JP2010180054A - Tray, paper post-processing device, and paper aligning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tray improved in paper aligning accuracy while suppressing the displacement of a first sheet of paper to be carried. <P>SOLUTION: A paper antislip member is provided for protruding a paper antislip portion which has a greater friction coefficient than a stacking plane of the tray on the stacking plane when the first sheet of paper to be carried to the tray contacts with a protruded portion on the stacking plane of the tray in a state that no paper exists on the tray. The paper to be carried to the tray contacts with the paper antislip portion to suppress the slip of the paper on the tray. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tray for stacking sheets, a sheet post-processing apparatus including the tray, and a sheet alignment method for the tray.

  The image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus include a processing tray for stacking sheets when performing post-processing on a sheet on which image formation has been performed, a paper discharge tray for discharging sheets after image formation or post-processing, and the like. Processing trays and paper discharge trays tend to have shorter lengths in the paper transport direction as the apparatus becomes smaller. That is, the portion that supports the paper conveyed to the tray is reduced, and the paper easily slips on the tray. For this reason, there has been a problem that the consistency of the sheet conveyed to the tray is impaired.

  In particular, the processing tray provided in the paper post-processing device is required to align the paper with high accuracy in order to bind the paper discharged to the processing tray. Therefore, as means for maintaining the alignment of the sheets on the processing tray, one that performs vertical alignment and horizontal alignment of the sheets after the sheets are conveyed is known. (See Patent Document 1)

  Since the frictional force between the tray and the paper is smaller than the frictional force between the papers, the first sheet transported to the tray slips on the tray compared to the second and subsequent sheets. Cheap. For this reason, when the first sheet is discharged onto the tray, the sheet is shifted without being straightly discharged, or shifted due to the movement of the sheet conveyed after the second sheet. There was a case.

  As described above, the first sheet is greatly displaced on the tray, so that the sheet may fall from the sheet discharge tray in the sheet discharge tray of the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus. With respect to the processing tray, the paper misalignment is not completely eliminated only by paper alignment as disclosed in Patent Document 1, and post-processing such as stapling is performed with the paper misalignment remaining. Has occurred.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and suppresses the deviation of the first sheet conveyed to the tray and improves the alignment of the stacked sheets, and a sheet post-processing apparatus including the tray. It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet alignment method for a tray.

  In order to achieve the above object, a tray according to the present invention includes a stacking surface on which a sheet is placed, a protruding portion protruding on the stacking surface, and a sheet slip having a larger friction coefficient than the stacking surface with respect to the sheet. When the sheet is transported to the stacking surface when the sheet is not on the stacking surface, the sheet slip-preventing unit protrudes from the stacking surface by contacting the sheet and the protruding portion. And a non-slip member.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the tray which can suppress the shift | offset | difference of the 1st sheet | seat conveyed and can improve the alignment of the sheet | seat loaded can be provided.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. The perspective view of the tray in 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing of the tray in 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the operation mechanism of the anti-slip | skid member in 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing of the processing tray provided with the anti-slip | skid member of 1st Embodiment. The top view of a tray at the time of providing multiple anti-slip | skid members. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet alignment operation by an alignment roller. The perspective view of the processing tray in 2nd Embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the operation mechanism of the anti-slip | skid member in 2nd Embodiment. The perspective view of the processing tray in 3rd Embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the operation | movement mechanism of the anti-slip | skid member in 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)

  A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 2 for outputting image information as an output image. In addition, the image forming unit 2 includes a paper supply unit 3 that can supply paper P of an arbitrary size used for image output. Further, the image forming unit 2 includes an image reading unit 4 that captures image information, which is a target of image formation, from the document as image data.

  The image reading unit 4 includes a transparent document table 8, a carriage 9, an exposure lamp 10, a reflection mirror 11, an imaging lens 12 that converges reflected light, and a CCD that converts image information from reflected light capturing light into an analog signal. (Charge Coupled Device) 13.

  The image forming unit 2 includes an intermediate transfer belt 14 as a transfer member, and yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) colors arranged along the intermediate transfer belt 14. Four process units 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K corresponding to toner are provided.

  Since each process unit has the same configuration and performs the same operation, the black (K) process unit 15K will be described as an example.

  The process unit 15K includes a photoconductor 16K as an image carrier, a laser unit 17K that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 16K, a charging device 18K, a developing device 19K, and an intermediate device that are sequentially arranged around the photoconductor 16K. The image forming apparatus includes a primary transfer device 20K, a cleaner 22K, and a charge eliminating lamp 23K that face the photoconductor 16K with the transfer belt 14 interposed therebetween.

  Light is irradiated from below the document table 8 by exposure means having a carriage 9 and an exposure lamp 10 provided on the carriage 9 on the document placed on the document table 8 or the document sent by the automatic document feeder 30. When applied, the reflected light from the document is guided by the reflecting mirror 11, converged by the imaging lens, and the reflected light image is projected onto the CCD 13. The image information captured by the CCD 13 is output as an analog signal, converted to a digital signal, subjected to image processing, and then transmitted to the laser unit 17K.

  When image formation is started in the image forming unit 2, the charging device 18K supplies electric charges to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating photoconductor 16K. A laser beam is irradiated from the laser unit according to the image information transmitted from the CCD 13 to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 16K charged to a uniform potential by the charging device 18K. When the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 16K by the irradiation of the laser beam, the developing device 19K provides a developer on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 16K, and the electrostatic latent image. Is converted into a toner image.

  The developing device 19K includes a developing roller 24K that is rotatably provided. When the developing roller 24K is disposed so as to face the photoconductor 16K and rotates, toner is supplied to the photoconductor 16K. When a toner image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 16K, the toner image is electrostatically transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 by the primary transfer device 21K. Further, the toner on the photoconductor 16K remaining without being transferred is removed by the cleaner 22K located downstream of the primary transfer device 21K in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 16K, and the residual charge on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 16K. Is removed by the static elimination lamp 23K. In the case of forming a color image, the above process units 16Y, 16M, and 16C are similarly performed.

  The toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 is electrostatically transferred onto the paper conveyed from the paper feeding device through the conveyance path by the secondary transfer device 25. Thereafter, the paper P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 26, and the toner image transferred onto the paper is fixed on the paper by the fixing device 26. Further, the sheet on which the toner image is fixed and image formation is completed is conveyed toward the conveyance roller 27.

  The sheet on which image formation has been completed is discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 by the transport roller 27 and sent to the sheet post-processing apparatus 40.

  Next, the paper post-processing device 40 will be described.

  The sheet post-processing device 40 basically includes a processing tray 42, a stapler 43, a first discharge tray 44, and a second discharge tray 45.

  The paper P fed through the entrance roller 46 connected to the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus 1 is transported to the processing tray 42 by a pair of transport rollers 48.

  The processing tray 42 aligns and supports the stacked paper P while the paper P is stapled by the stapler 43 that is a processing mechanism that performs post-processing. The paper P that has been post-processed by the stapler 43 is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 44.

  On the other hand, the paper P that is not subjected to post-processing is sent to the second paper discharge tray 45 via the entrance roller 46.

  Next, an operation mechanism of the anti-slip member 201 provided on the tray will be described with reference to FIGS. The anti-slip member 201 can be provided on the first paper discharge tray 44, the second paper discharge tray 45, and the processing tray 42. The above three trays are collectively referred to as a tray 200.

  FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the tray 200 on which the anti-slip member 201 is installed, and FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the tray 200. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation mechanism of the anti-slip member 201.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the anti-slip member 201 is installed at the center of the tray 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the anti-slip member 201 has a portion (hereinafter referred to as a protruding portion) 203 that protrudes from below the stacking surface 202 on which the sheets P of the tray 200 are stacked.

  When there is no paper P on the tray 200, the first paper P is transported by the transport roller 48 and drops onto the tray 200 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. Is pushed down the tray 200. When the protrusion 203 is pushed down, the anti-slip member 201 rotates around the fulcrum 206 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  As the anti-slip member 201 rotates around the fulcrum 206, as shown in FIG. 4B, a contact portion 204 (hereinafter referred to as a contact portion) that functions as a paper anti-slip portion is formed. It protrudes on the stacking surface 202 of the tray 200. That is, the anti-slip member 201 also functions as an actuator for causing the contact portion 204 to protrude on the stacking surface 202. The contact portion 204 is provided so that the friction coefficient with respect to the paper P is larger than that of the stacking surface 202.

  Further, regarding the processing tray 42, after detecting whether or not there is a sheet on the stacking surface 202, post-processing such as stapling is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the presence or absence of paper on the stacking surface 202. This sheet presence / absence detection can be performed using the anti-slip member 201.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation mechanism of the anti-slip member 201 in the processing tray 42. As shown in FIG. 5A, a sheet sensor 205 having an optical sensor is provided below the processing tray. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the protrusion 203 is pushed down by the paper P conveyed to the processing tray 42, the anti-slip member 201 rotates and blocks the light from the paper sensor 205. In this way, the presence or absence of the paper on the processing tray 42 can be detected by the anti-slip member 201.

  By adopting the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the first sheet P conveyed to the tray 200 from sliding on the tray 200 when there is no sheet P in the tray 200. That is, the consistency of the paper P conveyed on the tray 200 can be improved.

  Further, since the anti-slip member 201 also serves as an actuator for projecting the contact portion 204 and also serves as a sheet presence / absence detection function in the processing tray 42, an extra member is not required and the apparatus is simplified.

  In the present embodiment, only one anti-slip member 201 is provided on the stacking surface 202 of the tray 200, but a plurality of anti-slip members 201 may be provided. FIG. 6 shows a layout diagram of the anti-slip members 201 when a plurality of anti-slip members 201 are provided on the stacking surface 202 of the tray 200.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram when the anti-slip members 201 are arranged in a direction crossing the paper transport direction. When the anti-slip member 201 is arranged in this manner, the effect of suppressing the shift in the width direction of the paper P is high.

  FIG. 6B is a diagram when the anti-slip members 201 are arranged in the paper conveyance direction. When the anti-slip member 201 is arranged in this way, the effect of suppressing the vertical displacement of the paper P is high.

  FIG. 6C is a view when the anti-slip members 201 are arranged on the diagonal line of the tray 200. When the anti-slip member 201 is arranged in this way, the effect of suppressing the shift of the paper P in the rotating direction is high.

  As described above, when a plurality of anti-slip members 102 are arranged on the tray 200, different effects can be expected depending on the arrangement method.

  Further, if a contact portion 204 that prevents slippage of paper is provided in advance on the bottom surface of the tray 200, the leading end of the paper P may come into contact with the contact portion 204 while the paper P is being discharged to the tray 200. is there. In that case, there is a possibility that the paper P becomes jammed due to the leading end of the paper P coming into contact with the contact portion 204 even though the paper P is being discharged, and the paper P may be jammed there.

However, in the tray 200 of the present embodiment, the contact portion 204 does not appear on the bottom surface of the tray 200 while the paper P is being discharged. It is also possible to prevent the paper P from being jammed. If the protruding portion 203 and the contact portion 204 are closer to the transport roller 48 than the point where the leading edge of the paper P lands on the tray 200, the paper P can be more effectively prevented from being jammed.
(Second Embodiment)

  A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the above embodiment, and only the characteristic parts of this embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the anti-slip member 201 is installed on the processing tray 42 having means for aligning the paper P in the paper transport direction and the direction intersecting the paper transport direction.

  First, the sheet alignment operation performed in the processing tray 42 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, an alignment roller 101 provided so as to be movable up and down is disposed above the processing tray 42. The sheet conveyed on the processing tray 42 is aligned using the alignment roller 101 in each of the sheet conveying direction (vertical direction) and the direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction (width direction).

  When the paper P is conveyed to the processing tray 42, the alignment roller 101 disposed above the processing tray 42 is lowered onto the paper P. That is, the alignment roller 101 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The alignment roller 101 rotates in contact with the upper surface of the paper P, and the paper P moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Then, the paper P is abutted against the rear end stopper 102, and the vertical alignment of the paper P is performed. The rear end stopper 102 is a side surface of the processing tray 42 in a direction intersecting with the sheet conveyance direction.

  Thereafter, while the alignment roller 101 is in contact with the upper surface of the paper P, it moves close to the side wall 104 along the shaft 103 and presses the side edge in the width direction of the paper P against the side wall 104, Consistency.

  When the paper P is conveyed to the processing tray 42 in this way, the alignment roller 101 moves and alignment with the paper P in the vertical direction and the width direction is performed. This alignment is performed on all sheets conveyed to the processing tray 42.

  For the paper P (first paper P) conveyed when there is no paper in the processing tray 42, the anti-slip member 201 provided on the processing tray 42 before the above alignment is performed, Slip on the processing tray 42 is suppressed.

  Next, the anti-slip member 201 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the processing tray 42, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the processing tray 42. In the present embodiment, the vertical alignment operation of the paper P and the protrusion of the contact portion 204 are interlocked.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the anti-slip member 201 is provided at the center of the rear end stopper 102 in a direction that intersects the paper conveyance direction. The anti-slip member 201 has a protruding portion 203 provided so as to protrude from the rear end stopper 102 onto the stacking surface 202.

  Next, the operation mechanism of the anti-slip member 201 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the paper P is transported when there is no paper P on the processing tray 42, the paper P is aligned in the vertical direction by the alignment roller 101. The sheet P moves in the order of arrow A, arrow B, and arrow C in FIG.

  Due to the vertical alignment of the paper P, the rear end of the paper P abuts against the rear end stopper 102. The sheet P is also applied to the protrusion 203 of the anti-slip member 201 provided on the rear end stopper 102 by this vertical alignment. When the sheet P hits, the anti-slip member 201 rotates around the fulcrum 206 in the direction of arrow D, and the contact portion 204 protrudes from the stacking surface 202.

  By adopting the above configuration, the contact portion 204 of the anti-slip member 201 protrudes on the processing tray 42 in conjunction with the vertical alignment of the paper P conveyed to the processing tray 42, so that the first paper P Can be prevented from slipping.

In the present embodiment, only one anti-slip member 201 is provided on the rear end stopper 102, but a plurality of anti-slip members 201 may be arranged on the rear end stopper 102. By providing a plurality of anti-slip members, it is possible to further prevent the first paper P from slipping, and to improve the effect of suppressing the deviation of the paper P on the processing tray 42.
(Third embodiment)

  A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the above embodiment, and only the characteristic parts of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the processing tray 42 in this embodiment, and FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the processing tray 42. In the present embodiment, the lateral alignment operation and the protrusion of the contact portion 204 of the anti-slip member 201 are interlocked.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the anti-slip member 201 is provided in the central portion of the side wall 104 in the sheet conveyance direction. The anti-slip member 201 has a protruding portion 203 provided so as to protrude from the side wall 104 onto the stacking surface 202.

  Due to the alignment in the width direction of the paper P, the side edge of the paper P abuts against the side wall 104. Due to the alignment in the width direction, the sheet P is also applied to the protruding portion 203 of the anti-slip member 201 provided on the side wall 104. When the sheet P hits, the anti-slip member 201 rotates around the fulcrum 206 in the direction of arrow c, and the contact portion 204 protrudes from the stacking surface 202.

  By adopting the above configuration, the contact portion 204 of the anti-slip member 201 protrudes on the processing tray 42 in conjunction with the vertical alignment of the paper P conveyed to the processing tray 42, so that the first paper P Can be prevented from slipping.

  In the present embodiment, only one anti-slip member 201 is provided on the side wall 104, but a plurality of anti-slip members 201 may be provided. By providing a plurality of sheets, the first sheet P is more difficult to slip, and the effect of suppressing the displacement of the sheet P on the processing tray 42 can be improved.

1. 1. Image forming apparatus 2. Image forming unit 3. Paper supply unit Image reading unit 40. Paper post-processing device 42. Processing tray 44. First paper discharge tray 45. Second paper discharge tray 101. Alignment roller 102. Rear end stopper 104. Sidewall 200. Tray 201. Anti-slip member 202. Loading surface 203. Protruding part 204. Contact part 205. Optical sensor 206. The fulcrum P.I. Paper

JP 2007-137668 A

Claims (15)

A loading surface for loading paper;
A protruding portion protruding from the loading surface;
An anti-slip member that has a paper anti-slip portion that has a larger coefficient of friction than the stacking surface with respect to the paper, and that causes the paper anti-slip portion to protrude from the stacking surface by contacting the paper and the protruding portion;
A tray characterized by comprising:   The tray according to claim 2, wherein the anti-slip member is on the sheet stacking surface, and the protruding portion protrudes from below the stacking surface. A vertical alignment member for aligning the paper in the paper conveyance direction;
The anti-slip member is on a side surface of the tray in a direction intersecting with the sheet conveyance direction, and the sheet aligned in the sheet conveyance direction by the vertical alignment member comes into contact with the protruding portion to thereby form the stacking surface. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the sheet slip prevention portion is protruded from the tray. A width aligning member that aligns the sheet in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction;
The anti-slip member is on one side surface of the tray in a direction parallel to the paper transport direction, and the paper that has been aligned in the direction intersecting the paper transport direction by the width alignment member contacts the protrusion. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the sheet slip preventing portion is projected from the stacking surface.   2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein the sheet comes into contact with the projecting portion, and the projecting portion is pushed downward from the tray to project the sheet slip preventing portion.   6. The tray according to claim 5, wherein a fulcrum is provided between the protruding portion and the paper slip preventing portion, and the paper slip preventing portion is protruded by rotating around the fulcrum.   2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of a sheet on the tray can be detected in conjunction with the protrusion of the sheet slip preventing portion of the slip preventing member on the stacking surface. A post-processing unit that performs post-processing on the conveyed paper;
A stacking surface on which the sheet is placed, a projecting portion projecting on the stacking surface, and a sheet slip preventing portion that prevents the sheet from slipping by contacting the sheet, wherein the sheet and the projecting portion are A tray provided with a non-slip member that protrudes the sheet anti-slip part to the stacking surface by contact;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising:   9. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the anti-slip member of the tray is on the sheet stacking surface, and the protruding portion protrudes from below the stacking surface.   The tray further includes a vertical alignment member that aligns the paper in the paper conveyance direction, and the anti-slip member is located on a side surface of the tray that intersects the paper conveyance direction, and is attached to the paper by the vertical alignment member. 9. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sheet slip-preventing portion protrudes from the stacking surface when the sheet, which is aligned in the sheet conveying direction, contacts the protruding portion.   The tray further includes a width aligning member that aligns the paper in a direction intersecting the paper transport direction, and the anti-slip member is on one side surface in a direction parallel to the paper transport direction of the tray, and the width 9. The sheet slip prevention portion is protruded from the stacking surface when the sheet, which has been aligned in a direction intersecting with the sheet conveyance direction by the alignment member, contacts the protruding portion. The paper post-processing device as described. Detects the contact between the anti-slip member provided on the tray and the paper,
A sheet aligning method, wherein a sheet slip preventing portion of the slip preventing member is projected from the stacking surface.   13. The sheet alignment method according to claim 12, wherein the sheet and the anti-slip member come into contact with each other when the sheet falls on the sheet stacking surface.   13. The sheet aligning method according to claim 12, wherein the sheet and the anti-slip member are brought into contact with each other by aligning the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.   13. The sheet aligning method according to claim 12, wherein the sheet and the anti-slip member are brought into contact with each other by aligning the sheet in a direction crossing a sheet conveying direction.

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