JP2638958B2 - Paper transport device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine for performing multiplex copying or duplex copying on a single-side copied sheet.
Regarding the paper transporting paper for transporting the single-sided copied paper, particularly when a side guide is configured to be movable with respect to a guide plate provided at a fixed position, a gap is not formed between both members. Related to the device.

(Prior Art) In an image forming apparatus using a xerography method, such as a copying machine or a printer, in which a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum is transferred onto a sheet, a plurality of sheets are supplied to a main body feeding section. Equipped with a tray and a paper cassette, it is possible to sequentially send out paper of a predetermined size among the paper stored in the paper cassette etc. according to the size of the document or the specified paper size. I have.

In the image forming apparatus as described above, an image is transferred from a paper tray, an image is transferred, and another image is superimposed and transferred onto a completed one-side copied sheet to form a multiple copy. Or, there may be provided a means capable of performing an arbitrary process, such as transferring another image to the back surface of a single-sided copied paper to create a double-sided copy.

As described above, when a single-sided copied sheet is sent out for the next copying operation, the side of the sheet is accurately positioned (aligned) with the side of the sheet along the reference plane of the copying machine main body, and the photosensitive material is exposed. It is necessary to be able to transfer the image from the image carrier such as the body drum to the transfer position.

Therefore, in the conventional device, for example,
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 20222, etc., an oblique feed roller device is arranged in the paper transport path, and the paper is transported and positioned in a state where the paper is along the reference surface setting means provided on the side of the paper transport path. And a method that can perform the following.

Also, in general paper transport means,
No. 586, and in examples as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-37656, upper and lower guide plates that define a conveyance path,
Side guide means for defining a reference surface on the side of the transport path.

Then, an oblique feed roller means is arranged at a predetermined position on the transport path, and the sheet is obliquely fed by the roller means,
A mechanism is used in which the sheet is conveyed while the side surface of the sheet slides on the side guide, so that the side surface of the sheet can substantially coincide with the reference surface in the sheet conveyance path.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional transport path as described above, the relationship between the transport path initially set in the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and the image carrier may be deviated. Therefore, it is necessary to finely adjust the set position of the transport path.

When adjusting the transport path as described above, the simplest adjustment method is to move the transport path with respect to the frame or the like of the copying machine main body. However, depending on the structure of the copying machine main body or the like, In some cases, the transport path cannot be moved as a whole.

Therefore, in an apparatus in which the transport path cannot be moved as a whole, the main part of the transport path may be provided at a fixed position, and only the side guide may be provided so as to be movable.

However, when only the side guide is provided so as to be movable and adjustable with respect to the guide plate of the transport path, a gap may be formed between the end of the guide plate and the side guide, and paper may be formed in the gap. And the paper cannot be satisfactorily conveyed on the conveyance path.

As described above, even when a gap is formed between the guide plate and the side guide in the transport path, when a sheet is transported from a paper feeding device such as a paper cassette to a transfer position of an image, an oblique Even if the paper is skewed toward the side guide by the feed roller, no particular problem occurs,
If the paper is stiff or has a high moisture content due to moisture absorption, the paper may bend at the edges and bend into the gap when it is fed obliquely by the oblique feed rollers. is there.

Further, in the case of a single-sided copied sheet having an image formed on one side of the sheet, the sheet often undergoes curling due to an action such as heating through a fixing device. is there. Then, when the curled portion on the side of the sheet is pressed by the side guide by the oblique feed roller, a problem such as jumping out of the gap occurs.

When the sheet jumps out of the gap between the guide plate and the side guide as described above, the side of the sheet is caught in the gap and stops, and the sheet is not conveyed well in the conveyance path. However, there is a problem that a paper jam occurs.

Further, if the side of the sheet that has entered the gap is bent as described above, the sheet is fed to the image transfer position without good alignment of the sheet. When creating the
There is a problem that a transfer failure occurs such as a shift of the image.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used conveyance path, and when the side guide is configured to be movable with respect to the guide plate, a side portion of the guide plate is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which a guide member having elasticity is provided so as to protrude toward a side guide from the outside so that no gap is formed between the two.

(Means and Actions for Solving the Problems) The paper transport apparatus of the present invention is configured to transport single-sided copied paper having one side recorded thereon toward multiplex copying or backside copying. In the transport path, a side guide is arranged along one side of the transport path, an oblique feed roller for obliquely feeding the paper toward the side guide is disposed, and the transport path includes an upper and lower guide plate. A guide member having elasticity is provided on the side guide side of the upper and lower guide plates so as to protrude therefrom. This device is configured so that the gap can be covered by a guide member having elasticity.

The paper transport device of the present invention is configured as described above, and uses a paper having a low rigidity such as tracing paper as a paper, or in the case of a moisture-absorbing paper, or a curl of a single-sided copied paper or the like. Even in the case of the generated paper, the operation of the alignment in the transport path can be performed accurately, and the transport of the paper in the transport path can be performed in a favorable state.

(Embodiment) The configuration of the paper transport apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 shows one provided in a section for aligning sheets in a sheet conveying path of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. The path 1 is regulated by upper and lower guide plates 2 and 5, and the sheet is guided in the transport path 1.

A side guide 10 for regulating the side surface of the sheet is disposed facing the ends of the upper and lower guide plates 2 and 5 constituting the sheet transport path. The paper guide portion is provided so as to be able to be separated and approached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the side guide 10 of the present invention is constituted by a side plate 11 and upper and lower guide members 12, 13, and a side of a sheet is formed in a groove 14 formed between the three members. It is configured to guide the section.

Also, the side guide 10 and a main body frame 17 of a copying machine or the like are provided.
The adjustment screw 15 is provided between the two, and when setting the reference plane for paper conveyance, the adjustment screw 15 is adjusted so that only the side guide can be moved. doing.

Therefore, in the transport path of the present invention, it is possible to set the reference position of the sheet in the paper transport path without moving the main body of a member constituting the transport path such as a guide plate.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the upper and lower guide plates 2
5 guide member film members 3 and 6
The guide member is provided so as to project toward the side guide 10, and the guide member may be, for example, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film or the like. In the state where it is inserted into the sheet 14, the function of guiding the paper can be performed.

When the side guide is moved, the upper and lower film members define an end portion of the transport path between the guide plate and the side guide, and a gap between the guide plate and the side guide is provided. Can be covered by the film member.

Further, in the transport path 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a roller device including oblique feed rollers 8 and 9 is provided.

These oblique feed roller devices are composed of a drive roller projecting upward from a lower guide plate, and oblique feed rollers (pinch rollers) 8 and 9 projecting downward from an upper guide plate. Then, in a state in which the paper is nipped between the upper and lower roller devices configured as described above, the paper can be fed in the conveyance path and the aligning operation by the oblique feed of the paper can be performed. You.

Therefore, the paper nipped between the oblique feed roller and the drive roller of the present invention is conveyed in a state where it slides on the side guide because the axes of both rollers are inclined in the paper conveyance direction. Is performed, the aligning operation is performed accurately, and the transfer is performed toward the next step.

Then, by using the mechanism of the present invention, an image is transferred from a sheet feeding device such as an intermediate tray disposed at an upstream portion of the oblique feed roller and transferred to a photosensitive drum or the like via a sheet feeding portion provided at a downstream portion. When the sheet is fed to the position, the side of the sheet can be conveyed along the side guide 10 set as the reference plane of the sheet conveyance path.

The transport path of the present invention configured as described above and the oblique feed mechanism for the sheet are configured as devices as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The conveyance path 1 shown in FIG.
And the paper feed path 20 from the paper feed cassette, and the single-sided copied paper on which the separating action has been performed by the feeding roller 66 and the separating roller 67 of the intermediate tray 65, It is introduced into the transport path 1 via the transport roller device 68, and the transport position of the paper is adjusted in the paper transport device 1a.

In the illustrated paper transport device 1a, oblique feed rollers 8 and 9 for obliquely feeding paper toward a side guide are provided with drive rollers 8a and 9a, respectively, below the oblique feed rollers.
Are arranged so that the sheet can be skewed while being nipped between the rollers facing each other.

The oblique feed rollers 8 and 9 are urged toward the drive roller with a predetermined pressing force via a spring and a link mechanism, and feed and obliquely feed the paper nipped between the rollers of the oblique feed roller device. The skew in the direction can be accurately performed.

Then, the reference surface of the sheet is positioned on the side guide 10 by the oblique sheet feeding device having a mechanism as shown in FIG. 4, and the single-sided copied sheet is supplied to the main body paper feed path via the transport roller device 21. To perform an operation such as

Note that the paper introduction side roller disposed at the upstream end of the paper transport device 1a of the present invention is configured to transport the paper at a higher speed than the transport speed of the intermediate tray 65 in the paper feed device. Have been. The transport speed of the rollers at the introduction portion is set to be about 10% higher than that of the sheet feeding device, and the shaft of the rollers is arranged to be slightly inclined in the direction opposite to the oblique feed roller. Accordingly, it is possible to skew the sheet in the opposite direction in advance so that the sheet does not collide with the front end of the side guide, and to perform the operation of the oblique feed by the oblique feed roller in a favorable state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheet skewed by the skew roller 1 in the direction away from the side guide is fed to the side guide by skewed feed rollers 8 and 9 arranged along the side guide 10. Due to the oblique feed action toward 10, the positioning with respect to the reference surface is performed in a state where the side surface thereof coincides with the side guide, and the sheet is conveyed toward the next sheet feeding path.

As shown in FIG. 4 described above, each roller device provided in the paper conveying device 1a is connected to a driving shaft 7 connected to a driving mechanism of the copying machine main body by a shaft 7 via a belt.
a, 7b are driven synchronously, and the shafts of the drive rollers disposed opposite to the oblique feed rollers 8, 9 are connected to the respective shafts 7a, 7b via universal joints. It is supposed to be.

As described above, in the transport path of the present invention,
As shown in FIG. 4, the upper guide plate 2 for regulating the sheet conveying device 1a is configured to cover substantially half of the conveying path in the width direction.

Then, the oblique feed roller is disposed so as to protrude toward the paper transport path from the hole provided in the upper guide plate, and the transport of the paper and the oblique feed operation are performed by the diagonal feed roller.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a copying machine to which the paper transport device of the present invention can be applied. In the copying machine 30 shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 26, 26a, 26b, 26c are provided in the paper feed unit 25, and a paper feed roller 27, Are arranged so that sheets of a required size can be sent out in accordance with the information on the size of the document set in the copying machine body.

Further, the paper feed cassette 2 accommodated in the paper feed section 25 described above is provided.
6, 26a... Have the same size of the main body of the paper feed cassette even if the size of the paper accommodated therein is different, Even when the paper cassette is mounted, the end of the paper cassette does not have unevenness.

The copying machine 30 having the above-described paper feeding unit is provided with an automatic document feeder 35 at the upper part of the main body, as in the case of a normal electrophotographic copying machine or the like. An image of a sheet set on the platen 31 is read by an image reading device including an optical system device 32 and the like, and the image information is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 40.

Around the photosensitive drum 40, developing devices 41, 41a,
A transfer / peeling corotron 42, a peeling device 43, a cleaning device 44, and a charging corotron 45 are arranged,
Operations such as charging of the photosensitive drum, development, transfer of a toner image to paper, and cleaning of toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after transfer of the toner image can be performed.

Also, the paper is sent out from the paper supply unit 25 by a paper supply roller,
The paper is fed to the registration roller 22 via the paper feed path 20, and is fed toward the transfer position of the toner image from the photosensitive drum in a state where the leading end of the paper is positioned by the roller 22. .

The copier of the present invention is provided with a manual feed tray 37. By feeding paper from the manual feed tray 37, special-size paper, postcards other than ordinary copy paper, tracing paper, or the like is used. It is configured to be able to perform copying on various types of paper.

Then, the sheet fed from the sheet feeding device or the like and onto which the toner image from the photosensitive drum 40 is transferred as described above is peeled off from the photosensitive drum by the peeling device 43,
The sheet is fed into the fixing device 51 by the conveyor belt device 50, and is heated and pressed to be completed as a copy, and is discharged to a sorter 53 or a discharge tray via a discharge roller 52.

Further, in the copying machine shown in this embodiment, a return path 60 is provided via a branching claw 61 to a carry-out path from the fixing device 51 to the discharge roller 52.
A reversing device 62 is provided in the middle of 60 via a branch claw 63.

This reversing device is used when making multiple copies, and the single-sided copied paper reversed through the reversing device 62 passes through the intermediate tray 65 from the paper transport device 1a to the paper feeding path 20. Again to the image transfer portion of the photoconductor drum 40, another toner image is transferred to the surface of the copy,
Multiple copies will be formed.

On the other hand, the single-sided copied paper directly stored in the intermediate tray 65 from the return path 60 is discharged from the intermediate tray 65 with the back surface corresponding to the photosensitive drum 40, and The paper is discharged by the paper supply 66, is sent from the conveyance path 1 to the image transfer section of the photosensitive drum via the paper supply path 20, and
The image is transferred to the back side of the one-sided copied paper, and completed as a two-sided copy.
It will be discharged to 53.

The above-described paper feeding means is not only applicable to a copying machine as shown in FIG. 5, but it is also possible to mount a plurality of paper feeding cassettes on a paper feeding device to print. The present invention can also be applied to devices such as a printer and a facsimile that can perform printing or create recording paper.

Further, the paper transport device of the present invention, in addition to the path for transporting the paper from the intermediate tray to the paper feed unit, a paper transport path for connecting between a device such as a paper feed cassette and the photosensitive drum,
Alternatively, it can be provided on an arbitrary paper transport path such as a document transport path.

(Effect of the Invention) Since the paper transport apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, when transporting a single-sided copied paper toward a copy on the back side, the paper is transported along the reference plane. Accurate positioning can be performed and transfer can be performed to transfer the next image.

In the transport path of the present invention, even when the reference position for aligning the paper is adjusted, no gap is formed between the side guide and the guide plate. Problems such as protrusions do not occur, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an obstacle due to the side portion of the sheet being bent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a transport path, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view of a paper transport path on which the transport path of the present invention can be provided, and FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a copying machine to which the apparatus of the present invention can be applied. Reference numeral 1 in the drawing: conveying path 2, upper guide plate 3, film member 5, lower guide plate 6, film member 8.9
... Slanting feed roller, 10 ... Side guide, 11 ... Side plate,
12 ... upper member, 13 ... lower member, 14 ... groove, 15 ... adjustment screw, 17 ... body frame, 20 ... paper feed path, 25 ... paper feed section, 26 ... paper feed cassette, 27 paper feed roller, 30 photocopier, 40 photoconductor drum, 51 fixing device, 60 return path, 62 reversing device, 65 intermediate tray, 66 paper feed roller .

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A conveying path configured to convey single-sided copied paper on which recording is performed on one side toward multiplex copying or backside copying, along one side of the conveying path. A guide is disposed, and an oblique feed roller for obliquely feeding the paper toward the side guide is disposed. The conveying path is formed by upper and lower guide plates and a side guide movable to a side portion of the guide plate. And a guide member having elasticity is provided so as to protrude on the side guide side of the upper and lower guide plates so that a gap between the side guide and the guide plate can be covered by the guide member. Paper transport device.