JP2008081211A - Paper conveyance device and image forming device provided with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper conveyance device capable of sorting out paper sheets for a plurality of jobs depending on job for a single delivery tray securely and delivering them without providing a plurality of delivery trays. <P>SOLUTION: A document conveyance device 40 being the paper conveyance device of the image forming device 1 is provided with a conveyance guide member 49 forming a document conveyance space and a guide up and down mechanism 50 provided near a document delivery port 48 of the conveyance guide member 49 to displace one end in the lateral direction of document forming a right angle for the direction of document conveyance on a document delivery port 48 side of the conveyance guide member 49 in the vertical direction and tilt the document delivery port 48 from the horizontal direction into the vertical direction. Consequently, a document passes through the document delivery port 48 tilted in the vertical direction to let gravity act and change the direction for feeding the document D to be delivered into the lateral direction of document simply. As a result, the document D can be delivered onto the single document delivery tray 32 while it is shifted in the lateral direction of document. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for conveying a sheet such as cut paper, which can be applied to an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer, a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus, and the like. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with the sheet conveying device.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, components such as a document feeding section, a sheet feeding section, a transfer section, a fixing section, a sheet discharge tray, and a duplex printing section for duplex printing are arranged. A paper transport path is formed in the front. The paper is transported by a paper transport device that includes transport members such as a transport guide member, a transport roller, and a roller that form a paper transport path. Similarly, a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus is provided with such a sheet conveying apparatus.

  A document transport device, which is a paper transport device provided in a document feed unit, feeds documents placed on a document placement tray one by one toward a document reading device, and then discharges them to a document discharge tray through a document discharge port. . Also, a paper transport device provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body is used for paper discharge, and discharges printed sheets one by one to the paper discharge tray through the paper discharge port.

  Here, when a plurality of originals are copied by the image forming apparatus, a plurality of originals are sent to the original reading apparatus one by one for one job (work, processing), and the original image is read. Are discharged onto the document discharge tray and stacked. Normally, the document feeder of the image forming apparatus is equipped with only one document placement tray and one document discharge tray. Therefore, in order to execute a plurality of jobs, it is necessary to wait for the previous job to finish, take out a document whose image has been read from the document discharge tray, and then start the next job. This causes a problem that the work time becomes long. In addition, if a plurality of jobs are continuously executed, the originals of those jobs are successively stacked on the original discharge tray, and it takes time and effort to take out the originals from the original discharge tray and to sort them for each job. There's a problem.

In order to solve such a problem, a technique for improving the reading efficiency of a document image for a plurality of jobs has been proposed, and an example thereof can be seen in Patent Document 1. In the automatic document feeder described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of paper feed trays and a plurality of paper discharge trays are provided, and a paper discharge tray for discharging a document can be selected.
JP 2000-238952 (page 3, FIG. 2)

  The automatic document feeder (paper transport device) described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of paper feed trays (document placement trays) and a plurality of paper discharge trays (document discharge trays). Since the original can be ejected by selecting the paper output tray so that the original is not stacked on the paper output tray, multiple jobs can be executed continuously. There is no need to sort by job. However, since a plurality of paper discharge trays are provided, there is a concern about an increase in the size of the apparatus. In addition, since the number of parts and the number of assembling man-hours associated therewith are increased, there is a risk that the parts cost and the assembling cost will increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge trays, and it is possible to reliably separate and discharge sheets of a plurality of jobs for each job with respect to a single discharge tray. An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use sheet transport apparatus that can reduce costs and improve transport efficiency. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus equipped with such a sheet conveying device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a conveyance guide member that forms a sheet conveyance space in the sheet conveyance device, and is provided in the vicinity of the sheet discharge port of the conveyance guide member, and is provided on the sheet discharge port side of the conveyance guide member. And a guide up-and-down mechanism that displaces one end in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction in the up-down direction and tilts the sheet discharge port from the horizontal to the up-down direction.

  Further, in the paper transport device having the above-described configuration, the guide up-and-down mechanism includes a folding portion that bends the transport guide member with a straight line that has a predetermined inclination with respect to the paper width direction, and a sheet from the folding portion of the transport guide member to the paper. A displacement device for displacing the location on the discharge port side in the vertical direction is provided.

  In the present invention, the paper transporting device is mounted on the image forming apparatus.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the paper transport device is provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge port of the transport guide member and the transport guide member that forms the paper transport space, and the paper transport direction on the paper discharge port side of the transport guide member It is provided with a guide up / down mechanism that displaces one end in the paper width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and tilts the paper discharge port from the horizontal to the vertical direction. It is possible to easily change the feeding direction of the discharged paper in the paper width direction by applying gravity. Thereby, it is possible to discharge the paper in a form shifted in the paper width direction with respect to the single discharge tray. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge trays, and sheets of a plurality of jobs can be surely sorted and discharged for each job with respect to a single discharge tray. Therefore, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use paper transport device that is reduced in cost and improved in transport efficiency.

  In addition, the guide up-and-down mechanism is configured to bend the conveyance guide member with a straight line having a predetermined inclination with respect to the paper width direction, and to displace the conveyance guide member from the folding portion to the paper discharge port side in the vertical direction. Therefore, a mechanism for discharging paper in a form shifted in the paper width direction with respect to a single discharge tray can be obtained with a simple configuration. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling man-hours associated therewith, and it is possible to suppress a significant increase in parts cost and assembly cost. Therefore, it is possible to provide a paper transport device that is further reduced in cost.

  Further, in the present invention, since the paper transport device is mounted on the image forming apparatus, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge trays, and a plurality of jobs can be surely loaded for each job on a single discharge tray. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an image forming apparatus that is easy to use and can be reduced in cost and improved in transport efficiency.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the image output operation of the image forming apparatus equipped with the paper conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described while explaining the outline of the structure with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus. A solid line arrow in the drawing indicates a sheet conveyance path and a conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a cassette type paper feeding unit 20, which is a paper feeding unit, is disposed below the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The cassette type paper supply unit 20 is provided with a general general-purpose paper cassette 21 and a large capacity paper cassette 22. Two large-capacity paper cassettes 22 having the same capacity are arranged in the horizontal direction at the same height, and constitute an upstream large-capacity paper cassette 22A and a downstream large-capacity paper cassette 22B. In these paper cassettes, paper P such as cut paper before printing is stacked and stored, and the paper P is separated and sent out one by one.

  A manual paper feed unit 3 is provided outside the upper right side of the main body 2. On the manual paper feed unit 3, paper P having a size that is not accommodated in the paper cassette of the cassette type paper feed unit 20 or paper that is to be fed one by one, such as an OHP sheet, is placed.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a vertical conveyance unit 4 therein. The vertical conveyance unit 4 is located on the right side that is the paper feeding direction in terms of the cassette type paper feeding unit 20, and is located on the left side in terms of the manual paper feeding unit 3. The paper P sent out from the cassette type paper feeding unit 20 is conveyed vertically upward along the side surface of the main body 2 by the vertical conveyance unit 4, and the paper P sent out from the manual paper feeding unit 3 is conveyed substantially horizontally to the left. Of the two large-capacity paper cassettes 22, the paper P sent out from the left upstream large-capacity paper cassette 22 </ b> A was sent almost horizontally right above the right downstream large-capacity paper cassette 22 </ b> B. Then, it is conveyed vertically upward along the side surface of the main body 2.

  A registration roller 5 is provided at the downstream end in the sheet conveyance direction of the vertical conveyance unit 4 and immediately upstream of the transfer unit 10. The registration roller 5 feeds the paper P toward the transfer unit 10 in synchronization with the toner image formed by the image forming unit 9 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P.

  On the other hand, an original feeding unit 30 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1, and an original reading device 6 and a laser scanning unit 7 that is an optical unit are provided in the lower main body 2. An operation panel 8 is provided in front of the document feeding unit 30 at a position where the user can check the display from the outside and can operate by pressing a button. When the user copies an original, an original on which an image such as a character, figure, or pattern is drawn is loaded on the original feeding unit 30, and printing conditions are input to the operation panel 8 to start printing. The original feeding unit 30 separates the originals one by one and sends out the originals, the original reading device 6 reads the image data of the originals, and the laser scanning unit 7 controls the laser light controlled based on the image data. 9 is irradiated.

  An image forming unit 9 and a transfer unit 10 are provided on the downstream side of the registration roller 5 in the sheet conveyance direction and below the laser scanning unit 7. The image forming unit 9 forms an electrostatic latent image of a document image based on the image data read by the document reading device 6. A toner image is developed from the electrostatic latent image, and the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 10 to the pre-printing paper P sent in synchronization by the registration roller 5.

  A fixing unit 11 is provided on the downstream side of the transfer unit 10. The paper P carrying the unfixed toner image in the transfer unit 10 is sent to the fixing unit 11 where the toner image is heated and pressed by a heat roller and a pressure roller to be fixed.

  A branching portion 12 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing portion 11 and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the main body 2. The paper P discharged from the fixing unit 11 is discharged from the branching unit 12 to a paper discharge tray 13 which is a paper discharge unit outside the apparatus when duplex printing is not performed.

  A double-sided printing unit 14 is provided below the portion from the image forming unit 9 to the branching unit 12 and above the cassette type paper feeding unit 20. When performing double-sided printing, the paper P that has been printed on the first side and discharged from the fixing unit 11 is sent to the double-sided printing unit 14 through the branching unit 12. The transport direction of the paper P sent to the duplex printing unit 14 is subsequently switched for printing on the second side, and is sent again to the transfer unit 10 via the vertical transport unit 4 and the registration roller 5.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the document feeder 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of the document feeding portion, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the document feeding portion viewed from the direction of the document placing tray. Note that solid arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the document conveyance path and conveyance direction. In addition, it is assumed that the sheet conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is designed as an original conveying apparatus of an original feeding unit mounted on the upper part of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the document feeder 30 includes a document placement tray 31, a document transport device 40 that is a paper transport device of the present invention, and a document discharge tray 32.

  The document placing tray 31 is provided on the upper part of the document feeding unit 30. On the document placing tray 31, documents can be placed from above and stacked. The document placing tray 31 is inclined from upstream to downstream in the document conveying direction, that is, from right to left in FIG.

  A lift member 33 is provided on the downstream side of the document placing tray 31 in the document transport direction. The lift member 33 is configured by a plate-like member having a shape along the placement surface of the document placement tray 31. The lift member 33 is provided so as to be rotatable in a vertical plane with the support shaft 33a provided at the upstream end as a center and the downstream end as a free end. The lift plate 33 is driven to rotate about a support shaft 33a by a motor (not shown) so that the downstream end of the document stacked on the document placing tray 31 is always in contact with the supply roller 42 disposed above the document. And is biased upward.

  The document transport device 40 includes a document supply port 41 and a supply roller 42 at the downstream end of the document stacking tray 31 in the document transport direction. The supply roller 42 is provided at a substantially central portion in the document width direction perpendicular to the document conveyance direction, presses the uppermost layer of the document stack stacked on the document loading tray 31, and feeds the document downstream. A document conveyance path 43 extends toward the inside of the document conveyance device 40 on the downstream side of the document supply port 41.

  The end of the document conveyance path 43 reaches the bottom surface of the document feeding unit 30, and a first document reading unit 44 is provided at this position. The document sent to the first document reading unit 44 is moving further on the document conveyance path 43 to the downstream side, that is, in the position of the first document reading unit 44 in FIG. 2 from the left to the right. Further, the image data on the first surface, which is the lower surface, is read by the document reading device 6 (refer to FIG. 1, referred to as the first document reading device) of the image forming apparatus main body 2 provided therebelow.

  A second document reading unit 45 is provided downstream of the first document reading unit 44 in the document transport path 43. When it is necessary to read the image data on both sides of the document, the document sent to the second document reading unit 45 is further downstream on the document conveyance path 43, that is, at the position of the second document reading unit 45 in FIG. Is moved from the left side to the right side, the image data of the second surface, which is the upper surface, is read by the second document reading device 46 provided above.

  A document discharge roller 47 and a document discharge port 48 serving as a sheet discharge port are provided on the downstream side of the second document reading unit 45 and at the downstream end of the document transport path 43. The document from which the image data has been read is discharged from the document discharge port 48 to the document discharge tray 32 by the document discharge roller 47. In the vicinity of the document discharge port 48, a guide up / down mechanism 50 is provided for vertically displacing a portion in the vicinity of the document discharge port 48 of the conveyance guide member that forms the document conveyance space of the document conveyance path 43. Details of the guide up / down mechanism 50 will be described later.

  The document discharge tray 32 is provided immediately below the document placement tray 31, and these trays are configured in two upper and lower stages. The document discharged to the document discharge tray 32 can be taken out from the front side of the document feeding unit 30 (see FIG. 3).

  The document placement tray 31 and the document discharge tray 3 are opposite to each other in the document transport direction, that is, in FIG. 2, the document placement tray 31 sends the document to the left, and the document discharge tray 3 sends the document to the right. It is configured to be sent out to Thus, the document supply port 41 and the document discharge port 48 are provided on the same side of each tray, that is, on the left side of each tray in FIG. The document conveyance path 43 extending from the document supply port 41 to the document discharge port 48 is provided in a shape curved in a U-shape in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.

  With the above configuration, the document feeding unit 30 feeds the document placed on the document placing tray 31 into the document transport device 40, reads the image data by the document reading unit, and then discharges it to the document discharge tray 32. .

  Next, the detailed configuration of the document conveyance path 43 around the document discharge port 48 of the document conveyance device 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 in addition to FIG. 4 is a partially sectional front view of the document conveyance path around the document discharge port, FIG. 5 is a partial top view of the document conveyance path around the document discharge port, and FIG. 6 is the same as FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the original feeding section, showing a state where the original placing tray is removed. Note that solid arrows in FIGS. 4 and 5 indicate the document conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a transport guide member 49 that forms a document transport space of the document transport path 43 is provided around the document discharge port 48. The conveyance guide member 49 is formed in a flat plate shape, and a document conveyance space is formed between the conveyance guide members 49 arranged substantially in parallel at two upper and lower positions.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the document discharge port 48 is provided at the most downstream end of the transport guide member 49 in the document transport direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the document discharge port 48 is normally configured to be substantially horizontal in the document width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a guide up / down mechanism 50 is provided in the vicinity of the document discharge port 48 of the conveyance guide member 49. The guide up / down mechanism 50 includes a bent portion 51 and a displacement device 60.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bent portion 51 is formed with a straight line having a predetermined inclination with respect to the paper width direction, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. The inclination of the bent portion 51 is such that the length from the bent portion 51 to the document discharge port 48 is longer on the front side (lower side in FIG. 5) of the conveyance guide member 49 and shorter on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 5). It is configured. By this bent portion 51, the conveyance guide member 49 is divided at the upstream side and the downstream side, and each is connected by a plurality of hinges 52. The conveyance guide member 49 is bent at the bending portion 51 by the hinge 52, and the position on the side of the document discharge port 48 is displaced in the vertical direction (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the displacement device 60 includes a solenoid 61, a wire 62, and a spring 63 that is a biasing unit.

  The solenoid 61 is disposed further above the upper conveyance guide member 49. In the solenoid 61, a movable iron core 61b is inserted into an electromagnet 61a configured in a cylindrical shape, and the axis of the movable iron core 61b is arranged along the document conveyance direction. In such a solenoid 61, the movable iron core 61b moves to the right, that is, downstream in the document conveyance direction (document discharge port 48 side) by the action of a spring (not shown) in a power-off state. When the power is on, the movable iron core 61b is attracted to the electromagnet 61a and moves to the left, that is, upstream in the document conveying direction (see FIG. 7).

  One end of a wire 62 is attached to the downstream end of the movable iron core 61b, that is, the end of the document discharge port 48 side. And the other end of the wire 62 is attached to the corner | angular part (location equivalent to A shown in FIG. 5) of the uppermost conveyance guide member 49 at the most downstream end front side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the spring 63 that is an urging means is disposed further below the lower conveyance guide member 49. The spring 63 is constituted by a tension coil spring, one end is a corner portion (a portion corresponding to A shown in FIG. 5) on the front side of the most downstream end of the lower conveyance guide member 49, and the other end is the document conveyance device 40. Is attached to a frame (not shown). As a result, the spring 63 biases the transport guide member 49 downward. Note that the conveyance guide member 49 does not move downward beyond the position shown in FIG. 4 due to the action of a stopper (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the guide up-and-down mechanism 50 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 in addition to FIGS. 7 is a partially sectional front view of the document conveyance path in the vicinity of the document discharge port similar to FIG. 4 and shows a state in which the conveyance guide member is bent. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the document feeding unit similar to FIG. 9 shows a state in which the document discharge port is inclined, FIG. 9 is a right side view of the document feeding portion, and shows a state in which the document discharge port is substantially horizontal and the document is discharged, and FIG. 10 shows FIG. 6 is a right side view of the same document feeding portion as that shown in FIG. 1 and shows a state in which the document is discharged with the document discharge port inclined.

  The guide up-and-down mechanism 50 in the vicinity of the document discharge port 48 of the conveyance guide member 49 performs the following operation.

  Normally, when a document reading job is executed and the document is discharged from the document discharge port 48, the guide up-and-down mechanism 50 turns off the solenoid 61 of the displacement device 60 to apply the elastic force of the spring 63. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the position of the conveyance guide member 49 on the side of the document discharge port 48 from the bent portion 51 is displaced downward. As a result, the document discharge port 48 is substantially horizontal in the document width direction as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the document D passing through the document discharge port 48 is discharged to the approximate center in the document width direction on the document discharge tray 32 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when another document reading job is executed following the job, when the document is discharged from the document discharge port 48, the guide up-and-down mechanism 50 powers the solenoid 61 against the spring 63 of the displacement device 60. Turn it on. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the position of the conveyance guide member 49 on the side of the document discharge port 48 from the bent portion 51 is displaced upward. The upper conveyance guide member 49 and the lower conveyance guide member 49 are displaced in conjunction with each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the document discharge port 48 has a shape in which only a portion on the front side in the document width direction is displaced upward, and is inclined in the vertical direction from the horizontal. Accordingly, the document D passing through the document discharge port 48 changes its feeding direction due to the action of gravity, and is discharged with its position shifted to the back side in the document width direction on the document discharge tray 32 as shown in FIG. The

  In this way, the document conveying device 40, which is a paper conveying device, is provided in the vicinity of the conveyance guide member 49 that forms the document conveyance space and the document discharge port 48 of the conveyance guide member 49, and the document discharge port of the conveyance guide member 49 is discharged. A guide up-and-down mechanism 50 that displaces one end in the document width direction perpendicular to the document conveyance direction on the outlet 48 side in the vertical direction and tilts the document discharge port 48 in the vertical direction from the horizontal is provided. Gravity is applied by passing through the inclined document discharge port 48, and the feeding direction of the document D to be discharged can be easily changed in the document width direction. As a result, the document D can be discharged from the single document discharge tray 32 while being shifted in the document width direction. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge trays, and the documents D of a plurality of jobs can be surely sorted and discharged on a single document discharge tray 32 for each job. Therefore, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use document conveying apparatus 40 that is reduced in cost and improved in conveying efficiency.

  The guide up-and-down mechanism 50 includes a bending portion 51 that bends the conveyance guide member 49 along a straight line that has a predetermined inclination with respect to the document width direction, and a position of the conveyance guide member 49 on the document discharge port 48 side from the bending portion 51. And a displacement device 60 for displacing the document D in the vertical direction, a mechanism for discharging the document D in a form shifted in the document width direction with respect to the single document discharge tray 32 can be obtained with a simple configuration. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling man-hours associated therewith, and it is possible to suppress a significant increase in parts cost and assembly cost. Therefore, it is possible to provide the document conveying device 40 with further reduced cost.

  Further, in the present invention, since the document conveying device 40 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, there is no need to provide a plurality of document discharge trays 32, and a plurality of document documents can be reliably printed on the single document discharge tray 32. D can be sorted and discharged for each job, and an easy-to-use image forming apparatus 1 with reduced cost and improved transport efficiency can be obtained.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing the periphery of the paper discharge port of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view showing the periphery of the paper discharge port similar to FIG. 11, showing the state where the paper discharge port is inclined. is there. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, the configuration common to the first embodiment is described in the drawings, and The description will be omitted. In addition, the paper conveyance device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is designed as a paper conveyance device for discharging the printed paper to the paper discharge tray provided on the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus. Shall.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the paper transport device 70 according to the second embodiment is configured to feed the paper P that has been printed on the paper discharge tray 13 provided on the side surface of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. It is provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 15 for discharging. In the same manner as the document conveying device 40 of the first embodiment, the sheet conveying device 70 has a shape in which the sheet discharge port 15 is inclined from the substantially horizontal state shown in FIG. 11 to the vertical direction from the horizontal shown in FIG. Displace to the state.

  In this way, gravity is applied to the paper P that has been printed by passing the paper discharge port 15 inclined in the vertical direction, and the feeding direction of the paper P to be discharged is easily changed in the paper width direction. be able to. Thereby, it is possible to discharge the paper P in a form shifted in the paper width direction with respect to the single paper discharge tray 13. As a result, there is no need to provide a plurality of discharge trays, and the sheets P of a plurality of jobs can be reliably discharged to the single sheet discharge tray 13 for each job. Therefore, it is possible to provide the sheet conveying apparatus 70 that is reduced in cost and improved in conveying efficiency.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since the sheet conveying device 70 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, there is no need to provide a plurality of sheet discharge trays 13, and a plurality of sheets of jobs can be reliably printed on the single sheet discharge tray 13. P can be separated and discharged for each job, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be obtained in which cost is reduced and conveyance efficiency is improved.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is exemplified by the document conveying device mounted on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus and the sheet conveying device for discharging the sheet to the sheet discharging tray provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body. As described above, the present invention is also applicable to a sheet conveying apparatus such as a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the displacement device 60 of the guide vertical mechanism 50 displaces the conveyance guide member 49 in the vertical direction by the solenoid 61 and the spring 63. However, the configuration of the displacement device 60 is limited to this. However, other configurations such as a configuration using a motor may be used.

  The present invention can be used in a sheet conveying apparatus (original conveying apparatus) applicable to an image forming apparatus, a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus, and the like.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of a document feeding section shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a document feeding portion viewed from the direction of a document placing tray. FIG. 3 is a partial front view of a vertical section of a document transport path around a document discharge port of a document feeding section shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial top view of a document transport path around a document discharge port. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the document feeding portion viewed from the direction of the document placing tray, and shows a state where the document placing tray is removed. FIG. 2 is a front view of a vertical section of a document conveyance path around a document discharge port, showing a state in which a conveyance guide member is bent. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the document feeding portion viewed from the direction of the document placing tray, and shows a state where the document discharge port is inclined. The right side view of the document feeding unit shows a state where the document is discharged with the document discharge port substantially horizontal. The right side view of the document feeding unit shows a state where the document is discharged with the document discharge port inclined. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing the periphery of a paper discharge port of an image forming apparatus equipped with a paper transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view showing the periphery of the paper discharge port similar to FIG. 11 and shows a state in which the paper discharge port is inclined.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body 13 Paper discharge tray 15 Paper discharge port 30 Document feeding part 31 Document loading tray 32 Document discharge tray 40 Document transport device (paper transport device)
43 Document transport path (paper transport path)
48 Document exit (paper exit)
49 Conveying guide member 50 Guide vertical mechanism 51 Bending portion 60 Displacement device 61 Solenoid 63 Spring 70 Paper conveying device

Claims (3)

  A conveyance guide member that forms a sheet conveyance space, and a sheet width direction end perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction on the sheet discharge port side of the conveyance guide member that is perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction A paper transport device comprising a guide up-and-down mechanism that displaces and tilts the paper discharge port from the horizontal to the up-down direction.   The guide up-and-down mechanism is configured to bend the conveyance guide member with a straight line having a predetermined inclination with respect to the paper width direction, and vertically displace the conveyance guide member from the folding portion to the paper discharge port side. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement device that moves the sheet.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper conveying device according to claim 1.