JP2005314069A - Sheet conveyance device and image forming device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet conveyance device capable of efficiently and inexpensively suppressing noise generated from a recording paper (sheet) without opening a conveyance path in waste and requiring time and labor for changing setting and to provide an image forming device equipped with it. <P>SOLUTION: In this sheet conveyance device provided in equipment used as the image forming device, unnecessary conveyance path is shut off by guide plates 15, 15A, 15B when changing a configuration of the equipment. The guide plate 15 corresponding to the change of configuration of the equipment is moved to change a shut-off section automatically by performing extension work. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveying device.

In a sheet conveying device in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, etc., noise during sheet conveyance, that is, sliding sound between the sheet and the guide plate during sheet passing and bounce noise at the trailing edge of the sheet, Techniques for reducing the use are conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5).
However, the structure of a guide plate or a film-like guide plate that reduces noise (sliding sound between a sheet and a guide plate during sheet passing and bounce sound at the rear end of the sheet) in a conventional sheet conveying apparatus such as Patent Document 1 is as follows. However, there are drawbacks in that it is difficult to cope with different transport paths due to the difference in the configuration of the equipment and the cost is high.
JP 2000-007184 A JP-A-8-225186 JP-A-9-175893 JP-A-7-181762 JP 7-315622 A

FIG. 7 shows a structure having a guide plate that can be adapted to various transport paths without costing installation, and shows a blocking means that blocks unnecessary transport paths in the configuration of the conventional sheet transport apparatus. In the configuration of the conventional apparatus in FIG. 7, for example, in a space where a plurality of transport paths 8, 10, 12 join as shown in the figure, a blocking means is used so that paper can be fed from all the paper feed trays. A certain guide plate 15 often had some “gap”.
In such a configuration of the guide plate 15, the guide plate 15 does not follow the conveyance path and has a gap, so that the bounce sound at the trailing edge of the sheet passing through each conveyance path 8, 10, 12 is completely eliminated. In some cases, the sound leaked from the gaps could be a problem.
An object of the present invention is to efficiently reduce noise generated from recording paper (sheet) without unnecessarily opening the conveyance path in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and takes time and effort to change settings. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus that can be achieved at low cost and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveying apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a sheet conveying device provided in an apparatus used as an image forming apparatus, wherein a guide plate for blocking an unnecessary conveying path when the configuration of the apparatus is changed. The provided sheet conveying apparatus is characterized.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet conveying apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the guide plate according to the configuration change of the device is moved so as to automatically change the blocking portion by performing the expansion work. Features.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet conveying apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein an object of the configuration change of the device is an additional sheet feeding tray.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet conveying apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the configuration change target of the device is a manual feed tray.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet conveying apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the device whose configuration is changed is a paper discharge apparatus.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including all the sheet conveying apparatuses according to the first to fifth aspects.

  According to the present invention, a sheet conveying apparatus that does not unnecessarily open a conveying path and that can efficiently suppress noise generated from recording paper can be obtained without taking time and effort for changing settings and the like. Can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a sheet conveying apparatus to which the present embodiment is applied. In FIG. 1, the recording paper (sheet) S stacked in the paper feed tray 7 is separated by the separation friction component 5 and the paper feed roller 6 and conveyed to the registration roller pair 2.
During manual feeding, the recording paper S is separated by the manual feeding roller 3 and the manual separation friction component 4, and the recording paper S is conveyed to the registration roller pair 2 in the same manner as paper feeding from the paper feeding tray 7. The
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a printer including the sheet conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and showing a printer clearly showing different paper feeding methods. As shown in FIG. 2, there are also conveyance paths from the additional paper feed tray 9 and the manual feed tray 11, and therefore the main body of which the conveyance direction is greatly changed in the noise reduction guide plate 15 having the “gap” as shown in FIG. It is difficult to greatly suppress noise with respect to paper passing from the paper feed tray 7. In particular, the recording paper S from the paper feed tray 7 changes greatly in its transport direction, so that the generation of noise cannot be suppressed.
FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is a schematic enlarged view showing blocking means for blocking unnecessary conveyance paths. In the space where the plurality of transport paths 8, 10 and 12 merge as described in the conventional apparatus of FIG. 7, some “gap” is conventionally provided so that paper can be passed from all the paper feed trays as described above. In order to solve the problem of the bounce sound at the rear end of the seat and the leakage sound from the gap, which arises from securing the gap, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Of the transport paths 8, 10, and 12, a transport path that is not used is completely blocked by the device configuration, and the guide plate is positioned along the open transport path.
That is, a noise reduction effect can be obtained by completely closing a conveyance path that is not used depending on the device configuration, for example, the conveyance paths 8, 10, and 12 in FIG. 3 with two movable guide plates (parts) 15A and 15B. I can give you.
Here, when transporting the recording paper S through the transport path 8, the transport guide parts 15A are moved to the A2 position and the movable guide part 15B is moved to the B2 position, thereby closing the transport paths 10 and 12 and guiding them. The plate 15A is moved along the transport path 8. Further, when the recording paper S is transported through the transport path 10, the transport path 8, 12 is closed by moving the movable guide part 15A to the A1 position and the movable guide part 15B to the B2 position. The parts 15A and 15B are placed along the transport path 10.
Further, when the recording paper S is transported through the transport path 12, the transport path 8, 10 is closed by moving the movable guide part 15A to the A1 position and the movable guide part 15B to the B1 position. 15B is moved along the transport path 12. With such a configuration, in each case, the guide plates (parts) 15A and 15B are in close contact with the wall of the unnecessary conveyance path, so that only the conveyance path to be passed through is opened, and the guide plate extends along the conveyance path. Therefore, the problem of the bounce sound at the rear end of the seat and the leakage sound from the gap can be solved.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining blocking of the conveyance path 10 using an optional additional paper feed tray. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining opening of a conveyance path using an optional additional paper feed tray.
In FIG. 4, when there is no additional paper feed tray, the guide plate 15 completely blocks the conveyance paths 10 and 12 from below, and guides the outside of the paper reversing unit evenly. When an optional additional paper feed tray is installed from this state, the guide plate 15 is moved along the wall of the conveyance path using the fact that the positioning pins 14 enter the main body as shown in FIG. The transport path from the additional paper feed tray is opened. When the tray 14 is added, when the positioning pin 14 enters the main body, the guide plate 15 moves via the link mechanism 16 or the roller 18 to open the conveyance path from below.
As a result, for example, for a user who uses only the paper feed tray without an additional paper feed tray, the paper reversing portion where the paper passing sound (collision sound at the rear end of the paper) is the largest can be uniformly guided to the outside. It becomes possible, and the quietness of the product (with or without options) will be improved.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 9 is an additional paper feed tray, 11 is a manual feed tray, and 17 is a paper discharge device (finisher). Here, the paper discharge device 17 may be provided with a guide plate for selecting the direction of the recording paper.
The present invention has been described in relation to an image forming apparatus such as a printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used for all industrial equipment having a function of conveying a sheet-like object.

It is the schematic which shows the sheet conveying apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is the schematic which shows the printer which has a different paper feeding method. It is a schematic enlarged view which shows the interruption | blocking means which interrupts | blocks an unnecessary conveyance path | route. It is the schematic explaining interruption | blocking of the conveyance path | route which uses the expansion sheet feeding tray which is an option. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating opening of a conveyance path using an optional additional paper feed tray. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is an enlarged view which shows the interruption | blocking means which interrupts | blocks an unnecessary conveyance path | route with the structure of the conventional apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  8 Transport path, 10 Transport path, 12 Transport path, 15, 15A, 15B Guide parts (plate), 9 Additional paper feed tray, 11 Manual feed tray, 17 Paper discharge device (finisher), S Recording paper

Claims (6)

  A sheet conveying apparatus provided in an apparatus used as an image forming apparatus, wherein a guide plate is provided to block an unnecessary conveying path when the configuration of the apparatus is changed.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate according to the configuration change of the device is moved so as to automatically change the blocking part by performing an expansion work.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the target of the configuration change of the device is an additional sheet feeding tray.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the target of the configuration change of the device is a manual feed tray.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an object of the configuration change of the apparatus is a paper discharge apparatus.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 1.

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