Patent ID: 8292286
Filing Date: 2012-10-23
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming device configured to form an image on a sheet in an image formation position; a conveyance controlling device configured to intermittently convey the sheet toward the image formation position at a first conveying velocity along a sheet conveyance path, by activating a sheet conveying mechanism that is disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance path, such that the sheet is conveyed toward the image formation position by a first distance, as a result of each one of successive intermittent conveyances of the sheet which is performed by said conveyance controlling device; a supply controlling device configured to supply the sheet to said sheet conveying mechanism, by activating a sheet supplying mechanism that is disposed on an upstream side of said sheet conveying mechanism in the sheet conveyance path; and a judging device configured to judge whether or not a trailing end of the sheet conveyed by said conveyance controlling device has passed a reference position that is located between said sheet conveying mechanism and said sheet supplying mechanism in the sheet conveyance path, wherein said supply controlling device includes: (i) a first controlling portion configured to intermittently convey another sheet as a following sheet following the sheet as a preceding sheet, toward said sheet conveying mechanism at a second conveying velocity lower than the first conveying velocity along the sheet conveyance path, by activating said sheet supplying mechanism when the preceding sheet is being intermittently conveyed by said conveyance controlling device, such that the following sheet is conveyed toward said sheet conveying mechanism by a second distance shorter than the first distance, as a result of each one of successive intermittent conveyances of the following sheet which is performed by said first controlling portion together with a corresponding one of the successive intermittent conveyances of the preceding sheet which is performed by said conveyance controlling device; (ii) a predicting portion configured to predict one of the successive intermittent conveyances of the following sheet which is to be performed together with one of the successive intermittent conveyances of the preceding sheet which is to be performed to cause the trailing end of the preceding sheet to pass the reference position; and (iii) a second controlling portion configured to inhibit the predicted one of the successive intermittent conveyances of the following sheet, and configured to convey the following sheet toward said sheet conveying mechanism at a third conveying velocity higher than the second conveying velocity along the sheet conveyance path, by activating said sheet supplying mechanism from a point of time at which said judging device judges that the trailing end of the preceding sheet has passed the reference position, such that conveyance of the following sheet at the third conveying velocity is stopped without a leading end of the following sheet being brought into contact with the trailing end of the preceding sheet.