JP2001261225A - Post-treating device of image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a post-treating device simple and inexpensive in constitution capable of facilitating handling of sheets and hardly causing a paper jam. SOLUTION: Plural bin trays 51 are arranged in an inclined rising attitude, and each bin tray 51 is provided with a pair of carry-in rollers for carrying a sheet 50 in the bin tray 51 from below, and a cover member 55 for opening and closing a carry-in path 54 formed by he paired rollers 53. The cover member 55 is switched to a first position of closing the carry-in path 54 to regulate introduction of the sheet into the bin tray 51, a second position of opening the carry-in path 54 to permit introduction of a sheet into the bin tray 51, and a third position of pressing the sheets stacked on the bin tray 51.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus which is attached to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like, and stacks sheets after forming images on a plurality of bin trays.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional post-processing apparatus (sorter) A of this kind
As shown in FIG. 1, for example, it is common to attach and use a plurality of bin trays 9 to a horizontal surface, for example, at an inclination angle of 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. And a vertically arranged multi-stage structure.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a discharge tray (proof tray), 2 denotes a conveyance path toward the discharge tray 1, 3 denotes a discharge detection sensor, 4 denotes an entrance sensor, 5 denotes a branch claw, 6 denotes a perforated unit, and 7 denotes a perforated unit. A conveyance path toward the bin tray 9, 8 is a conveyance detection sensor, 10 is a stipple unit, 11 is a detection sensor on the copying machine main body B side, 12 is a discharge roller on the copying machine main body B side, 13 is a conveyance driving motor, and 14 is a branch. A transport path toward the claw 5, a bin tray vertical drive motor 15, a bin tray section discharge port, a spiral bin tray vertical cam 17, a discharge tray discharge port 18, and an end fence 19 for the bin tray 9.

The operation of the post-processing apparatus A will be described. The sheet (transfer paper) discharged from the copier body B is
The branching claw 5 branches to the bin tray 9 side and the discharge tray 1 side. The transfer paper conveyed to the bin tray 9 side is stored in the bin tray 9 displaced to a position opposed to the bin tray discharge port 16 by the action of the bin tray vertical cam 17 and the bin tray vertical drive motor 15 engaged with the bin tray 9. In, it is sorted.

The normal angle of the bin tray 9 is set at 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. When the rear end of the transfer paper dropped on the bin tray 9 comes into contact with the end fence 19 of the bin tray 9, The transfer paper is aligned in the transport direction.

After the transfer papers stacked on the bin tray 9 are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction by a jogger (not shown), the bin tray 9 is displaced to the staple position by the staple unit 10 by the action of the bin tray vertical cam 17. Is stapled.

[0007]

However, in a structure in which a plurality of bin trays 9 are vertically arranged in multiple stages at an inclination angle of 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, the overall installation area is small, The sheets stacked on the lower bin tray 9 are difficult to see from above, and the handling of the stacked sheets is inconvenient.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-157454, a plurality of bin trays are arranged side by side as an inclined standing posture, but a sheet is conveyed from above to the bin tray. In addition, the sheets stacked on the bin tray were also difficult to see from above due to the transport path using rollers and guides.

In view of this, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of bin trays 9 are arranged side by side in an inclined standing position.
For each bin tray 9, a pair of loading rollers 2
0, the deflecting claw 21 is installed further below,
If the sheet 22 deflected by the above is introduced into the bin tray 9 from below the bin tray 9 by the carry-in roller pair 20 and stacked, the sheets 22 stacked on the bin tray 9 can be easily seen from above.

However, simply with such a structure, the conveyance of the sheets until the sheets are stacked on the bin tray 9 is unstable, and the sheets and other small articles are transported by the pair of loading rollers 20.
There is a problem that the paper may be inadvertently dropped into the carry-in section and cause a paper jam.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive configuration in which sheets can be easily handled and paper jams are reduced while the installation area of a plurality of bin trays is kept small. It is to provide a post-processing device.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus which stacks sheets after forming an image on a plurality of bin trays.
A plurality of bin trays are juxtaposed in an inclined standing position, and each bin tray is provided with a carry-in member for carrying a sheet into the bin tray from below, and a lid member for opening and closing a carry-in path by the carry-in member above the carry-in member. It is characterized by the following.

On the basis of this, other features of the invention dependent on claim 1 are as follows. <Invention according to claim 2> The lid member closes the carry-in path and restricts the introduction of sheets to the bin tray, and
The transfer path is switched between a second position where the carry-in path is opened to allow the sheet to be introduced into the bin tray and a third position where the sheets stacked on the bin tray are pressed.

<Invention according to claim 3> The lid member is switched and displaced by driving a stepping motor.

<Invention according to claim 4> Sheet detecting means for detecting the leading and trailing edges of the sheet immediately before entering the carry-in path, wherein the lid member detects the leading or trailing edge of the sheet. After a lapse of a predetermined time, the switching is performed.

<Invention according to claim 5> When the cover member is at the first or second position, the cover member is switched to the third position after a predetermined time has passed after the sheet detecting means detects the leading edge of the sheet. Displaced.

<Invention according to claim 6> When the cover member is at the third position, the cover member is switched to the second position after a predetermined time has passed since the sheet detecting means detects the rear end of the sheet. You.

<The invention according to claim 7> The cover member is at the second position, and is returned to the first position when the sheet detecting means does not detect the leading end of the sheet for a predetermined time or more.

<Invention according to claim 8> When the lid member is at the first position, the lid guides the rear end of the sheet to the end fence of the bin tray.

[0020]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 3, a post-processing apparatus a according to the present invention is installed and used on an image forming apparatus main body b. When the sheets 50 conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body b are divided into a plurality of bin trays 51 and stacked, the sheets 50 are introduced from below the bin tray 51 and stacked, and the stacked sheets 50 are placed on the upper side of the bin tray 51. It has a structure to take out from.

A plurality of bin trays 51 are juxtaposed one behind the other in an inclined standing position. By deflecting the conveying direction of the sheet 50 by the deflecting claw 52, the bin trays 51 to be stacked can be selected. ing.
The deflection claw 52 is driven by an actuator (not shown) according to a signal from the image forming apparatus main body b.

As shown in FIG. 4, for each bin tray 51, a pair of loading rollers 53 is used as a loading member for loading a sheet 50 into the bin tray 51 from below.
A lid member 55 that is installed near the end fence 51a and that opens and closes a carry-in path 54 by the carry-in roller pair 53 above the carry-in roller pair 53.
It is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft 56 with the vicinity of the tip of 1a as a fulcrum. Also, the pair of loading rollers 53 and the deflecting claw 5
2, a sheet detection sensor 57 that detects the leading end and the trailing end of the sheet 50 is provided.

The cover member 55 is rotated by transmitting the rotation of a stepping motor (not shown) to a rotation shaft 56 via a timing belt, a gear, or the like, and rotates at a first position shown in FIG. 4 and a second position shown in FIG. And the third position shown in FIG. 7 is switched (rotated). Then, the lid member 55 is configured as shown in FIG.
In the first position shown in FIG. 5, the carry-in path 54 by the carry-in roller pair 53 is closed from above to restrict the introduction of the sheet 50 into the bin tray 51.

In the second position shown in FIG. 5, the cover member 55 opens the carry-in path 54 to allow the sheet 50 to be introduced into the bin tray 51, and the rear end of the sheet 50 is It also functions as a guide for guiding to the end fence 51a. Further, when the lid member 55 is displaced from the second position shown in FIG. 5 to the third position shown in FIG. 7, the cover member 55 presses the sheets 50 stacked on the bin tray 51. At this time, if the sheet 50 is buckled as shown in FIG. 6, the cover member 55 corrects this.

The operation until the sheets 50 are stacked on the bin tray 51 will be described. The lid member 55 is held at the first position shown in FIG. 4 with the tip engaged with the cam 58 during standby, and cannot access the carry-in path 54 from both the upper and lower sides. To prevent intrusion.

After the sheet detecting sensor 57 detects the leading end of the sheet 50 and a predetermined time has elapsed, the stepping motor is driven by a predetermined step, so that the lid member 55
It is rotated from the first position shown in FIG. 4 to the third position shown in FIG. At this time, if the sheets 50 stacked on the bin tray 51 are buckled as shown in FIG. 6, the cover member 55 presses this and corrects it.

When a predetermined time has passed since the sheet 50 was conveyed upward by the pair of carry-in rollers 53 and the sheet detection sensor 57 detected the rear end of the sheet 50, the lid member 55 was moved from the third position to the position shown in FIG. Is rotated to the second position shown in FIG. At this time, the lid member 55 guides the rear end of the sheet 50 released from the carry-in roller pair 53 to the end fence 51a of the bin tray 51, and stacks the sheet 50 on the bin tray 51.

When the sheet detecting sensor 57 detects the leading end of the sheet 50 within a predetermined time after the completion of the stacking operation of the sheet 50, the lid member 55 is again rotated to the third position, and Is performed.

If the sheet detecting sensor 57 does not detect the leading end of the sheet 50 within a predetermined time after the stacking operation of the sheet 50 is completed, the lid member 55 returns to the first position and waits. The posture of the lid member 55 in the standby state is such that when the sheet 50 falls
Of the bin tray 51 is guided to the end fence 51a of the bin tray 51 in an inclined posture.

[0031]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. Since a plurality of bin trays are juxtaposed in an inclined standing position, the installation area can be reduced. Since the sheet is carried into the bin tray from below the bin tray, the sheet can be easily seen from above and the handling of the sheet becomes easy. Even if the plurality of bin trays are inclined to the upright posture, it is possible to prevent sheets and other small articles from accidentally dropping into the carry-in portion into the bin tray.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by switching and displacing the lid member to the third position, even if the stacked sheets are buckled, it can be corrected by the lid member.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the lid member is switched and displaced by the stepping motor,
The structure can be simplified.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, even if a sheet falls on the lid member during standby, the rear end of the sheet can be guided to the end fence of the bin tray, so that the sheet stays on the lid member. The operation of the lid member is not hindered.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram in a case where a plurality of bin trays are arranged side by side in an inclined standing posture, and a sheet is carried into the bin tray from below each bin tray.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of use of a post-processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of the post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, showing a state where a lid member is at a first position which is a standby position.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state where the lid member is in a second position.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a state where sheets stacked on a bin tray are buckled.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where a lid member is in a third position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a Post-processing apparatus b Image forming apparatus main body 50 Sheet 51 Bin tray 51a End fence 52 Deflection claw 53 Carry-in roller pair (carry-in member) 54 Carry-in path 55 Cover member 56 Rotating shaft 57 Sheet detection sensor (sheet detecting means) 58 Cam

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus in which sheets after forming an image are stacked on a plurality of bin trays, wherein the plurality of bin trays are arranged side by side in an inclined standing posture, and each bin tray has a sheet from below. And a cover member for opening and closing a carry-in path of the carry-in member above the carry-in member. 2. A lid member for closing a carry-in path and restricting introduction of sheets to the bin tray, and a second position for opening the carry-in path and permitting introduction of sheets to the bin tray.
2. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position can be switched to a third position for pressing the sheets stacked on the bin tray. 3. 3. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lid member is switched and displaced by driving a stepping motor. 4. A sheet detecting means for detecting a leading edge and a trailing edge of a sheet immediately before entering a carry-in path, wherein the cover member has a predetermined time after the sheet detecting means detects the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet. The post-processing device according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is switched and displaced later. 5. When the cover member is at the first or second position, the cover member is switched to the third position after a lapse of a predetermined time after the sheet detecting means detects the leading end of the sheet. The post-processing device according to claim 4, wherein: 6. When the lid member is in the third position,
5. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sheet is switched to the second position after a lapse of a predetermined time from the detection of the trailing edge of the sheet. 7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cover member is at the second position, and is returned to the first position when the sheet detecting means does not detect the leading edge of the sheet for a predetermined time or more. Post-processing device of the image forming apparatus. 8. The cover member guides the rear end of the sheet to the end fence of the bin tray when in the first position.
7. The post-processing device of the image forming apparatus according to 1.