JP2009126597A - Sheet aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet aligning device satisfying a registering function of sheets discharged on a tray and considering safety. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of sheet registering members 5 for registering the sheets P discharged on the tray 3 and a rotating and driving means 6 for driving the pair of the sheet registering members 5 are separated, and the rotating and driving means 6 is arranged at the inside of an outer trim of this sheet aligning device 1. As a result, a user is not injured by the rotating and driving means 6, even if touching the sheet aligning device 1, and the registering property of the sheets P on the tray 3 can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet aligning device.

When a plurality of sheets printed from an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printing machine are bundled (referred to as a “part”), the sheets are discharged from a sheet discharge unit that discharges the sheets. It is desirable that the sheets are stacked on the tray on which the sheets are stacked so that each sheet can be distinguished.

  Furthermore, when post-processing such as stapling means using a staple is performed, it is important that the end surfaces of the respective parts are aligned.

  Here, as a means for sorting by copy, a method is widely used in which the tray is moved (shifted) by about 10 to 20 mm in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the paper is discharged, and stacked on the tray in a shifted state for each copy. ing.

Further, as means for aligning the end surfaces of the respective parts, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pair of shift moving means for performing a sorting operation by shifting the tray and a pair of operations for performing an aligning operation so as to sandwich the end of the discharged paper. A technique is disclosed in which an alignment member (paper alignment member) is provided, and the alignment member rotates about a support shaft.
JP 2006-206331 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, the support shaft uses a through shaft in the front-rear direction of the apparatus (perpendicular to the paper discharge direction), and the rotation fulcrum for rotating the aligning member is on the inside of the exterior. An opening is required for the fulcrum to move in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the driving means for moving the aligning member in the front-rear direction has a structure that can be touched even from the exterior of the apparatus. The device having such a structure can easily touch the member being driven by the user, and may be injured in some cases. This has the problem that the child finger test of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard that defines machine safety cannot be satisfied.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet aligning device that satisfies the function of aligning sheets discharged on a tray and that is safe.

The above object can be achieved by the following configuration.
1. A paper aligning device comprising a discharge means for discharging sheet-like paper, and a tray for stacking paper discharged by the discharge means,
Shift means for reciprocating a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the paper is discharged;
A pair of sheet aligning members that move in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the shift means and align sheets on the tray;
Rotation drive means for rotating the pair of paper alignment members in the vertical direction;
A rotation fulcrum when the pair of paper alignment members rotate;
Have
The sheet aligning apparatus, wherein the rotation fulcrum is provided outside the exterior on the discharge means side, and the rotation driving means is provided inside the exterior.
2. 2. The sheet aligning apparatus according to 1, wherein the rotation driving unit includes an extruding member that moves in a linear direction, and the extruding member rotates the pair of sheet aligning members in the vertical direction.
3. 2. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of sheet aligning members is fixed, and one of the pair of sheet aligning members swings in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction to align the sheets.
4). 4. The sheet aligning device according to claim 3, wherein the pair of sheet aligning members alternately switch between a fixing operation and a swinging operation for each sorting when sorting a plurality of discharged sheets.
5). 3. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of sheet aligning members are separable from the rotation driving unit.

  According to the present invention, a pair of sheet aligning members that align sheets discharged to the tray and a drive unit that drives the pair of sheet aligning members are separated, and the drive unit is disposed in the sheet aligning device, so that the user can Even if the device touches the device, the drive unit is not injured, and the sheet alignment on the tray can be improved.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, although this invention is demonstrated based on embodiment of illustration, this invention is not restricted to this embodiment. In addition, the following assertive description in the embodiment of the present invention shows the best mode, and does not limit the meaning or technical scope of the terms of the present invention.
(Configuration of paper alignment device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view according to the present embodiment showing a state in which paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus is aligned by a paper aligning device and stacked on a tray. The paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus G in the direction of the arrow W is transported into the paper aligning apparatus 1 and proceeds to one of the transport paths S1 and S2 by the paper transport switching unit KP that switches the transport of the paper. The paper conveyance switching unit KP is switched by a user operating from an operation unit (not shown).

  The paper P that has traveled to the transport path S1 is sequentially stacked on the paper discharge tray TR by the transport force of the paper discharge roller R1, and the paper P that has traveled to the transport path S2 has a predetermined amount (main book) in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. In the embodiment, it is conveyed to the shifting means 2 that moves. The paper P that has passed through the shift means 2 is discharged to the tray 3 by the discharge means 4.

Further, the sheet aligning device 1 is a pair of sheet aligning members 5 for aligning the sheets P on both side surfaces perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet P on the tray 3 in conjunction with a predetermined amount of reciprocation of the shift means 2. , And a rotation driving means 6 for rotating the pair of sheet aligning members 5 in the vertical direction. Of the pair of sheet aligning members 5, the sheet aligning member on the right side (front side of the sheet aligning apparatus 1) as viewed from the tray 3 is 5a, and the sheet aligning member on the left side is 5b.
(Shift means)
When expressing a set of a plurality of sheets as one copy, for example, if 50 sets of 20 sheets are created, a total of 1000 sheets P are stacked on the tray 3 of the sheet aligning apparatus 1. . Conventionally, in the method of sorting by shifting the tray 3, when shifting by placing 1000 sheets of paper P on the tray 3, if the driving capability of the driving means to be shifted is not sufficient, the moving speed is There arises a problem that the sorting becomes inadequate.

In the present embodiment, the shift unit 2 is provided with a shift box 201 that takes in the sheets P conveyed from the conveyance path S2 one by one, shifted by the shift drive unit 202, and then discharged onto the tray 3 by the discharge unit 4. Is used. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the shift box 201 reciprocating a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow V by the shift driving means 202. The shift box is provided with a transport roller 203 for transporting the paper P, and the paper P is discharged from the transport roller 203 to the tray 3 at a predetermined timing by a control unit (not shown). The shift means 2 using such a shift box 201 can perform sorting without moving the tray 3.
(Paper alignment)
Next, means for aligning the paper P discharged on the tray will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen from the tray 3 side, and the exterior of the tray 3 side is omitted. In FIG. 3, the description is based on the right sheet alignment member 5a, but the same is true for the left sheet alignment member 5b.

In FIG. 3, a shaft support 8 having a rotation support shaft 71 for rotating the paper alignment member 5a in the vertical direction around the rotation fulcrum 7, and a slide base for moving the paper alignment member 5a in the direction of the arrow X. 9 is attached via a space table 10. The slide table 9 is inserted into the slide shaft 91 and is slid by the slide drive means 11 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the slide drive unit 11 includes a timing belt 13 and a timing belt 14 connected via a pulley 12, and a motor M <b> 1 for rotationally driving the timing belt 14. The slide table 9 is fixed by a fixing member 92 that sandwiches the timing belt 13, and the slide table 9 can move in the X direction as the timing belt 13 rotates. The timing belt 14 is used in consideration of the space in the apparatus, and the timing belt 13 may be directly driven by the motor M1.
(Rotation drive means)
A rotation driving means 6 for rotating the pair of sheet aligning members 5 in the vertical direction (Y direction in FIG. 5) will be described with reference to a perspective view 5 and an operation diagram 6. The slide base 9 has a slit hole 93 (3 × 15 mm long in the present embodiment) that is large enough not to receive a child finger test rod (φ 8.6 mm, length 57.9 mm 3 to 14 years old) under no load. Hole) is provided. An extrusion member 94 is provided through the slit hole 93. The pushing member 94 is provided at a position where it abuts against the abutting portion 5c of the sheet aligning member 5a. An elastic member 95 such as rubber is attached to the abutting side against the sheet aligning member 5a, and a rack (gear) is disposed on the opposite side. Is provided. In addition, a pinion shaft 96 formed with a pinion (gear) that meshes with the rack is attached, and the pinion shaft 96 is rotated by a motor M2 via a gear train 97. The length of the pinion portion of the pinion shaft 96 has a length corresponding to the distance that the slide base 9 moves in the arrow X direction.

When the pinion shaft 96 rotates, the pushing member 94 linearly moves in the arrow Z direction. When the pushing member 94 moves in the Z direction and hits the abutting portion 5c of the paper aligning member 5a, the paper aligning member 5a rotates upward about the rotation fulcrum 7. When the motor M2 rotates in the direction opposite to the extrusion direction, the extrusion member 94 moves in the direction opposite to the Z direction, and the sheet alignment member 5a rotates downward due to its own weight. At this time, it may be biased downward using a spring or the like regardless of its own weight.
(Oscillating means)
When aligning the paper P, one paper alignment member of the pair of paper alignment members 5 is fixed, and one of the paper alignment members swings in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper P, thereby I try to align them. As the swinging means, the slide driving means 11 is used to move one paper alignment member by a predetermined amount (5 mm in this embodiment) each time the paper P is discharged from the discharge means 4 and stacked on the tray 3. Is going. The movement of the sheet aligning member performs an operation of narrowing the facing interval between the pair of sheet aligning members 5 so that the end face of the sheet P is touched to the extent that the sheet P is sandwiched and then the facing interval is increased. . By performing this series of operations, the end faces of the paper P can be aligned.

  When a predetermined number of sheets P (referred to as a sheet bundle) constituting one unit which is a sorting unit is discharged and aligned, the pair of sheet alignment members 5 is used to avoid interference with the aligned sheet bundle. In order to evacuate to the evacuation position away from the center, the rotation drive means 6 described above rotates upward and stops.

  When aligning the second part, the pair of sheet aligning members 5 waiting in a state of being stopped upward are interlocked with the shift box 201 shifted by a predetermined amount by the shift unit 2, and the slide drive unit 11 It moves by driving. Thereafter, the motor M2 is rotated in the direction opposite to the pushing direction, and the pushing member 94 is moved in the direction opposite to the Z direction, thereby rotating the sheet aligning member 5a downward. In this embodiment, it is rotated by its own weight.

  The pair of sheet aligning members 5 rotated in the downward direction abut on the sheet discharged onto the tray 3 and stop rotating. At this time, the one of the sheet aligning member 5 that is in contact with the first shifted discharged sheet The sheet aligning member (referred to as 5a) is fixed, and the sheet aligning member (referred to as 5b) that does not hit the sheet is swung.

  FIG. 7A shows a state in which sheet bundles are sorted and stacked on the tray 3, and FIG. 7B shows an enlarged view of the tray 3. FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a position where the second sheet bundle is aligned, and the sheet alignment member 5a is in a state where it does not come into contact with the uppermost surface of the first sheet bundle (fixed state). The sheet aligning member 5b aligns the end faces of the sheet bundle in a swinging state.

  Next, when aligning the third part, the sheet aligning member 5a is swung to fix the sheet aligning member 5b. By repeating the aligning operation alternately in this way, it is possible to align a plurality of sheets.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the exterior of the sheet aligning apparatus 1 on the tray side is shaped so as to cover all the slide table 9 and the driving means in order to satisfy the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard. Therefore, the space base 10 and the shaft support base 8 are structured to be fixed or removable with a magnet catch Mg or the like (see FIG. 3). The interface with the drive unit is only the elastic member 95 attached to the pushing member 94 through the long hole LH satisfying the IEC standard.

  When a plurality of sheets are stacked on the tray 3, the uppermost surface of the paper does not gradually coincide with the position of the exit of the paper ejected from the ejecting means 4. Therefore, the tray 3 is controlled to be lowered by an appropriate amount by the tray raising / lowering means and the tray raising / lowering positioning means so that the position of the uppermost surface of the paper is maintained at a certain height from the paper outlet of the discharge means 4.

  As described above, the sheet aligning apparatus 1 according to the present invention can easily sort a large number of sheets by the shift unit 2 even when performing a sorting operation. Can be satisfied. Since all the drive units for driving these means are incorporated in the sheet aligning apparatus, safety standards for humans can be satisfied.

It is a schematic sectional drawing concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view showing the shift box 201 reciprocating a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow V by the shift driving means 202. It is the perspective view seen from the tray 3 side. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state where the slide table 9 is slid by the slide driving means 11. It is a perspective view which shows the rotational drive means 6. FIG. FIG. 6 is a rotation operation diagram of a sheet alignment member. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the tray side of the sheet aligning apparatus 1. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a state where the sheet bundles stacked on the tray are sorted. FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a position where the sheet aligning member is aligned.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper alignment apparatus 2 Shift means 3 Tray 4 Ejection means 5 Paper alignment member 6 Rotation drive means 7 Rotation fulcrum 8 Axis support base 9 Slide base 10 Space base 11 Slide drive means 94 Extrusion member 96 Pinion shaft 201 Shift box P Paper

Claims (5)

A paper aligning device comprising a discharge means for discharging sheet-like paper, and a tray for stacking the paper discharged by the discharge means,
Shift means for reciprocating a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the paper is discharged;
A pair of sheet aligning members that move in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the shift means and align sheets on the tray;
Rotation drive means for rotating the pair of paper alignment members in the vertical direction;
A rotation fulcrum when the pair of paper alignment members rotate;
Have
The sheet aligning apparatus, wherein the rotation fulcrum is provided outside the exterior on the discharge means side, and the rotation driving means is provided inside the exterior. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation driving unit includes an extruding member that moves in a linear direction, and the extruding member rotates the pair of sheet aligning members in the vertical direction. 2. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of sheet aligning members is fixed, and one of the pair of sheet aligning members swings in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction to align the sheets. 4. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pair of sheet aligning members alternately switches between a fixing operation and a swinging operation for each sorting when sorting a plurality of discharged sheets. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of sheet aligning members are separable from the rotation driving unit.

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