JP2000255879A - Sheet discharge and storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently carry out sorting and image-formation for a number of copies which exceeds the number of bin trays, and to easily discriminate sheets which are fed being overlapped. SOLUTION: This device 1 is composed of a body 5 coupled to an image forming device 2, a bin tray unit 7 in which a plurality of bin trays 6 for sorting and loading thereon sheets discharged from the image forming devices 2 are vertically arranged, and a discharge tray 9 provided in the body 5, for loading thereon paper sheets in batch. In this arrangement, a sorting means 119 for sorting discharged paper sheets is provided in the discharge tray 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper output storage device connected to an image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus or a copying machine, and more particularly, to a bin tray unit for distributing and storing paper in a plurality of bin trays and loading paper. And a paper discharge storage device having a paper discharge tray.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a paper discharge storage device attached to an image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus or a copying machine, a bin tray unit for distributing and storing paper to a plurality of bin trays and a single paper tray for loading paper are provided. And a paper discharge tray in the up-down direction. An example of this paper discharge storage device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-78358. This paper discharge storage device is provided with a swingable paper conveying means, and the paper is fed to the bin tray unit at the time of sorting, and the paper is fed at the time of non-sorting. Is configured to swing the sheet conveying means so as to be stored in the sheet discharge tray side.

[0003]

In the above-described paper discharge storage device, when the sorting image forming operation for the number of copies exceeding the number of bin trays is performed, the sheets exceeding the number of bin trays are collectively stored in the discharge tray. Has been discharged. For this reason, it is necessary to manually sort the paper on the paper discharge tray after the image forming operation, and there is a problem that the working efficiency is very poor.

[0004] The apparatus further comprises a double feed detecting means for detecting when the paper is multi-fed, and a sorting means for sorting the paper, wherein the multi-feed detecting means detects the double feed of the paper by the sorting means. A technique for distinguishing this sheet from other sheets and simplifying the discrimination of a multi-feed sheet is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1.
No. 66706, the above-described paper discharge storage device having a sorting means has not yet been proposed, and when a double feed is detected, the double feed is performed regardless of whether the sheet is sorted or not sorted. The discharged paper is being discharged to the paper discharge tray.
For this reason, if the non-sorted image forming operation is performed in a state in which the sheets are stacked on the discharge tray after being multi-fed, the sheets on which the images are normally formed are stacked on the multi-fed sheets, There was a problem that it could not be distinguished.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and can efficiently perform a sorting image forming operation for the number of copies exceeding the number of bin trays, and can easily distinguish multi-fed sheets. It is intended to provide a paper discharge storage device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A main body connected to the image forming apparatus, a bin tray unit in which a plurality of bin trays provided in the main body for sorting and stacking sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus are vertically arranged, and In a paper discharge storage device provided with a paper discharge tray provided to collectively stack the papers, the paper discharge storage device further includes a sorting unit that sorts the papers discharged onto the paper discharge tray.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper discharge storage device of the first aspect, the number of the bin trays exceeds the number of the bin trays when the sorting image forming operation for the number of copies exceeds the number of the bin trays. Min. Of the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray, and the paper discharged on the paper discharge tray is sorted by the sorting means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper discharge storage device according to the first or second aspect, the image forming apparatus further detects a double feed when the paper is multi-fed. When the multi-feed detection unit detects the multi-feed of the paper, the multi-fed paper is discharged to the discharge tray, and the paper multi-fed by the sorting unit and another paper. The paper is sorted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the paper discharge storage device according to the first, second, or third aspect, the sorting means is provided detachably with respect to the main body. Features.

[0010]

FIG. 1 shows a paper discharge storage device employing an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
The stencil printing apparatus 2 as an image forming apparatus is integrally connected. First, the stencil printing device 2 to which the paper discharge storage device 1 is connected will be schematically described. The stencil printing apparatus 2 sends the paper conveyed by the printing drum 16, the press roller 15 for pressing the paper to the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 16, and the paper feeding device 14 toward the press roller 15 at a predetermined timing. A registration roller pair 25, a peeling claw 17 for peeling the sheet from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16, a sheet discharging unit 3 for discharging the sheet outside the machine, and the like are provided.

A porous cylindrical plate cylinder 16 on which a master made of plate is wound on the outer peripheral surface is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body by a central shaft also serving as an ink supply pipe. Is driven to rotate. A well-known ink supply unit (not shown) having an ink roller, a doctor roller, and the like is provided inside the plate cylinder 16.
The press roller 15 and the peeling claw 17 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16 in order to avoid interference with a protrusion on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder, such as a master locking means (not shown) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16. It is provided so as to be able to freely move in and out and move back and forth.

A pair of registration rollers 25 composed of two rollers 25a and 25b has an upper roller 25a pressed against a lower roller 25b.
The roller 25a is configured to move upward as shown in FIG. 2 when the sheet P is sandwiched between 5a and 25b. Above the roller 25a, a micro displacement sensor 57 as double feed detecting means is provided. The micro displacement sensor 57 having the light emitting unit 57a and the light receiving unit 57b measures the movement amount of the roller 25a when the paper P is sandwiched between the rollers 25a and 25b, and as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. A control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 2 when the paper P1 conveyed between the rollers 25a and 25b is nipped and the amount of upward movement of the rollers 25a becomes larger than a predetermined value. To output a double feed detection signal. In addition, as the double feed detecting means,
For example, another known configuration may be used, such as one that performs double feed detection based on a change in the amount of received light as disclosed in JP-A-10-166706.

The paper discharge section 3 is disposed near the inside of the paper discharge port a of the apparatus main body, and includes a pair of rollers 18, an endless belt 19 wound between the rollers 18, and a belt 19.
And a suction fan 20 for sucking paper, and the endless belt 1
When the sheet No. 9 is driven, the sheet is discharged from the discharge port a.

The stencil printing device 2 and the paper discharge storage device 1 are placed on the same floor 4. The paper discharge storage device 1 has its discharge part facing position A aligned with the paper discharge part 3 of the stencil printing device 2, and the connecting board 10 (see FIG. 3) is mounted on a main body frame (not shown) of the stencil printing device 2. And are integrally connected via

The paper discharge storage device 1 includes a frame 5 as a rectangular tower-shaped main body movable on the floor surface 4, and a bin tray unit 7, an elevating mechanism 8, and a sorting means inside the frame 5. A paper ejection tray 9 provided with an image carrier 119; an intake unit transporting unit 11 for transporting paper in the intake direction X; a distribution unit transporting unit 12; a switching driving unit 13 for switching and holding the intake unit transporting unit 11
(See FIG. 5).

The frame 5 is mainly composed of a bottom frame 21, a plurality of vertical frames 22 integrally connected to the bottom frame 21 and extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of horizontal frames 23 connecting these. An outer plate P (see FIG. 3) is provided at an appropriate position outside each of these frame members. A bin tray unit 7 having a plurality of bin trays 6 and each bin tray 6
Distributing unit transport means 12 for distributing sheets to the paper is provided.

The bin tray unit 7 includes a pair of vertical frames 24 integrally connected between upper and lower horizontal frames 23 of the frame 5.
And a plurality of bin trays 6 disposed between the vertical frames 24 and arranged equally in the vertical direction. Each bin tray 6 has a not-shown attachment portion formed on both left and right ends (a front end portion and a rear end portion in FIG. 1), and is attached to a support portion (not shown) of the vertical frame 24 via this attachment portion. Each bin tray 6 is provided so as to align the respective entrance-side ends 601 in the vertical direction.
The vertical interval b at the entrance-side end 601 of each of the bin trays 6 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction is set so as to secure an interval at which each bin tray 6 can stack a predetermined number of sheets. The portion on the frame 5 surrounding the outer peripheral portion of the plurality of bin tray groups is opened, so that the operator can easily stand the paper discharge storage device 1 and easily remove the sheets stacked on each bin tray 6. Can be taken out.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bin tray unit 7
The distributing section transporting means 12 is provided at a position facing the entrance end 601 of each bin tray 6. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the distributing section transporting means 12 includes a pair of distributing section vertical frames 26, a distributing section horizontal frame 27 connecting these to each other, and a pair of bearing members near upper and lower ends of the pair of distributing section vertical frames 26. Upper and lower rollers 28, 29, which are pivotally connected via an example shown in FIG.
A plurality (four in this case) of endless belts 30 wound around each of the rollers 28 and 29, and a sheet disposed inside the rotation area of the endless belt 30 and conveyed vertically is fed to the upper surface of a predetermined bin tray 6. Indexer 3 to deflect toward
1. A pair of upper and lower suction fans 32 and suction fans 32 which are arranged opposite to the endless belt 30 via a space e (see FIG. 1).
And an outer wall member 33 for isolating the space e and the endless belt 30 side from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 4, each endless belt 30 is made of synthetic resin or rubber or the like, and has a large number of through holes h formed on the surface thereof. When the suction fan 32 is driven, air is sucked from the through holes h. To hold the paper being transported. Each of the upper roller 28 as a driven roller and the lower roller 29 as a driving roller has four enlarged diameter portions r.
Are formed, and endless belts 30 are respectively wound around the enlarged diameter portions r facing each other in the upper and lower directions. A gap c is provided between the endless belts 30 adjacent to each other, and a deflection projection 34 of the indexer 31 is loosely fitted in each gap c. As shown in FIG. 3, a drive gear 35 is integrally attached to one end of the lower roller 29.
Reference numeral 5 is connected to a drive motor 37 via a reduction gear train 36.

As shown in FIG. 4, an indexer 31 for deflecting the paper conveyed vertically by the endless belt 30 toward the upper surface of the predetermined bin tray 6 is provided near each of the rollers 28 and 29. The upper and lower indexer horizontal frames 38 and 39, a pair of indexer vertical frames 40 and 41 connected between the indexer horizontal frames 38 and 39 and arranged in parallel near the pair of distributor vertical frames 26, and each of the indexer vertical frames. A pair of vertical feed shafts 42, 4 arranged side by side along the frames 40, 41 and pivotally supported by the respective indexer horizontal frames 38, 39
3. The indexer horizontal frame 3 at the upper end of each of the vertical feed shafts 42 and 43
Driven gears 44, 4 integrally connected to portions projecting from
5. Each driven gear 44, 45 is connected to an intermediate gear 46, 4 respectively.
7, an indexer motor 49 for driving the drive gear 48, and the respective vertical feed shafts 42 and 43.
On both sides, and both ends are indexer vertical frames 40, 41
The movable frame 50 mainly includes a movable frame 50 which is loosely fitted in the inner groove, a deflection projection 34 which is integrally connected to the movable frame 50 and protrudes from the gap c between the endless belts 30 adjacent to each other.

When the indexer 31 is not operated,
A deflecting projection 34 is held at a reference position for sorting sheets on the lowermost bin tray 6. From this state, when a signal for sorting the sheets is input to the second bin tray 6 from the bottom in the sort mode, the indexer motor 49 is driven by one pitch to move the deflecting projection 34 upward, thereby being conveyed. The coming sheet is discharged to the second bin tray 6 from the bottom by the deflecting projection 34. Hereinafter, a sorting process of sequentially distributing the sheets conveyed in this way and storing them in the designated bin tray 6 is performed, and after the sorting operation of the designated number of sheets is completed, the indexer motor 49 is rotated in reverse.
The operation is completed by returning the deflection projection 34 to the reference position.

The upper and lower gaps between the pair of distributing section vertical frames 26 and the pair of indexer vertical frames 40 and 41 inside the distributing section and the rotation range of the plurality of endless belts 30 are covered by partition walls (not shown). The suction fan 32
Is regulated so that the suction force received by the sheet in the rotation range of the endless belt 30 acts reliably.

On the inner side of the frame 5 and directly below the bin tray unit 7 and the distributing section transporting means 12, toward the distributing section transporting means 12 or the discharge tray 9 disposed below the frame 5. An intake section conveying means 11 for conveying a sheet is provided. The take-in section conveying means 11 takes in and conveys a sheet from the sheet discharge section 3 at the sheet discharge section opposing position A, and includes an inflow side transfer path switching section 51 and an outflow side transfer section 52.

The inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is provided in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting board 10 integrally joined to the vertical frame 22 and the horizontal frame 23 of the frame body 5 is supported so as to be vertically swingable. The inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 includes a flat box-shaped base 511 supported inside the pair of connecting substrates 10, a drive pulley 53 and a driven pulley 54 pivotally supported inside the base 511, and each pulley 53. 54 (see FIG. 3), some of which are exposed on the upper surface of the base 511
Endless belt 55, and a suction fan 59 attached to the lower wall of the base 511 to attract paper onto the endless belt 55.
It is mainly composed of

The driving pulley 53 is driven to rotate by transmitting a rotational driving force from a driving means (not shown) by a driving force transmitting mechanism such as a chain or sprocket (not shown). The endless belt 55 is made of synthetic resin, rubber, or the like, and has a large number of through holes h. When the suction fan 59 is operated, the endless belt 55 sucks and holds the paper being transported on its upper surface.

A pivot pin 56 extending horizontally along the same center line as the rotation center of the drive pulley 53 is projected from the left and right outer walls at the inflow side end of the base 511. When the pivot pin 56 is pivotally supported by the connection board 10,
The inflow side end of the endless belt 55 and the base 511 is always held at the sheet discharge portion facing position A, and the outflow side end of the base 511 can swing vertically. Switching drive means 13 (see FIG. 5) is connected to a lower wall surface (not shown) of the outflow end of the base 511.

The switching drive means 13 includes an inflow-side transport path switching section 5
The support position 1 is switched, and the inflow-side transport path switching section 51 is selectively swung about the pivot pin 56. In this case, the switching drive unit 13 forms the sorting transport path by holding the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 at the sort position P1 shown by a solid line in FIG. The non-sorted conveyance path is formed by holding the side conveyance path switching unit 51 at the non-sorting position P2 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

The switching drive means 13 includes a bracket 58 projecting from a lower wall surface of the base 511, and a pivot 6
2, a pair of pinions 60 pivotally supported via 2, a rack 61 formed on the left and right connecting boards 10 and meshing with each pinion,
A worm wheel 63 integrally connected to a central portion of the pivot 62; a worm 6 meshing with the worm wheel 63;
4. Motor 65 for driving worm 64 (see FIG. 3)
It is mainly composed of The pair of racks 61 are formed to have a fan shape centered on the center line of the pivot pin 56.

The sort position P1 of the inflow side transfer path switching section 51
The swing to the non-sort position P2 is performed by inputting a signal sent from the stencil printing device 2 to the control means 166 (see FIG. 1) provided inside the paper discharge storage device 1, and
This is performed by inputting a signal from the motor 66 to the motor 65. Note that the discharge storage device 1 includes a first position sensor 66 that issues a motor stop command when the inflow side transport path switching unit 51 reaches the sort position P1, and a non-sort position P.
2, a second position sensor 67 that issues a motor stop command when the number reaches 2. The motor 65 is controlled by the pinion 6 according to the motor stop command of each of the sensors 66 and 67.
0 is rotated in the normal and reverse directions, and the inflow side transport path switching unit 51 is selectively switched and held between the sort position P1 and the non-sort position P2.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 6, the outflow side transport section 52 includes a box-shaped base 68, a pair of pulleys 69, 70 pivotally supported inside the base 68, and a space between each pulley. Endless belt 7 wrapped around and partially exposed on the upper surface of base 68
1. It mainly comprises a suction fan 72 attached to the lower wall surface of the base 68 and adsorbing paper on the endless belt 71. The pulleys 69 and 70 are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a chain, a sprocket, and a motor. Further, the base 68 is fixed substantially horizontally to the pair of vertical frames 24, and the outflow-side transport section 52 receives the sheet from the inflow-side transport path switching section 51 at the sorting position by the deflection piece 68a on the outflow end side. After being deflected upward, it is conveyed to the lower end of the distributing section conveying means 12. The endless belt 71 is also formed of a member such as synthetic resin or rubber, has a large number of through holes h, and sucks and holds the paper being conveyed when the suction fan 72 is driven.

Although FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 show the outflow-side transport section 52 directly fixed to the pair of vertical frames 24, the vertical frame 24 on the front side F (see FIG. 3) is excluded. By adjusting the layout of the frame body 5 side, the outflow side transport section 52
, The outflow side transport portion 52 may be supported so as to be able to be drawn out to the frame 5 side via a rail member (not shown) extending to the near side F. In this case, when a jam occurs in the outflow-side transport unit 52 or the distribution unit transport unit 12, the outflow-side transport unit 52 is pulled out to the front side F, thereby facilitating jam clearance.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the paper discharge tray 9 is supported by a vertical support frame 77 disposed below the frame 5 via a lifting mechanism 8. The discharge tray 9 is a discharge tray main body 7 supported by the lifting mechanism 8 via a lifting frame 79.
3, an end fence 74 erected on the downstream side of the paper discharge tray main body 73 in the sheet conveyance direction, and side fences 75, 76 erected on both sides of the paper discharge tray main body 73. A notch 78 is formed at the center of the upstream end of the paper discharge tray body 73 in the sheet conveyance direction and at the front corner of the downstream end of the same direction.
a, 78b are formed.

Since the side fences 75 and 76 have the same configuration, the front side fence 75 will be mainly described. The side fence 75 is provided so as to be movable up and down in a direction indicated by a white arrow in FIG. 9, and is slidably supported via a slider 81 on a rail 82 attached to the paper discharge tray main body 73. The rail 82 has a gap on both sides thereof, and both ends are integrally connected to the paper discharge tray body 73. The slider 81 includes a sliding member 81a slidably fitted to the rail 82, an inverted U-shaped pivot member 81b, and a pivot member 8 arranged so as to sandwich both sides of the slider 81a.
A pivot 83 for connecting the rising portions at both ends of the side fence 1b and for pivotally supporting a prismatic bearing 80 formed at the center of the lower end of the side fence 75.
And two compression springs 84 that elastically press against the upper surface of the rail 82 via. With this configuration, the side fence 75 can take an upright posture shown by a solid line in FIG. 9 and an outwardly lying posture shown by a two-dot chain line. Also,
Each of the side fences 75 and 76 has a well-known configuration (not shown) that moves in conjunction with each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lifting mechanism 8 for raising and lowering the discharge tray body 73 includes a motor 85, a worm 8
6. It mainly comprises a worm wheel 87, a pinion 88, upper and lower limit switches 89 and 90, and the like.

The motor 85 is mounted on a vertical support frame 77, and a worm 86 is mounted on the tip of the output shaft. A worm wheel 87 meshes with the worm 86, and the worm wheel 87 is mounted on a vertical support frame 77 via a shaft 91. The worm wheel 87 is integrally connected to a pinion 88 pivotally supported by a shaft 91, and the pinion 88 is provided so as to mesh with a rack 92 formed on a lifting frame 79. Upper and lower limit switch 8
Reference numerals 9 and 90 are attached to the vertical support frame 77, and output upper and lower limit position signals of the discharge tray main body 73. The driving of the motor 85 is controlled by the control unit 166, and the motor 85 functions as a discharge tray driving unit in cooperation with the control unit 166.

As described above, since the sheet discharge tray 9 is disposed below the frame 5 of the sheet discharge storage device 1, a degree of freedom in layout can be ensured. In particular, when the rack 92 is formed with a sufficient length. For example, the capacity can be set large by securing a sufficient vertical movement area of the paper discharge tray body 73. In this case, the end fence 74 and the side fences 75 and 76 are also set to a sufficient height.

As shown in FIG. 10, the discharge tray body 73
A bracket 120 is fixed to the upstream end of the sheet in the paper transport direction.
19 is attached by four screws 132.
The sorting means 119 includes a hook and hold means 153 for contacting the paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9 and moving the paper to the upstream side in the paper transport direction, a first motor 154 for moving the hook and hold means 153 in the paper transport direction, and a hook. It has a second motor 155 and the like for moving the holding means 153 up and down, and has the same configuration as that disclosed in JP-A-10-139260. Each motor 154,155
Is controlled by the control means 166. Note that the sorting means 119 is provided between the stencil printing device 2 and the paper discharge storage device 1.
When the stencil printing apparatus 2 is used alone, the stencil printing apparatus 2 is attached to the lower portion of the paper discharge unit 3 of the stencil printing apparatus 2 with the screw 132.

Hereinafter, the operation of the paper discharge storage device 1 in the present embodiment will be described. When the operator presses a plate making start key on an operation panel (not shown) of the stencil printing machine 2, a used master (not shown) wound on the plate cylinder 16 is peeled off, and then a plate making (not shown) of the stencil printing machine 2 is performed. Perforating plate making is performed on a master (not shown) by means. The master that has been made is conveyed to the plate cylinder 16 by conveying means (not shown), and its leading end is locked by master locking means (not shown) on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16.

In parallel with the master winding operation on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16, the motor 85 is controlled by a command from the control means 166.
Is driven to move the discharge tray 9 to the upper limit position indicated by reference numeral u1 in FIG. When the lifting frame 79 comes into contact with the upper limit switch 89 to operate it, the control means 16
The motor 85 stops in response to a command from the controller 6, and the discharge tray 9 is positioned at the upper limit position u1.

Further, the control means 166 determines from the output of the second position sensor 67 whether or not the inflow side transport path switching section 51 is at the non-sort position P2.
1 is not at the non-sort position P2, the switching driving means 1
The third motor 65 is driven to rotate, and the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is moved to the non-sort position P <b> 2 facing the discharge tray 9.

Next, the sheet feeding device 14 and the registration roller pair 25 are operated, and one sheet is fed between the plate cylinder 16 and the press roller 15 that are driven to rotate at a low speed. After the paper is pressed by the press roller 15 against the plate cylinder 16 to transfer the ink, the sheet is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16 by the separation claw 17 and sent to the paper discharge unit 3. The paper conveyed while being suctioned onto the endless belt 19 by the suction fan 20 is discharged out of the apparatus from the paper discharge port a, is placed on the paper discharge tray 9 via the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51, and the plate is The attaching process is completed.

If the image confirmation result in the printing step is good, the printing step is started. First, a description will be given of a non-sort mode in which sheets are collectively discharged onto the discharge tray 9 without being sorted. When the sort mode for performing sorting on the operation panel (not shown) is not selected and the operator presses a print start key (not shown) on the operation panel, the control means (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2 is in the non-sort mode. And outputs a signal to the control means 166 indicating that the mode is the non-sort mode. The control unit 166, which has received the signal indicating that the mode is the non-sort mode, determines whether or not the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is at the non-sort position P2 from the output of the second position sensor 67. Is not at the non-sort position P2, the motor 65 of the switching drive unit 13 is rotationally driven to move the inflow-side conveyance path switching unit 51 to the non-sort position P2 facing the discharge tray 9.

When the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sort position P2, the plate pulley 16 and the roller 18 are driven to rotate, and at the same time, the drive pulley 53 is driven to rotate. When the plate cylinder 16, the roller 18, and the drive pulley 53 are driven to rotate, the sheet feeding device 14 is rotated in the same manner as in the plate setting process.
Operates, and one sheet of paper is fed between the plate cylinder 16 and the press roller 15 which are rotatingly driven at a high speed. The paper, to which the ink has been transferred by being pressed by the press roller 15 to the plate cylinder 16, is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16 by the peeling claw 17, is sent to the paper discharge unit 3, and is discharged from the paper discharge port a to the outside And is stacked on the discharge tray 9.

When the sheet moves to the inflow-side conveyance path switching section 51 via the paper discharge port a of the stencil printing apparatus 2, the sheet is conveyed to the endless belt 55 from the endless belt 19 having both conveyance functions. In this part, the endless belt 19 and the endless belt 5
Even if the relative positional accuracy of the sheet 5 is slightly lower, the sheet is surely conveyed, the occurrence of a jam is reliably prevented, and the sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet discharge tray 9.

In the above-described non-sort printing step, when the micro-displacement sensor 57 detects double feeding of a sheet, a signal is sent from the micro-displacement sensor 57 to control means (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2. The control unit (not shown) that has received the signal outputs the multi-fed paper to the paper discharge unit 3.
After that, the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are stopped, and a double feed detection signal is output to the control means 166.

The control means 166, which has received the double feed detection signal,
By driving the first motor 154, the hook holding means 15
3 is moved downstream in the sheet transport direction. After the multi-fed paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9, the control means 1
66 drives the second motor 155 to cause the leading end of the hook holding means 153 to abut on the uppermost sheet stacked on the sheet discharge tray 9. Thereafter, the control means 166 drives the first motor 154 to move the hook holding means 153 to the upstream side in the paper transport direction, and discriminates the multi-fed paper from the other papers.

Then, the second motor 155 is driven to raise the hook and hold means 153, and the first motor 154 is further driven to move the hook and hold means 153 to the initial position on the upstream side in the paper transport direction where the paper does not interfere with the discharged paper. After that, the control means 166 outputs a signal to the not-shown control means that the sorting operation has been completed. Upon receiving the signal, the control means (not shown) rotates the plate cylinder 16 again to continue the printing process.

In the above-mentioned non-sort printing process, control means and control means 166 (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2 are used.
Cooperates with the motor 85 to function as a discharge tray driving unit. That is, the control means and control means 166 (not shown) controls the output tray main body 7 in accordance with the counted number of sheets.
The drive of the motor 85 is controlled so that the motor 3 is gradually lowered toward the lower limit position u2 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the height H (see FIG. 1) between the leading end of the paper discharged from the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 and the uppermost paper stacked on the paper discharge tray main body 73 is set at a constant interval. By keeping the sheet, the sheets can be stably stacked on the sheet discharge tray 9. Failure can be prevented. In the control of the motor 85, for example, it is appropriate to lower the sheet discharge tray body 73 by 1 to 2 mm every time about 10 sheets are printed. Further, the interval of H differs depending on the size and type of printing paper, but is preferably about 30 to 60 mm.

When taking out the sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray 9, first, the side fence 75 on the front side is tilted toward the front side as shown by a white arrow in FIGS. So that the right hand
In the notch 78a of No. 3, the left hand can be inserted into the notch 78b, the stacked paper can be grasped with both hands, and the paper can be easily taken out by pulling it out toward the user. In addition, even if the sheet is taken out in the same manner as described above without tilting the side fence 75 on the front side, the side fence 75 is easily pushed down by the printing paper. The printing paper can be easily taken out.

Next, a sort mode in which sheets are sorted and discharged onto a plurality of bin trays 6 will be described. First,
A case where the number of sorting units is equal to or less than the number of bin trays 6 will be described. When the operator presses a stencil making start key on an operation panel (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2, the discharge tray 9 is positioned at the upper limit position u1, and the inflow side transport path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sort position P2.
After the plate discharging, plate making, and winding steps are performed as in the non-sort mode, a plate attaching step is performed. The paper used in the printing step is discharged onto a discharge tray 9.

If the operator presses a print start key (not shown) on the operation panel when the sort mode for performing sorting on the operation panel (not shown) is selected, the control means (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 2 operates in the sort mode. And outputs a signal to the control means 166 to the effect that the mode is the sort mode. When the control unit 166 receives the signal indicating that the mode is the sort mode, the control unit 166 controls the inflow-side transport path switching unit 5.
The first position sensor 6 determines whether or not 1 is at the sort position P1.
Judging from the output of No. 6, if the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is not at the sort position, the motor 65 of the switching drive unit 13 is rotationally driven, and the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 faces the outflow-side transport unit 52. Move to sort position P1.

When the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51 is at the sort position P1
The plate cylinder 16 and the roller 18 are driven to rotate at a high speed. Further, the drive pulley 53, the drive motor 37 of the distributing section transfer means 12 and the drive mechanism (not shown) of the outflow side transfer section 52 are operated, and each endless Belts 55, 30,
71 starts moving.

As in the case of non-sorting, the sheet is fed by the sheet feeding device 14 and the registration roller pair 25 and is
The ink is transferred by being pressed to the plate cylinder 16 by the printer, and the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit 3 through the paper discharge port a is transported by the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 positioned at the sort position P1, and is discharged to the outflow side. Distributing unit conveying means 12 via conveying unit 52
Transported to After that, the paper transported upward by the distribution unit transporting means 12 is fed to the deflecting projection 3 of the indexer 31.
4, the bin tray 6 is deflected toward the upper surface and placed.

Thereafter, the indexer motor 49 operates in accordance with the number of sorts set on the operation panel (not shown), and the indexer 31 moves the first bin tray 6 and the deflection projection 34 from the reference position corresponding to one pitch. The paper is sequentially moved upward by a considerable amount, deflected the conveyed paper, sorted into each bin tray 6, and stacked.

Also in this sort mode, the inflow end of the inflow-side transport path switching section 51 faces the discharge section opposing position A, and the paper is moved from the discharge section 3 to the inflow-side transport path switching section 51 side. When the paper is moved, the paper is conveyed from the endless belt 19 to the endless belt 55. Therefore, even if the relative positional accuracy between the endless belt 19 and the endless belt 55 is somewhat low at this portion, the paper is surely conveyed. Thus, the occurrence of jam is reliably prevented.

In the above-described sort printing process, when the double displacement of the sheet is detected by the micro displacement sensor 57, the multi-fed sheet is sent to the sheet discharge unit 3 and then the plate The rotation of the drum 16 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are stopped, and a double feed detection signal is output to the control unit 166.

The control means 166, which has received the double feed detection signal,
By rotating the motor 65, the inflow side conveyance path switching section 51
Is moved to the non-sort position P2. When it is determined from the signal of the second position sensor 67 that the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51 has been positioned at the non-sort position P2, the control unit 166
Drives the first motor 154 to hook and hold
53 is moved downstream in the sheet transport direction. Then, after the multi-fed paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9, the control means 166 drives the second motor 155 to cause the leading end of the hooking and holding means 153 to move to the highest position stacked on the paper discharge tray 9. Make contact with paper. Thereafter, the control means 166 drives the first motor 154 to move the hook holding means 153 to the upstream side in the paper transport direction, and discriminates the multi-fed paper from the other papers.

Then, the second motor 155 is driven to raise the hook holding means 153, and the first motor 154 is further driven to retract the hook holding means 153 to the initial position on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction. Means 16
Numeral 6 drives the motor 65 to rotate to move the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 to the sort position P1. Based on a signal from the first position sensor 66, the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51 determines the sort position P
When it is determined that the position is set to 1, the control means 166 outputs a signal to the not-shown control means that the sorting operation has been completed. The control means (not shown) that has received the signal rotates the plate cylinder 16 again to continue the printing operation.

Next, a case in which the number of sorts is equal to or larger than the number of bin trays 6 and a plurality of originals are continuously printed using the ADF unit will be described. In this example, a case will be described in which the number of bin trays 6 is 40 and 50 copies of a printed material of 5 pages per copy are printed. The operator operates an ADF provided in a document reading unit (not shown) of the stencil printing device 2.
Set 5 pages of originals (5 originals) in the unit, select the sort mode on the operation panel (not shown), enter 50 copies (50 copies), and press the platemaking start key. I do.

When the operator presses the plate making start key, the used master (not shown) wound on the plate cylinder 16 is peeled off, and the first document is read by the ADF unit, and the stencil printing apparatus is used. The stencil making means (not shown) performs perforating stencil making on a master (not shown). The master made is locked on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16.

In parallel with the master winding operation on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16, the sheet discharge tray 9 is positioned at the upper limit position u1, and the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sort position P2. Then, the sheet feeding device 14 and the pair of registration rollers 25 are operated, the same printing process as in the non-sorting is performed, and the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 9.

After the printing step is completed, the image is checked by the operator, and then the printing step is performed. When the print start key is pressed by the operator, the control means 1
Reference numeral 66 moves the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 to the sort position P1. When the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is positioned at the sort position P1, the plate cylinder 16 and the rollers 18 are driven to rotate at high speed, and the endless belts 55, 30, and 71 start moving.

Paper Feeding Device 14 and Registration Roller Pair 25
Is fed to the plate cylinder 16 by the press roller 15 to transfer the ink, and is discharged from the discharge unit 3 through the discharge port a. The sheet exiting the sheet discharge port a is conveyed by the inflow-side conveyance path switching unit 51 positioned at the sort position P1, is conveyed to the distribution unit conveyance means 12 via the outflow-side conveyance unit 52, and is then deflected by the indexer 31. Projection piece 3
4, the bin tray 6 is deflected toward the upper surface and placed.

Thereafter, the indexer motor 49 operates in response to the rotation of the plate cylinder 16, and the indexer 31
The second bin tray 6 and the deflecting projection 34 are sequentially moved upward by a pitch corresponding to one pitch from the corresponding reference position, deflect the conveyed sheets, sort the sheets into the bin trays 6, and stack the sheets.

When the fortieth sheet is sent to the sheet discharging section 3, a command is sent from the control means 166, and the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are temporarily stopped. Plate cylinder 1
When the rotation of the motor 6 stops, a command is sent from the controller 166 to operate the motor 65, and the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sort position P2.
66, a command is sent to the indexer motor 49, the indexer motor 49 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, and the deflection projection 3
4 is returned to the reference position corresponding to the lowermost bin tray 6. When the inflow-side conveyance path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sorting position P2, a command is sent from the control unit 166 to restart the rotation of the plate cylinder 16, and printing is performed for the remaining ten sheets.

When the first sheet out of the remaining ten sheets is sent to the sheet discharging section 3, a command is sent from the control means 166, and the rotation of the plate cylinder 166 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are interrupted. You. Further, the control means 166 controls the first motor 154
Is driven to move the hook and hold means 153 to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and after the paper printed on the paper discharge tray 9 is discharged, the second motor 155 is driven to discharge the tip of the hook and hold means 153. Then, the first motor 154 is driven to move the hook holding unit 153 to the upstream side in the sheet transport direction. With this series of operations, the stacking position of the sheet discharged on the sheet discharge tray 9 during the plate attaching operation and the sheet discharged on the sheet discharge tray 9 during the 41st sheet printing operation can be relatively shifted. ,
The paper used for printing and the printed paper can be easily distinguished.

Thereafter, the control means 166 drives the second motor 155 to raise the hook and hold means 153, and further drives the first motor 154 to retract the hook and hold means 153 to the evacuation position on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. After that, a signal to the effect that the sorting operation has been completed is output to control means (not shown). The control unit (not shown) that has received the signal rotates the plate cylinder 16 to restart the printing operation.

Thereafter, printing is performed on the remaining nine sheets from the 42nd sheet to the 50th sheet, and the printed sheets are sequentially stacked on the discharge tray 9. Then, when the fiftieth sheet is sent to the sheet discharging unit 3, the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are stopped.

When the fiftieth sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 9, a plate discharging means (not shown) operates and the plate cylinder 16
Starts rotating, and a master plate discharging process from the plate cylinder 16 is performed. After the plate discharging process is completed, 2
The first document is read and plate making is performed by plate making means (not shown), and the plate-made master is locked on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 16. Thereafter, the same plate-attaching process as described above is performed, and the sheet with the plate attached thereto is transferred to the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51.
Is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9 via the.

After the completion of the printing step, a printing step is performed. When the printed sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 9, the control unit 166 moves the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 to the sort position P1. When the inflow side conveyance path switching unit 51 is positioned at the sort position P1, the plate cylinder 16 and the rollers 18 are driven to rotate at high speed, and the endless belts 55,
30 and 71 start moving, and thereafter, the paper feeding device 14 operates to perform printing. The printed sheet is fed to the inflow-side transport path switching unit 51, the outflow-side transport unit 52, the distribution unit transport unit 12
Is sent to the indexer 31 via the
Is guided to the bin tray 6.

When the printing process proceeds and the 40th sheet is sent to the paper output unit 3, a command is sent from the control unit 166 in the same manner as in the printing process for the first document, and the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 is performed. Then, the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 is temporarily stopped. And
The inflow-side transport path switching unit 51 is positioned at the non-sort position P2, and the deflecting projection 34 is positioned at the lowermost bin tray 6.
Is returned to the corresponding reference position. Inflow side transfer path switching unit 5
When 1 is positioned at the non-sort position P2, the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 is resumed, and printing of the remaining 10 sheets is performed.

When the printing process is restarted and the forty-first sheet is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9, the sorting means 119 operates in the same manner as in the printing process for the first document, and
A sorting operation for relatively shifting the second sheet and other sheets is performed. After completion of the sorting operation, printing is performed on the remaining nine sheets from the 42nd sheet to the 50th sheet, and the printed sheets are sequentially stacked on the discharge tray 9. Then, when the fiftieth sheet is sent to the sheet discharging unit 3, the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 and the operation of the sheet feeding device 14 are stopped. Hereinafter, the above operation is repeated until the printing process for the fifth document is completed.

With this configuration, each bin tray 6 has a total of 40 printed sheets of 5 pages each, and the output tray 9 has a total of 5 printed sheets each having a total of 5 copies.
It means that they are bundled. The operator divides the printed matter on the paper discharge tray 9 into one bundle, and then takes out one printed matter from each bundle to create ten copies of the printed matter. At this time, the sheet corresponding to the division of each bundle is
The operator can easily distinguish each bundle because it is distinguished from the others by 19.

In the above-described operation, if the double displacement of the sheet is detected by the micro displacement sensor 57,
After the multi-fed paper is sent to the paper discharge section 3, the rotation of the plate cylinder 16 and the operation of the paper feeder 14 are stopped, and the control means 166 is stopped.
, A double feed detection signal is output. The control means 166, which has received the double feed detection signal, activates the sorting means 119 to distinguish the double fed paper from other papers.

In the above embodiment, regardless of whether the sheets are sorted or not, when the sheets are multi-fed, the multi-feed detecting means detects the multi-fed sheets, discharges the multi-fed sheets to the discharge tray, and further sorts the sheets. Therefore, the multi-fed paper can be easily taken out and the printing efficiency can be improved. Further, even in the case of performing the sort printing of the number of copies exceeding the number of sort bins, the excess number of sheets is discharged onto the output tray and distinguished by the sorting means, so that the operator can easily sort the sheets. Can be.

In the above-described embodiment, the sheet sorting position (the position where the sheet is pulled out) by the sorting means is one.
By setting the paper sorting position to two or more, the sorting position at the time of sorting, the sorting position at the time of detecting a multi-feed sheet, the sorting position of the printing paper, and the like can be distinguished from each other, thereby further improving work efficiency. Can be.

In the above embodiment, a stencil printing apparatus is used as the image forming apparatus. However, an electrophotographic copying apparatus, a printer, or the like may be employed as the image forming apparatus. Can be.

[0078]

According to the present invention, since the paper discharge tray has the sorting means, the double feeding of the paper is detected by the double feeding detecting means, and the multi-fed paper is discharged to the paper discharging tray and is sorted by the sorting means. By distinguishing it from other sheets, the multi-fed sheet can be easily taken out, and the printing efficiency can be improved. Further, even in the case of performing the sort printing of the number of copies exceeding the number of sort bins, the sheets of the number exceeding the number of sort bins are discharged onto the discharge tray and distinguished by the sorting means, thereby facilitating the sorting of the sheets by the operator. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view of a paper discharge storage device and a stencil printing device that employ an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a double feed detecting unit used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan cross-sectional view illustrating an intake unit transporting means of the paper discharge storage device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional side view for explaining a distributing section conveying means of the paper discharge storage device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating an inflow-side transport path switching unit of the paper discharge storage device used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an outflow-side transport unit of the paper discharge storage device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an essential part for explaining a paper discharge tray and a lifting / lowering means of a paper discharge storage device used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of a discharge tray used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of a paper discharge tray used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial front view showing a sorting means used in one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 paper discharge storage device 2 image forming device (stencil printing device) 5 main body (frame) 6 bin tray 7 bin tray unit 9 paper discharge tray 57 double feed detecting means (micro displacement sensor) 119 sorting means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bin tray unit comprising: a main body connected to an image forming apparatus; and a plurality of bin trays provided in the main body and arranged in a vertical direction for sorting and stacking sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus. And a paper discharge tray provided on the main body and having a paper discharge tray for stacking the papers in a lump, comprising: a discharge unit that sorts the papers discharged onto the paper discharge tray. Paper storage device. 2. When the number of sorted image forming operations exceeds the number of the bin trays, the number of sheets exceeding the number of the bin trays is discharged to the discharge tray, and the sheets are discharged onto the discharge tray. 2. The sheet discharge storage device according to claim 1, wherein the discharged sheets are sorted by the sorting unit. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a double feed detecting means for detecting the double feed of the paper when the double feed of the paper is detected by the double feed detecting means. 3. The paper sheet discharged to the paper ejection tray, and the paper sheet fed by the sorting means and the other paper sheets are sorted.
The paper ejection storage device according to the above. 4. The paper discharge storage device according to claim 1, wherein said sorting means is provided detachably with respect to said main body.