to cope with parallel conveyance of photosensitive material by increasing the length of the pair of conveyance rollers that abut the tip side. Since the conveyance needs to be stopped, the processing capacity is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport apparatus capable of efficiently correcting the inclination of photosensitive materials being transported in parallel, and an image recording apparatus including the transport apparatus. And

  The present invention provides a detection apparatus that detects an inclination of the sheet bodies that are being conveyed in parallel with respect to the conveyance direction in a conveyance apparatus that includes a conveyance path for conveying a plurality of sheet bodies in parallel, and detection by the detection means. On the basis of the result, an inclination correction means for correcting the inclination is provided for each column by changing a conveyance distance in which both end portions of the sheet member are conveyed on the conveyance path. Moreover, it is preferable that the said inclination correction means correct | amends the said inclination, conveying the said sheet | seat body. In addition, a pair of conveying rollers for nipping and conveying the sheet member is arranged in parallel on the conveying path for each row, and at least one of both ends of the conveying roller pair is arranged in the conveying direction as the inclination correcting unit. It is preferable to provide an end moving mechanism that moves in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the end, and the end moving mechanism moves the end of the pair of conveying rollers while sandwiching the sheet body based on the detection result. Furthermore, it is preferable that the inclination correction unit corrects the inclination of the sheet body so that the positions of the front end sides of the sheet bodies conveyed in parallel are aligned.

  Further, the detection means detects passage of the leading edge of the sheet body at a plurality of locations on the same line in the width direction of the conveyance path, detects the inclination using the passage detection result, and detects the edge. The part moving mechanism uses each of the corresponding transport rollers so as to align the other detection position with the alignment position, with the detection position first detected as the alignment position based on the passage detection result for each row. It is preferable to move the ends of the pair toward the conveyance direction. Further, when the movement amount when moving the end portion of each corresponding pair of transport rollers to the transport direction side exceeds the movable range of the end portion movement mechanism, the end portion moving mechanism, The intermediate position of the detection position at which the passage is detected last by the detection means is set as the second alignment position, and the end portions of the respective transport roller pairs are moved so that all detection positions are aligned with the second alignment position. It is preferable.

  It is preferable to provide a roller moving mechanism for moving the pair of transport rollers arranged in parallel in a direction parallel to the width direction of the transport path. In addition, a single row conveyance roller pair that is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side of the conveyance roller pair arranged in parallel and conveys the sheet body in a single row on the conveyance path, and a sheet body that is conveyed in a single row Based on the detection result by the single row detecting means for detecting the inclination with respect to the carrying direction and the detection result by the single row detecting means, at least one of both ends of the pair of single row carrying roller pairs in the carrying direction with the sheet member sandwiched therebetween. It is preferable to include a single-row end moving mechanism that corrects the inclination of the sheet body by moving in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the sheet. Furthermore, a release mechanism that releases the sandwiched state of each roller pair is provided in the transport roller pair and the single-row transport roller pair that are arranged in parallel, and the release mechanism is configured to release the sheet of the sheet bodies that are transported in parallel. When correcting the tilt, release the holding state of the single row conveying roller pair, and when correcting the inclination of the sheet member conveyed in single row, release the holding state of the conveying roller pair arranged in parallel. Is preferred.

  The present invention also provides an image recording apparatus comprising a conveyance path for conveying a plurality of cut sheet-shaped recording materials in parallel and an image recording means for recording an image on the recording materials being conveyed in parallel. The detection means for detecting the inclination of the recording material being conveyed in parallel with respect to the conveyance direction, and the conveyance distance by which both end portions of the recording material are conveyed on the conveyance path based on the detection result by the detection means, Inclination correcting means for correcting the inclination by changing is provided for each column. Further, it is preferable that the tilt correction unit corrects the tilt while conveying the recording material. Further, the image recording means is a recording position for recording an image on each recording material by the amount of displacement of the position in the width direction of the recording material that has been displaced due to inclination correction for each column by the inclination correction means. Is preferably shifted in a direction parallel to the width direction.

  In addition, a pair of conveyance rollers for nipping and conveying the recording material on the conveyance path is arranged in parallel for each row, and at least one of both ends of the conveyance roller pair as the inclination correction unit with respect to the conveyance direction. It is preferable to provide an end moving mechanism for moving the recording material in a parallel or vertical direction, and the end moving mechanism moves the end of the pair of conveying rollers while sandwiching the recording material based on the detection result. Further, it is preferable that the inclination correction unit corrects the inclination of the recording material so that the positions of the front end sides of the recording materials conveyed in parallel are aligned. Furthermore, the detection means detects the passage of the leading edge of the recording material at a plurality of locations on the same line in the width direction of the transport path, detects the inclination using the passage detection result, and detects the edge. The part moving mechanism uses each of the corresponding transport rollers so as to align the other detection position with the alignment position, with the detection position first detected as the alignment position based on the passage detection result for each row. It is preferable to move the ends of the pair toward the conveyance direction.

  Further, when the movement amount when moving the end portion of each of the corresponding pair of transport rollers to the transport direction side exceeds the movable range of the end portion movement mechanism, the end portion movement mechanism, The intermediate position of the detection position at which the passage is detected last by the detection means is set as the second alignment position, and the end portions of the respective transport roller pairs are moved so that all detection positions are aligned with the second alignment position. It is preferable. Further, the image recording means is a recording position for recording an image on each recording material by an amount of deviation of the position of the leading edge of the recording material that has been displaced due to inclination correction for each column by the inclination correction means. Is preferably shifted in a direction parallel to the transport direction. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a roller moving mechanism that moves the transport roller pairs arranged in parallel in a direction parallel to the width direction of the transport path.

  The conveyance device of the present invention and the image recording apparatus using the conveyance device detect the inclination of the sheet members conveyed in parallel with respect to the conveyance direction for each row, and based on the detection result, both side edges of the sheet member By changing the transport distance that the section is transported on the transport path, the inclination is corrected simultaneously for each column, so the number of recording materials transported per unit time can be increased, and the processing of the apparatus You can increase your ability.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a photographic printer 10 embodying the present invention. The photographic printer 10 conveys and simultaneously exposes two sheets of cut sheet-like photosensitive material supplied simultaneously, and outputs a photographic print. As shown in FIG. 1, the magazines 12 and 13, the cutter 15, 16, a back printing device 18, an inclination correction device 19, an exposure device 21, a developing device 22, and the like.

  The magazines 12 and 13 are loaded at predetermined positions in the photographic printer 10 and store recording paper rolls 25 each of which is a roll of a long photosensitive recording paper 24 that is a photosensitive material. Further, a pair of paper feed rollers 27 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed opening of the magazines 12 and 13, and when the paper feed roller pair 27 is rotated by a paper feed motor (not shown), the photosensitive recording paper 11 is pulled out from the recording paper roll 25. , Sent to the cutters 15 and 16.

  The cutters 15 and 16 are respectively arranged with the conveyance path of the photosensitive recording paper 24 interposed therebetween. When the leading end of the photosensitive recording paper 24 is fed out from the cutters 15 and 16 by a predetermined length, a cutter driving mechanism (not shown) is activated. Then, the photosensitive recording paper 24 is cut into a recording paper sheet 28 (see FIG. 2) having a predetermined length. Instead of providing two cutters, a single cutter may be arranged in the vicinity of the back printing device 18.

  The recording paper sheet 28 cut by the cutters 15 and 16 is printed on the back printing device 18, the inclination correction device 19, the exposure device 21, and the development along a conveyance path indicated by a dotted line in the figure by a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 30 and 31. It is conveyed in the order of the device 22. At this time, the conveyance distance from each cutter 15, 16 to the back printing device 18 and the conveyance speed of each conveyance roller pair 30 are adjusted so that the recording paper sheets 28 supplied from the respective magazines 12, 13 are arranged in parallel. Keep it. In the present embodiment, the magazines 12 and 13 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction in the figure, but instead, they may be arranged in parallel in the width direction of the recording paper sheet 28. Further, instead of arranging two magazines, a plurality of recording paper rolls 25 may be set in the same magazine. The back printing device 18 prints necessary information such as a film ID and a frame number on the back surface (surface opposite to the recording surface) of the recording paper sheets 28 conveyed in parallel (two rows).

  Each recording paper sheet 28 on which reverse printing has been performed is conveyed in two rows to the inclination correction device 19 by a conveying roller pair 31. As will be described in detail later, the inclination correction device 19 detects the inclination of the recording paper sheet 28 in each row with respect to the conveyance direction, and changes the distance that both end portions of each recording paper sheet 28 are conveyed on the conveyance path. Thus, the inclination (skew) is corrected simultaneously for two columns. Each of the recording paper sheets 28 whose inclination has been corrected is conveyed to the exposure device 21.

  The exposure device 21 is disposed at a position where the sheet conveyance distance between the exposure device 21 and the back printing device 18 is at least longer than the length of the longest recording paper sheet 28 conveyed in the photographic printer 10. ing. As a result, it is possible to prevent unevenness in exposure due to fluctuations in the conveyance speed of the recording paper sheet 28 during backside printing. The exposure device 21 includes a known laser printer and an image memory. The image memory stores image data read by a film scanner (not shown) or from a recording medium such as a memory card (not shown). The laser printer scans the laser beam, which has been intensity-modulated corresponding to the image to be recorded, in the main scanning direction orthogonal to the transport direction (sub-scanning direction), and exposes the recording paper sheets 28 in two rows simultaneously. The exposed recording paper sheet 28 is sent to the developing device 22. In the developing device 22, color development / fixing / washing processes are performed, and then a drying process is performed, which is sent out of the photographic printer 10 as a photographic print.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tilt correction device 19 is arranged in parallel along the main scanning direction on the transport path and performs tilt correction while sandwiching and transporting the recording paper sheets 28 transported in two rows. A pair of registration rollers 35 and a pair of second registration rollers 36, and a third pair of registration rollers 37 disposed upstream of these sheet conveyance directions and substantially in the center of the conveyance path in the main scanning direction; The photosensors 38 and 39 are arranged in parallel on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 35, 36, and 37 in the sheet conveying direction. Further, on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first and second registration roller pairs 35, 36, a transport roller pair 40 for transporting each recording paper sheet 28 whose tilt has been corrected to the exposure device 21 is disposed. Note that the inclination correction device 19 is arranged downstream from the back printing device 18 by a distance equal to or longer than the maximum character length to be back printed in the photographic printer 10 so that the inclination is not corrected during the back printing.

  The third registration roller pair 37 corrects the inclination of the recording paper sheet 28 that is conveyed in a single row during fraction processing or the like and the recording paper sheet 28 that is large and cannot be conveyed in two rows. In order to facilitate the inclination correction by the third registration roller pair 37, when the recording paper sheet 28 having a large size is conveyed at the time of fraction processing, a recording medium such as a guide rail is provided on the conveyance path. The paper sheet 28 is moved to the approximate center of the transport path. In the present embodiment, the third registration roller pair 37 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the first and second registration roller pairs 35 and 36, but may be disposed on the downstream side thereof.

  Next, the mechanism of the first to third registration roller pairs 35, 36, and 37 will be described with reference to FIG. Since each registration roller pair 35, 36, 37 has the same structure, only the first registration roller pair 35 will be described here. In the second and third registration roller pairs 36 and 37, the same members as those in the first registration roller pair 35 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first registration roller pair 35 includes a capstan roller 41 that is rotationally driven by a well-known transport motor (not shown), a pinch roller 42 that is in pressure contact with the capstan roller 41, and each roller 41, The first moving mechanism 43a and the second moving mechanism 43b are configured to move both end portions of 42 in a direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction.

  The first moving mechanism 43a includes bearings 43a, 43b that rotatably support the rollers 41, 42, and a rotation shaft 47 that is perpendicular to the recording surface of the recording paper sheet 28 (see FIG. 2). The lower holding member 49a and the upper holding member 49b that rotatably hold 43b, screw holes (not shown) formed in the holding members 49a and 49b, parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and screws in the screw holes. The ball screws 50a and 50b to be joined together, chucks 51a and 51b for gripping the end portions of the ball screws 50a and 50b, and a motor 53 for rotating the ball screws 50a and 50b via the chucks 51a and 51b. Consists of When the motor 53 is rotated, the number of gears and the number of gear teeth between the motor 53 and the chucks 51a and 51b are adjusted so that the rotation direction and the rotation number of the ball screws 50a and 50b become equal. Keep it. That is, when the motor 53 is rotated, the holding members 49a and 49b are moved in the same direction by the same movement amount.

  The second moving mechanism 43b is the same mechanism as the first moving mechanism 43a. The second moving mechanism 43b is given the same reference numeral except for the motor 54 that rotationally drives the ball screws 50a and 50b, and the description thereof is omitted. The second and third registration roller pairs 36 and 37 are also provided with first and second moving mechanisms 55a and 55b and first and second moving mechanisms 56a and 56b having the same configuration (see FIG. 2). ). Each moving mechanism only needs to be able to move both end portions of each of the registration roller pairs 35 to 37 in a direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, an actuator using an air cylinder, a lead screw, a timing belt, or the like is used. May be used.

  Bearings 43a and 43b provided at both ends of the rollers 41 and 42 are rotatably held with respect to the holding members 49a and 49b, respectively. Accordingly, by controlling the motors 53 and 54 individually, the both ends of the rollers 41 and 42 are moved in different directions or moved in the same direction by changing the movement amount, so that each recording paper sheet 28 is moved. Since the distance at which both end portions are transported on the transport path changes, the amount of inclination of the rollers 41 and 42 with respect to the transport direction can be arbitrarily adjusted. That is, the recording paper sheet 28 can be tilt-corrected by rotationally driving the motors 53 and 54 so that the leading edge of the recording paper sheet 28 is parallel to the main scanning direction.

  Instead of providing the moving mechanism described above, tilt correction may be performed using one rotation axis perpendicular to the recording surface, for example, one end of the registration roller pair 35 as the rotation axis. Due to the difference in the inclination amount of each recording paper sheet 28, the position of each leading edge after the inclination correction is shifted. Accordingly, when the amounts of inclination of the recording paper sheets 28 conveyed in two rows are different, it is difficult to control the simultaneous exposure unless the positions of the leading edges of the recording paper sheets 28 are aligned after the inclination correction. In the present embodiment, since both end portions of each of the rollers 41 and 42 are moved in the direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction, the position of the front end side can be arbitrarily adjusted when performing tilt correction. That is, the position of the leading edge of each recording paper sheet 28 can be aligned simultaneously with the tilt correction.

  The amount of inclination of the recording paper sheet 28 conveyed to the first registration roller pair 35 is detected by photosensors 38 and 39. Each of the photosensors 38 and 39 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged so as to sandwich the conveyance path of the recording paper sheet 28. The interval between the photosensors 38 and 39 is adjusted so that the leading edge of the recording paper sheet 28 having the minimum width conveyed in the photographic printer 10 can be detected. Detection signals from the photosensors 38 and 39 are sent to the controller 57 of the photographic printer 10. The controller 57 records from the passing time difference information when the leading edge of the recording paper sheet 28 is detected by the photosensor 38 and the photosensor 39, the interval between the photosensors 38 and 39, and the conveyance speed of the recording paper sheet 28. It detects the amount of inclination of the paper sheet 28 and in which direction it is inclined. In addition, the controller 57 similarly detects the amount of inclination of the recording paper sheet 28 simultaneously conveyed to the second registration roller pair 36 (see FIG. 2).

  Based on these calculation results, the controller 57 corrects the inclination of the recording paper sheets 28 conveyed in two rows as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the front end of each recording paper sheet 28 after the inclination correction is performed. The moving mechanisms 43a, 43b, 55a, and 55b of the registration roller pair 35 and 36 (the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the motors 53 and 54) are controlled so that the sides are aligned.

  If the recording paper sheet 28 is pinched by another pair of conveyance rollers during the tilt correction operation, the registration operation cannot be performed. Therefore, a release mechanism (not shown) for releasing the clamping state of each registration roller pair 35, 36, 37 is provided. As an example of the release mechanism, a pinch roller 42, a bearing 43b, and an upper holding member 49b connected to the bearing are integrally moved away from the capstan roller 41 by using a shift mechanism including a cam, a spring, a solenoid, and the like. Move. Further, when the longest recording paper sheet 28 conveyed by the photographic printer 10 is corrected in inclination, the conveying roller pair 40 and the conveying roller pair 31 arranged in the vicinity of the inclination correcting device 19 sandwich the recording paper sheet 28. In such a case, a similar release mechanism is provided for the corresponding conveyance roller pair. In the present embodiment, when the two-row conveyance is performed, the nipping state of the third registration roller pair 37 is released, and conversely, when the inclination correction is performed using the third registration roller pair 37, The clamping state of the second registration roller pair 35, 36 is released.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a description will be given of a method of correcting the inclination so that the leading edges of the recording paper sheets 28 are aligned during the two-row conveyance. 4 and 5 are plan views of the tilt correction device 19 of FIG. 2 as viewed from above. In the case of performing the inclination correction, there are methods of moving both ends of each of the registration roller pairs 35 and 36 in opposite directions, or changing the movement amounts in the same direction. Basically, the latter method is used, but the lengths of the ball screws 50a and 50b used in each moving mechanism are limited. For this reason, when the difference between the tilt amounts of the recording paper sheets 28 is large, the positions of the front end sides cannot be aligned even if both end portions are moved to the limit of the movable range. Accordingly, first, the maximum inclination between the four points is determined from the passing time difference information of the four points (A, B, C, and D in the figure) detected at the time of passing through the photosensors 38 and 39. Find the amount. The relationship between the maximum inclination amount and the movement amounts of both ends of each registration roller pair 35 and 36 is obtained in advance, and whether or not the obtained movement amount is within the limit of the movable range, It can be determined whether or not inclination correction is possible by moving each end in the same direction. As will be described in detail later, when both ends of each registration roller pair 35, 36 are moved in the same direction, the four end portions of the registration roller pair 35, 36 are minimized in order to minimize the amount of movement. One of them is fixed, and the other three ends are moved to the transport direction side to align the positions of the front end sides. The end to be fixed is a point located at the forefront among the points A to D, that is, the left end of the registration roller pair 35 in this embodiment.

  When it is determined that the tilt correction by moving in the same direction is possible, as shown in FIG. 4A, the other three points are based on the point B positioned at the forefront among the points A to D. The position of is aligned with point B. That is, with the second moving mechanism 43b of the first registration roller pair 35 fixed, the position of the leading end side of the recording paper sheet 28 after the tilt correction is performed by driving only the first moving mechanism 43a is aligned. And The second registration roller pair 36 controls the driving of the moving mechanisms 55a and 55b so that the tip side after the tilt correction is aligned with the alignment position while correcting the tilt between the CDs. As a result, as shown in (b), it is possible to perform inclination correction so that the leading edges of the recording paper sheets 28 are aligned while moving both ends or at least one of them in the same direction.

  Further, when it is determined from the maximum amount of inclination between the four points that inclination correction is not possible by moving both ends in the same direction, as shown in FIG. An intermediate position (shown by a one-dot chain line in the figure) between a leading edge position (two-dot chain line in the figure) passing through the point A located in the leading edge and a last end position (one-dot chain line in the figure) passing through the point C located at the last end. (Middle, dotted line) is the alignment position. Each of the registration roller pairs 35 and 36 corrects the inclination between AB and CD, and adjusts the tip side after the inclination correction to the alignment position so that each of the moving mechanisms 43a, 43b, 55a and 55b Control the drive. As a result, as shown in (b), even when the difference in the amount of inclination of each recording paper sheet 28 is large, the inclination correction can be performed so that the leading edges thereof are aligned.

  Each recording paper sheet 28 after tilt correction may be displaced in the main scanning direction (see FIGS. 2 and 3). When a deviation occurs in the main scanning direction, an image exposed in the exposure device 21 is displaced in the main scanning direction. For this reason, for example, a displacement amount measuring sensor for measuring the displacement amount in the main scanning direction after the inclination correction is provided, or the deviation amount is calculated using the inclination amount detected when the inclination correction is performed. The amount of deviation in the main scanning direction is obtained. Then, the recording position of the exposure apparatus 21 in the main scanning direction may be shifted based on the obtained deviation amount value.

  The tilt correction device 19 is provided with a third registration roller pair 37 that performs tilt correction when fraction processing is performed or when a large recording paper sheet 28 that cannot be transported in two rows is transported in a single row. Instead of providing, as shown in FIG. 6, a holding table 60 that holds the first and second registration roller pairs 35 and 36, and a holding table movement that moves the holding table 60 in a direction parallel to the main scanning direction. A mechanism 61 is provided. As a result, the first and second registration roller pairs 35 and 36 can be moved together in a direction parallel to the main scanning direction. That is, the position in the main scanning direction of the recording paper sheet 28 can be arbitrarily adjusted simultaneously with the tilt correction. Thus, when the recording paper sheet 28 is conveyed only to one of the registration roller pairs 35, 36, for example, the second registration roller 36 at the time of fraction processing, the second registration roller 36 corrects the inclination. At the same time, the holding table moving mechanism 61 can be driven to move the recording paper sheet 28 to the center of the transport path.

  When the number of the recording paper sheets 28 to be rounded is large, as shown in FIG. 7, at the same time as performing the inclination correction, it may be alternately distributed to each row and conveyed in two rows. In this case, the positions of the front end sides of the distributed recording paper sheets 28 are aligned so that the exposure apparatus 21 can perform simultaneous exposure, at the time of distribution or before being conveyed to the exposure apparatus 21.

  When transporting a large recording paper sheet 28 that straddles the first and second registration roller pairs 35 and 36, the holding table moving mechanism 61 is driven so that the first and second registration roller pairs 35, The tilt correction can be performed by moving any one of 36 to the center of the transport path and releasing the holding state of the other registration roller pair at the same time. In this case, instead of performing the inclination correction, the leading edge of the recording paper sheet 28 is brought into contact with the rollers of the conveyance roller pair 40 in the conveyance stopped state and the nipping state to correct the inclination. A top resist may be applied. Further, the tilt correction may be performed by changing the pulse rate of the conveyance motor that rotationally drives each registration roller pair 35 and 36 and changing the sheet conveyance speed of each registration roller pair 35 and 36.

  Next, the operation of the photo printer 10 having this configuration will be described. When the user gives a print instruction, as shown in FIG. 1, the photosensitive recording paper 24 is sent out from the recording paper roll 25 of each magazine 12, 13, and the recording paper sheet 28 of a predetermined length is formed by the cutters 15, 16. Cut. Each of the cut recording paper sheets 28 is sent in parallel to the back printing device 18 by the conveying roller pair 30, where necessary information such as a film ID and a frame number is printed.

  Each recording paper sheet 28 printed on the back side is sent to the tilt correction device 19 by the conveying roller pair 31. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the inclination correction device 19 uses each of the recording paper sheets based on a total of four passing time difference information detected when the recording paper sheets 28 pass through the photosensors 38 and 39. The amount of inclination 28 and the direction in which it is inclined are detected. At the same time, it is determined whether or not the inclination correction and the alignment of the leading edge can be performed by moving both ends of each of the registration roller pairs 35 and 36 in the same direction.

  If it is determined that it is possible, as described above, the point located at the forefront of these four points is used as a reference, and the corresponding moving mechanisms 43a, 43b, 55a, 55b are controlled to Inclination correction and tip edge alignment are performed by moving the three points in the same direction so as to match them. In addition, when it is determined that it is impossible, an intermediate position between the leading edge position passing through the point located at the leading edge among these four points and the trailing edge position passing through the point located at the trailing edge is set as the alignment position. To do. Then, the movement mechanisms 43a, 44b, 55a, and 55b are controlled so that the front end side after the inclination correction is adjusted to the alignment position while correcting the inclination of each recording paper sheet 28. Tilt correction can be performed so that the leading edges of the recording paper sheets 28 are aligned while the recording paper sheets 28 are conveyed in parallel.

  Each of the recording paper sheets 28 whose inclination has been corrected is transported to the exposure device 21 by the transport roller pair 40 and the transport roller pair 31, where two rows of images are exposed simultaneously. Then, the exposed recording paper sheet 28 is conveyed to the developing device 22 and subjected to color development, fixing, washing, and drying, and then sent out to the outside of the photographic printer 10 as a photographic print.

  In the present embodiment, the tilt correction and the alignment of the leading edge are performed at the same time. However, for example, the first and second registration roller pairs 35 and 36 perform only the tilt correction, and each after the tilt correction is performed. The recording paper sheet 28 may be brought into contact with the rollers of the conveying roller pair 40 (top registration) so as to readjust the inclination and align the leading edge. Conversely, when the amount of deviation of the leading edge after inclination correction is within about 2 mm, the alignment of the leading edge is not performed, and the position at which exposure is started on each recording paper sheet 28 in the exposure device 21 is sub-scanned. You may make it shift to a direction. Note that the amount of deviation of the tip side after the inclination correction is calculated using, for example, a deviation amount measurement sensor that measures the amount of deviation of the tip side, or the amount of inclination detected when the inclination correction is performed. Is required.

  In this embodiment, the inclination of the recording paper sheet 28 is detected by the photosensors 38 and 39 arranged on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of each of the registration roller pairs 35, 36, and 37. It is not limited to this. In many cases, the recording paper sheet 28 is already inclined when it is cut by the cutters 15 and 16. This means that there is an inclination when the photosensitive recording paper 24 is sent out from the paper feed opening of each magazine 12, 13, and the inclination amount and the direction of the recording paper sheet 28 depend on the individual magazine. Often decided. Therefore, the inclination amount of the recording paper sheet for each magazine is measured in advance, and the measurement result is converted into a data table and stored in the controller 57 of the photo printer 10 or the like. Then, the user selects the type of magazine to be used, or the photo printer 10 automatically recognizes the type of magazine that has been set, so that tilt correction according to the type of magazine that has been set is performed. It may be.

  In the photographic printer 10 of the present embodiment, the recording paper sheets 28 are conveyed in two rows to perform two-row simultaneous tilt correction and two-row simultaneous exposure. However, the number of rows in which the recording paper sheets 28 are conveyed in parallel is two. The number of rows is not limited, and three or more rows may be used. In this case, the above registration roller pairs may be arranged in parallel by the number of rows.

  Moreover, although the inclination correction apparatus 19 of this embodiment is arrange | positioned at the linear conveyance path | route, you may arrange | position in the curved conveyance path | route, for example, the corner of a conveyance path | route. In this case, the ends of the respective registration conveyance roller pairs 35, 36, and 37 are moved in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (direction perpendicular to the recording surface of the recording paper sheet 28) to intentionally record. The skew of the recording paper sheet 28 may be corrected by skewing the paper sheet 28. Note that when the ends of the registration roller pairs 35, 36, and 37 are moved in the vertical direction, the positions of the leading edges of the recording paper sheets 28 after the inclination correction cannot be made uniform, as described above. Further, the deviation amount of the leading edge of each recording paper sheet 28 after the inclination correction is obtained, and based on the obtained result, the position at which exposure of each recording paper sheet 28 is started in the exposure apparatus 21 in the sub-scanning direction. Just shift it.

1 is a schematic view of a photographic printer embodying the present invention. It is the perspective view which showed schematically the structure of the inclination correction apparatus of a photographic printer. It is a perspective view showing one of a pair of conveyance rollers for registration adjustment that constitutes an inclination correction device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tilt correction device of FIG. 2 as viewed from above, and shows an operation when tilt correction is performed by moving both ends of each pair of conveyance rollers in the same direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tilt correction apparatus of FIG. 2 as viewed from above, and shows an operation when tilt correction is performed without moving both ends of each pair of conveyance rollers in the same direction. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the tilt correction device and showing the operation when the recording paper sheets conveyed in a single row using this device are centered. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an operation when a single-sheet transported recording paper sheet is sorted into each row using the tilt correction apparatus of FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Photo printer 12, 13 Magazine 19 Tilt correction apparatus 28 Recording paper sheet 35 1st registration roller pair 36 2nd registration roller pair 37 3rd registration roller pair 38, 39 Photo sensor 43a, 55a, 56a 1st moving mechanism 43b, 55b, 56b Second moving mechanism 49a Lower holding member 49b Upper holding member 50a, 50b Ball screw 53, 54 Motor 57 Controller

Claims (18)

In a transport apparatus having a transport path for transporting a plurality of sheet bodies in parallel,
Detecting means for detecting the inclination of the sheet members being conveyed in parallel with respect to the conveying direction;
An inclination correction means for correcting the inclination is provided for each column by changing a conveyance distance in which both end portions of the sheet member are conveyed on the conveyance path based on a detection result by the detection means. A transport device.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tilt correction unit corrects the tilt while transporting the sheet member.   On the conveyance path, a pair of conveyance rollers for nipping and conveying the sheet member is arranged in parallel for each row, and at least one of both ends of the conveyance roller pair as the inclination correction unit with respect to the conveyance direction. An end moving mechanism that moves in a parallel or vertical direction is provided, and the end moving mechanism moves the end of the pair of conveying rollers while sandwiching the sheet body based on the detection result. Item 3. The transfer device according to Item 1 or 2.   4. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination correcting unit corrects the inclination of the sheet body so that the positions of the front end sides of the sheet bodies conveyed in parallel are aligned.   The detecting means detects the passage of the leading edge of the sheet body at a plurality of locations on the same line in the width direction of the transport path, detects the inclination using the passage detection result, and moves the end portion. Based on the passage detection result for each row, the mechanism uses the detection position where the passage is first detected as the alignment position, and aligns the other detection positions with the alignment position so that each corresponding pair of transport rollers The transport apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the end portion is moved in the transport direction side.   The end portion moving mechanism is configured to detect the alignment position and the detecting unit when a moving amount when moving the end portion of each of the corresponding pair of conveying rollers to the conveying direction side exceeds a movable range of the end portion moving mechanism. The end position of each pair of transport rollers is moved so that all detection positions are aligned with the second alignment position, with the intermediate position from the detection position where the passage was detected last as the second alignment position. The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein   7. The conveying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a roller moving mechanism that moves the conveying roller pairs arranged in parallel in a direction parallel to a width direction of the conveying path.   A single row conveyance roller pair that is arranged upstream or downstream of the conveyance roller pair arranged in parallel and conveys the sheet body in a single row on the conveyance path, and a conveyance direction of the sheet body being conveyed in a single row Based on the detection result by the single row detection means and the detection result by the single row detection means, at least one of the both ends of the single row conveyance roller pair with respect to the conveyance direction in a state where the sheet member is sandwiched 8. The conveying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a single-row end moving mechanism that corrects the inclination of the sheet body by moving in a parallel or vertical direction.   A release mechanism that releases the sandwiched state of each roller pair is provided in the pair of conveyance rollers and the pair of conveyance rollers for single row, and the release mechanism is configured to reduce the inclination of the sheet bodies that are conveyed in parallel. When correcting, the nipping state of the single row conveying roller pair is released, and when correcting the inclination of the sheet member conveyed in a single row, the nipping state of the conveying roller pair arranged in parallel is released. The transport apparatus according to claim 8. In an image recording apparatus comprising a conveyance path for conveying a plurality of cut sheet-like recording materials in parallel and an image recording means for recording an image on the recording materials being conveyed in parallel, Detecting means for detecting an inclination of the recording material with respect to a conveying direction;
An inclination correction means for correcting the inclination is provided for each column by changing the conveyance distance in which both side ends of the recording material are conveyed on the conveyance path based on the detection result by the detection means. An image recording apparatus.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the tilt correction unit corrects the tilt while conveying the recording material.   The image recording means has a recording position at which image recording is performed on each recording material by the amount of displacement of the position in the width direction of the recording material that has been displaced due to inclination correction for each column by the inclination correction means. 12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image recording apparatus is shifted in a direction parallel to the width direction.   A pair of conveying rollers for nipping and conveying the recording material on the conveying path is arranged in parallel for each row, and at least one of both ends of the conveying roller pair is parallel to the conveying direction as the inclination correcting means. Alternatively, an end moving mechanism that moves in a vertical direction is provided, and the end moving mechanism moves the end of the pair of conveying rollers while sandwiching the recording material based on the detection result. 13. The image recording apparatus according to 10 to 12.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the inclination correcting unit corrects the inclination of the recording material so that the positions of the front end sides of the recording materials conveyed in parallel are aligned.   The detection means detects passage of the leading edge of the recording material at a plurality of locations on the same line in the width direction of the transport path, detects the inclination using the passage detection result, and moves the end portion. Based on the passage detection result for each row, the mechanism uses the detection position where the passage is first detected as the alignment position, and aligns the other detection positions with the alignment position so that each corresponding pair of transport rollers The image recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the end portion is moved in the conveyance direction side.   The end portion moving mechanism is configured to detect the alignment position and the detecting unit when a moving amount when moving the end portion of each of the corresponding pair of conveying rollers to the conveying direction side exceeds a movable range of the end portion moving mechanism. The end position of each pair of transport rollers is moved so that all detection positions are aligned with the second alignment position, with the intermediate position from the detection position where the passage was detected last as the second alignment position. The image recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:   The image recording means has a recording position for recording an image on each recording material by the amount of deviation of the position of the leading edge of the recording material that has been displaced by the inclination correction for each column by the inclination correction means. 14. The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image recording apparatus is shifted in a direction parallel to the transport direction.   18. The image recording apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a roller moving mechanism that moves the pair of transport rollers arranged in parallel in a direction parallel to a width direction of the transport path.

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