US-12623875-B2 - Web conveying device, image forming apparatus, and conveying roller capable of efficiently sucking air that enters between web and conveying roller

US12623875B2US 12623875 B2US12623875 B2US 12623875B2US-12623875-B2

Abstract

A web conveying device includes a roller portion, a first air passage, a second air passage, and an air current generation portion. The roller portion rotates in contact with a web. The first air passage extends in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicates with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction. The second air passage extends from the first air passage in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicates with the outside of the outer peripheral portion. The air current generation portion generates an air current that flows in the first air passage in the first direction.

Inventors

Mashio Takezawa

Assignees

KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20231218
Priority Date: 20221221

Claims (12)

1 . A conveying roller comprising: a roller portion configured to rotate in contact with a web; a first air passage extending, in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion, inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicating with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction; and a plurality of second air passages extending from the first air passage in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicating with the outside of the outer peripheral portion, wherein the second air passages are arranged in the axial direction, the second air passages are arranged along the outer peripheral portion, the first air passage includes a closed end and an open end, wherein the closed end is located at an upstream side of the first direction and is blocked from the outside, and the open end is located at a downstream side of the first direction, and is open to the outside, and each of the plurality of second air passages arranged in the axial direction is formed such that the closer an arrangement position is to the closed end of the first air passage on the upstream side of the first direction, the narrower an interval between adjacent second air passages.
2 . A web conveying device comprising: the conveying roller according to claim 1 ; and an air current generation portion configured to generate an air current that flows within the first air passage of the conveying roller in the first direction.
3 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the web conveying device according to claim 2 ; and an image forming portion configured to form an image on the web conveyed by the web conveying device.
4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the roller portion of the conveying roller is configured to come into contact with the web upstream of the image forming portion in a conveying direction of the web.
5 . A conveying roller comprising: a roller portion configured to rotate in contact with a web; a first air passage extending, in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion, inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicating with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction; and a plurality of second air passages extending from the first air passage in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicating with the outside of the outer peripheral portion, wherein the second air passages are arranged along the axial direction, the second air passages are arranged along the outer peripheral portion, the first air passage includes a closed end and an open end, wherein the closed end is located at an upstream side of the first direction and is blocked from the outside, and the open end is located at a downstream side of the first direction, and is open to the outside, and each of the plurality of second air passages arranged along the axial direction is formed such that the closer an arrangement position is to the closed end of the first air passage on the upstream side in the first direction, the larger a cross-sectional area of each of the plurality of second air passages.
6 . A web conveying device comprising: the conveying roller according to claim 5 ; and an air current generation portion configured to generate an air current that flows within the first air passage of the conveying roller in the first direction.
7 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the web conveying device according to claim 6 ; and an image forming portion configured to form an image on the web conveyed by the web conveying device.
8 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the roller portion of the conveying roller is configured to come into contact with the web upstream of the image forming portion in a conveying direction of the web.
9 . A conveying roller comprising: a roller portion configured to rotate in contact with a web; a first air passage extending, in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion, inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicating with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction; and a plurality of second air passages extending from the first air passage in an outward extension direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicating with the outside of the outer peripheral portion, wherein the second air passages are arranged along the axial direction, the second air passages are arranged along the outer peripheral portion, the first air passage includes a closed end and an open end, wherein the closed end is located at an upstream side of the first direction and is blocked from the outside, and the open end is located at a downstream side of the first direction, and is open to the outside, and each of the plurality of second air passages arranged along the axial direction is formed such that the closer an arrangement position is to the closed end of the first air passage on the upstream side in the first direction, the larger the obtuse angle formed between the outward extension direction of each of the plurality of second air passages and the first direction of the first air passage.
10 . A web conveying device comprising: the conveying roller according to claim 9 ; and an air current generation portion configured to generate an air current that flows within the first air passage of the conveying roller in the first direction.
11 . An image forming apparatus comprising: the web conveying device according to claim 10 ; and an image forming portion configured to form an image on the web conveyed by the web conveying device.
12 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the roller portion of the conveying roller is configured to come into contact with the web upstream of the image forming portion in a conveying direction of the web.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-203943 filed on Dec. 21, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates to a web conveying device, an image forming apparatus, and a conveying roller. There is known a web conveying device including a conveying roller that conveys a web. In this type of web conveying device, air may enter between the web and the conveying roller, and this air may cause the conveying roller to slip against the web. On the other hand, a web conveying device capable of sucking air that enters between the web and the conveying roller from a suction hole formed in an outer peripheral portion of the conveying roller is known as a related art. Specifically, the web conveying device according to the related art includes a first air passage, a second air passage, and a suction mechanism. The first air passage extends in the axial direction of a rotation shaft of the conveying roller inside the conveying roller, and one end in the extending direction is connected to the suction mechanism. The second air passage extends from the first air passage along the radial direction of the conveying roller and communicates with the suction hole. The suction mechanism sucks air in the first air passage. SUMMARY A web conveying device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a roller portion, a first air passage, a second air passage, and an air current generation portion. The roller portion rotates in contact with a web. The first air passage extends in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicates with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction. The second air passage extends from the first air passage in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicates with the outside of the outer peripheral portion. The air current generation portion generates an air current that flows in the first air passage in the first direction. An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes the web conveying device and an image forming portion. The image forming portion forms an image on the web conveyed by the web conveying device. A conveying roller according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a roller portion, a first air passage, and a second air passage. The roller portion rotates in contact with a web. The first air passage extends in an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the roller portion inside an outer peripheral portion of the roller portion and communicates with an outside at an end on a side of a first direction parallel to the axial direction. The second air passage extends from the first air passage in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with respect to the first direction and communicates with the outside of the outer peripheral portion. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming portion of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air suction conveying roller of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the air suction conveying roller of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the air suction conveying roller of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the air suction conveying roller of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the air suction conveying roller of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagra