# US 8,540,239 B2 · Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,540,239 B2 - Document ID: US8540239B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/165,959 - Filed: 2011-06-22 - Published: 2012-01-05 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2010-06-30 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Miho Kaiga; Shinkichi Yamamoto - Inventors: Miho Kaiga; Shinkichi Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540239B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/5029: {by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness} - B65H 7/10: responsive to incorrect side register (controlling transverse register of webs B65H23/032) - B65H 7/14: by photoelectric feelers or detectors - B65H 85/00: Recirculating articles, i.e. feeding each article to, and delivering it from, the same machine work-station more than once - G03G 15/55: {Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display} - G03G 15/6564: {with correct timing of sheet feeding} - G03G 15/6567: {for deskewing or aligning} - B65H 2511/24: Irregularities, e.g. in orientation or skewness - B65H 2511/514: Particular portion of element - B65H 2553/412: in barrier arrangements, i.e. emitter facing a receptor element - B65H 2553/81: on a movable element - B65H 2553/82: with regard to the direction of transport of the handled material - B65H 2701/1315: side edges, i.e. regarded in context of transport - G03G 2215/0043: Refeeding path (G03G2215/00421 takes precedence) - G03G 2215/00586: duplex mode - G03G 2215/00616: Optical detector - G03G 2215/00721: of sheet position - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract A sheet conveying apparatus which detects an end part position of a sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on a sheet conveying path, comprising a plurality of sensor portions; a holding portion which holds the plurality of sensor portions; a plurality of aperture stops which is disposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portions and which is provided on the holding portion; and a driving portion which causes a movement of the holding portion in the sheet width direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sheet conveying apparatus which detects an end part position of a sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on a sheet conveying path, comprising: a plurality of sensor portions each of which includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and which are arranged in the sheet width direction; a holding portion which holds the plurality of sensor portions such that the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path can pass between the light emitting portions and the light receiving portions; a plurality of aperture members each of which has a hole portion through which light passes from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion, and a plurality of which are provided on the holding portion corresponding with the plurality of the sensor portions; a driving portion which causes a movement of the holding portion in the sheet width direction; and a coupling member which couples the plurality of aperture members. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each the plurality of aperture members is positioned by the light receiving portions or the light emitting portions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member includes an elastically deformable portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting member to which the plurality of aperture members coupled by the coupling member attach, wherein, when the supporting member to which the plurality of aperture members is attached is combined with the holding portion, each of the plurality of aperture members is positioned by the light receiving portions or the light emitting portions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member is elastically deformable. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said sheet conveying apparatus is configured to convey a plurality of types of sheets of different sizes in the sheet width direction can be conveyed; and the plurality of sensor portions is arranged in positions associated with sizes of the plurality of types of sheets in the sheet width direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving portion causes round trip movement of the holding portion with a predetermined stroke. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position of an end part of the sheet is detected based on a predetermined reference position and a position where the sensor portion detects the end part of the sheet conveyed during movement of the holding portion. ### Claim 9 An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet conveying path; an image forming portion which forms an image on a sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path; and a position detecting apparatus which detects an end part position of a sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path, wherein the position detecting apparatus includes: a plurality of sensor portions each of which includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and which are arranged in the sheet width direction; a holding portion which holds the plurality of sensor portions such that the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path can pass between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion; a plurality of aperture members each of which has a hole portion through which light passes from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion, and a plurality of which are provided on the holding portion corresponding with the plurality of the sensor portions; a driving portion which causes a movement of the holding portion in the sheet width direction; and a coupling member which couples the plurality of aperture members. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of aperture members is positioned by the light receiving portion or the light emitting portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the coupling member includes an elastically deformable portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the supporting member to which the plurality of aperture members is attached is combined with the holding portion, each of the plurality of aperture members is positioned by the light receiving portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a coupling member which couples the plurality of aperture members, wherein the coupling member is elastically deformable. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: a plurality of types of sheets of different sizes in the width direction can be conveyed; and the plurality of sensor portions is arranged in positions associated with sizes of the plurality of types of sheets in the width direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the driving portion causes round trip movement of the holding portion with a predetermined stroke. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a position of an end part of the sheet is detected based on a predetermined reference position and a position where the sensor portion detects the end part of the sheet conveyed during movement of the holding portion. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image forming portion forms an image on the sheet according to the position of the sheet end part detected by the position detecting apparatus. ### Claim 18 A sheet conveying apparatus which detects an end part position of a sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on a sheet conveying path, comprising: a plurality of sensor portions each of which includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and which is arranged in the sheet width direction; a holding portion which holds the plurality of sensor portions such that the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path can pass between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion; a driving portion which moves the holding portion reciprocately in the sheet width direction; a plurality of aperture members each of which has a hole portion for regulating a direction of passing light by interrupting a part of the passing light, and each of which is disposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion and is positioned according to the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion; and a coupling member which couples the plurality of aperture members. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the coupling member is elastically deformable. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a supporting member to which the plurality of aperture members coupled by the coupling member attach, wherein, when the supporting member to which the plurality of aperture members is attached is combined with the holding portion, each of the plurality of aperture members is positioned by the light receiving portion of the light emitting portion.