JP2542000B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer or an electrophotographic copying machine, and more particularly to a small-sized image forming apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, for example, a laser beam printer used as an output device of an information processing system is configured as shown in FIG.

That is, in the figure, 1 is a main body of the apparatus, 2 is a process cartridge detachably mounted in the main body 1, and a photosensitive drum 3 as an image carrier is provided in the cartridge 2.
In addition, well-known process equipment such as a charger 4, a developing device 5, a cleaner 6 and the like arranged around it are built in. 7 is a scanner unit that emits and scans a laser beam,
By irradiating the photosensitive drum 3 uniformly charged by the charger 4 with the laser light L emitted from the unit 7 through the mirror 8, a latent image corresponding to desired print (image) information is formed, The latent image is developed by the developing device 5.

Reference numeral 9 is a cassette for accommodating a sheet material S such as transfer paper, 10 is a feeding roller for feeding one sheet material S from the cassette 9, and the sheet material S fed by the roller 10 is a photosensitive drum by a registration roller 11. It is conveyed toward the drum 3 in synchronization with the rotation of the drum 3. 12 is the developing device 5
Is a transfer charger for transferring the developed image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the sheet material, and 13 is a conveyor belt unit for guiding the sheet material S on which the image is transferred by the charger 12 to the fixing device 14.

In the above configuration, when a print start command is input from a computer, an image reader, or the like (not shown), the printing (image forming) operation is started, and the sheet material S in the cassette 9 is started.
Is conveyed by the feeding roller 10 and the registration roller 11 so as to traverse the inside of the apparatus main body from the right side to the left side in the figure, and passes between the photosensitive drum 3 and the transfer charging device 12 and the fixing device 14 so that the known electronic It is printed according to the photographic process and is discharged to the outside of the device.

The apparatus of the illustrated example is provided with two types of discharging methods. When discharging the sheet face up, that is, with the printing surface facing upward, the discharging roller for face up is used.
When discharged from 15a to the discharge tray 16a and discharged face down, that is, in the order of pages with the print surface facing down, the face up discharge roller 15a discharges to the discharge tray 16a. When the sheets are discharged in order of pages, the sheet is discharged from the face-up discharge roller 15b by being guided upward from the face-up discharge roller 15a through a sheet material conveying direction switching mechanism such as a flapper and a sheet material guide member (not shown). It is discharged to the paper tray 16b. These sheet material discharging methods are arbitrarily selected by the operator and designated by a computer or the like.

Further, when performing maintenance of the apparatus, that is, jam processing, cartridge replacement, etc., the upper portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1 is rotated upward with respect to the lower portion 1b about the support shaft P as shown by the chain line in FIG. The work is performed by opening the inside and inserting a hand from the direction of arrow A in the figure.

Next, a usage state of the above-mentioned printer in the office will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1A shows a state in which the apparatus body 1 is installed on the upper surface of the desk D or the like with the cassette 9 for feeding the sheet material facing the operator.
FIG. 2B shows a state in which the sheet D is installed on the lower side of the desk D or the like, and the face-down method is mainly used for the sheet material discharging direction. Further, FIG. 3C shows a state in which the apparatus body 1 is installed on the upper surface of the desk D with the side opposite to the cassette 9, that is, the sheet material discharge side facing the operator, and a face-up discharge tray.
16b is on the operator side and can be operated while checking the print status one by one.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), when the apparatus main body is arranged so that the attachment / detachment direction of the cassette 9 faces the operator, and the printed sheet material is output in the face-down state in page order. Is easy to handle because the sheet material is discharged to the operator side, and the operability is good because the cartridge and sheet material can be replaced and replenished from the same direction, but the face-up state is visible so that the printed surface can be seen. When the sheet material is output with, it is very difficult to use because it is ejected to the side opposite to the operator. Especially, in the case of FIG. 7B, the face-up ejection method cannot be actually used. , 1 sheet material output face down
You have to take out and look at each sheet.

On the other hand, in the installation method of FIG. 7 (c), the sheet is discharged to the operator side when it is discharged face-up without the above-mentioned drawbacks, but face-down discharge or maintenance, that is, cartridge replacement or sheet material replenishment is performed. When performing such operations, all operations must be performed on the side opposite to the operator's side, and there is a problem in that overall workability is extremely poor.

As described above, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the face-up / face-down sheet discharge directions, the sheet material loading and the apparatus maintenance directions are different, and
Since it is necessary to operate across the surface, operability is poor,
There was a problem that the performance of the device could not be fully exhibited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of solving all the problems of the conventional example.

B. Structure of the Invention [Means for Solving Problems] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, in which the sheet material is formed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially linear manner. And a sheet material loading means for loading the sheet material from a direction intersecting with the sheet material transportation path, wherein the sheet material transportation path is arranged outside the image forming means with respect to the image forming means. A sheet material conveying path rotating means for rotating at least a part of the sheet material conveying path in a direction opposite to the image forming means; and a conveying path for the discharged sheet material provided in the rotating means. The first stacking tray that is stacked along the first stacking tray and the sheet material on the first stacking tray that is disposed on the rotating unit in the direction intersecting the transport path are the front and back sides. vice versa A second tray for mounting,
And the rotation direction of the sheet material conveying path rotation means is the same direction.

Further, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, an image is formed on the sheet material in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, and the sheet material conveying path is an image forming means. And a sheet material loading unit that is disposed outside the apparatus main body for loading a sheet material from a direction intersecting the sheet material transporting path, and at least a part of the sheet material transporting path opposite to the image forming unit. A sheet material conveying path rotating means that rotates in a direction, a first stacking tray that is disposed on the apparatus main body side and stacks discharged sheet material in a direction intersecting with the conveying path, and the first stacking tray. A second stacking tray that is disposed on the opposite side of the stacking tray so as to project from the apparatus main body and stacks the discharged sheet material on the opposite side of the sheet material on the first stacking tray. C The take-out direction of the sheet material loading means and the turning direction of the sheet material conveying path turning means are the same direction.

Further, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, an image is formed on the sheet material in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, and the sheet material conveying path is an image forming means. And a sheet material loading unit that is disposed outside the apparatus main body for loading a sheet material from a direction intersecting the sheet material transporting path, and at least a part of the sheet material transporting path opposite to the image forming unit. A sheet material conveying path rotating means for rotating in a direction, a stacking tray arranged on the rotating means for stacking discharged sheet material along the conveying path, and a sheet material from the conveying path. A first path for leading to the stacking tray, and a second path for guiding the front and back of the sheet material from the transport path to the stacking tray by reversing the first path; Characterized in that the outlet direction of the stage, and the rotation direction of the sheet material conveying path turning means of the same direction.

[Operation] An image is formed on a sheet material in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, and the sheet material conveyance path is provided outside the image forming means inside the apparatus main body. By doing so, the sheet material conveying paths are centrally arranged on one side in the apparatus.

By making at least a part of the sheet material conveying path rotatable in the direction opposite to the image forming means, it is possible to open the sheet material conveying path and perform maintenance such as jam processing.

Further, by making the rotating direction of the sheet material conveying path and the unloading direction of the sheet material loading means such as a cassette the same direction, maintenance such as jam clearance and loading / unloading of the sheet material are all performed in the same direction. Can be done from.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a laser beam printer as an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.
The members having the same functions as those shown in the figure are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

First, the internal configuration of the apparatus will be described according to the sheet material conveyance path. The cassette 9 for accommodating the sheet material S is arranged on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1, and is directed toward the front surface (front surface) side of the main body 1, that is, the right side surface side in the drawing by the sheet feeding roller 10.
Are sent out one by one from the top. The feeding cassette 9
The sheet material S sent out from the sheet is sent between the photosensitive drum 3 and the transfer charger 12 through the feed guide member 17 and the registration roller 11 which are curved downward, and the sheet material S is well known in the same manner as in the conventional example. After the image is transferred by the process, it is guided to the fixing device 14 by the conveyor belt unit 13 and the image is formed on the sheet material. The above registration rollers
The conveying path of the sheet material S from 11 to the fixing device 14 is configured to be substantially vertical with a slight inclination in the front-rear direction.

The sheet material S that has passed through the fixing device 14 is conveyed by the conveying roller 18
After being guided to the discharge guide member 19 which is curved in the opposite direction to the feed guide member 17, the flapper 20 discharges the face-up discharge roller 15a onto the discharge tray 16a or the face-down discharge roller 15b. It is selectively discharged onto the tray 16b.

In the illustrated example, the sheet material discharging directions of the face-up discharging tray 16a and the discharging roller 15a are arranged in a direction opposite to the direction in which the sheet material passes through the fixing device 14 and are substantially parallel to each other. The sheet discharging direction of the sheet discharging tray 16b and the discharging roller 15b is configured so as to be slightly upward in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the sheet material passes through the fixing device 14.

In the illustrated example, one common tray is selectively arranged between the face-up discharge tray mounting position 16a shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the face-down discharge tray mounting position 16b shown by the chain line in FIG. The flapper 20 is automatically switched according to the arrangement position.

That is, when the discharge tray is located on the face-up side 16a, the flapper 20 is at the position indicated by the solid line, and the sheet material S that has passed through the fixing device 14 passes through the guide member 19 and the face-up discharge roller 15a, and then moves about. The direction is changed by 180 °, and the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 16a with the image surface (print surface) facing upward. When the discharge tray is located on the face-down side 16b, the flapper 20 is at the position indicated by the chain line in the figure,
The guide member 19 and the face-down discharge roller 15b change the conveying direction by about 90 ° and the sheets are stacked on the face-down discharge tray 16b with the image surface facing downward in page order.

The face-up discharge tray 16a and the face-down discharge tray 16b may be provided separately,
Further, the flapper 20 may be configured so that the operator can switch it arbitrarily.

As described above, the sheet material conveying path is formed in a substantially vertical direction on the front side of the apparatus body, and the sheet material conveying member and the transmission mechanism such as a gear for transmitting power to the sheet material conveying member are centrally arranged in this portion. be able to. Therefore, the space used in the apparatus body is small, and the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced and the torque can be reduced as compared with the case where many gears and chains are used due to the concentrated arrangement, and the noise can be reduced.

Further, by shortening and concentrating the sheet material conveying path, it is possible to form a collective space K in the portion surrounded by the chain line in FIG. 1 inside the apparatus, so that electrical components such as an electric circuit board and a power source can be efficiently accommodated. It becomes possible to downsize the entire device. Even when it is necessary to provide a shield so that the noise generated from these electrical components is not radiated to the outside of the device, the electrical components are concentrated inside the device, so the shielding is easy and the cost is low. It is possible to prevent the generation of radiation noise efficiently.

Further, since the sheet material accommodating cassette 9 is arranged in the upper part of the device, the cassette 9 does not extend to the front of the device in the installed state and the occupied area on the desk does not increase. To attach and detach the cassette 9, in this example, a lever (not shown) or the like is provided on the front upper part, and by operating this lever, the cassette 9 becomes a state shown by a chain line, and from this state, the operator moves the cassette 9 in the arrow direction. The drawer can be replaced or the sheet material can be replenished. After that, the cassette 9 is reinserted and pushed down from above so that the cassette 9
Is in the normal printing state and can be fed. Therefore, all the cassettes can be attached and detached on the front side of the device.

Further, in the present invention, at least a part of the members forming the above-mentioned sheet material conveying path can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 1.

In the case of the drawing, as shown in FIG. 2, a registration roller 11, a transfer charger 12, a guide member 19, and a face-up discharge roller.
15a / face-down discharge roller 15b and discharge tray
16a (16b) is provided integrally with a member 1A that constitutes a part of the device body 1, and the member 1A can be opened and closed toward the front of the device about a shaft 21 with respect to the device body 1. is there. A lock lever or the like for locking the member 1A in the closed state is provided between the member 1A and the apparatus main body 1, but it is omitted in the drawing.

In the above structure, when the member 1A is opened as shown in FIG. 2 during maintenance such as jam processing and replacement of the cartridge 2, the sheet material conveying path is largely opened over substantially the entire length, so that the sheet is jammed on the conveying path. The sheet material can be easily removed from the front side of the device.

Further, even when the cartridge 2 is replaced, it can be detached by pulling the cartridge 2 in the vertical direction along, for example, a guide or the like (not shown), so that the cartridge 2 can be operated easily and without malfunction. Therefore, maintenance of the device can be performed from the front side or the front side. Further, since the rotating member 1A does not include the optical member, that is, the scanner, the reflection mirror 8 and the like, and these are fixed to the apparatus main body 1, the optical member that requires the positional accuracy is highly accurately and stably held. Can improve the reliability and quality of the image. In particular, the scanner unit 7, which is the most important of the optical components, can be arranged at the center of the most stable apparatus body, apart from the sheet material conveying path that generates vibration.

FIG. 3 shows how the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is used in an office, etc., and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show the apparatus main body 1 on a desk D or the like, and FIG. ) Is arranged under the desk D or the like. It should be noted that FIGS. 9A and 9C show a state in which face-up paper ejection is performed, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which face-down paper ejection is performed.

When face-up paper ejection is performed on a desk as shown in FIG. 7A, the shape of the printing surface facing the operator is ejected, and therefore the operation can be performed while confirming the printing state, which is very easy to operate. Good. Further, even when the sheets are discharged face down on the desk in the page order as shown in FIG. 6B, there is no problem in handling because the sheets are discharged to the operator side. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, when face-up paper is discharged under the desk,
Even when the sheet is discharged facedown, it can be handled satisfactorily as well. Therefore, the operator can fully use both the face-up and face-down sheet ejection functions regardless of the location of the apparatus.

Further, maintenance work such as jamming of the apparatus and replacement of the cartridge can be performed from the front side or the front upper side in the same direction as the paper discharge direction as described above. Therefore, since the handling and maintenance of the output sheet material can be performed from the front side of the device facing the operator, the handling performance of the entire device is very excellent.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Contrary to the first embodiment, a cassette 9 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1,
A sheet material discharging section is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1. The process cartridge 2 is also arranged upside down. Other configurations are the same as in the case of the above-described example, the same members are designated by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description will be omitted.

The sheet material S sent out from the cassette 9 is a guide member 17
Thus, the sheet is printed (image formation) by a known electrophotographic process while being vertically conveyed from the registration roller 11 to the fixing device 14 via the photosensitive drum 3 and the transfer charging device 12. In the face-up discharge, the flapper 20 is in the solid line position and the face-up discharge roller 15a moves it onto the discharge tray 16a.In the face-down discharge, the flapper 20 is in the chain line position and the face-down discharge roller 15b is used. The sheets are stacked on the discharge tray 16b.

Also in this embodiment, the sheet material conveying path is formed substantially vertically on the front side of the apparatus, and the sheet material conveying members such as rollers and the drive transmission members such as gears are concentrated on the front side of the apparatus. Further, the space K surrounded by the chain line in the apparatus is integrally formed, and an electric circuit, a power source and the like can be efficiently accommodated in this space K.

Also, in the case of using a fixing device that fixes the developed image on the sheet material by heat, the heat generated by the fixing device may increase the internal temperature of the device, which may change the characteristics of the drum or damage the electric circuit. In order to prevent this, in general, a fan or the like is generally used to generate a flow of air to discharge the heat of the fixing device to the outside of the device.However, in this embodiment, the fixing device is located at the upper part of the device, so natural convection is caused. As a result, heat naturally flows out of the apparatus, and there is also an advantage that it is not necessary to positively create an air flow around the fixing device 14 with a fan or the like as described above.

For maintenance such as removal of jammed sheet material and replacement of cartridges, also in this example, the lever (not shown) on the front of the upper part of the main body of the device is moved to unlock the member 1A in the frontward direction as in the above example. The sheet material conveying path can be opened by rotating the sheet material as shown by the chain line in FIG. In its open state,
The sheet material conveying path is wide open over almost the entire area, and the sheet material jammed on the conveying path can be easily removed from the front side of the apparatus main body 1. Further, the cartridge can be replaced by pulling out the cartridge 2 to the front, and the attaching / detaching operation can be easily performed from the front side of the apparatus main body.

The cassette 9 is attached and detached from the front of the main body of the apparatus by holding the tip 91 of the cassette 9 and moving it in the direction of arrow B. Normally, the cassette 9 is housed inside the apparatus, and therefore the apparatus is installed. Since the occupied area is small and the discharge trays 16a and 16b are also located on the upper side of the device, the space in the front part of the device can be effectively used.

In this embodiment, both face-up and face-down paper ejection are performed on the upper part of the apparatus main body, and therefore the installation position when used in an office or the like is under a desk as shown in FIG. 3 (c). It is considered to be the most appropriate to handle the output sheet material that it is placed at a low position such as.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention in which a sheet material on which an image is formed can be discharged onto a common single discharge tray in either a face-up or face-down state. .

In the figure, reference numeral 15 is a discharge roller, 16 is a discharge tray, 22 is a switchback roller capable of reversing the direction of the sheet material, and 23 and 24 are flappers for switching the conveying path of the sheet material. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The sheet material sent from the cassette 9 is the transport roller 18
The printing operation similar to that of the first embodiment is performed until the time reaches. When the sheet material is discharged face up, the flapper 23 is at the position shown by the solid line, and the sheet material is discharged onto the tray 16 by the discharge roller 15 with the printing surface facing upward. When the sheet is discharged facedown, the flapper 23 is at the chain line position and the flapper 24 is at the solid line position so that the sheet material is conveyed toward the switchback roller 22 and the rear end of the sheet material is conveyed by the roller 22 to the flapper 24. It is conveyed to the left side in the figure on the guide member 25 until it passes through. Next, when the trailing edge of the sheet material passes through the flapper 24,
Immediately, the flapper 24 is switched to the chain line position, and the switchback roller 21 rotates in the reverse direction. Then, the sheet material moves in the opposite direction (rightward in the figure) and is ejected onto the tray 16 by the ejection roller 15 with the printing surface facing downward.

As described above, in this embodiment, both face-up and face-down paper ejection can be performed on the tray 16 facing the operator's front. Further, the replacement and replenishment of the sheet material can be performed by the same operation as in the first embodiment, and the detachment / replacement of the cassette, which is relatively frequently operated, can be performed independently and on the upper side of the apparatus. it can.
Therefore, the area occupied by the installation of the apparatus main body is small in the normal use of the printer, and particularly the front side of the apparatus main body can be effectively used.

Also, during maintenance such as replacement of the cartridge 2 and removal of jammed sheet material, the lock is released by moving a lever (not shown) or the like on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body as in the case of the first embodiment. By pulling out at least a part of the members forming the conveying path toward the front and rotating the shaft 21 about the shaft 21, the member can be opened as shown by the chain line in FIG. Opens wide and the jammed paper can be easily taken out from the front side of the device. Further, the cartridge can be replaced in this state in the same manner as in the case of the above example. Therefore, the maintenance of the device such as handling of the output sheet material, jam processing, and cartridge replacement can be performed from the front side of the device.

C, Effect of the Invention As described above, the present invention has the above configuration,
The following effects can be obtained.

The image is formed on the sheet material in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, and the sheet material conveyance path is provided outside the apparatus main body with respect to the image forming means. It is possible to shorten the sheet material conveying path by concentrating it on one side in the apparatus, and reduce the number of parts such as rollers and rollers for conveying the sheet material.

Since at least a part of the sheet material conveying path can be rotated in the direction opposite to the image forming unit, maintenance such as jam processing can be easily performed. At that time,
Since heavy parts such as optical parts on the apparatus main body side do not rotate, they are easy to operate.

Further, since the rotation direction of the above-described sheet material conveying path and the removal direction of the sheet material loading means such as a cassette are the same, maintenance such as jam clearance and loading / unloading of the sheet material are all performed from the same direction. Since it can be performed, it has extremely good operability and is easy to handle.

Further, there is an effect that the sheet material can be output face down or face up, and in any case, it can be accessed from the same direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a laser beam printer as an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is the same as above with a main part of a state in which a sheet material conveying path is opened, and FIG. 3 (a).
-(B) and (c) are perspective views showing a usage state, Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a conventional laser beam printer. Figure 7 (a)
(B) * (c) is a perspective view which shows the use condition. 1 is an apparatus main body, 2 is a process cartridge, 9 is a sheet material accommodating cassette, 10 is a feeding roller, 11 is a registration roller, 12 is a transfer charger, 13 is a sheet material conveying belt unit, 14 is a fixing device, and 15a and 15b. Is a discharge roller, and 16a and 16b are discharge trays.

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B65H 31/00 B65H 31/00 A 31/24 31/24 G03G 15/00 526 G03G 15/00 526 21/16 554 (72) Inventor Hiroaki Namiki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Waraya 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-56371 (JP, A) Actually opened 62-41767 (JP, U) Actually opened 62-188777 (JP, U) Actually opened 62-147640 (JP, U)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, wherein the image formation on the sheet material is performed in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, A sheet material loading unit that is disposed outside the apparatus main body with respect to the image forming unit, and that loads a sheet material from a direction intersecting the sheet material conveying path; and at least a part of the sheet material conveying path, the image forming unit. A sheet material conveying path rotating means that rotates in a direction opposite to the above; a first stacking tray that is disposed on the rotating means and stacks discharged sheet material along the conveying path; A second stacking tray which is disposed on the rotating means in a direction intersecting with the transport path and which stacks the discharged sheet material on the front and back of the sheet material on the first stacking tray. , Above sea An image forming apparatus, wherein the take-out direction of the sheet material loading means and the turning direction of the sheet material conveying path turning means are the same direction. 2. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, wherein an image is formed on the sheet material in a path in which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line, and the sheet material conveying path is A sheet material loading unit that is disposed outside the apparatus main body with respect to the image forming unit, and that loads a sheet material from a direction intersecting the sheet material conveying path; and at least a part of the sheet material conveying path, the image forming unit. A sheet material conveying path rotating means that rotates in a direction opposite to the above; a first stacking tray that is disposed on the apparatus main body side and stacks the discharged sheet material in a direction intersecting the conveying path; A second stacking tray which is disposed on the opposite side of the first stacking tray so as to project from the apparatus main body and stacks the discharged sheet material on the opposite side of the sheet material on the first stacking tray. Then An image forming apparatus, wherein the take-out direction of the sheet material loading means and the turning direction of the sheet material conveying path turning means are the same direction. 3. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material, wherein an image is formed on the sheet material in a path along which the sheet material is conveyed in a substantially vertical direction and in a substantially straight line. A sheet material loading unit that is disposed outside the apparatus main body with respect to the image forming unit, and that loads a sheet material from a direction intersecting the sheet material conveying path; and at least a part of the sheet material conveying path, the image forming unit. A sheet material conveying path rotating means that rotates in the opposite direction, a stacking tray that is disposed in the rotating means and that stacks discharged sheet material along the conveying path, and from the conveying path. First to guide the sheet material to the stacking tray
And a second path that guides the front and back of the sheet material from the transport path to the stacking tray in the reverse of the first path, and the removal direction of the sheet material loading means and the sheet material. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the rotation direction of the conveying path rotation means is the same direction.