JP2013116823A - Paper discharge device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device that selects a conveyance path according to a sheet.SOLUTION: This paper discharge device includes: a sheet conveyance path; a guide member that selects a first attitude not crossing the conveyance path or not changing a conveyance direction, or a second attitude crossing the conveyance path and changing the conveyance direction; a paper discharge tray for receiving a sheet whose traveling direction is changed by the guide member in the second attitude; a switching mechanism for switching the attitude of the guide member; and a control part for the switching mechanism. The switching mechanism includes: a first member rotatable together with the guide member; a second member for rotating the first member in contact therewith; a moving mechanism for moving the second member; and a driving source for driving the moving mechanism. When the second member is in contact with the first member, the guide member is positioned in the second attitude, and the control part controls the switching mechanism so that a contact position of the second member with the first member is changed, and that an angle of the guide member with respect to the conveyance path is adjusted, on the basis of sheet identification information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet discharge apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can provide a conveyance path according to the type of sheet.

  Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer. These apparatuses generally form images on copy paper. However, with recent advances in image forming technology and sheet conveyance technology, it is possible to form images on sheet materials other than copy paper. It is possible.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a mechanism for switching a sheet conveyance path in the middle of conveyance. In both of these disclosed technologies, the guide member is traversed in the sheet conveyance path, and the sheet is guided to a desired path. Both Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a guide member having a certain extension angle with respect to the extension direction of the conveyance path.

JP-A-4-308865 JP 2002-137866 A

  A sheet having high rigidity is difficult to bend, and a sheet having low rigidity is easily bent. Therefore, when a guide member having a certain extension angle with respect to the extension direction of the conveyance path as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is used, a sheet having low rigidity can be suitably guided. This causes a problem that a highly rigid sheet cannot be suitably guided. Alternatively, a sheet having a high rigidity can be suitably guided, but a sheet having a low rigidity cannot be preferably guided.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a sheet discharge device and an image forming apparatus that can provide an appropriate conveyance path according to a sheet.

  A paper discharge apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a paper discharge apparatus for stacking sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, and includes a conveyance path through which a sheet is conveyed, and conveyance of the sheet without crossing the conveyance path. A guide member that is configured to be switchable between a first posture that does not change direction and a second posture that crosses the conveyance path and changes the conveyance direction of the sheet; and the guide member that is in the second posture. A paper discharge tray that receives a sheet whose traveling direction has been changed by the guide member, a switching mechanism that switches the posture of the guide member between the first posture and the second posture, and a control unit that controls the switching mechanism The switching mechanism includes a first member formed to be rotatable together with the guide member, a second member that contacts the first member and rotates the first member, and the second member Move the member When the second member is in contact with the first member, the guide member is in the second posture, and the control unit includes a moving mechanism for driving the driving mechanism and a driving source for driving the moving mechanism. Adjusts the angle of the guide member in the second posture with respect to the conveyance path by changing the contact position of the second member with respect to the first member based on sheet identification information from the image forming apparatus. Thus, the switching mechanism is controlled.

  According to the above configuration, a paper discharge device for stacking sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus is provided. The sheet discharge device includes a conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed. The posture of the guide member of the paper discharge device is switched between a first posture in which the conveyance direction of the sheet passing through the conveyance path is not changed and a second posture in which the conveyance direction is changed. The control unit executes control for adjusting the angle of the guide member in the second posture based on the sheet identification information from the image forming apparatus. As a result, it is possible to provide an appropriate conveyance path according to the identified sheet.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said sheet identification information is the information relevant to the rigidity of the said sheet | seat.

  According to the above configuration, the sheet identification information is information related to the rigidity of the sheet, and the control unit controls the switching mechanism based on the information related to the rigidity of the sheet. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an appropriate conveyance path according to the rigidity of the sheet.

  An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and is connected to the image forming apparatus, and a conveyance path that conveys the sheet does not cross the conveyance path. A guide member formed to be switchable between a first posture that does not change the conveyance direction of the sheet and a second posture that crosses the conveyance path and changes the conveyance direction of the sheet; A paper discharge device that includes a paper discharge tray that receives a sheet whose traveling direction has been changed by the guide member in a posture, and a switching mechanism that switches the posture of the guide member between the first posture and the second posture. A first member that includes a control unit that controls a switching mechanism of the paper discharge device and a sheet identification unit that identifies the sheet, and the switching mechanism is configured to be rotatable together with the guide member. A second member that contacts the first member and rotates the first member, a moving mechanism for moving the second member, and a drive source for driving the moving mechanism, When the second member is in contact with the first member, the guide member is in the second posture, and the control unit is configured to control the first member relative to the first member based on sheet identification information from a sheet identification unit. The switching mechanism is controlled so as to adjust an angle of the guide member in the second posture with respect to the conveyance path by changing a contact position of the two members.

  According to the above configuration, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a conveyance path through which a sheet is conveyed. The posture of the guide member of the image forming apparatus is switched between a first posture in which the conveyance direction of the sheet passing through the conveyance path is not changed and a second posture in which the conveyance direction is changed. A control part performs control for angle adjustment of the guide member in a 2nd attitude | position based on the sheet identification information from a sheet | seat identification part. As a result, it is possible to provide an appropriate conveyance path according to the identified sheet.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said sheet | seat identification part contains the sheet | seat identification sensor provided on the said conveyance path. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an appropriate conveyance path according to the type of the sheet by identifying the type of the sheet with the sheet identification sensor.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said sheet | seat identification part is an input device which selects the kind of said sheet | seat. According to the above configuration, the operation for selecting the type of sheet can be used as it is for controlling the guide member.

  In the above configuration, the control unit includes a storage unit that stores information related to the angle of the guide member corresponding to the type of the sheet, and is related to the angle of the guide member stored in the storage unit. It is preferable to control the switching mechanism using the information. According to the above configuration, the control unit can control the switching mechanism using the information stored in the storage unit.

  As described above, the sheet discharge device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can provide a sheet with an appropriate conveyance path according to the type of the sheet.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a paper discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view of a multi tray part. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the multi-tray part which concerns on a present Example. It is a perspective view which shows one Example of a switching guide. It is sectional drawing of the VII-VII line view of FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a timing belt and an operation member. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of control for discharging paper to a multi-tray unit. It is a block diagram explaining the control which changes the angle of the switching guide 40 according to the kind of sheet | seat. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the position of an interference protrusion, and the inclination angle of an operation member. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the position of an interference protrusion, and the inclination angle of a guide plate.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that terms used in the following description, such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right” and the like, are merely for the purpose of clarifying the explanation and do not limit the present invention. Not what you want. The term “storage unit” or similar terms means not only a device for storing information but also a storage area for storing information. Therefore, when a plurality of storage units are indicated in the following description, it may mean not only a plurality of storage devices but also a plurality of storage areas included in a single storage device.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 in which a paper discharge device according to an embodiment is incorporated. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a multifunction peripheral 10 and a post-processing device 20. The multifunction machine 10 forms an image based on the image information and transfers the formed image to a sheet (sheet) P2. The post-processing device 20 performs post-processing on the paper P <b> 2 that has been printed by the multifunction machine 10.

  The multifunction machine 10 has a function as a copying machine, a function as a printer, and a function as a facsimile machine. When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a printer, the multifunction machine 10 first reads a document image of the document P1. Thereafter, the multifunction machine 10 forms an image based on the read original image, and transfers the formed image onto the paper P2. When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a printer, an image is formed based on an image information signal transmitted from an external personal computer or the like, and the formed image is transferred to the paper P2. When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a facsimile machine, an image is formed on the basis of an image information signal transmitted via a communication line, and the formed image is transferred to the paper P2.

  The multifunction machine 10 includes a document conveying device 11 for loading a document P1, an image reading unit 12 for reading a document image from the document P1 loaded on the document conveying device 11, and a document read by the image reading unit 12. An image forming unit 13 that transfers an image as a toner image onto a sheet P2, a fixing unit 14 that fixes a toner image of the sheet transferred by the image forming unit 13, and a sheet P2 that is fed toward the image forming unit 13 A paper storage unit 15 for storing is provided. The image reading unit 12, the image forming unit 13, the fixing unit 14, and the paper storage unit 15 are housed in the box-shaped apparatus main body 2 and are fixed using appropriate means. The document transport device 11 is formed separately from the device body 2 and is placed on the upper surface of the device body 2.

  The document conveying device 11 attached to the upper surface of the document reading unit 12 so as to be openable and closable includes a cover lid 111 that can be opened and closed, a document tray 112, and a document feeding mechanism 113. The upper surface of the cover lid 111 is formed in a concave shape, and the document tray 112 is disposed in the concave portion. A bundle of documents OP1 is loaded on the document tray 112. The document feeding mechanism 113 feeds the documents P1 one by one from the document bundle loaded on the document tray 112, sends them to the image reading unit 12, and causes the document image to face the upper surface of the image reading unit 12.

  The image reading unit 12 includes a contact glass 121 and an image reading mechanism 122. The contact glass 121 is disposed on the upper surface of the image reading unit 12. The image surface of the document P 1 sent out by the document feeding mechanism 113 is brought into close contact with the contact glass 121. The image reading mechanism 122 scans and reads a document image in close contact with the contact glass 121. The image reading mechanism 122 includes a moving light source 125 that irradiates light on a document image while moving. Light from the moving light source 125 is reflected by the original P1. The image reading mechanism 122 further includes an optical system member 124 including a plurality of mirrors 126 that reflect the reflected light of the moving light source 125 along a predetermined optical path and a lens member 127 that converges the light in the optical path.

  The image forming unit 13 includes a photosensitive drum 131, a conveyance belt 132, a charger, an exposure device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and the like. An electrostatic latent image and a toner image are sequentially formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131. The conveyor belt 132 feeds the paper P2 to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131. The photosensitive drum 131 rotates around the longitudinal axis.

  The reflected light of the moving light source 125 passes through the optical system member 124 and is input to a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) as described above. As a result, an analog signal corresponding to the image data is converted into a digital signal. Laser light corresponding to the digital signal is applied to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131. By this irradiation, electrostatic latent images are sequentially formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131. On the downstream side of the scanning light irradiation position, toner is supplied from the developing unit 133 to the formed electrostatic latent image. As a result, a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131. This toner image is transferred to the paper P2 fed by the transport belt 132.

  The fixing unit 14 performs a fixing process on the toner image on the paper P <b> 2 on which the image is transferred by the photosensitive drum 131 in the image forming unit 13. The fixing unit 14 includes a fixing roller 141 and a pressure roller 142 that is disposed below the fixing roller 141 and is disposed to face the fixing roller 141. Inside the fixing roller 141, a heat source such as an energizing heat generator is mounted. The sheet P <b> 2 conveyed from the image forming unit 13 as the conveying belt 132 rotates is fed to the nip portion between the fixing roller 141 and the pressure roller 142. In the nip portion, the toner image is fixed on the paper P2 by the heat energy from the fixing roller 141. The paper P2 that has passed through the fixing unit 14 is carried out toward the post-processing device 20 through the paper discharge port 4 via the pair of carry-out rollers 143 provided at the most downstream end.

  The paper storage unit 15 includes a plurality of paper cassettes (sheet storage units) 151 that are detachably mounted on the apparatus main body 2. A pickup roller 152 and a paper feed roller 153 are provided at one end of each paper cassette 151 (the right end in the example shown in FIG. 1). By the driving rotation of the pickup roller 152, the uppermost sheet P2 of the sheet bundle loaded in the sheet cassette 151 is sequentially fed out and conveyed toward the image forming unit 13 via the sheet feeding roller 153 and the conveyance path 3. .

  The paper P2 led out from the paper cassette 151 is transported by the transport belt 132, and the toner image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 131 is transferred. The sheet P2 onto which the toner image has been transferred is subjected to heat fixing processing by heating from the fixing roller 141 in the fixing unit 14, and then is discharged from the discharge port 4 of the apparatus body 2 through the carry-out roller pair 143. It is delivered to the processing device 20.

  The post-processing apparatus 20 includes a box-shaped apparatus main body 6, a paper carry-in section 21, a punch section 22, a sorting section 23, an intermediate tray section 24, a multi-tray section 30, and a sheet folding section 25 that are accommodated in the apparatus main body 6. Is provided.

  The paper carry-in unit 21 is a part that receives the transferred paper P2 discharged from the paper discharge port 4 via the pair of carry-out rollers 143 of the multifunction machine 10 into the post-processing device 20. The paper carry-in unit 21 includes a paper receiving chute 211 made of an inclined plate.

  The sheet receiving chute 211 is formed in the upper right part of the apparatus main body 6 so as to expand up and down toward the sheet discharge port 4 of the multifunction machine 10. Accordingly, the paper P2 discharged from the paper discharge port 4 is guided by the upper and lower surfaces of the paper receiving chute 211 and slides toward the upper left.

  The punch unit 22 punches a punch hole in the edge portion on the front end side of the paper P2 fed from the multifunction machine 10 via the paper carry-in unit 21. The punch unit 22 includes a punching machine, a cradle provided directly below the punching machine with the conveyance path of the paper P2 interposed therebetween, and a punch waste container 221 for receiving punch scraps provided immediately below the cradle. Prepare. When the sheet P2 on which the punching process is scheduled to be performed is fed into the post-processing device 20 from the multifunction machine 10 through the paper discharge port 4, the punching machine 221 uses the punching machine 221 to bring it to the edge on the leading end side of the sheet P2. The punching process is performed and the sheet is continuously conveyed toward the sorting unit 23. The punch punch generated at this time is accommodated in the punch waste container 221. Note that when a sheet P2 that is not scheduled to be punched is sent from the multifunction machine 10 to the post-processing device 20, the sheet P2 passes through the punch unit 22 without being punched.

  The destination of the paper P2 that has passed through the punch unit 22 is determined in advance according to the type of paper processing, or by a user performing a predetermined setting operation via the operation panel. The sorting unit 23 sorts the paper P <b> 2 into one of the general-purpose tray 301, the multi-tray unit 30, and the intermediate tray unit 24 according to the destination of the paper P <b> 2 that has passed through the punch unit 22.

  The intermediate tray unit 24 performs post-processing such as stapling on the introduced paper P2. A predetermined number of sheets introduced into the intermediate tray unit 24 are stacked on the intermediate conveyance path 241, subjected to a predetermined stapling process by a stapler, and then fed back to the large capacity tray 302. The large-capacity tray 302 is configured to be able to move up and down in order to cope with the discharge of a large number of copies of the sheet bundle, and the height position of the large-capacity tray 302 is controlled according to the stacking amount.

  A top tray 303 is disposed on the top plate of the apparatus body 6. The upper surface tray 303 is used for discharging the paper P2 that has not been subjected to punching processing or stapling processing. A4 size paper P2 is normally discharged to the upper tray 303. The A3-size paper P2 is discharged to the general-purpose tray 301.

  The sheet folding portion 25 includes a saddle stitch stapler. The sheet folding unit 25 performs a stapling process on the sheet P2 using a saddle stitching stapler, and then performs a two-fold process (center folding process) from the center of the sheet P2. The sheet P2 to be folded is introduced through a conveyance path on the outer side (right side in the drawing) of the intermediate tray unit 24. The sheet P2 after the middle folding process is discharged to a dedicated middle folding tray 251.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an interface circuit for exchanging signals and information from the outside when the multifunction machine 10 is used as a printer or a facsimile machine.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a multi-tray unit (paper discharge device) 30 that discharges the paper P2 that has been subjected to image formation processing by the image forming unit. The multi-tray section 30 includes a rectangular parallelepiped frame frame 31 and a plurality of paper discharge trays 32 protruding from the frame frame 31. The paper discharge tray 32 extends in a direction away from the multifunction machine 10 and receives the paper P <b> 2 discharged from the multi-tray unit 30. The plurality of paper discharge trays 32 are arranged side by side at equal pitches in the vertical direction. The frame frame 31 is erected on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 6 of the post-processing apparatus 20 at a position separated from the multifunction machine 10 (see FIG. 1). FIG. 2 shows a top plate 312 that forms the upper surface of the frame and a face plate 315 that forms a surface facing the multifunction device 10. A cover 317 is attached along the side edges of the top plate 312 and the face plate 315. A receiving opening 316 serving as an entrance into the multi-tray part of the paper P2 subjected to the image forming process through the image forming part 13 is formed in the lower part of the face plate 315. Further, in FIG. 2, a guide plate 901 existing below the face plate 315 is shown.

  FIG. 3 shows the multi-tray unit 30 with the top plate 312, the face plate 315 and the cover 317 removed. In FIG. 3, the side box 311 of the frame 31 is shown. The pair of side boxes 311 form both sides of the frame frame 31 and serve to fix the cover 317. In FIG. 3, a plurality of switching guides (guide members) 40 are shown between the side boxes 311. The respective switching guides 40 are provided corresponding to the respective paper discharge trays 32 and are aligned in the vertical direction. One of the pair of side boxes 311 accommodates a drive force transmission mechanism 70 constructed with a drive motor (drive source) 71 as a base point. The other side box 311 accommodates a switching mechanism 50 that switches the attitude of the switching guide 40. The side box 311 supports a rotating shaft positioned on a rotation center axis extending along the vicinity of the upper edge of the face plate 315, and the face plate 315 rotates around the turning shaft and can be opened and closed up and down. Yes. By rotating the face plate 315 to the open position, maintenance work and jam clearing work can be performed. 3 further shows the upper surface tray 303 existing between the frame frame 31 and the multifunction machine 10 and the paper carry-in portion 21 of the post-processing apparatus 20 together.

  FIG. 3 further shows the conveyance roller 621 exposed from the middle portion of the switching guide 40. The transport roller 621 plays a role of transporting the paper P <b> 2 in the multi-tray unit 30. FIG. 3 further shows an attachment base 900 disposed on the surface opposite to the attachment surface of the face plate 315. The attachment base 900 is connected to the base end portion of the paper discharge tray 32. The paper discharge tray 32 extends in a direction away from the multi-function device 10 with a connection portion with the attachment base 900 as a base end (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The front end portion of the paper discharge tray 32 is located slightly above the base end portion, and the paper discharge tray 32 is fixed in an inclined posture.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one of the plurality of switching guides 40 shown in FIG. The switching guide 40 includes a long guide body 401 extending between the pair of side boxes 311 and a plurality of guide fins 42 protruding from the guide body 401. The guide body 401 is formed with two escape holes 45 for exposing the conveying roller 621 (see FIG. 3). Guide shafts 41 are formed at both ends of the switching guide 40. The guide shaft 41 penetrates the side box 311 and functions as a rotation shaft of the switching guide 40 (see FIG. 3). One of the pair of guide shafts 41 is fitted with an operation member (first member) 54. The switching guide 40 further includes a torsion spring 43. The torsion spring 43 is connected to the guide shaft 41 and the side box 311.

  The operation member 54 includes a substantially triangular substrate 541, a contact plate 542 extending from one edge of the substrate 541 in the extending direction of the guide shaft 41, and a connecting cylinder 543 extending from the surface of the substrate 541 toward the guide shaft 41. Is provided. The guide shaft 41 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the connecting cylinder 543 includes a through hole having a cross section complementary to the cross section of the guide shaft 41. This through hole penetrates the substrate 541. The guide shaft 41 is inserted into the through hole and rotates together with the operation member 54.

  The crescent-shaped guide fin 42 includes an upwardly curved guide edge (guide portion) 421 having an arc shape and an upper edge 422 positioned above the guide edge 421. The guide edge 421 extends with a predetermined inclination angle in the paper discharge conveyance path 310 (see FIG. 5). The guide edge 421 contacts the paper P2, and changes the transport direction of the paper P2 in the middle of transport. As a result, the paper P2 is guided to the paper discharge tray 32.

  Refer to FIG. 4 again. Between the board | substrate 541 and the side box 311, the torsion spring 43 which has an extension part in both ends is externally fitted. A similar torsion spring 43 is fitted on the other end side of the guide shaft 41. The extension portion on one end side of the torsion spring 43 adjacent to the operation member 54 is hooked on the side box 311, and the extension portion on the other end side is locked to the back surface of the contact plate 542. The operation member 54 is biased clockwise around the guide shaft 41 by the torsion spring 43.

  Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. The switching mechanism 50 includes a plurality of pulleys 51 aligned in the vertical direction in the side box 311, a timing belt 52 (belt) wound around each pulley 51, and interference protrusions ( A second member 53 and an operation member 54 that is connected to the switching guide 40 and that rotates together with the switching guide 40. The pulley 51 and the timing belt 52 are used as a moving mechanism for moving the interference protrusion 53. The pulley arranged at the lowest position among the plurality of pulleys 51 is a toothed pulley 51 a having teeth that mesh with the timing belt 52. The timing belt 52 is stretched between the toothed pulley 51 a and the uppermost pulley 51. The toothed pulley 51a is connected to a driving source such as a motor and is given a rotational driving force.

  Due to the external force caused by the interference projection 53 coming into contact with the operation member 54, the operation member 54 rotates about the connecting portion with the guide shaft 41, and the posture of the switching guide 40 is between the retracted posture and the guide posture. Switch with. The pulleys 51 other than the toothed pulley 51a are used to resist a reaction force from the operation member 54 when the interference protrusion 53 interferes with the operation member 54. Thereby, the bending of the timing belt 52 between the contact of the interference protrusion 53 and the operation member 54 is prevented.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the timing belt 52 rotates clockwise, the interference protrusion 53 moves downward. During this time, the interference protrusion 53 interferes with the contact plate 542 of each operation member 54 in order from the uppermost operation member 54. The interference projection 53 rotates the contact plate 542 around the guide shaft 41 counterclockwise in each operation member 54, and then moves downward from the lower end portion thereof toward the next operation member 54. Therefore, the operation member 54 swings around the guide shaft 41 every time the interference protrusion 53 passes. Along with this, the guide fin 42 swings integrally around the guide shaft 41.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-tray section 30 taken along the line VII-VII shown in FIG. A paper discharge conveyance path (conveyance path) 310 is formed between the face plate 315 and the switching guide 40. The paper discharge conveyance path 310 extends in the vertical direction and is used to convey the paper P2 upward. The sheet P2 is guided to the sheet discharge conveyance path 310, moved upward, and then guided to the switching guide 40 whose posture has been changed, and is discharged toward the sheet discharge tray 32 corresponding to the switching guide 40. The paper discharge tray 32 receives the discharged paper P2. A plurality of ribs extending in the vertical direction and driven rollers are provided on the inner surface of the face plate 315 so as to form the paper discharge conveyance path 310. These enable smooth conveyance of the sheet P2 rising in the sheet discharge conveyance path 310.

  The guide fin 42 rotates between a retracted posture (first posture) S1 and a guide posture (second posture) S2 as the guide shaft 41 rotates about the guide shaft 41. When the guide fins 42 are present at the retracted posture S1, the interference protrusion 53 does not interfere with the operation member 54. Further, the guide edge 421 does not cross the paper discharge conveyance path 310 and does not contact the paper P2 being conveyed. Therefore, the conveyance direction of the paper P2 is not changed. The upper edge 422 forms a part of the surface of the paper discharge conveyance path 310 along the paper discharge conveyance path 310. When the rotation of the timing belt 52 is stopped in a state where the interference protrusion 53 interferes with the contact plate 542 of any of the operation members 54, the guide fins 42 corresponding to the operation member 54 with which the interference protrusion 53 interferes are guided. The posture is set to the posture S2. In the guide posture S2, the guide edge 421 crosses the paper discharge transport path 310 and contacts the leading edge of the paper P2 being transported. Further, the upper edge 422 is in contact with the face plate 315. As a result, the conveyance direction of the paper P2 is changed and received by the paper discharge tray 32.

  The transport mechanism 60 includes a vertical transport mechanism 61 and a discharge transport mechanism 62. The vertical transport mechanism 61 transports the paper P <b> 2 upward along the paper discharge transport path 310. While the sheet P2 is being conveyed upward, the upper edge 422 (see FIG. 4) of the guide fin 42 in the retracted position S1 plays a role of guiding the sheet P2. The sheet guided to the guide edge 421 of the guide fin 42 in the guide posture S <b> 2 is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 32 by the discharge conveyance mechanism 62.

  The vertical conveyance mechanism 61 has a first conveyance roller 611 disposed on the left side of the discharge conveyance path 310 so as to face the base end side of the first, third, and fifth discharge trays 32 from below. And a second transport roller 612 disposed to face each of the first transport rollers 611 on the right side. The second transport roller 612 is a transport roller that is disposed on the inner surface of the face plate 315 of the frame frame 31 and is driven to rotate by forming a nip with the first transport roller 611. The paper P2 introduced into the paper discharge conveyance path 310 is lifted in the paper discharge conveyance path 310 by the rotation of both rollers in opposite directions while being nipped by the first and second conveyance rollers 611 and 612. .

  The first conveying roller 611 is rotatably supported around a first roller shaft 613 provided between the pair of side boxes 311 of the frame frame 31. The second transport roller 612 is rotatably supported around the second roller shaft 614. The first conveying roller 611 rotates around the first roller shaft 613 by driving of the driving force transmission mechanism 70. The second transport roller 612 is driven to rotate around the second roller shaft 614 with respect to the rotation of the first transport roller 611.

  The discharge conveyance mechanism 62 includes a third conveyance roller 621 provided to face the base end portion of each paper discharge tray 32 and a fourth conveyance roller 622 disposed to face the position immediately above each third conveyance roller 621. Is provided.

  The third transport roller 621 is pivotally supported around a third roller shaft 623 installed between the pair of side boxes 311 of the frame frame 31. The fourth transport roller 622 is rotatably supported around the fourth roller shaft 624. The third transport roller 621 rotates around the third roller shaft 623 by driving of the driving force transmission mechanism 70. The fourth transport roller 622 is driven to rotate around the fourth roller shaft 624 with respect to the rotation of the third transport roller 621.

  The paper P2 is fed into the paper discharge conveyance path 310 through the receiving opening 316 and then guided by the guide fins 42 set in the guide posture S2 and enters the paper discharge tray 32 from the paper discharge conveyance path 310. To do. The sheet P2 is discharged toward the discharge tray 32 by the rotation of the third transfer roller 621 and the fourth transfer roller 622 in opposite directions while being nipped between the third and fourth transfer rollers 621 and 622. The

  FIG. 6 shows the positional relationship between the timing belt 52 and the operation member 54. The operation member 54 is aligned along one of a pair of belt bands extending in the vertical direction of the timing belt 52. The contact plate 542 of the operation member 54 in the retracted posture S1 is inclined in the direction in which the lower end approaches the belt belt of the timing belt 52, and the contact plate 542 of the operation member 54 in the guide posture S2 It is substantially parallel to the belt band. The torsion spring 43 (see FIG. 4) applies a biasing force to the operation member 54 so that the operation member 54 maintains the retracted posture.

  A guide operation member 902 is disposed below the toothed pulley 51 a located at the lower end of the timing belt 52. The structure of the guide operation member 902 is substantially the same as the structure of the operation member 54, but the guide operation member 902 is connected to a guide plate 901 (see FIG. 2) instead of the switching guide 40. In the present embodiment, the home position of the interference projection 53 is a position immediately below the lowest toothed pulley 51a. When the interference projection 53 is located at the home position, the guide plate 901 is set in an upward posture. As a result, the fed paper P2 is surely discharged to the general-purpose tray 301. On the other hand, when the interference protrusion 53 deviates from the home position, the guide plate 901 is set in a downward posture. As a result, the paper P <b> 2 sent to the multi-tray unit 30 is picked up by the guide plate 901 and travels toward the paper discharge conveyance path 310 in the multi-tray unit 30.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the timing belt including one interference protrusion 53 is used to select the discharge path to either the general-purpose tray 301 or the discharge tray 32 and to select one of the plurality of discharge trays 32. The paper discharge tray 32 can be selected. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated mechanism for changing the posture of the guide plate 901 and each guide fin 42, which can contribute to a reduction in the number of parts and a reduction in manufacturing cost.

  The operation of the multi-tray unit 30 will be described. In a state where the interference protrusion 53 of the timing belt 52 is positioned at the lowest home position, the interference protrusion 53 moves the contact plate 542 of the guide operation member 902 around the guide shaft 41 against the urging force of the torsion spring 43. And turn it counterclockwise by a predetermined amount. For this reason, the guide shaft 41 integral with the contact plate 542 rotates by the same amount around the axis. As a result, the guide plate 901 is rotated by the same amount to be in an upward posture. Accordingly, the paper P2 sent out from the sorting unit 23 is discharged under the guide plate 901 toward the general-purpose tray 301.

  When the guide plate 901 is set in the downward posture, the paper P2 is discharged by the multi-tray unit 30. When the timing belt 52 rotates clockwise, the interference protrusion 53 at the home position is lifted away from the guide operation member 902. At this time, the guide plate 901 is set in a downward posture.

  Further, the raised interference protrusion 53 descends around the uppermost pulley 51. Thereafter, the contact member 542 interferes with the contact plate 542 of the operation member 54 and temporarily rotates the contact plate 542 around the guide shaft 41 counterclockwise. Thereafter, the contact plate 542 passes through and proceeds to the next operation member 54 positioned below.

  It is assumed that the rotation of the timing belt 52 is stopped at the position of the operation member 54 at the second stage from the bottom by the interference protrusion 53. In this case, the interference protrusion 53 resists the biasing force of the torsion spring 43 and rotates the contact plate 542 in the second step from the bottom around the guide shaft 41 by a predetermined amount around the guide shaft 41. For this reason, the corresponding guide fin 42 is changed in posture from the retracted posture S1 to the guide posture S2. A plurality of in-frame guide plates installed between the pair of side boxes 311 corresponding to the respective discharge trays 32 are arranged. When the posture of the guide fin 42 is changed from the retracted posture S1 to the guide posture S2, the guide fin 42 is separated from the guide plate in the frame, and a path for the paper P2 toward the paper discharge tray 32 is formed.

  During this time, the paper P2 sent out from the sorting unit 23 is sent into the paper discharge conveyance path 310 through the receiving opening 316 while being guided by the guide fins 42, and ascends in the paper discharge conveyance path 310.

  The paper P <b> 2 sent out toward the multi-tray unit 30 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 32 corresponding to the operation member 54 that contacts the interference protrusion 53. Therefore, by controlling the amount of rotation of the timing belt 52 with reference to the home position of the interference protrusion 53, the paper P2 can be properly discharged toward the preselected paper discharge tray 32.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of discharge control of the paper P2 to the multi-tray unit 30 by the control unit. The control unit 80 plays a role of controlling the sheet discharge operation to the multi-tray unit 30. The control unit 80 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 81 that is an arithmetic processing unit, a read-only ROM (read only memory) 82 attached to the CPU 81, and a readable / writable RAM (random access memory) attached to the CPU 81. 83.

  The ROM 82 stores a program for executing control. Based on this program, posture change control of the guide fins 42 of the switching guide 40 is executed. On the other hand, the RAM 83 is used as an area for temporarily writing and reading various data used temporarily in the control operation.

  The CPU 81 determines which paper discharge tray 32 has been selected, a paper discharge tray determination unit 811, a rotation direction determination unit 812 that determines the rotation direction according to the purpose of driving the drive motor 71, and the timing belt 52. A belt rotation speed determination unit 813 for determining how much the rotation speed of the belt is set, and a predetermined control signal to the drive motor 71 based on the determination results of the paper discharge tray determination unit 811 and the belt rotation speed determination unit 813 Is included.

  An outline of the operation of related devices under the control of the CPU 81 and the flow of the paper P2 introduced into the multi-tray unit 30 will be described. When any one of the paper discharge trays 32 is selected, the CPU 81 drives the drive motor 71 in the direction opposite to that when the paper P2 is being discharged to rotate the timing belt 52 and the interference protrusion 53 is selected. The operation member 54 corresponding to the discharged paper tray 32 is positioned and stopped. As a result, the guide fin 42 corresponding to the selected paper discharge tray 32 is set to the guide posture S2.

  Thereafter, the discharge processing of the paper P2 by the post-processing device 20 is started. At the same time, the drive motor 71 is driven in the direction in which the paper P2 is conveyed. As a result, the paper P2 introduced from the processing device 20 through the guide plate 901 to the paper discharge conveyance path 310 of the multi-tray unit 30 is selected while being guided by the guide fins 42 corresponding to the selected paper discharge tray 32. The paper is discharged to the discharged paper discharge tray 32.

  If the lowermost sheet discharge tray 32 is selected while the interference protrusion 53 is positioned at the home position, the timing belt is reached until the interference protrusion 53 reaches the position corresponding to the lowermost sheet discharge tray 32. It is necessary to make 52 around the clock 52 substantially clockwise. For this reason, if necessary (especially when the high-speed image forming apparatus 1 having a high conveyance speed (paper discharge speed) of the paper P is used), the multi-tray section immediately after the paper discharge tray 32 is selected. Before the discharge to 30 is started, the posture of the guide fins 42 may be changed from the retracted posture S1 to the guide posture S2 in advance. On the other hand, when using a low-speed image forming apparatus 1 with a low paper discharge speed, the posture of the guide fins 42 may be changed after paper discharge to the post-processing apparatus 20 is started.

  The home position of the interference protrusion 53 is preferably set to a position where the paper P2 is discharged to the general-purpose tray 301 that is used most frequently. Thereby, the time required for the switching operation of the guide plate 901 can be reduced as much as possible.

  The functions of the paper discharge tray determination unit 811, the rotation direction determination unit 812, the belt circumferential speed determination unit 813, and the control signal output unit 814, which are functional units of the CPU 81, will be described individually.

  The paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 receives information transmitted from an external device 90 such as a printer or a facsimile machine via an interface, or paper output from an input device 84 (sheet identification unit) provided at an appropriate position of the multi-function peripheral 10. Information relating to the selection of the tray 32 is input.

  The paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 acquires information on the paper discharge destination paper discharge tray 32 set by a printer driver on a personal computer, for example. Thereafter, a specific number (for example, the third level from the bottom) of the paper discharge tray 32 is output to the control signal output unit 814 as a command signal in order to discharge the paper P2 to the paper discharge tray 32 of the paper discharge destination. The control signal output unit 814, to which this command signal is input, controls the drive signal to the drive motor 71 in order to change the guide fin 42 corresponding to the selected paper discharge tray 32 from the retracted position S1 to the guide position S2. Is output.

  The control signal output toward the drive motor 71 is a pulse signal including the number of pulses necessary to move the interference protrusion 53 positioned at the home position to the selected operation member 54. The motor shaft of the drive motor 71 to which this pulse signal is input rotates by an amount corresponding to the number of pulses, and makes the timing belt 52 circulate. As a result, the interference protrusion 53 reaches the target operation member 54 and rotates the contact plate 542 around the guide shaft 41. As a result, the selected guide fin 42 changes its posture from the retracted posture S1 to the guide posture S2.

  Thereafter, the sheet P2 is fed from the sorting unit 23 through the receiving opening 316 to the paper discharge conveyance path 310 in the multi-tray unit 30 and selected through the guide fins 42 set in the guide posture S2. The paper is discharged to the paper tray 32. The discharge of the sheet P2 is executed until the discharge of the number of sheets that matches the number of sheets to be discharged included in the information input to the discharge tray determination unit 811 is completed. When the paper discharge process is completed, the timing belt 52 is rotated by the drive motor 71 driven by the control signal from the control signal output unit 814, and the interference protrusion 53 is returned to the original home position. Thus, preparation for executing a new job based on the input signal input next to the paper discharge tray determination unit 811 is completed.

  The input device 84 receives a predetermined input operation from the user when the multifunction machine 10 is used as a copying machine and when the discharge destination of the paper P2 copied by the copying process is set. When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a facsimile machine, for example, a discharge destination dedicated for facsimile can be set in advance using a program stored in the ROM 82.

  When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a copying machine and the key operation for selecting the discharge destination is not performed from the input device 84, the guide plate 901 maintains the upward posture. Accordingly, when the discharge destination is not selected, all the paper P2 after the copying process is discharged toward the general-purpose tray 301. When an input process is performed by a key operation for selecting any one of the discharge trays 32 from the input device 84, a signal resulting from the input process is input to the discharge tray determination unit 811. As a result, the same control as when the ID number from the external device 90 is input to the paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 is performed, and the paper P2 is discharged toward the selected paper discharge tray 32.

  The rotation direction discriminating unit 812 discriminates a drive for operating the switching guide 40 (first mode) and a drive for transporting the paper P2 (second mode) according to the discharge process processing status. The direction of drive rotation of the drive motor 71 is determined according to the determination result of the rotation direction determination unit 812. The operations in the first mode and the second mode, which will be described later, are achieved by a drive train including a one-way clutch constituting the drive force transmission mechanism 70.

  When it is determined that the mode is the first mode, the rotation direction determination unit 812 outputs a signal for rotating the drive motor 71 in the forward direction via the control signal output unit 814. As a result, the timing belt 52 is driven in one direction by the amount of rotation determined by the paper discharge tray determination unit 811. When the guide fin 42 corresponding to the selected paper discharge tray 32 is changed from the retracted position S1 to the guide position S2 during the predetermined rotation of the timing belt 52, the drive motor 71 is stopped. The paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 discriminates the stop timing of the drive motor 71. The paper discharge tray determination unit 811 transmits a stop signal for stopping the drive motor 71 to the control output unit 814, and the control output unit 814 sends a stop signal to the drive motor 71. As a result, the drive motor 71 is stopped. In addition, the paper discharge tray determination unit 811 transmits a signal indicating that the first mode has ended to the rotation direction determination unit 812.

  When a signal indicating that the first mode is completed is sent from the paper discharge tray determination unit 811 to the rotation direction determination unit 812, the second mode is executed. In the second mode, the rotation direction determination unit 812 causes the control signal output unit 814 to output a control signal for driving and rotating the drive motor 71 in the reverse direction. By this control, the drive motor 71 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the paper P2 is transported along the paper discharge transport path 310, and then selected through the guide fins 42 set in the guide posture S2. Is discharged.

  When the discharge of the sheet P2 to the discharge tray 32 is completed, the drive of the drive motor 71 is stopped. Whether or not the paper discharge has been completed is determined based on, for example, an output of a PI (photo interrupter) sensor (not shown) arranged on the paper discharge conveyance path toward the paper discharge tray 32.

  The input device 84 is provided with a dial (not shown) for changing the circumferential speed of the timing belt 52. This dial is used, for example, when the interference projection 53 interferes with the operated plate 542 due to the excessive rotation speed of the timing belt 52, or when the generation of noise that occurs when the interference is released is suppressed.

  On the other hand, the ROM 82 stores a table indicating the relationship between the rotation amount of the dial and the rotation speed of the timing belt 52 (drive speed of the drive motor 71). The belt rotation speed discriminating unit 813 sets the drive speed of the drive motor 71 by referring to the table of the ROM 82 from the input dial rotation amount, and outputs a control signal as a command signal to drive the drive motor 71 at the drive speed. Output to the unit 814.

  Upon receiving this command signal, the control signal output unit 814 changes the drive speed of the drive motor 71 (decreases the drive speed) by adjusting the cycle of the drive pulse applied to the drive motor 71 and the like. Adjust the speed. For example, the generation of noise due to the interference between the interference protrusion 53 of the timing belt 52 and the operated plate 542 of the operation member 54 can be suppressed by reducing the circulation speed.

  When the generation of noise is allowed and priority is given to improving the discharge efficiency of the paper P2, the dial is operated in the reverse direction from the reference position. Thereby, the drive speed of the drive motor 71 is increased. As a result, the circumferential speed of the timing belt 52 increases, and the posture change of the guide fin 42 of the selected paper discharge tray 32 from the retracted posture S1 to the guide posture S2 can be quickly performed.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating control for changing the angle of the switching guide 40 in the guide posture S2 with respect to the paper discharge conveyance path 310 in accordance with the type of the paper P2. An input device 84 (sheet identification unit) shown in FIG. 8 is a touch panel type operation panel of the multifunction machine 10. The input device 84 includes selection buttons for executing several functions, one of which is a special paper selection function. When the special paper selection function button is pressed, several types of sheet materials are then displayed. In FIG. 8, “Tracing paper”, “OHP”, “paper half paper”, “thick paper”, “special paper A”, and “special paper B” are displayed. When the user selects one of the sheet material buttons displayed, the input device outputs a sheet type signal (sheet identification information) to the paper discharge tray determination unit 811 of the CPU 81. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, “thick paper” is selected. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, information on the sheet rigidity is given to the discharge tray discriminating unit 811 using information on the sheet type, but other information (for example, sheet basis weight, sheet thickness, etc.) is given. It is also possible to give information relating to the sheet rigidity to the paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 using the size or the actually measured rigidity). Information included in the sheet type signal may be temporarily recorded in the RAM 83.

  After the selection of the sheet type is executed, the input device 84 displays a screen for allowing the user to select the discharge tray 32 as the discharge destination. The user selects one from the displayed plurality of discharge trays 32. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, “tray 4” is selected.

  The ROM 82 stores a pulse initial value “X0” (reference value) set for a normally used sheet (for example, copy paper). This initial pulse value “X0” plays a role of determining the extension angle of the switching guide 40 in the guide posture S2 with respect to the paper discharge transport path 310 in the control of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a pulse initial value X0 corresponding to the tray 4 is shown.

  The RAM 83 stores a pulse correction value corresponding to each type of sheet that can be selected through the input device 84.

  The paper discharge tray determination unit 811 reads a control program from the ROM 82 and reads a pulse correction value corresponding to the selected sheet from the RAM 82. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the pulse correction value “X5” corresponding to “thick paper” is read out. Thereafter, the paper discharge tray discriminating unit 811 uses the pulse correction value “X5” for the pulse initial value “X0” included in the control program to perform a correction operation (for example, “X5” for the value “X0”). Addition or subtraction is performed, and a command signal including the corrected value is transmitted to the control signal output unit 814. The control signal output unit 814 transmits a control signal (angle signal) corresponding to the command signal to the drive motor 71.

  FIG. 9 shows the contact between the operation member 54 and the interference protrusion 53. 9A shows the positional relationship between the operation member 54 and the interference protrusion 53 before the operation member 54 contacts the interference protrusion 53, and FIG. 9B shows the control described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9C shows a state where the interference projection 53 is moved using the correction value considering the rigidity of the cardboard and is brought into contact with the operation member 54 corresponding to the selected “tray 4”. The state in which the interference protrusion 53 is moved and brought into contact with the operation member 54 corresponding to the selected “tray 4” by the control not using the correction value (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 9, as the interference protrusion 53 moves downward as the timing belt 52 circulates, the initial position of the operation member 54 (before the operation member 54 and the interference protrusion 53 shown in FIG. It can be seen that the amount of rotation from (the position of) gradually increases.

  FIG. 9B and FIG. 9C show the pulses included in the pulse signal transmitted to the drive motor 71 by the correction value “X5” corresponding to “thick paper” in the control described with reference to FIG. The number indicates that the number is less than the number of pulses included in the pulse signal transmitted when a normal sheet (for example, copy paper) is discharged to the “tray 4”.

  FIG. 10 shows the rotation of the switching guide 40. FIG. 10A shows the rotational position of the switching guide 40 when the interference projection 53 is in the position shown in FIG. 9B. FIG. 10B shows the interference projection 53 in FIG. 9C. The rotation position of the switching guide 40 when located at the position shown in FIG.

  As described with reference to FIG. 9, when the interference projection 53 is in the upper position, the rotation amount of the operation member 55 is small. Therefore, when the interference protrusion 53 is at the upper position, the rotation amount of the switching guide 40 that rotates integrally with the operation member 54 is smaller than when the interference protrusion 53 is at the lower position. Therefore, if the intersection point between the conveyance direction of the paper P2 and the guide edge 421 of the switching guide 40 (the intersection line C between the vertical line on the surface extending in the vertical direction of the guide plate in the frame and the guide edge 421) is defined as the point C, the point C The angle θ formed by the tangent line of the guide edge 421 forming the arcuate contour and the conveyance direction of the paper P2 is smaller when the interference protrusion 53 is at the upper position than when the interference protrusion 53 is at the lower position. Referring to FIG. 10, it can be seen that the angle θ (first angle) shown in FIG. 10A is smaller than the angle θ (second angle) shown in FIG. The moving direction of the leading edge of the paper P <b> 2 after the collision at the point C also varies depending on the position of the interference protrusion 53. The angle in the transport direction of the paper P in FIG. 10A is inclined in the vertical direction from FIG.

  When the switching guide 40 is rotated largely and the highly rigid sheet P2 is conveyed (when the sheet P2 shown in FIG. 10B is a thick sheet, for example), the leading edge of the sheet P2 is switched. It collides with the guide edge 421 of the guide 40. The conveyance path of the paper P2 shown in FIG. 10B requires the paper P2 to be sharply curved near the leading edge of the paper P2 after the collision between the leading edge of the paper P2 and the guide edge 421. For this reason, when the highly rigid paper P2 that is difficult to bend is transported, the paper P2 is not guided along the guide edge 421, which causes clogging in the transport path. On the other hand, the conveyance path of the paper P2 obtained by rotating the switching guide 40 small does not require a sharp curve in the vicinity of the leading edge of the paper P2. Therefore, the leading edge of the paper P2 is guided downstream relatively smoothly.

  In addition, when using the paper P2 (for example, copy paper etc.) with low rigidity, the path | route shown in FIG.10 (b) is preferable. The sheet P2 having low rigidity can respond to a sharp curve near the leading edge of the sheet P2 required by the conveyance path, and the entire sheet P2 can move along the conveyance path that draws a large curvature radius. This is because the smooth conveyance of the entire sheet P2 can be obtained.

  In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, the input device 84 transmits a sheet type signal to the CPU 81. The sheet discharge tray determination unit 811 of the CPU 81 that has received the sheet type signal determines an angle correction value from a look-up table that represents the relationship between the sheet type and the correction value stored in the RAM 83 based on the sheet type signal, and outputs the angle signal. Is transmitted to the drive motor 71. This angle signal includes information related to the rotation angle of the drive motor 71. As a result, the drive motor 71 rotates in accordance with the rotation angle information included in the angle signal, moves the interference projection 53 by a predetermined distance, and sets the switching guide 40 to the position that forms the optimum inclination angle with respect to the paper P2 to be conveyed. Move.

  The multifunction machine 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes four paper cassettes 151. Of these, the paper cassette 151 at the lowest position is, for example, a paper cassette 151 dedicated to thick paper, and normal copy paper is stored in the other three paper cassettes. The input device 84 displays selection buttons (selection units) for executing several functions, one of which is a cardboard selection function button. When the cardboard selection function button is pressed, the input device 84 transmits a signal to the CPU 89 that controls the multifunction peripheral 10 and the discharge tray determination unit 811 of the CPU 81 that controls the multi-tray unit 30.

  After the cardboard selection function button is pressed, the input device 84 displays a screen for allowing the user to select a discharge tray 32 that is a discharge destination. The user selects one from the displayed plurality of discharge trays 32. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, “tray 4” is selected. The input device 84 transmits a signal related to the selected tray to the paper discharge tray determination unit 811.

  Upon receiving a signal from the thick paper selection function button, the paper discharge tray discharge unit 811 reads the correction value X5 for thick paper conveyance from the RAM. Thereafter, a control signal is transmitted to the drive motor 71 according to a control process similar to the control process described above. The signal from the thick paper selection function button functions as a storage unit selection signal for selecting a paper cassette from which the paper P2 is ejected, and also functions as a sheet type signal including information related to the rigidity of the sheet.

  When “copy paper”, “OHP”, “thick paper”, and “tracing paper” are accommodated in each of the four paper cassettes 151 included in the multifunction machine 10 shown in FIG. Selection buttons for executing functions are displayed, and one of these functions as a paper selection function button. When the paper selection function button is pressed, the input device 84 displays buttons representing the four types of paper P2 stored in the paper cassette 151. When cardboard is selected, the input device 84 transmits a signal to the CPU 89 that controls the multifunction device 10 and the discharge tray determination unit 811 of the CPU 81 that controls the multi-tray unit 30.

  After the cardboard button is pressed, the input device 84 displays a screen for allowing the user to select the discharge tray 32 that is the discharge destination. The user selects one from the displayed plurality of discharge trays 32. The input device 84 transmits a signal related to the selected tray to the paper discharge tray determination unit 811.

  Upon receiving the signal from the thick paper button, the paper discharge tray discharge unit 811 reads the correction value X5 for transporting the thick paper from the RAM 83. Thereafter, a control signal is transmitted to the drive motor 71 according to a control process similar to the control process described above. The signal for selecting the thick paper functions as a storage unit selection signal for selecting the paper cassette from which the paper P2 is to be discharged, and information related to the rigidity of a specific sheet designated from the plurality of types of paper P2. Functions as a sheet type signal including.

  Although the above-described control uses a method of determining the sheet rigidity by manual input by the user, a paper thickness sensor (sheet identification unit) is arranged in the middle of the conveyance path of the paper P2 in the multifunction machine 10 or the multi-tray unit 30. It is also possible to employ a method of distinguishing the type of paper P2 being conveyed using an output signal relating to the paper thickness dimension measured by the paper thickness sensor. In general, since the paper thickness dimension has a high correlation with the rigidity of the paper, the output signal of the paper thickness sensor can be used as a sheet type signal including information related to the rigidity of the sheet. Note that it is also possible to distinguish the type of the paper P2 by using a sensor that measures the characteristics of other paper such as light transmittance during conveyance.

  When the multifunction machine 10 is used as a printer, information relating to sheet rigidity may be included in a signal from an external device such as a personal computer. Also by this, the above-described control can be achieved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the multi-tray unit 30 including a plurality of discharge trays 32 is used. However, the above-described control principle can be applied to a sheet discharge device including a single discharge tray. In this case, for example, the angle is changed by directly connecting the drive motor 71 to the conveyance guide for conveying the sheet without using the interference protrusion 53, the operation member 54, the timing belt 52, and the pulley 51. A possible conveyance guide can be obtained.

  In the embodiment described above, an example in which the rotation amount of the switching guide 40 is automatically changed according to the type of the paper P2 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a structure in which the rotation amount of the switching guide 40 is manually adjusted instead of the drive motor 71 is also included in the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to a device for conveying a plurality of types of paper, in particular, to a paper discharge unit or a paper transport path of a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine.

1. Image forming apparatus 13. Image forming unit 151. Sheet cassette (sheet storage unit)
30 ... Multi-tray section (paper discharge device)
32... Discharge tray 310... Discharge transport path (transport path)
40 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Switching guide (guide member)
421 ... Guide edge (guide section)
50 ······ Switching mechanism 51 ··· Pulley 52 ··· Timing belt (belt)
53 ... Interference protrusion (second member)
54 .... Operation member (first member)
71 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Drive motor (drive source)
81... CPU (arithmetic processing unit)
811... Discharge tray discrimination unit (calculation unit)
82... ROM (first storage unit)
83... RAM (second storage unit)
84 ... Input device (sheet identification part)

Claims (6)

A paper discharge device for stacking sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus,
A conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed;
The posture can be switched between a first posture that does not cross the conveyance path and does not change the conveyance direction of the sheet and a second posture that crosses the conveyance path and changes the conveyance direction of the sheet. A guide member;
A paper discharge tray for receiving a sheet whose traveling direction has been changed by the guide member in the second posture;
A switching mechanism for switching the posture of the guide member between the first posture and the second posture;
A control unit for controlling the switching mechanism,
The switching mechanism is
A first member formed to be rotatable together with the guide member;
A second member that contacts the first member and rotates the first member;
A moving mechanism for moving the second member;
A drive source for driving the moving mechanism,
When the second member is in contact with the first member, the guide member is in the second posture,
The control unit is configured to change a contact position of the second member with respect to the first member based on sheet identification information from the image forming apparatus, and thereby to the conveyance path of the guide member in the second posture. A paper discharge device that controls the switching mechanism to adjust the angle.   The sheet discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet identification information is information related to rigidity of the sheet. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet,
A conveyance path connected to the image forming apparatus and conveying the sheet;
The posture can be switched between a first posture that does not cross the conveyance path and does not change the conveyance direction of the sheet and a second posture that crosses the conveyance path and changes the conveyance direction of the sheet. A guide member;
A paper discharge tray for receiving a sheet whose traveling direction has been changed by the guide member in the second posture;
A paper discharge device comprising a switching mechanism for switching the posture of the guide member between the first posture and the second posture;
A control unit for controlling a switching mechanism of the paper discharge device;
A sheet identifying unit for identifying the sheet;
The switching mechanism is
A first member formed to be rotatable together with the guide member;
A second member that contacts the first member and rotates the first member;
A moving mechanism for moving the second member;
A drive source for driving the moving mechanism,
When the second member is in contact with the first member, the guide member is in the second posture,
The control unit changes the contact position of the second member with respect to the first member based on the sheet identification information from the sheet identification unit, so that the angle of the guide member in the second posture with respect to the conveyance path An image forming apparatus, wherein the switching mechanism is controlled so as to adjust.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet identification unit includes a sheet identification sensor provided on the conveyance path.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet identification unit is an input device that selects a type of the sheet.   The control unit includes a storage unit that stores information related to the angle of the guide member corresponding to the type of the sheet, and uses the information related to the angle of the guide member stored in the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switching mechanism is controlled.

Images