JP2009184743A - Transport device, image forming device, and post-handling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport device, an image forming device, and a post-handling device capable of securing a sufficient jam handling space even in a narrow installation space. <P>SOLUTION: An inversion path 17 transports a printing medium. Guides 31, 32 are plate-like members constituting the inversion path 17, through which the printing medium passes. The guide 31 is configured to parallely move on a side of the guide 32 so that the inversion path 17 is exposed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device, an image forming apparatus, and a post-processing device, and more specifically to a transport device, an image forming apparatus, and a post-processing device that transport a print medium.

  When a jam (paper jam) occurs in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, the user needs to remove the sheet causing the jam from the conveyance path. Such processing is called jam processing. In order to allow a user to easily execute jam processing with a simple operation, for example, a post-processing device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

  In the post-processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an opening / closing cover whose lower end side is pivotally supported is rotatably provided. The user opens the open / close cover and opens the upper end side to perform jam processing.

However, in the post-processing apparatus, when the installation space is not sufficient, the opening / closing angle of the opening / closing cover becomes small. In this case, the user cannot secure a sufficiently wide jam processing space for performing the jam processing. In particular, when a jam occurs on the lower end side of the opening / closing cover, the opening / closing cover itself may prevent the user from performing the jam processing.
JP-A-11-157724

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a transport apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a post-processing apparatus that can secure a sufficient jam processing space even in a narrow installation space.

  According to the present invention, in the transport device that transports the print medium, the plate-like first member constituting the transport path through which the print medium passes is translated so that the inside of the transport path is exposed. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, the first member is not pivotally supported in a rotatable manner but moves in parallel, so even if an image forming layer or the like is installed in a narrow installation space, a sufficient jam processing space is provided. It can be secured.

  In the present invention, a plate-like second member that constitutes the transport path and is arranged on the same plane as the first member may be further provided.

  In the present invention, the first member may be movable to a position overlapping the second member.

  In the present invention, the first member is movable in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the print medium, and the first member and the second member are directions perpendicular to the transport direction of the print medium. You may line up.

  In the present invention, the first member is movable in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the print medium, and the first member and the second member are parallel to the transport direction of the print medium. You may line up.

  In the present invention, the first member may move in a direction away from the user side.

  In the present invention, the first member may be moved so that a print medium having a minimum width in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction among the print media that can be transported along the transport path is exposed. Good.

  In the present invention, the roller pair that is in pressure contact and that conveys the print medium, and a release unit that releases the pressure contact state of the roller pair as the first member moves may be further provided. .

  In the present invention, a jam occurrence detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a jam, and a movement for moving the first member so that the inside of the transport path is exposed when the occurrence of the jam is detected by the jam occurrence detecting means. And a means.

  In the present invention, the image forming apparatus further comprises a jam removal detection means for detecting that the jam has been removed, and the moving means is located at a position constituting the transport path when the jam removal detection means detects the removal of the jam. The first member may be moved.

  The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus including the transport device. The present invention can also be applied to a post-processing apparatus equipped with the transport apparatus and attached to an image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a copying machine provided with a conveyance device, an image forming apparatus, or a post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
(Overall configuration of copier)
The configuration of the copying machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the copying machine 1. In FIG. 1, the front side in the vertical direction of the paper is the user side (ie, the side surface on which the operation panel is provided).

  A copying machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a color copying machine, and includes an image forming apparatus 2, a post-processing apparatus 3, and a reading apparatus 4. The reading device 4 is a scanner that reads an image of a document and generates image data. The image forming apparatus 2 is an electrophotographic tandem color printer, and has four colors (Y: yellow, M: magenta, C: cyan, K: black) based on the image data generated by the reading device 4. The color image is composed. The post-processing device 3 enables various post-processing such as stapling processing, punching processing, and paper folding processing. Here, the post-processing device 3 will be described as a device that performs stapling processing.

  In the image forming apparatus 2, the transfer belt 20 is disposed immediately above the four image forming stations 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K arranged in parallel, and the optical scanning device 30 is disposed immediately below. In each image forming station 12, photosensitive drums 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K, developing units 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K, a charger (not shown), a residual toner cleaner, and the like are arranged. Note that the image forming station 12K for forming a black image is configured in a large size so that a frequently used monochrome image can be formed at high speed.

  The optical scanning device 30 forms an image (electrostatic latent image) on each photosensitive drum 13 by the beams By, Bm, Bc, and Bk emitted based on Y, M, C, and K image data. This electrostatic latent image is visualized with toner. Such an electrophotographic process is well known and will not be described.

  The transfer belt 20 is stretched across the drive roller 21 and the support roller 22 in an endless manner. The toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums 13 on the basis of the rotation in the direction of the arrow X are sequentially primary transferred onto the transfer belt 20 and further combined on the transfer belt 20.

  The print medium is stored in the automatic paper feed cassette 15 and is fed one by one at a predetermined timing, and two composite toner images are transferred from the transfer belt 20 to the secondary transfer position 23 via the paper passing path 16. After the next transfer, the toner is heated and fixed by the fixing device 25, and then discharged from the discharge roller pair 27 to the post-processing device 3. On the other hand, during double-sided printing, the print medium is conveyed from the discharge roller pair 27 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 2, switched back, and returned to the secondary transfer position 23 via the reverse path 17. Here, the print medium on which the toner image is secondarily transferred on the back surface is discharged from the discharge roller pair 27 to the post-processing device 3.

  The reverse path 17 is provided with conveyance roller pairs 28 and 29, guides 31, 32 and 36, sensors 33 and 34, and a drive unit 35, and constitutes a conveyance device. The conveyance roller pairs 28 and 29 function as conveyance means for conveying the print medium. The guides 31, 32, and 36 are plate-like members that constitute the reversing path 17 through which the print medium passes. Since the guides 31 and 32 are arranged side by side in the same plane perpendicular to the paper surface, they are shown in an overlapping manner. The guides 31 and 32 and the guide 36 are opposed to each other. The guides 31 and 32 are arranged outside the image forming apparatus 2 with respect to the guide 36.

  The sensor 33 functions as a jam occurrence detection unit that detects the occurrence of a jam in the reversing path 17. The sensor 34 functions as a jam clearing detection unit that detects that a jam in the reversing path 17 has been cleared. The drive unit 35 is a motor that moves the guide 31 according to an instruction from the control unit 18 when the sensor 33 detects the occurrence of a jam and when the sensor 34 detects the elimination of the jam. Details of the configuration of the inversion path 17 will be described later.

  The post-processing device 3 includes a roller pair 41 that receives the print medium discharged from the image forming apparatus 2, a pair of conveyance rollers 42, 43, 44, a pair of upper and lower plate-shaped guides 45, an electric stapler 46, an alignment tray 50, and a paper discharge. A tray 60 is used.

  The print medium discharged from the discharge roller pair 27 is introduced from the roller pair 41 into the post-processing device 3. Thereafter, the printing medium is conveyed in the direction of arrow A by the conveying roller pairs 42 and 43, and is fed one by one from the conveying roller pair 44 onto the alignment tray 50 to be aligned. When a predetermined number of print media are stacked on the alignment tray 50, the stapler 46 drives staples onto the end of the print medium, and the discharge rollers 61a and 61b stack the print medium on the discharge tray 60. Normally, the discharge roller 61a is disposed away from the discharge roller 61b, and rotates while being pressed against the discharge roller 61b via the printing medium during discharge. As a result, the print medium is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 60.

  The control unit 18 is realized by a CPU, for example, and controls the entire copying machine 1.

(Details of reverse path configuration)
Details of the configuration of the inversion path 17 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the inversion path 17. 2A is an external perspective view of the reversing path 17 in a state where the print medium can pass (hereinafter referred to as a normal state), and FIG. 2B is a state where jam processing is performed (hereinafter, jammed). It is an external perspective view of the inversion path 17 in a processing state).

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the guide 32 is arranged on the same plane as the guide 31 with a predetermined gap. The guide 31 and the guide 32 are arranged so as to be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the print medium (the arrow B direction in FIG. 2A). The guide 36 is disposed so as to face the guides 31 and 32. The print medium passes through a gap between the guides 31 and 32 and the guide 36 as shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, a pair of conveyance rollers 29 is provided at the ends of the guides 31, 32, and 36 in the direction of arrow B. The conveyance roller pair 29 is a pair of rollers in pressure contact with each other, and conveys the print medium in the direction of arrow B.

  By the way, the guide 31 is configured to be able to move in parallel so that the inside of the inversion path 17 is exposed in the jam processing state. Specifically, the guide 31 translates in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrow B (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2A) that is the conveyance direction of the print medium. That is, the guide 31 moves in a direction away from the user side. Thereby, as shown in FIG.2 (b), the user side in the inversion path | route 17 comes to be exposed. The user can perform jam processing on the exposed portion in the reversing path 17.

  Further, the guide 31 exposes the print medium having the smallest width in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction among the print media that can be transported through the reversing path 17 in the jam processing state shown in FIG. It is configured as follows. As a result, even if a print medium of any size causes a jam in the inversion path 17, the user can remove the print medium by the jam processing.

(About switching between normal status and jam handling status)
Next, switching between the normal state and the jam processing state will be described with reference to the drawings. Switching between the normal state and the jam processing state is performed by the control unit 18 driving the drive unit 35 based on the detection results of the sensors 33 and 34. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the control unit 18 when switching between the normal state and the jam processing state is performed. Note that the processing in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 may be realized by executing software in the control unit 18, or may be realized using a dedicated hardware circuit that performs each processing.

  In the initial state of this process, the state of the inversion path 17 is the normal state shown in FIG. First, the control unit 18 determines whether or not a jam has been detected (step S1). The detection of the occurrence of jam by the control unit 18 means that, for example, the sensor 33 continues to detect the presence of the print medium for a predetermined time or more despite the rotation of the conveyance roller pair 29. If the control unit 18 does not detect the occurrence of a jam, the process returns to the determination in step S1. In this case, the control unit 18 repeats the process of step S1 until the occurrence of a jam is detected. On the other hand, if the control unit 18 detects the occurrence of a jam, the process proceeds to step S2.

  When the control unit 18 detects the occurrence of a jam, the state of the inversion path 17 transitions from the normal state to the jam processing state. Specifically, the control unit 18 moves the guide 31 by the driving unit 35 so that the inside of the reversing path 17 is exposed (step S2). As a result, the state of the inversion path 17 becomes the jam processing state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S3.

  Next, the control unit 18 determines whether or not a jam is detected (step S3). The detection of the jam removal by the control unit 18 means that the sensor 34 no longer detects the presence of the print medium that caused the jam. When the user performs jam processing and the print medium causing the jam is removed, the control unit 18 detects the cancellation of the jam, and the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, when the control unit 18 does not detect the removal of the jam, the process returns to the determination in step S3. In this case, the control unit 18 repeats the process of step S3 until it is detected that the jam is eliminated.

  When the control unit 18 detects the jam removal, the state of the reversing path 17 transitions from the jam processing state to the normal state. Specifically, the control unit 18 moves the guide 31 by the driving unit 35 so as to cover the inside of the inversion path 17 (step S4). As a result, the state of the reversing path 17 becomes the normal processing state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1. The operations shown in steps S1 to S4 as described above are repeatedly executed while the power of the copying machine 1 is turned on. This is the end of the description of switching between the normal state and the jam processing state.

(effect)
According to the transport device according to the present embodiment, the guide 31 is not rotatably supported, but is slidably mounted within the main surface of the guide 31, so that it is narrow as described below. Even if the copying machine 1 is installed in the installation space, a sufficient jam processing space can be secured.

  More specifically, since the guide 31 does not rotate but only slides in a direction parallel to the main surface, the guide 31 does not protrude to the side of the copying machine 1 in FIG. Therefore, even when there is no space on the side of the copying machine 1 because the installation space for the copying machine 1 is small, the guide 31 can be opened to expose the inside of the reversing path 17. As a result, the user can remove the print medium causing the jam from the inversion path 17.

  Further, since the guide 31 slides, the opening degree of the portion where the inversion path 17 is exposed is uniform. As a result, in the transport device according to the present embodiment, the guide 31 does not interfere with the jam processing unlike the jam processing of the conventional post-processing device.

  Further, the guide 31 translates in a direction away from the user side. Thereby, as shown in FIG.2 (b), the user side in the inversion path | route 17 comes to be exposed. Thereby, the user can easily perform the jam processing in the exposed portion in the inversion path 17.

(First modification)
Below, the 1st modification of the inversion path | route 17 is demonstrated, referring drawings. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the inversion path 17a according to the first modification. 4A is an external perspective view of the reverse path 17a in the normal state, and FIG. 4B is an external perspective view of the reverse path 17a in the jam processing state. FIG. 5 is a top view of the inversion path 17a. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional structure view taken along the line DD of the inversion path 17a of FIG. FIG. 6A shows the inversion path 17a in the normal state. FIG. 6B shows an inversion path 17a during the transition from the normal state to the jam processing state. FIG. 6C shows the inversion path 17a in the jam processing state. 4 to 6, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The difference between the inversion path 17 and the inversion path 17a is the following two points. The first point is that the guide 31 is aligned with the guide 32 in the jam processing state in the reversing path 17 as shown in FIG. 2B, whereas the guide 31 is in the jam processing state in the reversing path 17a. As shown in FIG. 4B, the guide 31 is overlapped with the guide 32. The second point is that the guide 31 is automatically moved by the drive unit 35 in the reversing path 17 whereas the guide 31 is manually moved in the reversing path 17a. Below, it demonstrates centering around difference.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide 31 and the guide 32 are arranged with almost no gap. And the guide 31 has a structure which can be moved to the position which overlaps with the guide 32, as shown in FIG.4 (b). Below, the structure of the guide 31 is demonstrated in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the guide 31 is provided with a handle 70. The user operates the handle 70 to move the guide 31.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide 31 is provided with a hooking member 72. Further, the image forming apparatus 2 is provided with a rail 74 that extends along the direction of arrow C, which is the direction of movement of the guide 31. In FIG. 4, the hook member 72 and the rail 74 are omitted.

  The hook member 72 is an “L” -shaped metal fitting that is inverted up and down, and is provided at both ends of the guide 31 in the arrow B direction. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hooking member 72 includes a portion extending perpendicularly to the guide 31 and a portion bent 90 degrees from the vertically extending portion. Has been.

  The rail 74 includes three linear rails 74a, 74b, and 74c. As shown in FIG. 6A, the rail 74a is provided immediately above the guide 31 in the normal state. As shown in FIG. 6, the rail 74 c is provided at a position higher than the rail 74 a immediately above the guide 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the rail 74b is provided so as to extend in a direction inclined with respect to the guides 31 and 32 so as to connect the rail 74a and the rail 74c. The rails 74a, 74b, and 74c are provided with grooves. A hooking member 72 is inserted into this groove. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the user can move the guide 31 between the side of the guide 32 and the upper side of the guide 32 by operating the handle 70.

  As described above, according to the reversing path 17a according to the first modification, the guide 31 slides to a position overlapping the guide 32, so that the reversing path 17a is greatly exposed. As a result, the user can perform jam processing more easily.

(Second modification)
Below, the 2nd modification of the inversion path | route 17 is demonstrated, referring drawings. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the reversing path 17b according to the second modification. FIG. 7A is an external perspective view of the inversion path 17b in the normal state, and FIG. 7B is an external perspective view of the inversion path 17b in the jam processing state. In FIG. 7, the same components as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The difference between the reversing path 17a and the reversing path 17b is that, in the reversing path 17a, in the jam processing state, as shown in FIG. Then, in the jam processing state, as shown in FIG. 7B, the pressure contact of the conveying roller pair 29 is released. Below, it demonstrates centering around difference.

  The conveyance roller pair 29 is in pressure contact in the normal state in order to convey the print medium. On the other hand, in the jam processing state, it is preferable that the pressure contact of the transport roller pair 29 is released so that the user can easily remove the print medium causing the jam. Therefore, the reversing path 17b includes a releasing unit that releases the pressure contact state of the conveyance roller pair 29 as the guide 31 moves onto the guide 32. Details of the release means will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an axis S2 parallel to the axis S1 of the upper roller of the transport roller pair 29 is provided. The shaft S1 and the shaft S2 are connected by a connecting member 80 on the guide 32. The shaft S1 is urged by an elastic member such as a spring so that the conveying roller pair 29 is in pressure contact, and is configured to be able to rotate about the shaft S2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a protrusion 82 is provided on the upper surface of the guide 31. The protrusion 82 extends in a direction parallel to the axes S1 and S2 and is provided so as to protrude from the main surface of the guide 31 in a substantially vertical direction.

  According to the reversing path 17 b configured as described above, the protrusion 82 pushes up the connecting member 80 when the guide 31 moves from the side of the guide 32 to above the guide 32. As a result, the shaft S1 of the upper roller of the conveyance roller pair 29 rotates about the axis S2, and the pressure contact of the conveyance roller pair 29 is released. As a result, the user can more easily remove the print medium causing the jam.

(Other embodiments)
The copying machine provided with the conveying device, the image forming apparatus, or the post-processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the one shown in the above embodiment. Therefore, the design of the copying machine including the conveyance device, the image forming apparatus, or the post-processing device may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the first embodiment, the transport device is applied to the reversing paths 17, 17a, and 17b, but may be applied to transport paths other than the reversing paths 17, 17a, and 17b. For example, the conveyance device according to the present invention may be applied to a conveyance path constituted by the roller pair 41, the conveyance roller pairs 42, 43, 44 and the plate-shaped guide 45 of the post-processing device 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide 31 according to the first embodiment is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the arrow B direction that is the conveyance direction of the print medium (the arrow C direction in FIG. 2A). Although it moves, the moving direction of the guide 31 is not restricted to this. For example, the guide 31 may be movable in a direction parallel to the arrow B direction, which is the conveyance direction of the print medium. However, in this case, the guide 31 and the guide 32 need to be aligned in a direction parallel to the arrow B direction that is the conveyance direction of the print medium.

  In the reversing path 17, the guide 31 may be moved manually as in the reversing paths 17a and 17b. In the reversing paths 17a and 17b, the guide 31 may be automatically moved in the same manner as the reversing path 17.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a copying machine. It is an external appearance perspective view of an inversion path. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement which a control part performs when switching with a normal state and a jam processing state is performed. It is an external appearance perspective view of the inversion path which concerns on a 1st modification. It is a top view of the inversion path concerning the 1st modification. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional structure view taken along the line DD of the inversion path of FIG. 5. It is an external appearance perspective view of the inversion path concerning the 2nd modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Post-processing apparatus 4 Reading apparatus 17,17a, 17b Reverse path 18 Control part 29,42,43,44 Conveyance roller pair 31,32,36 Guide 33,34 Sensor 35 Drive part 41 Roller pair 70 Handle 72 Hooking member 74, 74a, 74b, 74c Rail 80 Connection member 82 Projection

Claims (12)

In a transport device that transports print media,
A plate-like first member constituting a transport path through which the print medium passes is translated so that the inside of the transport path is exposed;
A conveying device characterized by the above. A plate-like second member that constitutes the transport path and is arranged on the same plane as the first member,
More
The conveying apparatus according to claim 1. The first member is movable to a position overlapping the second member;
The conveying apparatus according to claim 2. The first member is movable in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the print medium;
The first member and the second member are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the print medium;
The transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first member is movable in a direction parallel to a transport direction of the print medium;
The first member and the second member are arranged in a direction parallel to a conveyance direction of the print medium;
The transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first member moves in a direction away from the user side;
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first member moves such that a print medium having a minimum width in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction among print media that can be transported along the transport path is exposed;
The transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein A pair of rollers that are in pressure contact and convey the print medium;
Release means for releasing the pressure contact state of the roller pair with the movement of the first member,
To provide further,
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A jam occurrence detection means for detecting the occurrence of a jam;
Moving means for moving the first member so that the inside of the transport path is exposed when the jam occurrence detection means detects the occurrence of a jam;
Further comprising,
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Jam resolution detection means to detect that jam has been resolved,
In addition,
The moving means moves the first member to a position constituting the transport path when the jam elimination detection means detects the elimination of the jam;
The conveying apparatus according to claim 9. Comprising the transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An image forming apparatus. In a post-processing apparatus attached to an image forming apparatus,
Comprising the transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A post-processing device characterized by.

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