JP2010114479A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus discharging an original and recording paper without making them coexist and improving the visibility of the discharged paper and the convenience of takeout. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed cassette 41, a manual feed tray 42, an image forming part 3 for performing printing on the recording paper, a double-sided conveying unit 6 having an inverting conveying path 39 for inverting the recording paper printed on one surface so as to perform double-sided printing, and a paper discharge tray 44. In the image forming apparatus 1, the double-sided conveying unit 6 is provided with contact type image sensors 102 and 103 inside the inverting conveying path 39, and has a function of conveying a read original from the manual feed tray 42 to the inverting conveying path 39 when the read original is mounted on the manual feed tray 42, reading at least one surface of the read original by the contact type image sensors 102 and 103 inside the inverting conveying path 39, and then discharging the read original to the paper discharge tray 44. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a function of reading a document.

  In recent years, an image forming apparatus having a scanner function for reading a document is proposed in an image forming apparatus mainly having a function of outputting an image, such as a laser printer.

For example, as a conventional technique, a laser printer is provided with a close contact type reading sensor and has a scanner function, and serves as both a document feeding port in the scanner mode and a printing paper feeding port in the manual feed mode. A document is proposed in which a read document and a recording sheet are fed from a common manual feed tray, and the read document and the recorded recording sheet are discharged to individual positions (Patent Document 1). See).
JP-A-5-244362

  However, although the above-described conventional technology is configured to feed the read original and the recording paper from a common manual feed tray, the configuration for discharging the read original and the recording paper to a common discharge tray, and However, there is no description about the configuration of discharging to a plurality of paper discharge trays, and no consideration has been given to the mixing of the read original and the recording paper after recording.

  In addition, since the conventional technology is an image forming apparatus based on a laser printer, the scanner device positioned above the discharge tray has an effect on the visibility of discharged recording paper and the convenience of taking out the recording paper. Was not taken into account.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems. In the image forming apparatus, the document can be discharged without mixing the original and the recording paper. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of improving the image quality.

The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems is as follows.
The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette for storing a recording medium, a manual feed tray for placing a recording medium separately from the paper feed cassette, and image formation for printing on the paper feed cassette or a recording medium supplied from the manual feed tray. An image forming apparatus comprising: a reversing conveyance device including a reversing conveyance path for reversing a recording medium printed on one side for performing double-sided printing; and a paper discharge tray for discharging the recorded recording medium. As the configuration of the reversing and conveying apparatus, a contact-type reading sensor capable of reading an image in a reversing conveying path is provided, and when the reading document is placed on the manual feeding tray, the reading original is conveyed from the manual feeding tray to the reversing and conveying operation. And then reading at least one side of the read original by the contact-type reading sensor in the reverse conveyance path, It is characterized in that a function of discharging the paper tray.

  The contact-type reading sensor of the present invention preferably uses a contact-type image sensor, so-called CIS (Contact Image Sensor).

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the contact-type reading sensor is detachable.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the reverse conveying path is configured to convey the read original in the vertical direction.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the discharge trays are provided, and the read original is selectively discharged to any one of the plurality of units.

  Further, according to the present invention, as the configuration of the reversing and conveying apparatus, the reversing conveying path has a function of reversing by the switchback method, and when the reading document is discharged, the reading document is reversed by the switchback method in the reversing conveying path After that, it is preferable to have a function of discharging to the paper discharge tray.

  According to the present invention, printing is performed on a paper feed cassette for storing a recording medium, a manual feed tray for placing a recording medium separately from the paper feed cassette, and a recording medium supplied from the paper feed cassette or the manual feed tray. Image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit; a reversing conveyance device having a reversing conveyance path for reversing a recording medium printed on one side for double-sided printing; and a paper discharge tray for discharging the recorded recording medium The reversing and conveying apparatus includes a contact-type reading sensor capable of reading an image in a reversing conveying path, and when the reading document is placed on the manual feeding tray, the reading document is removed from the manual feeding tray. The read original is conveyed to the reverse conveyance path, and at least one side of the read original is read by the contact-type reading sensor in the reverse conveyance path. By providing a function for discharging to the paper discharge tray, a read original can be read even when image data is being printed by the image forming unit, and a paper discharge tray on which a recording medium is mainly discharged is provided. Since it is not necessary to mount a document reading device provided at the top, it is easy to check the discharged recording medium and remove the recording medium, and the convenience of the user (printer user) can be improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, the contact type read sensor is configured to be detachable, so that the contact type read sensor can be mounted as an optional unit according to the purpose of use. Price burden can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, the reverse conveying path is configured to convey the read document in the vertical direction, that is, in the vertical direction, so that the linear conveying path can be formed in the vertical direction. Installation can be done easily, and vertical installation makes it possible to install options in a small space without increasing the installation area in the horizontal direction.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a plurality of units are provided for the paper discharge tray, and a read original is selectively discharged to any one of the plurality of units, whereby a printed recording medium or other original is obtained. Can be discharged independently without being mixed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the reversing and conveying apparatus has a function of reversing by the switchback method in the reversing conveyance path, and when the read document is discharged, the reading document is switched in the reversing conveyance path. By providing the function of discharging to the paper discharge tray after the reverse, the read original can be taken out without changing the page order of the read original.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a duplex conveyance unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a paper feed cassette 41 that stores recording paper, a manual feed tray 42 that places recording paper separately from the paper feed cassette 41, and a paper feed cassette. 41 or a double-sided conveyance unit (reversal conveyance device) including an image forming unit 3 that prints on a recording sheet supplied from the manual feed tray 42 and a reversal conveyance path 39 that reverses the recording sheet that is printed on one side to perform double-sided printing. ) 6 and a paper discharge tray 44 on which the recorded recording paper is discharged. The double-sided conveyance unit 6 employs the configuration of the characteristic reverse conveyance device according to the present invention. It is a thing.

First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a copying mode in which an image of a document is read and printed on a recording sheet, a facsimile mode in which an image of the document is read and transmitted, a document image is received and printed on a recording sheet, and an information terminal A printer mode for printing an image received from the apparatus via a network on a recording sheet is selectively performed.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a document conveyance reading unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a paper feeding unit 4, and a paper discharge processing device (mail bin unit) 5 as shown in FIG. Yes.

  When image data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 from an external device such as a PC, the image data is input to a control unit (not shown) such as a microcomputer, where various image processing is performed on the image data. The image is output to the image forming unit 3.

The image forming unit 3 prints an image of a document indicated by image data on a recording sheet. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 3 is a photosensitive drum 31, a charging device 32, a laser scanning unit (hereinafter referred to as “LSU”). 33), a developing device 34, a transfer device 35, a cleaning device 36, a static eliminating device (not shown), a fixing device 37, and the like.
The image forming unit 3 is provided with a main transport path 38 and a reverse transport path 39.

The paper feed unit 4 pulls out the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 41 or the recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 42 one by one, and sends the recording paper to the main conveyance path 38 of the image forming unit 3. It is like that.

  The recording paper fed from the paper feed unit 4 is transported along the main transport path 38. In the process of transporting the recording paper along the main transport path 38, the recording paper passes between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer device 35, and further passes through the fixing device 37 to be printed on the recording paper. Done. The photosensitive drum 31 rotates in one direction, and its surface is cleaned by the cleaning device 36 and the static eliminator, and then uniformly charged by the charging device 32.

  The LSU 33 modulates the laser beam based on the image data from the document conveying / reading unit 2, and repeatedly scans the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 in the main scanning direction with this laser beam, so that the electrostatic latent image is the surface of the photosensitive drum 31. To form.

The developing device 34 supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, and forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31.
The transfer device 35 transfers the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 onto a recording sheet that passes between the transfer device 35 and the photosensitive drum 31.
The fixing device 37 heats and pressurizes the recording paper to fix the toner image transferred to the recording paper.

  A branching claw 43 for switching the direction in which the recording sheet is conveyed to the duplex conveying unit 6 side or the discharge tray 44 side is disposed on the downstream side of the main conveying path 38 from the fixing device 37 in the recording sheet conveying direction.

  When single-sided printing of recording paper is performed, the branching claw 43 is positioned at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, and the recording paper from the fixing device 37 is fed by the branching claw 43 to the paper discharge tray 44 or the paper discharge processing device 5. Be led towards.

  On the other hand, when double-sided printing of the recording paper is performed, the branching claw 43 is rotated to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and the recording paper is guided toward the double-sided conveyance unit 6. The recording sheet is reversed by the switchback method in the duplex conveyance unit 6 and is conveyed again to the main conveyance path 38 through the reverse conveyance path 39. Then, the recording sheet is conveyed again along the main conveying path 38 and printed on the back surface of the recording sheet, and then guided to the sheet discharge tray 44 or the sheet discharge processing device 5.

  The recording sheet printed in this way is guided toward the paper discharge tray 44 or the paper discharge processing device 5, and either the paper discharge tray 44 or each paper discharge tray (mail bin) 5 a of the paper discharge processing device 5. To be discharged.

  The paper discharge processing device 5 sorts and discharges a plurality of recording papers to the respective paper discharge trays 5a, performs punching processing for each recording paper by a post-processing device (not shown), and performs stapling processing for each recording paper. It is made to give.

  For example, when a plurality of printed materials are created, each recording sheet is sorted and discharged to each discharge tray 5a so that a part of the printed material is allocated to each discharge tray 5a. The recording paper on the paper discharge tray 5a is subjected to punching processing and stapling processing to create a printed material for each paper discharge tray 5a.

The manual feed tray 42 is applied when recording paper on which an image is formed or a document for reading an image is placed and automatic paper feeding is performed.
For example, when the paper placed on the manual feed tray 42 is a document for reading an image, when the document reading setting is performed by a user operation from an operation panel (not shown), the paper is loaded on the manual feed tray 42. The placed originals are picked up one by one by the pickup roller 106 and conveyed into the duplex conveying unit 6.

  On the other hand, when the sheet placed on the manual feed tray 42 is a recording sheet for printing, the recording sheet picked up one by one by the pickup roller 106 is guided to the inside of the apparatus by the conveyance switching gate 100. Then, the toner image is guided to the photosensitive drum 31 and the toner image is transferred onto the recording paper.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the double-sided conveyance unit 6 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the duplex conveyance unit 6 includes a reverse conveyance path 39 for reversing the recording paper, a conveyance roller 105 for conveying the paper, and a contact type for reading the surface of the document fed from the manual feed tray. A document conveyance reading unit 2 including an image sensor (contact type reading sensor) 102 and a contact type image sensor 103 for reading the back side of the document is provided. A paper discharge tray 104 is provided outside the document reading unit 2.

  The reverse conveyance path 39 is configured to convey the recording paper and the document vertically in the vertical direction. The contact image sensors 102 and 103 are detachably provided at positions facing the original conveyed along the reverse conveyance path 39. That is, the contact image sensors 102 and 103 can be selectively mounted as an optional unit, and the price burden of a user who does not need a function of reading a document can be reduced.

  Below the reverse conveyance path 39, a conveyance switching gate 100 is provided for switching the conveyance direction of the recording paper or document placed on the manual feed tray 42 to the main conveyance path 38 side or the reverse conveyance path 39 side.

  In addition, on the upper part of the reverse conveyance path 39, the discharge direction of the document read by the contact type image sensors 102 and 103 indicates the discharge tray on the discharge tray 104 side or the main body side, that is, the discharge tray 44 side and the discharge tray. A discharge switching gate 101 for switching to the paper processing apparatus 5 side is provided.

  Specifically, when a read document is placed on the manual feed tray 42, the uppermost document is fed by the pickup roller 106 and guided to the reverse conveyance path 39 by the conveyance switching gate 100, so that the contact type image is obtained. Sensors 102 and 103 read one side of the document or both sides of the document.

  The document that has been read is discharged face-down to the discharge tray 104 by switching the discharge switching gate 101. Alternatively, when the leading edge of the document is discharged to the discharge tray 104 side, the transport roller 105 is rotated in the reverse direction while the trailing edge of the document is held between the transport rollers 105, so that the read document that has been read is discharged. The paper can be guided to the paper tray 44 or the paper discharge processing device 5 side.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the image forming apparatus 1, the surface of the document fed from the manual feed tray 42 to the duplex conveyance unit 6 having the reversal conveyance path 39 for reversing the recording paper. By providing the contact image sensors 102 and 103 for reading the image, the image reading structure can be easily configured in a small space.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the duplex conveyance unit 6, the reverse conveyance path 39 is configured to convey the recording paper and the document in the vertical direction in the vertical direction, and the manual feed tray 42 is disposed below the reverse conveyance path 39. Since the document is read and the document is read while being conveyed from the lower side to the upper side, it is usually necessary to mount an automatic document conveying device for reading the document on the paper discharge tray 44 positioned above the image forming apparatus. As a result, the visibility of the discharged recording paper and document is improved, and the recording paper and the read document can be easily taken out.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the discharge switching gate 101 is provided in the duplex conveyance unit 6, so that it is possible to arbitrarily set the discharge destination of the document that has been read. In addition, since it is possible to prevent other recording papers and originals existing in the paper discharge tray 5a on the paper discharge processing device 5 side from being mixed, convenience for the user can be improved.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the disclosed technical means are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus. However, as long as a reversing conveyance device including a reversing conveyance path for reversing recording paper or the like is mounted, the above-described embodiment is used. The present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus and a copying machine having a simple structure, and the present invention can also be applied to a color image forming apparatus.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a duplex conveyance unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Document conveyance reading part 3 Image forming part 4 Paper feed part 5 Paper discharge processing apparatus 5a Paper discharge tray 6 Duplex conveyance unit (reversal conveyance apparatus)
38 Main transport path 39 Reverse transport path 41 Paper feed cassette 42 Manual feed tray 43 Branch claw 44 Paper discharge tray 100 Transport switching gate 101 Discharge switching gates 102 and 103 Contact type image sensor (contact type reading sensor)
104 Discharge tray 105 Transport roller

Claims (5)

A paper feed cassette for storing the recording medium, a manual feed tray for placing a recording medium separately from the paper feed cassette, an image forming unit for printing on the recording medium supplied from the paper feed cassette or the manual feed tray, In an image forming apparatus including a reversing conveyance device having a reversing conveyance path for reversing a recording medium printed on one side for performing double-sided printing, and a paper discharge tray for discharging the recorded recording medium,
The reverse conveying device includes a contact type reading sensor capable of reading an image in the reverse conveying path, and when the reading original is placed on the manual feed tray, the read original is transferred from the manual tray to the reverse conveying path. An image forming apparatus comprising a function of discharging and reading at least one side of the read original in the reverse conveyance path by the contact-type reading sensor and then discharging the read original to the paper discharge tray.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact-type reading sensor is configured to be detachable.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reverse conveyance path is configured to convey the read original in a vertical direction.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge tray is provided with a plurality of units, and the read original is selectively discharged to any one of the plurality of units. 5. The image forming apparatus described.   The reversing conveyance device has a function of reversing by the switchback method in the reversing conveyance path, and when the read original is discharged, the reversing conveyance path is reversed by the switchback method in the reversing conveyance path, and is then placed on the discharge tray. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge function.