JP2001121783A - Sheet discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that the cover capable of opening and closing the upper and side surfaces of an apparatus body must be opened and closed after a sorter or a double side unit is moved when the processing of jamming is performed in such a state that the sorter or double-side unit is connected to the upper and side surfaces of the apparatus body in constitution such that a paper discharge route is opened by making the cover openable and closable and much labor is required in the processing of jamming and the mechanism of the apparatus itself becomes complicated. SOLUTION: In a sheet discharge apparatus equipped with a paper discharge tray 14 provided in the upper part of a printer body 1 and loaded with discharged sheets, a paper discharge roller pair 13 discharging the sheets to the paper discharge tray 14 and the paper discharge route 30 reaching the paper discharge roller pair 13, the paper discharge cover 15 openable and closable with respect to the printer body 1 is provided under the discharge roller pair 13 and the paper discharge route 30 is opened when the cover 15 is opened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet discharging apparatus, and more particularly, to a sheet discharging apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer using a laser beam, a copying machine, and a facsimile of plain paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Jamming methods such as a method for removing a misfeed sheet generated in a paper discharge path from a fixing device to a paper discharge roller pair of a sheet discharge device in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine using a laser beam or the like. Are invented, devised and implemented. In the conventional example, which is considered to be the most common, a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the printer main body is provided on the side opposite to the paper discharge tray, and jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper can be performed by opening and closing this cover.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-84421 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-125356 disclose such printers in which the nip portion of the paper discharge roller pair is opened to improve the workability of jam removal such as removal of misfeed paper. Described in the above.

On the other hand, in the paper discharging device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-58545, a conventional full detecting means is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 of the publication, the conventional full-state detecting means is swingably provided in the vicinity of a pair of paper discharge rollers, and is provided with a height of a sheet discharged onto a paper discharge tray. And a photo-interrupter for detecting the position of the filler. Sheets that have undergone image forming processing during printing are sequentially stacked on a discharge tray via a discharge roller and a paper discharge path in the order of pages. The full detection means is
It is provided to prevent the stacked sheets from overflowing in the paper output tray, making it impossible to discharge the sheets, or disturbing the alignment and page order.The uppermost position of the sheets stacked on the paper output tray is When the filler and the photo interrupter detect that the predetermined height has been reached,
Sheet full detection is performed.

[0005]

However, an image forming apparatus (copier) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-84421.
Is a so-called clamshell type, and during jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the upper body of the two parts is greatly inclined, so peripheral devices such as transfer paper sorting devices and document reading devices are used as image forming devices. (Copier)
There is a problem that it cannot be mounted on the upper part of the main body. Also, it is usually difficult to mount a double-sided unit or the like that is mounted in the fixing device in the printer body in a direction opposite to the image forming engine. Therefore, when these peripheral devices are mounted, the operation is complicated, for example, after the entire peripheral device is moved and evacuated from the printer main body, the jam processing cover provided on the printer main body must be opened. In addition, there is a problem that the mechanism of the apparatus itself is complicated.

In the printer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-125356, the upper roller of the paper discharge roller pair is supported by the open / close cover due to its configuration. Is difficult as described above. In other words, if the cover on the top and side surfaces of the apparatus main body can be opened and closed to open the paper discharge path, when a sorter or a duplex unit is connected to the top and side faces of the apparatus main body, the sorter The cover must be opened and closed after moving the unit and the duplex unit, etc.
There is a problem that the mechanism of the device itself becomes complicated.

On the other hand, in the full-state detecting means described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-58545, when performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper in a paper discharge section (sheet discharge device), the filler becomes an obstacle to misfeed paper. As a result, the filler itself may be damaged, and the edge of the filler may damage the finger of the operator.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the following is an object of each claim. An object of the present invention is to provide an opening / closing method for opening and closing a cover below the sheet discharging means so that the sheet discharging path is opened when the cover is opened. By devising, it is possible to mount peripheral devices such as a sorter and a duplex unit on the top and back of the device main body. An object of the present invention is to facilitate a jam removal operation such as removal of misfeed paper without complicating the mechanism.

An object of the invention according to claim 2 is that the paper discharging means comprises a pair of upper and lower rollers, an upper roller is provided on the main body of the apparatus, and a lower roller is provided on the cover to remove misfeed paper. An object of the present invention is to make a jam clearing operation easier.

[0010] An object of the invention according to claim 3 is to cover the cover,
The opening and closing direction of the cover is set to the upper side by swinging with a shaft provided above the sheet discharging means as a fulcrum. An object of the present invention is to secure a large work space for jam clearance.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, a jam is formed by removing a misfeed sheet by forming a part of a paper discharge path on a cover. The purpose is to ensure the processing work.

An object of the invention described in claim 5 is to allow the moving body of the sheet detecting means to be able to move from a contact position where it comes into contact with the sheet on the sheet discharge tray and be held at a retreat position sufficiently distant. In addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1, when performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the moving body becomes an obstacle, and the moving body (filler) itself is damaged by the misfeed paper. It is another object of the present invention to prevent the possibility that the operator's finger or the like may be damaged by the edge of the moving body (filler) or the like.

An object of the present invention is such that the moving body of the sheet detecting means is moved to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover which is always performed during a jam clearing operation such as removal of misfeed paper. Accordingly, in addition to the object of the invention described in claim 5, it is an object to improve the operation and work efficiency of jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the moving member of the sheet detecting means is configured to move to the contact position in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover.
In addition to the object of the invention described above, another object of the present invention is to improve the operation and work efficiency of jam clearance such as removal of misfeed paper regardless of the opening angle of the cover.

An object of the invention described in claim 8 is to enable the moving body of the sheet detecting means to move from a contact position where it contacts a sheet on the sheet discharge tray and to be held at a retreat position sufficiently distant. When performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the moving body becomes an obstacle, and the moving body (filler) itself may be damaged by the misfeed paper, or an operator's finger or the like may be used at the edge of the moving body. The purpose is to eliminate the risk of harming.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a discharge tray provided on an upper portion of an apparatus main body for loading discharged sheets, A sheet discharging device that is provided and discharges sheets to the sheet discharging tray; and a sheet discharging path that is provided in the apparatus main body and reaches the sheet discharging device. The apparatus has a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body, and the discharge path is opened when the cover is opened.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sheet discharging apparatus according to the first aspect, the sheet discharging means includes a pair of upper and lower rollers, an upper roller provided on the apparatus main body, and a lower roller provided on the cover. , Is adopted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sheet discharging apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the cover is swingable about a shaft provided above the sheet discharging means as a fulcrum. Has been adopted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet discharging apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, the cover is formed with a part of the sheet discharging path.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first, second,
5. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a sheet detecting unit having a moving body movable in accordance with a height of the sheet on the paper discharge tray, wherein the moving body is provided with a sheet on the paper discharge tray. Is moved from a contact position where it comes into contact with and can be held at a retreat position that is sufficiently distant.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet discharge device according to the fifth aspect, the moving body moves to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sheet discharge device according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the moving body moves to the contact position in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover. I have.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge tray on which the discharged sheets are stacked, and a sheet detecting means provided with a movable member movable in accordance with the height of the sheets on the discharge tray. In such a sheet discharge device, the movable body is moved from a contact position where the movable member comes into contact with a sheet on the discharge tray, and can be held at a retreat position sufficiently distant.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention including embodiments with reference to the drawings (hereinafter, simply referred to as "embodiments").
Will be described. In the embodiments and the like, members and components having the same function, shape, and the like are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the drawings, members and components which are configured as a pair and need not be specifically distinguished and described will be replaced with the description by appropriately describing one of them in order to simplify the description. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings and the description, even if the members and the components are to be shown in the drawings, the members and the components that do not need to be specifically described in the drawings may be omitted without any appropriate explanation. . (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a printer main body as an apparatus main body in a printer as an example of an image forming apparatus. The printer includes a cassette paper feed unit 9 and a manual paper feed unit 10 for feeding transfer paper P as an example of a sheet;
Forming unit 2 that forms an image on transfer paper P fed from paper feeding unit 10 and a fixing device that performs a fixing process on transfer paper P on which an image has been formed fed from image forming unit 2. And a sheet discharging device 50 for discharging and discharging the fixed transfer paper P fed from the fixing device 11. 1 and 3, the right side of the printer main body 1 is an operator position, and the right side of the printer main body 1 may be hereinafter referred to as a front side.

In the cassette paper feeding section 9, paper feeding rollers 9a,
A paper feed separation pad 9b, a paper feed cassette bottom plate (not shown), and the like are provided. The manual paper feed unit 10 is also provided with a manual paper feed roller (not shown), a manual tray 10a, and the like. Cassette paper feed unit 9 and manual paper feed unit 1
A registration roller pair 8 that feeds the transfer paper P to the image forming unit 2 at the same timing as the operation of the image forming unit 2 is provided on the downstream side of the paper feeding path 0.

The image forming section 2 includes a photosensitive drum 3 as an image carrier, a charging device provided with a charging roller 4 and the like arranged around the photosensitive drum 3, an exposing device (not shown), a developing roller Developing device, transfer roller 6, etc.
Transfer device provided with a photoconductor cleaning unit 7 provided with a cleaning member and the like, and a static eliminator (not shown)
And the like. The fixing device 11 has a well-known configuration including a heating roller 11a having a heating unit that presses through the transfer paper P on which an image has been formed, a pressing roller 11b urged by an urging unit such as a spring, and the like. .

In this embodiment, after an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 3 in the image forming section 2, this electrostatic latent image is visualized with toner, and this visible image is transferred to the transfer paper P. An example of a printer that passes and fixes the paper to the fixing device 11 for heating and pressurizing and discharges and discharges the sheet to the sheet discharging device 50 will be described. However, the image forming method is not limited to the printer.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sheet discharge device 50 is provided on the upper and upper surfaces of the printer main body 1, and is provided on the paper discharge tray 14 on which the discharged transfer paper P is stacked, and provided on the printer main body 1. And a paper discharge roller pair 13 as paper discharge means for discharging the transfer paper P to the paper discharge tray 14, and a paper discharge path 30 provided in the printer main body 1 and reaching the paper discharge roller pair 13.
And a paper discharge cover 15 provided below the paper discharge roller pair 13 and capable of being opened and closed with respect to the printer main body 1.

The paper discharge tray 14 is formed of a suitable synthetic resin or the like, and is attached and fixed to the printer body 1.
A fitting hole 14 a for locking the paper discharge cover 15 is formed integrally with the base of the paper discharge tray 14. The paper discharge roller pair 13 includes a pair of upper and lower rollers, that is, an upper roller 13a as an upper roller and a lower roller 13b as a lower roller, and the outer peripheral portion is made of an elastic member such as rubber. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge roller pair 13 is composed of, for example, a skewered roller whose outer peripheral portion is divided into four portions. Upper roller 13
a is rotatably supported on the printer body 1 side with a shaft.
The lower roller 13b is provided so as to be attached.
Is provided so as to be rotatably supported and attached to the paper discharge cover 15 side with a shaft. In this embodiment, the upper roller 13a is constituted by a driving roller,
3b is constituted by a driven roller which rotates while being pressed against an upper roller 13a which is a driving roller. The lower roller 13b is indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 by urging means (not shown) such as a spring provided in a direction to urge the upper roller 13a via a bearing (not shown) rotatably supporting the lower roller 13b. As shown, it is pressed against the upper roller 13a.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper discharge cover 15 has a paper discharge path 30 for discharging and guiding the transfer paper P.
And a discharge roller pair 13
An opening / closing hinge portion 17 formed at both end portions of the paper ejection cover 15 and fixed to the central shaft 16 for swingably supporting the paper ejection cover 15 with a central shaft 16 provided above the fulcrum as a fulcrum; A stacking unit 19 for stacking the trailing end of the discharged transfer paper P, a sheet trailing end aligning unit 20 for aligning the trailing end of the discharged transfer paper P, and problems in stacking the transfer paper P It is provided at both ends of the stacking portion 19 so as not to be disturbed, and is selectively fitted into the fitting hole 14 a of the paper discharge tray 14 to lock the paper discharge cover 15 to the paper discharge tray 14. These are integrally molded with an appropriate synthetic resin.

The guide portion 12 has four lower rollers 13b.
Are rotatably supported via the bearing and are provided so as to be separated. FIG. 1 in the guide portion 12
Is formed in a curved fin shape, and the paper discharge path 30
Form a part of. An upper cover 1a having a substantially casing shape is attached and fixed to the upper and upper surfaces of the discharge roller pair 13, and a side cover 1b is mounted and fixed to the left side in FIG. The top cover 1a and the side cover 1b are formed of an appropriate synthetic resin. Both ends of the center shaft 16 are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on front and rear walls of the upper surface cover 1a provided on the printer main body 1 on the near side and the back side of the paper surface in FIG.

As described above, the discharge cover 15 is
Along with the lower roller 13b, it is configured to be swingable around a central shaft 16 provided above the sheet discharge roller pair 13, and is configured to be in a closed position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 and an open angle θ in FIG. It can be freely opened and closed between an open position indicated by an imaginary line and a swinging displacement. The rotation center of the opening / closing hinge 17 of the discharge cover 15 is located on the discharge tray 14 side above the discharge roller pair 13, and the lock claw 18 integrally formed with the discharge cover 15 causes the printer body 1 to rotate. To the paper discharge tray 14 using its elasticity. When releasing the lock claw 18, the operation handle 18 a protruding from the upper part of the lock claw 18 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
The arrow inside raises the handle 18a by turning it clockwise.
Can be easily removed from the fitting hole 14a of the lock claw 18 by the elastic deformation of the base, whereby the paper discharge cover 15 can be opened to the open position together with the lower roller 13b. When the sheet 15 is opened, the sheet discharge path 30 is opened.

In the state where the paper discharge cover 15 occupies the open position, the click claw 25 of the filler 22 described later is used.
And a holding means such as a so-called magnet catcher or a magic fastener (trade name) for holding the discharge cover 15 in the open position at an appropriate portion of the discharge cover 15 or the printer main body 1. It is desirable to further facilitate jam removal operations such as removal of misfeed paper.

Next, the operation will be described. Cassette paper feeding section 9
The transfer paper P fed from the manual paper feed unit 10 is fed by the registration roller pair 8 at a timing between the photosensitive drum 3 and the transfer roller 6 of the image forming unit 2,
The toner image is carried by the image forming unit 2 and then the fixing device 1
Heat and pressure are applied while passing through the one heating roller 11a and the pressure roller 11b, so that the toner image is fixed. Next, the transfer paper P having been fixed is sent by a pair of conveying rollers 29 disposed near the downstream of the fixing device 11 in the sheet discharging path, and is guided by a sheet discharging path 30 provided with the guide portion 12 while being guided by a sheet discharging roller 30. By the pair 13, the paper ejection path 3 which is substantially upward in FIG.
The transport direction is changed from 0 to the upper right diagonally and transported.
The paper is discharged and stacked on a paper discharge tray 14 on the upper surface of the printer body 1.

When the transfer paper P passes through the pair of transport rollers 29, the paper discharge path 30, and the pair of paper discharge rollers 13 near the exit of the fixing device 11, if a jam occurs due to the occurrence of misfeed or the like, the paper is discharged. By operating the operation handles 18a at both end portions of the paper cover 15 as described above, the lock state of the paper output tray 14 and the paper output cover 15 by the lock claws 18 is released, and the center shaft 16 is pivotally moved to the center. As Figure 1
When the paper discharge cover 15 is swung open together with the lower roller 13b in the direction indicated by the imaginary arrow (counterclockwise), and the paper discharge cover 15 is held at the open position by the holding means, the paper discharge path 3
The space around 0 is largely opened, and the jam processing is performed in this state.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the jam processing operation such as the removal of misfeed paper can be easily and reliably performed, and the lower roller 13b is provided on the paper discharge cover 15, so that the paper jam is eliminated. It has become possible to further facilitate the processing operation. Further, the paper ejection cover 15 is attached to the central shaft 1 provided above the paper ejection roller pair 13.
6, the opening / closing direction of the discharge cover 15 can be set to the upper side, so that a large work space for jam removal such as removal of misfeed paper can be secured.

FIG. 4 shows a first modification of the first embodiment. The first modification is a modification of the printer main body 1 of the first embodiment.
A transfer paper sorting device 60 as an example of a peripheral device;
The main difference is that the double-sided unit 70 is mounted.

The transfer paper sorting device 60 is also called a sorter having a sorting function, and belongs to a sheet post-processing device. The transfer paper sorter 60 sorts a plurality of transfer papers P formed with images corresponding to images of a plurality of pages of originals in each bin tray in the order of the pages of the originals. It has a configuration and a function that can perform a group mode and the like in which a plurality of transfer papers P formed with images corresponding to images of a document are divided into respective bin trays for each required number of groups and discharged. The double-sided unit 70 has a configuration and function capable of performing a reversing mode in which the transfer paper P on which an image is formed on one surface of the transfer paper P is reversed and the transfer paper P is reversed so as to form an image on the other surface. The peripheral devices include a document reading device in addition to the transfer paper sorting device 60 and the duplex unit 70.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1A denotes a printer main body of the first modification. The printer main body 1A of the first modified example is different from the printer main body 1 in that the transfer paper P branches from the paper discharge path 30 near the transport roller pair 29 to the duplex unit 70.
A unit connection paper discharge path 40 for passing and guiding paper, and a branch claw 41 for switching the transfer paper P conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 29 to the paper discharge path 30 or the unit connection paper discharge path 40. Having a sorter connection discharge path 35 for passing and guiding the transfer paper P to the transfer paper sorting device 60 branched from the paper discharge path 30, and the transfer conveyed to the paper discharge path 30. Paper P is delivered to a pair of delivery rollers 13
Alternatively, a transfer pawl 36 having a branch claw 36 for switching to the sorter connection paper discharge path 35 and passing the transfer paper P in which the front and rear ends of the transfer paper P are reversed (reversed) by the duplex unit 70 are passed through the registration roller pair 8. Reverse conveyance path 42 for paper and guidance
Is mainly different. Transfer paper sorting device 60
Are connected to a plurality of bin trays 61a, 61b, 61c and 61d for stacking and distributing transfer papers P, and to a sorter connection discharge path 35, and a sorter transport path 65 for passing and guiding the transfer paper P. And a pair of transport rollers 62A and 62B provided at the upstream and middle portions of the sorter transport path 65,
Transfer paper P is transferred to each bin tray 61a, 61b, 61c, 61.
d, a pair of bin discharge rollers 66a, 66
b, 66c, 66d, and movable deflection claws (not shown) for changing the course of the transfer paper P to be selectively guided to the bin trays 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d. . The transfer paper sorting apparatus 60 is shown in a simplified manner for simplification of the drawing.

The double-sided unit 70 is connected to the unit connection paper discharge path 40, is provided with a transport path 71 for passing and guiding the transfer paper P, and is disposed in the transport path 71, and an image is formed on one surface. A transport roller pair 74 for sequentially transporting the transfer paper P
A, 74B, 74C, a reversing path 72 for reversing (reversing) the leading and trailing ends of the transfer paper P having an image formed on one surface, and reversing the transfer paper P having an image formed on one surface. Road 7
2 and a pair of reversing rollers 75 that rotate in the direction in which the rear end of the transfer paper P is transported to the reversal transport path 42 with the trailing end of the transfer paper P as the head.

The sorter connection discharge path 35, the unit connection discharge path 40, the reversing conveyance path 42, the conveyance path 71, and the reversing path 72
Is formed of an appropriate synthetic resin, sheet metal or the like. Branch claw 3
6, 41 and the reversing switching claw 73 are configured to be selectively driven by a combination of a driving unit composed of, for example, a solenoid and a biasing unit composed of a spring or the like.

The transfer paper P, which has passed through the fixing device 11 in the printer main body 1A, undergoes a selective displacement operation of each of the branch claws 41 and 36 in accordance with the respective operation mode, and then the transfer paper sorting device 60 or the duplex unit 70. To each of the transport paths.

Therefore, according to the first modification, the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the lower roller 13b is provided on the discharge cover 15 so that the upper part (upper cover 1a) and the lower part (top cover) of the printer can be obtained. It is no longer necessary to open and close the side cover 1b) for the above-described jam clearance or the like, and it is possible to eliminate the need to provide an opening and closing space therefor.
That is, even when peripheral devices such as the transfer paper sorting device 60 and the duplex unit 70 are mounted on the printer main body 1A, they are not moved and retracted from the printer main body 1A.
In addition, it is possible to perform a jam removal operation such as removal of misfeed paper from the front side (operation side). (Second Embodiment) FIGS. 5 to 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 150 denotes a sheet discharge device according to the second embodiment. Sheet discharging device 1
Reference numeral 50 denotes a movable body that is movable in accordance with the height of the transfer paper P on the paper discharge tray 14 as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 as compared with the sheet discharge device 50 shown in FIG. A sheet fullness detecting unit 28 as an example of a sheet detecting unit including the filler 22 and the support shaft 27 is provided. A support shaft 27 is provided at the same position as the center shaft 16 instead of the center shaft 16 of the discharge cover 15. 5, the discharge cover 15 can be swung about the same support shaft 27, and the filler 22 is brought into contact with the uppermost transfer paper P on the discharge tray 14 (see FIG.
At a retreat position (indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 5) which is moved from the position indicated by a solid line in FIG.
An interlocking mechanism for moving the filler 22 to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the discharge cover 15;
The main difference lies in that there is an interlocking mechanism for moving the filler 22 to the abutment position in conjunction with the closing operation, and that a projection 26 is formed at the outer end of the top cover 1a.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sheet-full detecting means 28 is formed integrally with a rod-shaped support shaft 27 and one end of the support shaft 27, and has a flake shape curved in an arc shape. It mainly comprises a filler 22, a thin plate-shaped light shielding plate 23 attached and fixed to the other end of the support shaft 27, and a photo interrupter 24 as sensor means provided so as to sandwich the light shielding plate 23. ing. Sheet full detecting means 2
8, the end of the light shielding plate 23 optically shields the optical path of the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the photo interrupter 24, so that the amount of the discharged transfer paper P is at the highest position of the predetermined set height. The arrival of the filler 22, that is, the full state of the transfer sheet P (sheet) is detected.
Both ends of the support shaft 27 are rotatably supported by a plurality of bearing members disposed on front and rear walls on the front side and the back side of the paper surface in FIG. 5 of the top cover 1 a provided on the printer main body 1. ing.

In the vicinity of the base end of the filler 22, a click claw 25 for selectively engaging with the projection 26 of the top cover 1a is formed integrally. The support shaft 27 and the filler 22 are integrally formed of an appropriate synthetic resin. When the filler 22 is moved far away from the paper discharge tray 14, that is, upwardly to occupy the retracted position, the click claw 25 is hooked on the projection 26 of the upper surface cover 1a on the printer main body 1 side and resiliently engages. Is fixed and held at that position. Since the hooking / engaging utilizes the elasticity of the resins, the filler 22 can be easily returned to the fixed position, which is the fixed position, by lightly pushing down the filler 22 toward the paper discharge tray 14, that is, downward. it can.

As shown in FIG. 7, the opening / closing hinge portions 17 on both sides of the paper discharge cover 15 in the second embodiment are supported by a support shaft 27 of the filler 22 provided above the paper discharge roller pair 13.
Is supported so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle.
Is swingable about the support shaft 27 as a fulcrum. That is, the swing center of the filler 22 and the swing center of the paper discharge cover 15 are the support shafts 27 arranged at the same position. A filler push-up portion 21 for securely pushing up the filler 22 to the retracted position is formed integrally with the paper discharge cover 15. In FIG. 7, to make the figure easier to read,
With respect to the center of the support shaft 27 of the filler 22,
Although the center of the open / close hinge 17 of FIG. 5 is deliberately shifted, as described above, both are swingably arranged around the center of the same support shaft 27 indicated by a dashed line. As described above, the paper discharge cover 15 is configured to be swingable with the lower roller 13b and the support shaft 27 provided above the paper discharge roller pair 13 as a fulcrum, and is shown by a solid line in FIG. It is openable and closable between a closed position and an open position shown by a virtual line that swings and displaces in the range of the open angle θ in FIG.

Further, the size of the filler 22 is made longer as shown by reference numeral a in FIG.
When the sheet 5 is opened, the sheet trailing edge aligning portion 20 or the like, which is a part of the sheet ejection cover 15, collides with the filler 22, and is pushed up together with the sheet ejection cover 15, thereby moving the filler 22 to the retracted position and holding it. Can be. Paper output cover 15
If the holding means for holding the paper discharge cover 15 at the open position is provided on the paper discharge cover 15 side during the opening operation, the click claw 25 on the filler 22 side does not need to be specially required. As such a holding means, a click claw similar to the click claw 25 on the filler 22 side is provided so as to click and engage with the protrusion on the printer main body 1 side, or a magnet catcher or a magic fastener (trade name) as described above. And the like can be provided at an appropriate portion of the paper discharge cover 15 or the printer main body 1.

At this time, if the opening angle θ of the discharge cover 15 is about 180 ° or less, the discharge cover 15 is returned to the closed position, which is a fixed position, so that the holding structure such as the click claw 25 is not provided. Of the filler 22 can return to the original contact position by its own weight. Even if the filler 22 has a holding structure such as the click claw 25, the holding state can be easily released manually, and therefore, the filler 22 can be easily returned to the original contact position by its own weight. However, when the opening angle θ of the discharge cover 15 is about 180 ° or more, in the configuration example described with reference to FIGS. The retained filler 22 is then removed from the discharge cover 1
By simply closing 5, the own weight of the filler 22 and the paper discharge cover 15 acts on the open side, so that it cannot return to the original position without permission. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, an interlocking mechanism for moving the filler 22 to the abutment position in interlock with the closing operation of the paper discharge cover 15 was created. FIG.
At the right end of the support shaft 27, a plate-like stopper 3
4 is fixed. Opening / closing hinge part 1 of paper ejection cover 15
An engagement stopper 33 is fixed to the right end of the nozzle 7 at a position corresponding to and engaging with the stopper 34. By setting the relative swing / rotation angle of the filler 22 and the discharge cover 15 to be a predetermined angle ω, the filler 22 is also returned to the original position in conjunction with the operation of returning the discharge cover 15 to the closed position. Will return to the contact position.

Next, the operation will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. When the transfer paper P passes through the pair of transport rollers 29, the paper discharge path 30, and the pair of paper discharge rollers 13 near the exit of the fixing device 11, and a jam occurs due to the occurrence of misfeed or the like, the paper output cover 15 By operating the operation handle portions 18a at both side ends of the paper ejection tray 14 and the paper ejection cover 1 by the lock claws 18 as described above.
5 is released, and the paper discharge cover 1 is rotated in the direction of the imaginary arrow (counterclockwise) in FIG.
When the sheet 5 is rocked and opened together with the lower roller 13b, the sheet trailing end aligning portion 20 and the filler push-up portion 21 which are a part of the sheet ejection cover 15 hit the filler 22, and the filler 22 is pushed up together with the sheet ejection cover 15. That is, the filler 22 moves to the retreat position in synchronization with the opening operation of the paper discharge cover 15. At this time, the click claw 25 of the filler 22 is hooked and engaged with the projection 26 of the upper surface cover 1a, so that the filler 22 is held at the retracted position, and the discharge cover 15 is also held at the open position by the holding means or the like. Will be done. Thereby, the paper discharge path 30
The space around is greatly opened, and the jam processing is performed in this state.

On the other hand, after the end of the jam processing, the holding state of the sheet discharging cover 15 at the open position by the holding means is released, and the sheet discharging cover 15 is moved clockwise in FIG. The roller 13b is operated to swing and descend. Then, when the user releases his / her hand from the paper output cover 15 near the position where the paper output cover 15 occupies the closed position, the paper output cover 15 and the lower roller 13b swing and descend by the action of their own weight, and the lock claw 18 is fitted into the fitting hole. 14a,
The paper discharge cover 15 is locked and fixed to the paper discharge tray 14 on the printer main body 1 side. As described above, when the paper ejection cover 15 swings and descends, the engagement stopper 33 on the paper ejection cover 15 comes into contact with and engages with the stopper 34 on the support shaft 27, so that the paper ejection cover 15 swings. -The force when descending is transmitted to the support shaft 27 side. As a result, the hook and engagement between the click claw 25 of the filler 22 and the projection 26 of the upper surface cover 1a are released, and the filler 22 moves to the contact position in conjunction with the closing operation of the paper discharge cover 15. Become.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the following advantages can be obtained in addition to the advantages of the first embodiment.
That is, when performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the filler 22 becomes an obstacle, and the filler 22 itself is not damaged by the misfeed paper.
Further, there is no danger that the edge of the filler 22 may damage the operator's finger or the like. In addition, since the filler 22 is configured to move to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the discharge cover 15 which is always performed during a jam removal operation such as the removal of a misfeed sheet, the jamming operation such as the removal of a misfeed sheet is performed. Operation and work efficiency could be improved. In addition, since the filler 22 is configured to move to the contact position in conjunction with the closing operation of the discharge cover 15, the relative angle between the discharge cover 15 and the filler 22 can always be kept at a certain value or less. Therefore, the discharge cover 15 is not restricted by the opening angle of the discharge cover 15,
Irrespective of the opening angle of the sheet, the filler 22 can be linked to the closing operation of the sheet discharge cover 15, so that the operation and work efficiency of the jam processing such as the removal of misfeed paper can be further improved.

In the second embodiment, similarly to the first modification of the first embodiment, the transfer sorting device 60 and the double-sided unit 70 can be mounted. In this case, the same advantages as the first modification can be obtained. Needless to say.

In the second embodiment, the discharge cover 15
The interlocking mechanism that moves the filler 22 to the retreat position in conjunction with the opening operation of the sheet and the interlocking mechanism that moves the filler 22 to the abutment position in conjunction with the closing operation of the paper output cover 15 do not require the advantage. If it is good, it is not always necessary, and both or one of them may be removed (see claims 5 to 7). If a simple structure as in the second embodiment does not need to be desired, the common use of the support shaft 27 that swingably supports the discharge cover 15 and the filler 22 is stopped, and the discharge is performed. Two support shafts that support the cover 15 and the filler 22 independently and swingably may be provided.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, but can be changed from the configuration of the second embodiment to a discharge cover 15 which can be opened and closed between a closed position and an open position. , And the paper ejection cover may be attached and fixed to the printer main body 1 side. That is, in a sheet discharge device including a discharge tray on which the discharged sheets are stacked and a sheet detection unit including a moving body movable in accordance with the height of the sheets on the discharge tray, The filler 22 may be configured to be able to be moved from a contact position where the filler 22 contacts the transfer sheet P on the sheet discharge tray 14 and held at a retreat position sufficiently distant (see claim 8). In this case, the filler 22 can be lifted without touching the filler 22 itself.
It is desirable that a handle or the like for operation is protruded from the side surface.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and if it is not desired to increase the operation / work efficiency of jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, For example, it is not always necessary to enable the filler 22 to be held at the retracted position (indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 5) or to hold the discharge cover 15 at the open position. In other words, the configuration may be such that the filler 22 can be moved and displaced to the retracted position, or the paper discharge cover 15 can be moved and displaced to the open position.

The present invention relates to, for example, JP-A-5-58545.
The present invention can be preferably applied to an image forming apparatus of the type shown in FIG. As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments and the like including the examples. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and may be appropriately combined with each other. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments and examples may be configured according to the necessity and application within the scope of the present invention.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A new sheet discharge device can be provided by solving the problems of the conventional device. The main effects of each claim are as follows. According to the first aspect of the present invention, a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body is provided below the sheet discharging means, and the opening and closing method is devised so that the sheet discharging path is opened when the cover is opened. By doing so, it becomes possible to mount peripheral devices such as a sorter and a double-sided unit on the top and back of the device main body, and it takes time to move and retreat these peripheral devices with respect to the device main body,
It is possible to easily perform a jam clearance operation such as removal of misfeed paper from the operation side (operator's side), which is the front side of the apparatus, without complicating the mechanism of the apparatus itself.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the paper discharging means comprises a pair of upper and lower rollers, the upper roller is provided on the apparatus main body, and the lower roller is provided on the cover. Can be further facilitated.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cover is
3. The opening / closing direction of the cover is set to the upper side by swinging with a shaft provided above the sheet discharging means as a fulcrum. A large working space for processing can be secured.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since a part of the paper discharge path is formed in the cover, in addition to the effects of the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, a jam such as removal of misfeed paper is achieved. Processing operations can be reliably performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the moving body of the sheet detecting means can be moved from the contact position where it comes into contact with the sheet on the sheet discharge tray and can be held at the retreat position sufficiently distant. In addition to the effects of the first, second, third or fourth aspect of the present invention, when performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the moving body may become an obstacle, and the moving body itself may be damaged by the misfeed paper. In addition, there is no possibility that the operator's finger or the like may be damaged by the edge of the moving body.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the movable member of the sheet detecting means is configured to move to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover which is always performed during a jam clearing operation such as removal of misfeed paper. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to increase the operation and work efficiency of jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the moving body of the sheet detecting means is configured to move to the contact position in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover.
In addition to the effects of the described invention, the relative angle between the cover and the moving body can always be kept at a certain value or less, so that the moving body abuts in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover regardless of the opening angle of the cover. The jamming operation such as removal of misfeed paper can be further improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the moving body of the sheet detecting means can be moved from the contact position where it comes into contact with the sheet on the sheet discharge tray and can be held at the retreat position sufficiently distant. When performing jam processing such as removal of misfeed paper, the moving body becomes an obstacle, and the moving body itself is not damaged by the misfeed paper, and the operator's finger or the like is damaged by the edge portion of the moving body. There is no fear.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view around a sheet discharging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the periphery of a sheet discharge cover of the sheet discharge device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus including the sheet discharge device in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view of an apparatus in which a transfer paper sorting apparatus and a duplex unit are mounted on the image forming apparatus including the sheet discharging apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a periphery of a sheet discharge device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a configuration example of a sheet full detecting unit provided in the sheet discharging device in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of an interlocking mechanism that moves a filler to a contact position in conjunction with a closing operation of a sheet discharge cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1A Printer main body as apparatus main body 13a, 13b Upper roller and lower roller as paper discharge means 14 Paper discharge tray 15 Paper discharge cover 16 Center axis as axis 22 Filler as moving body 25 Click claw 26 Projection 27 as axis 28 Sheet full detection means as sheet detection means 30 Discharge path 33 Engagement stopper 34 Stopper 50, 150 Sheet discharge device P Transfer paper as sheet θ Open angle of discharge cover

Claims (8)

[Claims] A discharge tray provided at an upper portion of the apparatus main body for stacking discharged sheets; a discharge means provided at the apparatus main body for discharging sheets to the discharge tray; A sheet discharging device provided with a sheet discharging path to the sheet discharging means, further comprising: a cover which can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body below the sheet discharging means; A sheet discharging device wherein the sheet discharging path is opened. 2. A sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet discharging means comprises a pair of upper and lower rollers, an upper roller is provided on said apparatus main body, and a lower roller is provided on said cover. And a sheet discharging device. 3. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cover is swingable about a shaft provided above said sheet discharging means as a fulcrum. 4. The sheet discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a part of the discharge path formed in the cover. 5. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a sheet detecting unit including a movable body movable according to a height of a sheet on the discharge tray. A sheet discharge device, wherein a movable body is moved from a contact position where it contacts a sheet on the sheet discharge tray and can be held at a retreat position sufficiently distant. 6. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movable body moves to the retracted position in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover. 7. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movable body moves to the contact position in conjunction with a closing operation of the cover. 8. A sheet discharge device comprising: a discharge tray on which discharged sheets are stacked; and sheet detection means having a movable body movable in accordance with the height of the sheets on the discharge tray. A sheet discharging apparatus, wherein the moving body is movable from a contact position where the moving body contacts a sheet on the sheet discharge tray and can be held at a retreat position sufficiently distant.