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US 11,724,528 B2Granted
Sheet suction device, sheet conveyor, and printer
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorHiroaki Miyagawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet suction device includes a drum including multiple suction holes in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum configured to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate, a suction device configured to suck the sheet through the multiple suction holes, a rotary valve between the multiple suction holes of the drum and the suction device, the rotary valve configured to rotate relative to the drum to change a number of the multiple suction holes communicating with the suction device, and a driver configured to relatively rotate the drum and the rotary valve.
Claims7
A sheet suction device comprising:
- a drum including multiple suction holes in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate;
- a rotary valve between the multiple suction holes of the drum and a suction path, the rotary valve to rotate relative to the drum to change a number of the multiple suction holes communicating with the suction path;
- and
- a driver to relatively rotate the drum and the rotary valve,
- wherein the rotary valve comprises:
- a first member which receives suction;
- and
- a second member contacting the first member, the second member communicating with the multiple suction holes, and
- wherein the driver is to rotate the first member,
- the sheet suction device further comprising a restrictor to restrict a rotation of the first member, the restrictor including:
- a holder to hold a relative phase between the first member and the drum;
- and
- a releaser to release the holder to cause the first member and the drum to be relatively rotatable,
- wherein the holder includes:
- a lever rotatable about a support shaft;
- and
- a plunger attached to one end of the lever, the plunger is to restrict the rotation of the first member,
- wherein the releaser includes a piston advanceably retractable to push another end of the lever to allow the rotation of the first member.
15 more elements
A sheet conveyor, comprising:
- a sheet suction device including:
- a drum including multiple suction holes in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate;
- a rotary valve between the multiple suction holes of the drum and a suction path, the rotary valve to rotate relative to the drum to change a number of the multiple suction holes communicating with the suction path;
- and
- a driver to relatively rotate the drum and the rotary valve,
- wherein the rotary valve comprises:
- a first member which receives suction;
- and
- a second member contacting the first member, the second member communicating with the multiple suction holes, and
- wherein the driver is to rotate the first member,
- the sheet conveyor further comprising:
- relative angle information acquiring circuitry configured to acquire a number of the multiple suction holes changed by a relative rotation between the first member and the drum;
- and
- a matching controller configured to:
- compare a size of the sheet and an area covered by the number of the multiple suction holes to determine whether a mismatch occurs;
- and
- control the driver to change a relative phase of the first member to be matched with a relative phase of the drum in response to an occurrence of the mismatch.
14 more elements
A sheet suction device comprising:
- a drum including multiple suction holes in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum configured to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate;
- a rotary valve between the multiple suction holes of the drum and a suction path, the rotary valve to rotate relative to the drum to change a number of the multiple suction holes communicating with the suction path;
- a driver to relatively rotate the drum and the rotary valve;
- a movable lever;
- indents in the rotary valve;
- and
- an actuator to move the movable lever such that when the movable lever is in a first position, the rotary valve is not changeable relative to the drum, and when the rotary valve is in a second position, the rotary valve is changeable relative to the drum.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.