Belt conveyance device, media conveyance device, and printer
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorNorio Horaguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printer 1 has a belt conveyor mechanism 18 disposed to a platen unit 8 opposite a printhead 7. The belt conveyor mechanism 18 has three conveyor belts 81 mounted on a belt drive roller 82a and guide rollers 82b to 82d. The conveyor belt 81 curves in a C-shape when seen from outside the belt path where the conveyor belt 81 travels around a guide roller 82c. Another guide roller 82d is positioned outside of the belt path, and contacts the surface (conveyance surface) of the conveyor belt 81 curved in the C-shape. An encoder 84 and inertia member 85A are attached to the rotational shaft 82e of the guide roller 82d. Another inertia member 85B is attached to the output shaft 83a of the conveyor motor 83.
Claims7
A belt conveyor device comprising:
- a conveyor belt having a conveyance surface that conveys sheet media;
- a plurality of guide rollers and a belt drive roller on which the conveyor belt is mounted, each of the guide rollers and the belt drive roller having an axis of rotation;
- a conveyance motor that rotationally drives the belt drive roller;
- and
- an encoder attached to the rotational shaft of a first guide roller, which is one of the plural guide rollers;
- wherein a first portion of the conveyance surface of the conveyor belt contacts the outside surface of the first guide roller;
- wherein the first guide roller is positioned above a line extending between the axes of rotation of the belt drive roller and a second guide roller of the plural guide rollers, and the second guide roller is positioned above axes of rotation of the belt drive roller and the first guide roller;
- wherein the second guide roller is positioned downstream of the first guide roller in a transport direction that is defined by a rotational direction of the belt drive roller, and there are no guide rollers positioned in between the first guide roller and the second guide roller in the transport direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.