JP2651179B2 - Copier - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a copying apparatus using a belt-shaped photoconductor.

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 8, there is a conventional copying apparatus having a structure in which paper supply / discharge units 2 provided on both sides of a main body 1 protrude in a lateral direction. In this case, there is a problem that even if the main body 1 is small, the space becomes large when viewed as a whole apparatus, and it is difficult to arrange the main body 1 together with other OA equipment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, there is a structure in which the paper supply / discharge unit 2 is provided only on one side of the main body 1. In this case, the space of the entire apparatus can be reduced as compared with the above-described apparatus, but since the transfer path of the transfer paper 3 is a U-turn type, the transfer paper 3 when passing through the U-turn portion is used. Transfer paper 3 made of a material that is difficult to bend and has a problem in reliability
Are not copyable.

Further, as a dehumidifying means for the transfer paper 3 on which transfer is performed in addition to the above-described problems, a means for dehumidifying by incorporating a heater inside a main body (not shown) or a means for dehumidifying by heating the vicinity of the storage portion of the transfer paper by a heater Various methods have been tried. However, there arises a problem that a new device must be added to achieve such an object, and operability is deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus capable of simplifying a supply / discharge path through which a transfer sheet passes and having a compact structure.

The present invention provides a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a feeding / discharging unit that are located in the same plane, and feeds a transfer sheet from the feeding / discharging unit to the transfer unit via the fixing unit, and performs a transfer process. The subsequent transfer paper is discharged from the transfer unit to the supply / discharge unit via the fixing unit.

Therefore, the set position of the transfer paper before feeding and the discharge position discharged after transfer / fixing can be set to the same position, whereby the structure of the feeding / discharging unit is reduced in size and simplified. A copying device can be provided. In addition, it is possible to reduce the space for disposing the copying apparatus.

Further, the transfer unit has a transfer body that can be rotated forward and reverse, and the fixing unit has a fixing roller that can be rotated forward and backward. When the transfer paper is fed to the transfer unit, the transfer body and the transfer unit are used. When the fixing roller is rotated forward and the transfer paper is discharged to the supply / discharge unit, a supply / discharge control unit that reversely rotates the transfer body and the fixing roller is provided, so that the number of parts is increased. Thus, a transfer paper supply / discharge control mechanism can be realized without using the same, and as a result, it is possible to provide an inexpensive and lightweight copying apparatus with a reduced component cost.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. The copying apparatus is provided with a document table 5 on which the document 4 is set on the upper surface, and an electrostatic latent image forming unit 6 which moves in parallel along the document table 5 is provided below the document table. The electrostatic latent image forming unit 6 includes a light source 7, an optical element 8, and a charger 9. Below the electrostatic latent image forming unit 6, a belt-shaped photoconductor 10 as a photoconductor is provided.
Are provided in parallel along the document table 5. Also,
Around the belt-shaped photoconductor 10, a developing unit 11 and a transfer unit
12, a cleaning unit 13, and a charge removing unit 14 are provided close to each other.

The transfer unit 12 according to the present invention is provided with a transfer belt 15 as a transfer body that can be rotated forward and backward. A transfer unit 16 and a transfer roller 17 are provided around the transfer belt 15 to form a pair of transfer belts. A paper holding roller 18 is provided. The transfer section 12 is rotatably mounted so as to be able to maintain two states, that is, a state in which the transfer section 12 is in contact with the belt-shaped photoconductor 10 and a state in which the transfer section 12 is separated. The fixing unit 19 includes a fixing roller 20 and a pressure roller 21 and is provided on the same plane as the transfer unit 12. The fixing roller 20 can rotate forward and backward in synchronization with the transfer belt 15. Further, the supply / discharge unit 22 includes a pair of supply / discharge rollers 23, and is provided on the same plane as the fixing unit 19.

The feeding path from when the transfer paper 24 is guided to the transfer unit 12 and is transferred is the same as the discharge path from when the transfer paper 24 after transfer is discharged from the transfer unit 12 through the fixing unit 19. Supply / discharge route A
It is formed as.

Further, when the transfer paper 24 is fed through the supply / discharge path A, the transfer belt 15 and the fixing roller 20 are rotated forward and the transfer paper 24 is rotated.
When the transfer belt 24 is discharged through the supply / discharge path A, the transfer belt 15
And a supply / discharge control means (not shown) for rotating the fixing roller 20 in the reverse direction. The supply / discharge control means includes a reflection sensor 25
And a drive / control system for rotating the transfer belt 15 forward / reverse, and a drive / control system for rotating the fixing roller 20 forward / reverse.

In such a configuration, the document 4 is set on the document table 5, and the print button (not shown) is pressed in a state where the transfer paper 24 is set on the supply / discharge roller 23. As a result, the electrostatic latent image forming unit 6 is brought into the operating state, and at the same time, the belt-shaped photoconductor 10 moves by a certain distance in the direction of the arrow and stops there (however, the moving distance of the belt-shaped photoconductor 10 is It is set to be longer than the sum of the length of the image forming unit 6 and the rise time of the charger 9 plus the distance to move.

At the same time as the stop of the belt-shaped photoconductor 10, the electrostatic latent image forming unit 6 in the operating state is transferred to the maximum copying length L of the original 4.
In this case, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the belt-shaped photoreceptor 10 by parallel translation (moving from left to right in the figure). An electrostatic latent image is formed on the belt-shaped photoreceptor 10 by such a method.

Next, the transfer paper 24 is controlled using the supply / discharge control means according to the present invention.
In the case where is transported along the supply / discharge path A will be described. By pressing the print button, the transfer paper 24
The sheet is fed to the fixing roller 20 rotating clockwise through the supply / discharge roller 23. At this time, the pressure roller 21 is in contact with the fixing roller 20. In the fixing unit 19, when a fixing heater (not shown) is in an on state, moisture is diverged when the transfer paper 24 passes through the fixing roller 20, and thus occurs when the transfer paper 24 is used in a high humidity environment. Transfer defects can be prevented. When an OHP film or the like is used, the fixing heater can be turned off. At this time, since the pressure between the fixing roller 20 and the pressure roller 21 is released, the transfer paper 24 does not curl. .

After the transfer paper 24 is fed into the apparatus by the fixing roller 20 in this manner, the transfer paper 15 is further fed into the apparatus by the counterclockwise rotation of the transfer belt 15 separated from the belt-shaped photoconductor 10. Then, when the rear end of the transfer paper 24 is detected by the reflection sensor 25, the rotation of the transfer belt 15 is stopped, and the transfer belt 15 stands by while being sandwiched by the transfer paper holding roller 18. On the other hand, the belt-shaped photoconductor 10 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed as described above is moved in the direction of the arrow by the driving roller 26 and is developed by the developing unit 11 to form an image. At the same time as the leading end of the formed image reaches the transfer section 12, the transfer belt 15 which has been separated so far is displaced upward so as to be in contact with the belt-shaped photoreceptor.

Then, the transfer belt 15 on which the transfer paper 24 is placed is rotated clockwise this time and is transferred by the transfer device 16, and then the transferred transfer paper 24 is transferred to the fixing roller 20 which rotates in the same direction as the transfer belt 15. Perform feed fixing. At this time, the pressure roller 21
Is in a depressurized state. After fixing, transfer paper 24
Is discharged to the outside of the apparatus via the supply / discharge roller 23, and the copying is completed. On the other hand, the belt-shaped photoconductor 10 having the charged latent image formed thereon that has passed through the transfer unit 12 is
The surface is cleaned by 13 and the charge is removed by the charge removing section 14 to return to the initial state. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the operating positions of the fixing roller 20 and the transfer belt 15 when the transfer paper 24 is fed and ejected, respectively.

As described above, both the feeding and discharging operations of the transfer paper 24 are performed by the feeding and discharging path A that connects the feeding and discharging unit 22, the fixing unit 19, and the transfer unit 12. The conventional paper feed position and the paper discharge position can be shared, thereby simplifying the structure of the transport unit and achieving a compact configuration. Further, by forming the feeding / discharging path A on a straight line on the same plane, the reliability of the transfer paper 24 against bending can be further improved. Therefore, transfer failure at high humidity can be eliminated.

In addition to the method of heating the transfer paper 24 in the fixing unit 19 as in the present embodiment, a method using an atmosphere fixing 27 (see FIG. 5), a method using a flash fixing 28 or a radiant heat fixing 29 (see FIG. 6), and the like. It can also be used. Further, in the present embodiment, the transfer is performed using the transfer belt 15 in the transfer unit 12, but the transfer is not limited to such a belt-shaped one.
The transfer may be performed by another method (see FIG. 7).

Advantageous Effects As described above, the present invention forms an image of a read document as an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member, and transfers the electrostatic latent image to a transfer sheet fed through a feed / discharge unit. In a copying apparatus, the transfer sheet after the transfer is fixed in a fixing unit, and the transfer sheet after the fixing is discharged through the supply / discharge unit. The supply / discharge unit is provided in the same plane, and the transfer sheet is fed from the supply / discharge unit to the transfer unit via the fixing unit, and the transfer sheet after the transfer is transferred from the transfer unit. Since the sheet is discharged to the feed / discharge section via the fixing section, the set position of the transfer sheet before feeding and the sheet discharge position discharged after transfer / fixing can be set to the same position. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a copying apparatus in which the structure of the supply / discharge unit is reduced in size and simplified. In addition, it is possible to reduce the space required for disposing the copying apparatus. In this case, the transfer paper passes through the position of the fixing roller not only at the time of discharging but also at the time of feeding, so that the transfer paper is dehumidified in advance. It is possible to eliminate defects such as transfer failure at high humidity, to improve the reliability of transfer paper bending, and to reduce the transport time spent during feeding and discharging. Can,
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a jam or the like to increase the work efficiency, the transfer unit has a transfer body capable of normal and reverse rotation, and the fixing unit has a fixing roller capable of normal and reverse rotation, When the transfer paper is fed to the transfer unit, the transfer body and the fixing roller are rotated forward, and when the transfer paper is discharged to the supply / discharge unit, the transfer body and the fixing roller are moved. Since the supply / discharge control means for rotating in the reverse direction is provided, it is possible to realize a transfer paper supply / discharge control mechanism without increasing the number of components, thereby reducing component costs and reducing the cost and weight of the copying apparatus. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state of a transfer section and a fixing section when a transfer sheet is fed, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state of a transfer section and a fixing section at the time of transfer of the transfer sheet, FIGS. 5 and 6 are explanatory views showing another method of heating the transfer sheet in the fixing section, and FIG. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are explanatory diagrams showing another example of substitution, and FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are explanatory diagrams showing a conventional transfer path of transfer paper. 4 original, 5 original plate, 6 electrostatic latent image forming unit, 10 photosensitive body, 12 transfer section, 15 transfer body, 19
... Fixing section, 20 ... Fixing roller, 22 ... Supply / discharge section, 24 ...
Transfer paper

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An image of a read document is formed as an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor, and the electrostatic latent image is transferred by a transfer unit to transfer paper fed via a feed / discharge unit. A fixing unit for fixing the transfer sheet after the transfer, and discharging the transfer sheet after the fixing via the supply / discharge unit. The transfer paper is supplied from the supply / discharge unit to the transfer unit via the fixing unit, and the transfer paper after transfer is transferred from the transfer unit to the fixing unit. Wherein the sheet is discharged to the supply / discharge unit via the printer. 2. The transfer section has a transfer body capable of rotating forward and backward,
The fixing unit has a fixing roller that can be rotated forward and backward. When the transfer sheet is fed to the transfer unit, the transfer unit and the fixing roller are rotated forward and the transfer sheet is fed and discharged. 2. The copying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply / discharge control unit that reversely rotates the transfer body and the fixing roller when the sheet is ejected to the copy unit.