JP4831669B2 - Recording material stacking apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording material such as paper or an OHP film and discharges it from a recording material discharge port, such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to a high-productivity image forming apparatus for recording an image on a recording material conveyed by the inkjet method while conveying the recording material at a high speed. In addition, it is attached to such an image forming apparatus, accepts an image-recorded recording material sent from a recording material discharge port, and discharges it with a recording material discharging means such as a discharge roller, and on a discharged recording material receiver such as a lifting tray The present invention relates to a recording material stacking apparatus such as a post-processing machine for loading an image forming apparatus.

  Among image forming apparatuses such as printers, there is an ink jet system that ejects ink from nozzles of an ink jet head and records images such as characters and figures on a recording material such as paper and an OHP film. Even in such an image forming apparatus, a recording material stacking device is attached to the recording material discharge port position, and the discharged recording material sent from the recording material discharge port after image recording is received by a discharge recording material receiver such as a lifting tray, There is a type in which recording materials are sorted and stacked on the discharged recording material receptacle.

  For example, in the large-scale ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, a discharge recording material receiver is provided so as to be shiftable in a direction orthogonal to the recording material discharge direction, and sent to the discharge recording material receiver from the recording material discharge port after image recording. A recording material stacking device is provided that sorts and stacks the discharged recording materials by dropping them.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-247250 JP 2005-132516 A

  However, in recent years, due to technological advances, inkjet printers that record images on recording materials at a recording speed of 105 ppm (105 sheets per minute) on A4 size horizontal paper have been developed. However, even in a highly productive inkjet image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording material, it is desired to attach a recording material stacking device that sorts and stacks the recording material on a discharged recording material receiver.

  However, since the recording material is conveyed at a high speed, after the image is recorded, the recording material is discharged onto the discharged recording material receiver by nip conveyance by the discharge roller in a state where the ink is not yet dried. Is transferred to the discharge roller, and the ink on the discharge roller is re-transferred to the recording material that has been transported thereafter, causing a problem of smearing of the recording material.

  Further, since the productivity is high, there is a problem in that the time between sheets is shortened, and it is not possible to secure sufficient time for sorting the discharged recording materials and moving the discharged recording material receiver up and down. As an image forming apparatus for recording an image on a recording material using ink while being conveyed at high speed, an image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has been proposed. In such an image forming apparatus, the image is discharged in the recording material discharge direction. There is a limit to the number of copies to sort because the receiving of recording materials is shifted.

  The ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1 cannot cope with the above-described problems, and also drops and stacks. Therefore, the stackability is poor, and the alignment work has to be performed later.

  Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to attach a recording material that is attached to an image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording material by an inkjet method while being conveyed at a high speed, and that accepts an image-recorded recording material sent from the image forming apparatus. In the stacking device, the recording material is surely sorted on the discharged recording material receiver and stacked without disturbing the stack without contaminating the recording material.

  A second object of the present invention is to prevent a reduction in image quality on a recording material due to the traveling speed of the traveling belt in the recording material stacking device disturbing the recording material conveyance speed at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus. It is in.

  A third object of the present invention is to receive an image-recorded recording material delivered from an image forming apparatus, and to adsorb it onto a traveling belt without slipping by a simple recording material adsorbing means using air. It is to convey reliably.

  A fourth object of the present invention is to receive an image-recorded recording material sent out from an image forming apparatus, and to adsorb it onto a running belt without slipping by a simple recording material adsorbing means using static electricity. It is to convey reliably.

  A fifth object of the present invention is that the recording material conveying force in the belt conveying means of the recording material stacking device does not affect the recording material conveyance at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus, and the image quality on the recording material is improved. It is to prevent the decrease.

  A sixth object of the present invention is to reliably increase the conveyance speed without affecting the conveyance of the recording material in the nip conveyance of the recording material discharge means by the recording material conveyance force in the belt conveyance unit of the recording material stacking apparatus. The recording material can be discharged.

  A seventh object of the present invention is to improve stackability while maintaining high productivity when the drive control of the recording material sorting means and the drive control of the receiving elevating means happen to overlap.

  An eighth object of the present invention is to prevent the recording material to be ejected from jumping out of the ejected recording material receptacle.

  A ninth object of the present invention is to more accurately align the discharged recording material discharged onto the discharged recording material receiver.

  A tenth object of the present invention is to accept a recording material on which an image has been recorded, and to reliably collect the recording material on a discharged recording material receptacle and to stack the recording material without disturbing the stack. And an image forming apparatus for recording an image on a recording material by an ink jet method while transporting at high speed.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording material discharging means such as a discharge roller for discharging a recording material such as paper and an OHP film by increasing the conveying speed by nip conveyance, and a recording material discharged by the recording material discharging means. An output recording material receiver such as an elevating tray for loading the output recording material, a recording material sorting means for sorting the output recording material by shifting the output recording material receiver in a direction orthogonal to the recording material discharge direction, and an output recording material A recording material stacking apparatus such as a post-processing peripheral device, comprising a receiving lifting and lowering means for moving the discharged recording material receiver up and down according to the stack height of the discharged recording material on the receiver,
For example, recording is performed after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus attached to an image forming apparatus such as an ink jet printer that records an image on a recording material by an ink jet method while transporting at a high speed of about 105 ppm on A4 size horizontal paper. In the case of accepting the material and discharging it by the recording material discharging means, sorting the discharged recording material by the recording material sorting means and stacking it on the discharged recording material receiver,
Belt conveying means for receiving the recording material after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus and carrying it on the traveling belt with the image surface facing upward, and recording for adsorbing the recording material after image recording onto the traveling belt A distance between an ink-jet head position of the image forming apparatus that records an image on the recording material and the recording material discharging means is longer than the maximum usable recording material of the image forming apparatus. Features.

  Then, the recording material after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus of the ink jet system is received and placed on the traveling belt of the belt conveying means with the image surface facing up, and is adsorbed on the traveling belt by the recording material adsorption means. Then, the recording material after image recording is continuously conveyed at a high speed along with the traveling of the traveling belt, and is discharged at a high conveying speed by nip conveyance by the recording material discharging means, and the discharged recording material is received by the discharged recording material receiver. The discharged recording material receiver is shifted in a direction orthogonal to the recording material discharge direction by the recording material sorting means, sorts and stacks the discharged recording material, and moves up and down by the receiving elevating means according to the stacking height.

  The running speed of the running belt of the belt carrying means is preferably substantially the same as the recording material carrying speed of the image forming apparatus. Further, as the recording material adsorption means, for example, an air adsorption means for adsorbing the recording material after image recording to the traveling belt by air or an electrostatic adsorption means for electrostatic adsorption is provided.

  The recording material holding force by the recording material suction unit is preferably smaller than the recording material holding force at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus and smaller than the recording material holding force in the nip conveyance of the recording material discharge unit.

  When the drive control of the recording material sorting means and the drive control of the receiving elevating means happen to overlap, it is preferable to prioritize the drive control of the recording material sorting means.

  Recording material detecting means for detecting the recording material, and control means for increasing the speed of the leading edge of one recording material by the recording material discharging means based on the detection result of the recording material detecting means and decelerating and conveying the trailing edge It is good to have.

  It is preferable to provide recording material aligning means for aligning the trailing ends of the discharged recording material by using an alignment member such as a reverse roller or a reverse belt and returning the discharged recording material onto the discharged recording material receiver and pressing it against the alignment surface.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus, the recording material stacking apparatus as described above is attached to the recording material discharge port position.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an image-recorded recording material sent from the high-speed image forming apparatus of the ink jet system is received and placed on the traveling belt of the belt conveying means with the image surface facing upward. Since the recording material after image recording is continuously conveyed at high speed as the belt runs, it prevents the recording material from becoming dirty by rubbing the image surface where the ink is not yet dried by high-speed conveyance. By providing the conveying means, it is possible to gain time for the ink to dry before nip conveyance by the recording material discharging means. Further, since the recording material adsorbing means adsorbs onto the traveling belt, it can be reliably conveyed integrally with the traveling belt without slipping.

  In addition, since the recording material discharge means discharges at a higher speed by nip conveyance, the recording material is sorted without increasing slippage and causing stack disturbance and increasing the interval before and after the recording material to be discharged. It is possible to secure the drive time of the means and the receiving elevating means and to sort and load the recording material on the discharged recording material receiver with high quality.

  Furthermore, since the distance from the inkjet head position of the image forming apparatus to the recording material discharging means is longer than the maximum length of the usable recording material of the image forming apparatus, the leading edge of the recording material reaches the recording material discharging means. Sometimes, the trailing edge of the recording material passes through the inkjet head position, and even if the recording material is discharged by increasing the conveying speed by the recording material discharging means, the recording material conveying speed by the recording material discharging means in the recording material stacking device However, it is possible to prevent deterioration in image quality on the recording material without disturbing the recording material conveyance speed at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus.

  If the traveling speed of the belt of the belt conveying means is substantially the same as the recording material conveying speed of the image forming apparatus, the traveling speed of the traveling belt in the recording material stacking apparatus is equal to the recording material conveyance at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus. A reduction in image quality on the recording material can be prevented without disturbing the speed.

  When the recording material adsorbing means is provided with an air adsorbing means for adsorbing the recording material after image recording on the traveling belt by air or an electrostatic adsorbing means for electrostatically adsorbing the recording material, it is sent out from the image forming apparatus. An image-recorded recording material is received, and the received recording material is adsorbed onto the traveling belt 23 by a simple recording material adsorbing means, and is reliably conveyed integrally with the traveling belt as the traveling belt 23 travels. it can.

  Here, if the recording material holding force by the recording material suction means is smaller than the recording material holding force at the ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus, the recording material conveying force in the belt conveying means of the recording material stacking apparatus is changed to the ink jet head of the image forming apparatus. The conveyance of the recording material at the position is not affected, and the deterioration of the image quality on the recording material can be prevented.

  In addition, when the recording material holding force by the recording material suction unit is made smaller than the recording material holding force in the nip conveyance of the recording material discharge unit, the recording material conveyance force in the belt conveyance unit of the recording material stacking device causes the nip conveyance of the recording material discharge unit. Therefore, it is possible to reliably increase the conveyance speed and discharge the recording material without affecting the recording material conveyance.

  When the drive control of the recording material sorting means and the drive control of the receiving / elevating means happen to overlap, if the drive control of the recording material sorting means is prioritized, the interval between the recording materials before and after being discharged at high speed Within the limited discharge time, only the drive control of the recording material sorting means is prioritized, and the drive control of the receiving elevating means, which is not a problem even if it is skipped once, is cancelled. Stackability can be improved while maintaining productivity.

  In addition, recording material detecting means for detecting the recording material, and control for increasing the speed of the leading edge of one recording material and decelerating the trailing edge based on the detection result of the recording material detecting means Means to increase the distance between the front and back of the recording material to be discharged, thereby ensuring the drive time of the recording material sorting means and the receiving elevating means, and discharging the recording material. It is possible to reliably sort and load on the recording material receiver, and by decelerating and transporting the trailing edge of the recording material, when discharging it, the speed is not increased but discharged slightly. It is possible to prevent the recording material to jump out of the discharged recording material receptacle.

  In addition, when the recording material aligning means is provided, the discharged recording material discharged onto the discharged recording material receiver is returned and pressed against the alignment surface to align the rear end of the discharged recording material, and the discharged recording material on the discharged recording material receiver is aligned. It can be aligned more cleanly.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus that records an image on the recording material by the inkjet method while being conveyed at high speed, the recording material stacking device as described above is attached to the recording material discharge port position. The image-recorded recording material sent from the image forming apparatus is received by the recording material stacking device, and is reliably sorted and stacked on the discharged recording material receiver without contaminating the recording material and without degrading the image quality. It can be loaded without disturbance.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of an image forming apparatus equipped with a recording material stacking apparatus according to the present invention.

  Reference numeral 100 in the figure denotes an image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording material such as a sheet or an OHP film by an inkjet method while being conveyed at high speed, and reference numeral 200 denotes a recording material stacking apparatus that is attached to the image forming apparatus 100. .

  The illustrated image forming apparatus 100 is an ink jet printer, and a belt conveying means 13 that wraps a running belt 12 between a plurality of rollers 11, for example, a fan 14, is rotated around the image forming unit 10 in the direction of arrow a. The recording material suction means 15 to be generated, the inkjet head 16 that selectively ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles, and the like are provided, and placed on the installation surface via the casters 17 so that they can be moved as needed.

  Then, in response to a print signal from the host device, the recording material is fed out from a recording material storage cassette (not shown), sent to the image forming unit 10, and placed on the running belt 12 of the belt conveying means 13. The recording material p is sucked and attracted to the traveling belt 12 and conveyed in the arrow direction b along with the traveling of the traveling belt 12 as the roller 11 rotates, while the ink is ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet head 16 and conveyed. Images such as characters and figures are recorded on the material p. The recording material p after image recording is sent out from the recording material discharge port 18 to the recording material stacking apparatus 200.

  The recording material stacking device 200 is supported by a stand 21 with casters 20 and attached to the recording material discharge port 18 position of the image forming apparatus 100, and the stand 21 is placed on the installation surface via the casters 20. Similar to the above, it can be moved as necessary.

FIG. 2 shows an overall schematic configuration of the internal mechanism of the recording material stacking apparatus 200.
As shown in the drawing, the recording material stacking apparatus 200 includes a recording material conveying apparatus A that receives and conveys the recording material p after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus 100, and increases the conveying speed by nip conveyance to increase the recording material p. Recording material discharging means B for discharging the recording material, recording material p discharged by the recording material discharging means B, a discharged recording material receiver C for loading the discharged recording material p, and the discharged recording material receiver C orthogonal to the recording material discharging direction The recording material sorting means D for shifting the recording material p by shifting in the direction of the recording material, and the receiving elevating means E for moving the discharged recording material receiver C up and down according to the stacking height of the discharged recording material p on the discharging recording material receiver C Etc.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the recording material conveying apparatus A.
As shown in the figure, the recording material conveying apparatus A receives the recording material p after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus 100 and receives and conveys the recording material p on the traveling belt 23 with the image surface facing up. And a recording material adsorbing means 25 for adsorbing the recording material p after image recording onto the running belt 23.

FIG. 4 shows the belt conveying means 24 as viewed from above.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the belt conveying unit 24 is provided in a recording material stacking apparatus 200 and is provided in a rectangular parallelepiped casing 26 that is long in the recording material conveyance direction d. The casing 26 has an upper surface formed by a guide plate 27 that guides the recording material p. The guide plate 27 has a suction opening 28 that is elongated in the recording material conveyance direction d and a square that is opened before and after the recording material conveyance direction d. The roller openings 29 are arranged in series and are provided in two rows parallel to the left and right.

  In the housing 26, the driving roller shaft 30 and the driven roller shaft 31 are rotatably spanned in the direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction d before and after the recording material conveyance direction d. Then, the driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33 on both roller shafts 30 and 31 are respectively passed through the roller opening 29 described above, and the endless traveling belt 23 is wound around the corresponding driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33. These are provided so as to cover the suction openings 28, respectively. The traveling belt 23 is formed with a plurality of vent holes 34.

  A transport motor 35 is installed in the housing 26. The rotation of the conveyance motor 35 is transmitted to the drive roller shaft 30 via an endless transmission belt 36. Then, the driving roller 32 is rotated by the conveyance motor 35 and the driven roller 33 is driven to rotate, and the traveling belt 23 is driven. The recording material p after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus 100 is received and the image surface is raised. In this state, it is placed on the traveling belt 23 and conveyed while being guided by the guide plate 27 as the traveling belt 23 travels.

  On the other hand, as the recording material suction means 25, as shown in FIG. 3, an air suction means is provided, and a fan 37 is provided to generate an air flow in the arrow direction e by rotation of the fan 37. Air is sucked through a hole (not shown), a vent hole 34 of the traveling belt 23 and a suction opening 28 of the guide plate 27, and the recording material p after image recording is adsorbed to the traveling belt 23 by air.

  At this time, the traveling speed of the traveling belt 23 of the belt conveying unit 24 is made substantially the same as the recording material conveying speed of the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the traveling speed of the traveling belt 23 in the recording material stacking apparatus 200 does not disturb the recording material transport speed at the position of the ink jet head 16 of the image forming apparatus 100, and the transport of the constant speed is maintained on the recording material p. A reduction in image quality can be prevented.

  By the way, in the above-described example, the air suction unit having the fan 37 is provided as the recording material suction unit 25. However, although not illustrated, an electrostatic generator is provided and the recording material p after image recording is placed on the traveling belt 23. The recording material p received is adsorbed onto the traveling belt 23 by the simple recording material adsorption means 25 and slides integrally with the traveling belt as the traveling belt 23 travels. It is also possible to reliably convey the toner.

  Here, the recording material holding force by the recording material suction means 25 is made smaller than the recording material holding force at the position of the inkjet head 16 of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the recording material conveyance force in the belt conveyance unit 24 of the recording material stacking apparatus 200 does not affect the conveyance of the recording material p at the position of the inkjet head 16 of the image forming apparatus 100, and the traveling speed of the traveling belt 23 is the image formation. Even if the recording material conveyance speed at the position of the inkjet head 16 of the apparatus 100 is slightly higher, the recording material p is not pulled and the image quality on the recording material p can be prevented from being deteriorated.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 38 denotes conveyance detection means such as a non-contact reflection type photosensor that detects the traveling state of the recording material p guided and conveyed by the guide plate 27, and is driven between the suction openings 28. It is provided between the roller shaft 30 and the driven roller shaft 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a recording material discharging means B is provided downstream of the recording material transport apparatus A as described above in the recording material transport direction d. The recording material discharge means B includes a drive discharge roller 40, a driven discharge roller 41 pressed against the drive discharge roller 40 by a spring (not shown), and a discharge motor 43 that transmits rotation to the drive discharge roller 40 via an endless transmission belt 42. Etc.

  Then, the rotation of the discharge motor 43 is transmitted to the drive discharge roller 40 via the transmission belt 42, and the drive discharge roller 40 is rotated while the driven discharge roller 41 is driven to rotate. The recording material p sent from the recording material conveying apparatus A is discharged onto the discharged recording material receiver C by the nip conveyance.

  By the way, the illustrated recording material stacking apparatus 200 includes recording material detection means 44 such as a reflective photosensor at the upstream position of both the discharge rollers 40 and 41, and detects the recording material p passing therethrough. Then, based on the detection result of the recording material detection means 44, the CPU 45, which is a control means to be described later, speeds up the leading edge of one recording material p by the recording material discharge means B, decelerates the trailing edge and conveys it.

  That is, the nip conveyance of both the discharge rollers 40 and 41 of the recording material discharging means B is surely accelerated without slipping, the stack is not disturbed, and the conveyance speed is increased so that the interval before and after the recording material p to be discharged is increased. The drive time of the recording material sorting means D and the receiving elevating means E is ensured, and the recording material p is sorted and stacked on the discharged recording material receiver C with high quality.

  Further, by decelerating and transporting the rear end of the recording material p, when discharging, the recording material p to be discharged is not slowed down but decelerated by a fraction of the increased speed and slightly reduced. Is prevented from jumping out of the discharged recording material receptacle C.

  Here, the recording material holding force by the recording material suction unit 25 is made smaller than the recording material holding force in the nip conveyance of the recording material discharge unit B. Then, the recording material conveyance force in the belt conveyance unit 24 of the recording material stacking apparatus 200 affects the conveyance of the recording material p in the nip conveyance of the recording material ejection unit B without hindering the acceleration by the recording material ejection unit B. Without any problem, the recording material p can be discharged at a reliable speed.

FIG. 5 shows a distance L from the position of the inkjet head 16 of the image forming apparatus 100 that records an image on the recording material p to the recording material discharge means B of the recording material stacking apparatus 200.
This distance L is preferably longer than the maximum usable recording material of the image forming apparatus 100. This is because when the leading edge of the recording material p reaches the recording material discharging means B, the trailing edge of the recording material p passes through the position of the ink jet head 16 and the recording material discharging means B increases the conveying speed. Even if the recording material p is discharged, the recording material conveyance speed by the recording material discharging means B in the recording material stacking apparatus 200 does not disturb the recording material conveyance speed at the position of the inkjet head 16 of the image forming apparatus 100, and recording is performed. This is because the deterioration of the image quality on the material p can be prevented.

FIG. 6 shows the recording material sorting means D.
The recording material sorting means D is engaged with a shift motor 50 that can rotate forward and backward, a timing belt 51 that transmits the rotation of the shift motor 50, a worm 52 that transmits the rotation via the timing belt 51, and the worm 52. A worm wheel 53, a rotation detection plate 54 provided coaxially with the worm wheel 53, a slit detection means 56 such as a photo interrupter for detecting a slit 55 of the rotation detection plate 54, a pin 57 set at an eccentric position of the worm wheel 53, An end fence 60 to which a member 59 having a long hole 58 extending in the up-down direction with which the pin 57 engages is attached. A lift tray 62 is attached to the end fence 60 as the discharged recording material receiver C.

  Then, the worm wheel 53 is rotated by the shift motor 50 to shift the lifting tray 62 together with the end fence 60 in the left-right direction indicated by the arrow f. Accordingly, the lifting tray 62 is reciprocated left and right by one rotation of the worm wheel 53, and the lifting and lowering tray 62 is appropriately positioned separately at the position where the slit detecting unit 56 detects the slit 55, thereby discharging the tray. The recording material p is sorted.

  FIG. 7 shows receiving elevating means E for elevating and lowering the elevating tray 62 that is the discharged recording material receiver C and receiving position detecting means F for detecting the home position of the elevating tray 62.

  First, in the lifting / lowering means E, as shown in the drawing, the rotation of a lifting / lowering motor 64 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions is transmitted to the shaft 67 through the meshing of the gears 65 and 66, and fixed to both ends of the shaft 67. 68 and a second pulley 69 provided above each of them, the elevating belt 70 provided so as to be hung up and down is synchronized and travels. The lifting belt 70 provided in parallel on both sides in the recording material stacking apparatus 200 fixes both sides of the lifting tray 62 and translates the lifting tray 62 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow g.

  Next, the receiving position detection means F includes a horizontal rotation shaft 72 that is rotatably supported, a lever 73 that extends toward the lifting tray 62, a filler 74 that extends from one end of the rotation shaft 72, and the filler 74. And a position detecting means 75 such as a photo interrupter that is turned on and off by the Then, along with the upward movement of the lifting tray 62, the tip of the lever 73 is pushed up by the lifting tray 62 or the recording material p stacked thereon, the filler 74 is rotated by turning the rotating shaft 72, and the tip of the filler 74 is positioned. By entering the detection means 75, it is detected that the elevating tray 62 has reached an appropriate position for receiving the discharged recording material p. Thereafter, each time one or several sheets are discharged onto the lifting tray 62, the lifting tray 62 is once lowered and then raised, and the raised position is detected by the position detecting means 75 and stopped.

In FIG. 8, the recording material alignment means G is disassembled and shown.
The recording material aligning means G is provided with a holding member 80 as shown. The holding member 80 has a shaft portion 81 that protrudes left and right. A sponge reverse roller 82 is rotatably attached to the shaft portions 81 as recording material alignment members from the left and right. The reverse roller 82 is integrally formed with the cored bar and has a gear portion 83 coaxially and is prevented from being detached by a silencer 84. The gear portion 83 meshes with an intermediate gear 85 that is rotatably held by a holding member 80.

  Then, a part of the holding member 80 is fitted on the outer periphery of the roller shaft 86 of the drive discharge roller 40 constituting the recording material discharge means B described above, and the holding member 80 is pivoted around the roller shaft 86 while being intermediate. The gear 85 is engaged with a transmission gear 87 that fixes the roller shaft 86 on the roller shaft 86. As a result, the recording material aligning means G is provided so as to hang from the roller shaft 86 of the drive discharge roller 40, while the rotation of the drive discharge roller 40 is transmitted from the transmission gear 87 to the gear portion 83 via the intermediate gear 85 to reverse rollers. Rotate 82. That is, the recording material aligning means G is driven in conjunction with the recording material discharging means B.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the recording material p is stacked on the lifting tray 62 while being aligned by the recording material aligning means G.
The recording material p is discharged from the recording material discharge means B onto the lift tray 62, but the recording material p discharged from the recording material discharge means B falls on the oblique lift tray 62 by its own weight. Then, it is scraped by the reverse roller 82 by the rotation of the reverse roller 82, abuts against the end fence 60 which is the alignment surface, aligns with the rear ends aligned, and sequentially stacks as shown.

  Then, as the loading height of the recording material p on the lifting tray 62 increases, the lifting / lowering tray 62 is lifted / lowered by the receiving lifting / lowering means E, and the uppermost recording material on the lifting / lowering tray 62 from the recording material discharge position of the recording material discharging means B. The drop to the p surface is made substantially constant so as not to impair the stackability of the loaded recording material. When the raising / lowering tray 62 reaches the lowest position, it is detected by a receiving lower limit detecting means (not shown) such as a photo interrupter, and further discharging of the recording material p is stopped. Thereafter, when the recording material p on the lifting tray 62 is removed, the lifting tray 62 is lifted to receive the recording material p to be discharged next, detected by the receiving position detection means F, and stopped at the uppermost position.

  Further, when the recording material p is stacked on the lifting tray 62, the recording material sorting means D described above shifts the lifting tray 62 in the direction orthogonal to the recording material transport direction d as necessary to store the stacked recording material. Sort by turns. As a result, the recording material p after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus 100 is received and discharged by the recording material discharging means B, and the discharged recording material p is sorted by the recording material sorting means D and discharged recording material receiving C Can be loaded on top.

FIG. 10 shows a case where a belt is used in place of gear engagement by the transmission gear 87, the intermediate gear 85, and the gear portion 83 as rotation transmission to the reverse roller 82.
The rotation of the roller shaft 86 of the drive discharge roller 40 may be transmitted to the reverse roller 82 via a timing belt 89 as illustrated.

  In the above example, the reverse roller 82 is used as the alignment member, but a known reverse belt may be used instead of the reverse roller 82. Similarly, the recording material aligning means G is provided so as to hang from the roller shaft 86 of the drive discharge roller 40, a part of the reverse belt protrudes on the lifting tray 62, and the recording material p discharged on the lifting tray 62 is The recording material p is aligned with the rear end aligned by scraping with the traveling reverse belt and hitting the end fence 60.

FIG. 11 shows an electrical configuration of the recording material stacking apparatus 200.
The recording material stacking apparatus 200 includes a main control plate 90 that controls the whole. The main control plate 90 is provided with a CPU 45 of a microcomputer as control means. The CPU 45 includes a conveyance detection unit 38 of the recording material conveyance apparatus A, a recording material detection unit 44 of the recording material discharge unit B, a slit detection unit 56 of the recording material sorting unit D, and a position detection unit 75 of the receiving position detection unit F. The receiving lower limit detecting means (not shown) of the receiving elevating means E is connected.

  Further, the CPU 45 is connected via the forward / reverse driver 91 via the transport motor 35 of the recording material transport apparatus A described above, the discharge motor 43 of the recording material discharge means B described above via the forward / reverse driver 92, and the forward / reverse driver 93. A fan that drives the fan 37 of the recording material adsorbing means 25 described above via the shift motor 50 of the recording material sorting means D described above, the elevating motor 64 of the receiving elevating means E described above via the forward / reverse driver 94, and the driver 95. Connect the motor.

  Further, the CPU 45 is connected to a ROM 96 for storing programs, and is also electrically connected to the control unit 97 of the image forming apparatus 100 via an I / F cable. As a result, the power of the recording material stacking apparatus 200 is obtained from the image forming apparatus 100, and information such as the recording material conveyance speed, the recording material size, the necessity of sorting, the recording material feeding timing, and the recording material interval are obtained.

FIG. 12 shows an operation flow of the recording material stacking apparatus 200 when paper is used as the recording material p.
When the recording material stacking apparatus 200 is turned on, initial communication with the image forming apparatus 100 is performed, and simultaneously with the start of sheet passing, information such as a sheet conveyance speed is obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 as sheet passing sheet information. Next, after the conveyance motor 35, the discharge motor 43, and the fan motor are driven, information such as the paper size and the presence / absence of a sorting request is again obtained from the image forming apparatus 100 as paper passing paper information, and then the paper is accepted.

  Then, even in an ink jet type image forming apparatus that performs an increase / decrease control of the discharge motor 43 and records an image on the recording material p while being conveyed at a high speed, the recording material discharging means does not disturb the image recording at the position of the ink jet head. By discharging the recording material p at B at a higher conveyance speed, the interval between the recording materials p to be discharged is widened to secure the driving time of the recording material sorting means D and the receiving elevating means E, and the recording material p is discharged. When this is done, the shifting and raising / lowering of the tray is completed, and the recording material p is sorted and stacked on the discharged recording material receptacle C with high quality. Further, by decelerating and transporting the rear end of the recording material p, the speed of the recording material p is not increased when discharging, but the speed of the recording material p to be discharged is reduced by a fraction of the speed increase. To prevent the recording material receptacle C from jumping out.

  That is, after the recording material detection unit 44 detects the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the recording material conveying apparatus A, the discharge motor 43 is accelerated to increase the leading edge of the sheet after a predetermined time has elapsed. The sheet is transported, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the speed is decreased in the opposite direction and the trailing edge of the sheet is decelerated and transported. Next, when there is no sorting, the height of the tray is adjusted every time two sheets are continuously discharged onto the lifting tray 62 by the receiving lifting / lowering means E.

  That is, when two sheets of paper are continuously discharged onto the lifting tray 62, the lifting motor 64 is driven to lower the lifting tray 62, and when the position detecting means 75 is turned off, the lifting motor 64 is reversely driven. When the position detecting means 75 is turned on, the elevating motor 64 is turned off and the elevating tray 62 is stopped.

  On the other hand, in the case of sorting, the shift motor 50 is turned on to start shifting the lifting tray 62. When the slit detecting means 56 changes from on to off, the shift motor 50 is turned off to shift the lifting tray 62. The paper is stopped and the sheets are divided into copies and stacked on the lifting tray 62. Then, the conveyance motor 35, the discharge motor 43, and the fan motor are turned off with the end of the sheet passing.

  When the drive control of the recording material sorting means D and the drive control of the receiving elevating means E happen to overlap, if the drive control of the recording material sorting means D is prioritized and implemented, before and after being discharged at high speed. Within the limited discharge time between the recording materials p, only the drive control of the recording material sorting means D is prioritized, and the drive control of the receiving elevating means E is not a problem even if it is skipped without being performed once. By canceling, stackability can be improved while maintaining high productivity.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of an image forming apparatus equipped with a recording material stacking apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an internal mechanism of a recording material stacking apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the recording material conveyance apparatus with which the recording material stacking apparatus is equipped. It is a top view of the belt conveyance means with which the recording material conveyance apparatus is equipped. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a distance from an inkjet head position of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 to a recording material discharge unit of a recording material stacking apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing recording material sorting means provided in the recording material stacking apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a receiving elevating unit and a receiving position detecting unit provided in the recording material stacking apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of recording material aligning means provided in the recording material stacking apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which recording materials are stacked on an elevating tray while being aligned by the recording material alignment means. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of a recording material matching means. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the recording material stacking apparatus shown in FIG. 2. It is an operation flow of the recording material stacking apparatus when paper is used as the recording material.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 Inkjet head 18 Recording material discharge port 23 Traveling belt 24 Belt conveyance means 25 Recording material adsorption | suction means 44 Recording material detection means 45 CPU (control means)
60 End fence (alignment surface)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 200 Recording material stacking apparatus A Recording material conveyance apparatus B Recording material discharge | emission means C Discharged recording material receiving D Recording material sorting means E Reception raising / lowering means F Reception position detection means G Recording material alignment means L Recording material from inkjet head position Distance to discharge means d Recording material discharge direction p Recording material

Claims (10)

A recording material discharging means for discharging the recording material by increasing the conveyance speed in the nip conveyance; a discharged recording material receiver for receiving the recording material discharged by the recording material discharging means and loading the discharged recording material; Recording material sorting means for sorting the discharged recording material by shifting in a direction orthogonal to the recording material discharge direction, and moving the discharged recording material receiver up and down according to the stack height of the discharged recording material on the discharged recording material receiver A recording material stacking device comprising receiving lifting and lowering means,
It is attached to an image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording material by an ink jet method while being conveyed at high speed, receives the recording material after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus, and discharges it by the recording material discharging means, and the discharged recording In which the material is sorted by the recording material sorting means and loaded on the discharged recording material receiver,
Belt conveying means for receiving the recording material after image recording sent from the image forming apparatus and carrying it on the traveling belt with the image surface facing upward, and recording for adsorbing the recording material after image recording onto the traveling belt A distance between the inkjet head position of the image forming apparatus that records an image on the recording material and the recording material discharge means is longer than the maximum usable recording material of the image forming apparatus. A recording material stacking device.   2. The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a traveling speed of the traveling belt of the belt conveying unit is substantially the same as a recording material conveying speed of the image forming apparatus.   The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording material adsorption unit includes an air adsorption unit that adsorbs the recording material after image recording onto the traveling belt by air.   The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electrostatic adsorption unit that electrostatically adsorbs the recording material after image recording to the traveling belt as the recording material adsorption unit.   The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording material holding force by the recording material suction unit is made smaller than a recording material holding force at an ink jet head position of the image forming apparatus.   6. The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording material holding force by the recording material suction unit is made smaller than a recording material holding force in nip conveyance of the recording material discharge unit. .   7. The drive control of the recording material sorting unit is preferentially performed when the drive control of the recording material sorting unit and the drive control of the receiving lifting / lowering unit overlap each other. The recording material stacking apparatus according to 1.   A recording material detecting means for detecting the recording material, and a control means for increasing the speed of the leading edge of one recording material by the recording material discharging means and decelerating the trailing edge based on the detection result of the recording material detecting means; The recording material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   9. A recording material aligning means for aligning the rear end of the discharged recording material by returning the discharged recording material onto the discharged recording material receiver and pressing it against the alignment surface. The recording material stacking apparatus according to 1.   An image forming apparatus, wherein the recording material stacking device according to claim 1 is attached to a recording material discharge port position.

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