Patent ID: 7239432

Claim:
A drum surface scanner including a conveyance unit for conveying a plate to an exposure unit in which the plate is attached to a recording drum for scanning and exposure, said conveyance unit comprising: a tray on which the plate is placed, which includes a conveyor belt, and as the conveyor belt moves, the plate placed thereon is forwarded towards said exposure unit; a conveyance member including a roller, configured by a pair of rollers for holding said plate therebetween, which is rotatable in both positive and negative directions, and placed to abut the plate at the tip of said tray with respect to a plate conveyance direction; a pair of movable pins which are protruding from an upper surface of said tray, placed symmetric with respect to the plate conveyance direction, and made movable towards both the plate conveyance direction and a direction opposite thereto, wherein at the time of plate conveyance towards said exposure unit, said roller rotates in the positive direction to forward the plate, and said movable pins push a tail end of the plate; and release means for releasing the plate held between said pair of rollers between said pair of rollers before a front end of the plate to be conveyed towards said exposure unit is fixed on said recording drum.