JP2688142B2 - Paper storage device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet storage device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a sheet storage device that stores sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine may be provided with a sorter for sorting and storing sheets subjected to image forming processing. The sorter is
A plurality of paper receivers (hereinafter referred to as bins) for sorting and storing the paper discharged from the main body of the copying machine are arranged vertically. In the bin moving type sorter, the bin moves up and down, and the paper is ejected from the copying machine main body to the bin that has moved to the paper introducing section.

Normally, the bin is inclined so that the end (front end) on the discharge side is located higher than the end (rear end) on the body side of the copying machine, and the paper discharged into the bin is It moves to the rear end side by its own weight along the inclination of the bottle. A standing wall portion serving as a stopper is formed at the rear end of the bin, and the sheet that has moved to the rear end side abuts the standing wall portion and is stocked.

[0004]

When the paper is discharged to the sorter, the trailing edge may be curled due to pressure and heat. When a plurality of such sheets are stacked in the bin, the rear end of the sheet may exceed the upper end of the standing wall of the bin. Then, there arises a problem that the paper drops to the introduction part side of the sorter.

Therefore, it may be considered to increase the height of the standing wall. However, recently, a processing device such as a stapling device is often arranged on the introducing portion side of the bin, and if the standing wall is too high, it becomes difficult to take out the paper from the bin to the processing device side. An object of the present invention is to prevent the curled paper at the rear end from dropping from the bin, especially in the bin provided in the sorter, and to improve the take-out property of the paper from the bin.

[0006]

A sheet accommodating apparatus according to the present invention accommodates sheets ejected from an image forming apparatus,
A paper storage device in which the stored paper is pulled out to one end side and a predetermined processing is performed by the processing device, and includes a paper receiver, a regulating member, a paper receiver moving means, and a driving means. The paper receiver has one end side in the paper discharge direction inclined downwardly, on which the discharged paper is placed and at the one end side thereof a standing wall portion which prevents the paper from falling. The regulating member is arranged on one end side of the paper receiver so as to have a first posture in which the paper contained in the paper receiver is prevented from falling over the standing wall portion and a second posture in which the paper is allowed to fall. Has been done. The paper receiver moving means moves the paper receiver downward by at least the height of the standing wall portion so that the paper can be pulled out from the paper receiver when performing the processing by the processing unit. The drive means sets the regulating member to the first posture and the second posture.
Move between postures.

[0007]

The sheet accommodating apparatus according to the present invention accommodates the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus in the sheet receiver. Since one end of the paper receiver in the discharge direction is inclined downward, the paper receiver falls to this one end. When the paper is stored in the paper receiver, the regulation member arranged at one end of the paper receiver is in the first posture, and the paper is prohibited from falling from the paper receiver. On the other hand, when the paper is taken out to the processing device side such as the stapling device, it is allowed to fall from the inside of the paper receiver.
It becomes a posture.

As described above, since the regulating member which can take the first posture and the second posture is arranged on one end side of the paper receiver, it is possible to prevent the curled paper at the rear end from dropping from the paper receiver. Therefore, the take-out property to the processing device is improved.

[0009]

Shows the overall construction of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention to the examples overall configuration and copying machine body FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, this copying machine is a copying machine body 1.
And a staple sorter (hereinafter simply referred to as a sorter) 2 disposed on the left side of the copying machine main body 1 and a sheet take-out device 3 disposed on the front side (the front side of the apparatus) of the sorter 2. . As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine main body 1 includes a case 5, an image forming unit 6 arranged at a central portion of the case 5,
A document scanning unit 7 is provided above the image forming unit 6, and a sheet conveying device 8 that supplies a sheet to the image forming unit 6 and discharges a sheet from the image forming unit 6.

The image forming section 6 has a photosensitive drum arranged in the center, and a charging device, a developing device, a transfer device, a paper separating device and a cleaning device arranged around the photosensitive drum. The document scanning unit 7 includes an optical system 9 disposed above the image forming unit 6, a document table 10 disposed above the optical system 9, and an automatic document feeder 1 provided on the document table 10.
And 1. The automatic document feeder 11 has a document placement section 12 provided on the upper surface of the case, and a document feed section 13 including a document moving belt and the like arranged inside the case.

The sheet conveying device 8 has a sheet supply path arranged on the upstream side of the image forming section 6 in the sheet conveying direction and a sheet discharge path arranged on the downstream side, and on the way of the sheet discharge path. A fixing device 14 is provided in the. Further, on the downstream side of the fixing device 14, a discharge roller 15 for discharging the sheet to the sorter 2 side, and a reversing device 1 for reversing the sheet.
6 are provided.

At the lower part of the case 5, there are provided an intermediate transport path 17 for transporting the sheet that has passed through the reversing device 16 and an intermediate tray 18 for temporarily storing the sheet. Below the intermediate tray 18, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 19 are arranged in a vertical direction. In the lower right part of Case 5,
A paper feed deck 20 for continuously supplying a large amount of paper is provided. A manual paper feed path 21 is disposed above the paper feed deck 20.

[0013] sorter sorter 2, the bin unit 27 including a driving unit 26 for driving a plurality of bins 25 and the bin 25 in the vertical direction
A transport unit 28 disposed between the copier main body 1 and the bin unit 27 to convey paper from the copier main body 1 to the bin unit 27; And a processing unit 29 disposed below the unit 28.

The bin unit 27 has a support frame 30 which covers both side portions of the bin 25 and a part of the end portion on the paper discharge side. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, the bin 25 is formed of a plate-shaped member. Then, a notch 25a for taking out the sheet is formed from the front end side in the discharge direction toward the inside.
Are formed. A notch 25b for shifting the width is formed from the side on the rear side (back side of the apparatus) toward the inside. Notches 25c are formed at predetermined intervals. In addition, the notch 25b for width adjustment is
A side formed on the downstream side of the bin 25 in the sheet discharging direction is inclined from the central portion of the sheet toward the discharging direction. Thus, when the paper is discharged onto the bin 25, the leading end of the paper is guided by the inclined side 25g, and the paper is discharged smoothly. Further, since the side 25g is inclined, as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure, the area (A ) Can be reduced, and the sagging of the bottle, which may occur at the time of forming the bottle, can be prevented.

Holders 31 are formed on both sides of the tip of the discharge side of the bottle 25. Further, trunnions 32 projecting outward are provided on both sides of the introduction-side end. The holder 31 of each bin is supported by a support portion 30a (see FIG. 2) formed at the discharge side end of the support frame 30. Further, the trunnion 32 is engaged with a groove of the spiral cam 33 constituting the driving section 26. An urging member 34 is provided on the back surface of the bin 25 for pressing the sheet stored in the lower bin 25.

In this way, the bottle 25 is supported by the support portion 30a.
As shown in FIG. 2, it is inclined and disposed so that the discharge-side end is located upward. In addition, an upstanding wall portion 25d that protrudes upward is formed at the introduction-side end of the bin 25, and prevents the paper accommodated in the inclined bin 25 from falling downward. A plurality of ribs 25e are formed on the upper surface of the bin 25 along the sheet discharging direction.

The driving section 26 of the bin unit 27
5 has a pair of spiral cams 33 arranged at the front and rear ends on the introduction side to face the respective trunnions 32. The spiral cam 33 has a spiral groove on its surface, and is arranged vertically from the upper part to the lower part of the sorter 2. The upper and lower ends of each spiral cam 33 are rotatably supported by the frame of the sorter 2, and a pulley 35 is fixed to the lower end as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. A driving pulley 36 is fixed to a lower end of the spiral cam 33 provided on the rear side of the device among the pair of spiral cams 33. A drive motor 39 is connected to the drive pulley 36 via a belt 37 and a pulley 38 as shown in FIG. Thus, the rear spiral cam 33 is rotated by the motor 39, and this rotation is transmitted to the front spiral cam 33 via the belt 40 and the pulley 35. Accordingly, the pair of front and rear spiral cams 33 rotates synchronously.

The spiral grooves 33a formed on the outer surface of the spiral cam 33 are formed at substantially the same pitch in the upper and lower parts, but as shown in FIGS. Two pitches in the central portion) are formed wider than the other pitches. As a result, the bin 25 moved up and down by the spiral cam 33 has a portion corresponding to the discharge port of the transport unit 28 and the upper portion of the processing unit 29, and a lower portion of the processing unit 29, as compared with the other portions. A discharge / processing opening and a take-out opening with a wide vertical space are formed.

As a result, the processing unit 29 can be reliably introduced into and discharged from the bin 25 located at the processing position.
On the other hand, the interval between the lower bin and the bin 25 located at the unloading opening is slightly narrowed like the other portions. However, since no paper is already present on the lower bin 25, there is no problem when a stacker hand mechanism 170, which will be described later, introduces or leads to the bin 25 located at the take-out opening.

A detection plate 45 for detecting the rotational position of the spiral cam 33 is fixed to the upper end of the spiral cam 33, as shown in FIGS. The detection plate 45 has a notch 45a for angle detection. On the other hand, around the detection plate 45, a photo sensor 46 for rotation control and 3 /
A photo sensor 47 for four-turn descent control is provided. These photosensors 46 and 47 are arranged at positions shifted by １ ／ rotation. The bin unit 27 is provided with a support pin 48 for guiding the vertical movement of the bin unit 27. The support pin 48 is engaged with the spiral groove 33a of the spiral cam 33.

Photosensors 49a and 49b (see FIG. 4) are arranged at the upper and lower ends of the bin unit 27 so that the optical axis is located near the introduction end of the bin 25. Each bin 2 is arranged so that the optical axis formed by these photosensors 49a and 49b can pass through each bin 25.
5, a hole 25f for passing the optical axis (see FIG. 3) is formed at a corresponding position. Thereby, it is detected whether or not the paper is stored in the bin 25.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a drop prevention mechanism 50 is provided between the processing unit 29 and the bin unit 27 to prevent the paper from dropping from the inclined bin 25. It is arranged. The fall prevention mechanism 50 is
It has two stoppers 51 as shown in FIG. 9 and a solenoid 52 for changing the posture of the stopper 51. The two stoppers 51 are fixed at predetermined intervals to a rotating shaft 53 arranged in the front-rear direction. Rotating shaft 53
Are rotatably supported by front and rear support frames 2a and 2b. The rear end of the rotating shaft 53 is connected to the connecting members 54a, 5a.
4b, it is connected to the plunger of the solenoid 52. When the solenoid 52 is off, the stopper 51 assumes the drop-preventing posture shown in FIG.
Take the drop allowable posture shown in FIG.

With such a structure, the paper with the trailing end curled is transferred into the bin 25 and is prevented from falling even when it goes over the standing wall portion 25d. 8 and 11
As shown in FIG.
And a base table 56 that is slidable with respect to the fixed frame 55 and can be pulled out to the front side of the device.
A movable table 57 movable with respect to the base table 56, a stapling device 58 arranged on the movable table 57, a punching device 59, and a pair of processing hand units arranged on both sides of the punching device 59. 60a, 60
b.

A motor 61 for moving the table is fixed to the lower surface of the base table 56 on the rear side of the apparatus. On the other hand, a pulley 62 is fixed to the device front side of the base table 56, and a timing belt 64 is stretched between the pulley 62 and a pulley 63 fixed to the tip of the stepping motor 61. This timing belt 6
4 includes a connecting portion 57 formed on the lower surface of the moving table 57.
The moving table 57 moves on the base table 56 by the circulation of the timing belt 64. A bearing 65 is fixed to the lower surface of the moving table 57 as shown in FIG.
Guide shaft 6 arranged on base table 56 in the front-rear direction
6 can be moved. A plurality of guide rollers 67 are provided on the side of the moving table 57, and the guide rollers 67 are guided by the support portions 56 a of the base table 56.

A detection plate 68 is fixed to the lower surface of the front end of the moving table 57, and a photo sensor 69 for detecting a home position is provided at a reference position of the base table 61.
Has been fixed. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, in a state where the moving table 57 is located at the home position,
The stapling device 58 performs a binding process on a front end side corner of the sheet taken out from the bin 25. The position of the binding processing is a processing reference position when performing the binding processing of only one point.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic structure of the stapling device 58. The stapling device 58 includes a lower jaw member 70,
An upper jaw member 71 rotatably mounted on the lower jaw member 70, and a driving unit 72 for lowering the upper jaw member 71
Return mechanism 73 for returning the upper jaw member 71 to the initial position
It is composed of The lower jaw member 70 is rotatable within a predetermined range with one end serving as a fulcrum with respect to a support member 74 fixed on the moving table 57. Thus, the position of the entire stapling device 58 can be adjusted vertically in a predetermined range. A paper guide 75 for guiding paper from the bin 25 is fixed to the partition frame 76 on the bin 25 side of the stapling device 58. A hole for paper detection is formed in a part of the paper guide 75, and a reflection sensor 77 for detecting a paper jam at the time of the binding process is provided below the hole.

The processing hand units 60a and 60b are
As shown in FIG. 13, a mounting plate 80, a hand mechanism 81 mounted on the mounting plate 80, and a paper ejecting mechanism 82
And a drive mechanism 83 for moving these two mechanisms 81 and 82 in the bin direction. The lower part of the mounting plate 80 is fixed to the moving table 57. The upper portion is bent in the lateral direction, and a guide groove 80a for guiding the hand mechanism 81 to advance and retreat is formed in the bent portion.

The hand mechanism 81 is fixed to the slide plate 84 and has an upper hand 85 and a lower hand 86. The upper hand 85 is formed in an L-shape when viewed from the front, and has a grip portion 85 a extending toward the bin 25 and the grip portion 8.
5a and a base portion 85b extending in a direction orthogonal to 5a. One end of the base portion 85b is rotatably fixed to the slide plate 84. The other end of the base portion 85b is connected to a solenoid 87 for opening and closing the hand mechanism 81 via a spring 88. The lower hand 86 has a grip portion 86a extending toward the bin 25 side, and a base portion 86b extending opposite to the grip portion 86a with a fulcrum mounted rotatably mounted on the slide plate 84 as a boundary. The base portion 86b is in contact with an abutting portion 85c formed on the base portion 85b of the upper hand 85, and the upper hand 85 and the lower hand 86 operate in an interlocking manner. Base 86b of lower hand 86
One end of a spring 89 is locked to the spring 89.
The other end of is locked to the upper part of the slide plate 84. Due to the spring force of the spring 89, the lower hand 86 and the upper hand 8
5 is opened, and the solenoid 87 is turned on and retracted, so that the upper hand 85 and the lower hand 86 are closed.

The paper ejecting mechanism 82 includes an arm 90,
Driving solenoid 91, arm 90 and solenoid 91
And a lever 92 for connecting the two. A push plate 93 for pressing the end of the sheet is fixed to the tip (bin side) of the arm 90. The arm 90 has a guide groove 90a that is long in the forward and backward directions.
A pin 94 fixed to the slide plate 84 is locked at a. A pin 95 is fixed to the rear end of the arm 90,
One end of a lever 92 is locked to this pin 95. The central portion of the lever 92 is rotatable about a fulcrum pin 96. The other end of the lever 92 is connected to a plunger of a solenoid 91 via a pin 97. With such a configuration, when the plunger of the solenoid 91 advances and retreats, the lever 92 rotates around the fulcrum pin 96, and the arm 90 can take a retracted position shown by a solid line in FIG. 13 and a return position shown by a dashed line in FIG. .

The drive mechanism 83 has a motor 100 for moving the slide plate 84. A drive pulley 101 is fixed to the motor 100. Also, the mounting plate 8
A driven pulley 102 is rotatably mounted on one bin side, and a timing belt 103 is hung between the driving pulley 101 and the driven pulley 102. A lower portion 84a of the slide plate 84 is fixed to the timing belt 103. A pin 104 and a bearing 105 are mounted on an upper portion of the slide plate 84,
The pin 104 slidably penetrates the guide groove 80a. A part of the slide plate 84 includes a moving bearing 106.
Are fixed, and the bearing 106 is supported by a guide shaft 107 fixed to the mounting plate 80. The guide groove 80a, the timing belt 103, and the guide shaft 10
7 is inclined so as to be substantially parallel to the bin 25 moved to the discharge / processing opening.

With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 14, the hand mechanism 81 moves the home position, which is the processing position for binding processing, the standby position near the end of the bin 25, and the paper in the bin 25. The grip position can be taken. An open position for returning the sheet into the bin 25 is set between the holding position and the standby position, and the hand mechanism 81 releases the holding of the sheet at the open position. on the other hand,
The push plate 93 fixed to the tip of the arm 90 of the protruding mechanism 82 is located at a retracted position retracted by a distance L from the home position of the hand mechanism 81 at the home position,
In the open position, the bin 25 is moved to the center of the gripper of the hand mechanism 81.
It protrudes to the side.

As shown in FIG. 8, on the front side of the stapling device 58, a paper fixing mechanism 110 for fixing the paper at the time of paper processing is provided. As shown in FIG. 15, the paper fixing mechanism 110 includes a fixed frame 112 fixed to the front frame 111 of the sorter, an upper hand 113 and a lower hand 114, and both hands 113 and 114.
And a solenoid 115 for driving the motor. The upper hand 113 and the lower hand 114 each have a gripper 113 extending along the sliding direction of the moving table 57.
a, 114a. In addition, both hands 113, 1
14 is rotatably mounted on the fixed frame 112 by a pin 116. The lower hand 114 has a pin 116
And a base portion 114b extending upward from the base portion, and is formed in an L-shape. In the vicinity of the pin 116, a contact portion 114c protruding toward the upper hand 113 is formed.
It is in contact with the base 113b of the upper hand 113. Also,
The gripper 113a of the upper hand 113 has a spring 1 for opening.
The other end of the spring 117 is engaged with the upper part of the fixed frame 112. This opening spring 1
17, the upper hand 113 and the lower hand 114 are opened. On the other hand, a plunger of a solenoid 115 is connected to a base 114 b of the lower hand 114 via a spring 118. When the plunger of the solenoid 115 is retracted, both hands 113 and 114 are closed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the front frame 111 of the sorter 2 has a take-out port so that the sheets in the bin 25 at the position A (take-out opening) in the figure can be taken out to the front side of the apparatus. 111a is formed. The take-out opening 111a can be opened and closed by a shutter member 121 for width adjustment. As is clear from FIGS. 16 and 17, the shutter member 121 extends vertically.
The standard minimum size paper-side end is arranged at a position where it can abut. A guide locking portion 121a is formed at a part of a side end of the shutter member 121 on the paper discharge side (bin front end side). A guide locking portion 121b is formed at a substantially central portion in the lateral direction of the shutter member 121 so as to protrude forward and be bent toward the paper introduction side. The front frame 111 has an outlet 1
A vertical notch 111b for the slide which is continuous with 11a is formed. The shutter member 121 is disposed inside the apparatus on the front side frame 111, and each of the locking portions 121
Reference numerals a and 121b extend to the outside of the front frame 111 through the notch 111b. Guide members 122a, 122 are provided at the edges of the notch 111b of the front frame 111.
b is fixed. These guide portions 122a, 122b
The locking portions 121a, 121b of the shutter member 121
Is slidably locked.

A drive mechanism 12 for driving the shutter member 121 is provided outside the front frame 111 of the apparatus.
5 are arranged. The drive mechanism 125 has a support frame 126 having a C-shaped cross section.
A motor 127 for driving the shutter member 121 is fixed inside 26. On the other hand, the shutter member 121
A rack 128 is fixed vertically on the outer side surface of the rack. The rack 128 extends into the support frame 126 through the notch 111b of the front frame 111.
A gear train 129 for transmitting the rotation of the motor 127 to the rack 128 is provided in the support frame 126. With such a configuration, the shutter member 121 can take an open position indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 16 and a closed position indicated by a solid line in FIG. In the open position, the paper in the bin 25 corresponding to the take-out opening 111a can be taken out to the front side of the apparatus, and in the closed position, taking out from the take-out opening 111a is prohibited.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, a width adjusting device 135 is provided behind the device facing the shutter member 121.
Is arranged. The width aligning device 135 is the width aligning plate 1
36 and a moving mechanism 137 for moving the width-shifting plate 136 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus. Width plate 1
As is clear from FIG. 16, 36 are provided in the total of three bins 25, namely, the bin 25 located at the discharge / treatment opening and the take-out opening and the bin 25 located one stage above the discharge / treatment opening. It has a vertical width that allows the width of the sheets to be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 19, the moving mechanism 137 is a width-shifting frame 1 fixed to a rear frame 138 of the apparatus.
Have 39. The width-shifting frame 139 is inserted through the notch 140 formed in the rear frame 138, and a part of the width-adjusting frame 139 enters the inside of the apparatus. A slide bearing 141 is fixed to the upper part of the frame 139, and a moving motor 142 is fixed to the lower part thereof. Slide bearing 1
The guide shaft 143 is supported by the guide shaft 41.
A front mounting plate 144 is fixed to one end of 43. The front mounting plate 144 extends in the vertical direction and is locked to the upper and lower pins 145 fixed to the back surface of the width-shifting plate 136. A spring 146 is arranged between the front mounting plate 144 and the width-shifting plate 136, and the width-shifting plate 136 is elastically pushed. A rear mounting plate 147 is fixed to the rear end of the guide shaft 143, and the rear mounting plate 147 also extends in the vertical direction. A connecting plate 148 is fixed between the front and rear mounting plates 144 and 147 in parallel with the guide shaft 143. A rack 149 having substantially the same length as the connecting plate 148 is fixed to the lower surface of the connecting plate 148. The rack 149 meshes with a pinion gear 150 rotatably attached to the lower portion of the frame 139. A pulley 150a is integrally fixed to the pinion gear 150.
0a is connected to the drive pulley 152 of the motor 142 via the timing belt 151. In addition, the connecting plate 14
A detection part 148a is formed in a part of
The home position of the width-shifting plate 136 is detected by the home position detecting photosensor 153 fixed to 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 28 of the sorter 2 has an introduction section 28a, a sorting carry-in path 28b branched from the introducing section 28a, and a non-sorting carry-in path 28c. There is. The introduction portion 28a is provided with an introduction roller 160 and a branch claw 161. In addition, the sorting carry-in path 28b is provided between the introduction section 28a and the bin 2 for sorting.
5, and guides the sheet to the discharge / processing opening formed by the spiral cam 33. The non-sorting loading path 28c is provided between the non-sorting bin 162 disposed above the sorter 2 and the branching section 28a, and guides the sheet to the non-sorting bin 162 in the non-sort mode.

Paper Removing Device FIGS. 20 and 21 show the overall structure of the paper removing device 3. 20 is a front view of the paper take-out device 3 as seen from the front side, and FIG. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram of the paper take-out device 3 as seen from the right side of the device. The range Y portion of FIG. 21 is a diagram of FIG. 20 viewed from the Z direction.

The paper take-out device 3 holds the processed paper in the bin 25 located at the take-out opening and draws the paper into the paper take-out device 3, and the stacker hand mechanism 170 allows the front side of the device. Ejection mechanism 171 for ejecting the paper attracted to
And a stack section 172 for storing the discharged sheets. Then, the stacker hand mechanism 170,
The ejection mechanism 171 and the stack section 172 are arranged in the main body frame 169.

As shown in FIG. 22, the stacker hand mechanism 170 includes a moving frame 175, an upper hand 176,
It has a lower hand 177 and a solenoid 178 for driving each of the hands 176 and 177. Upper hand 17
6 is rotatably attached to the moving frame 175 by a pin 179 at a substantially central portion thereof. The lower end of the lower hand 177 is rotatably mounted on the movable frame 175 by a pin 180. Each hand 17
The holding members 181 and 182 for holding the end of the sheet in the bin 25 are fixed to the tips of 6,177. One end of a spring 183 is locked to the rear end of the upper hand 176, and the other end of the spring 183 is locked to the moving frame 175. A contact portion 176a is formed on the rear end side of the pin 179 of the upper hand 176, and the contact portion 176a contacts a part of the lower hand 177. With such a configuration, the upper hand 176 and the lower hand 177 are opened by the spring force of the spring 183 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. A locking portion 177a is formed on a part of the lower hand 177, and the locking portion 177a is connected to a plunger of a solenoid 178 via a spring 184. Therefore, when the plunger of the solenoid 178 is retracted, both hands 176 and 177 are moved to the positions shown in FIG.
The closed state shown by the solid line of 0 is obtained.

The moving frame 175 can be set at the take-out position (175a) and the retreat position (175b) shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 23 by the moving mechanism 190 shown in FIG. The moving mechanism 190 is arranged above the sheet take-out device 3 as shown in FIG. Moving mechanism 190
Has a frame 192 supported by the frame 191 of the take-out device 3. It is provided in the front-rear direction of the device, and has one end on the frame 191 and the other end on the frame 19.
2 has a guide shaft 193 supported by it. The moving frame 175 has a bearing 194 slidably supported by the guide shaft 193, and is movable in the front-rear direction of the apparatus along the guide shaft 193. A stepping motor 196 is fixed to the upper surface of the frame 192 via a motor supporting member 195. On the upper surface of the frame 192, a two-stage pulley 197 is provided in front of the apparatus.
Is rotatably mounted, and a pulley 198 is rotatably mounted on the rear side. A timing belt 199 is stretched between a pulley below the two-stage pulley 197 and the pulley 198. A driving pulley 200 is fixed to the tip of the motor 196, and the driving pulley 200
A timing belt 201 is stretched between the second pulley 197 and the upper pulley. Moving frame 175
A joint member 202 is provided on an upper surface of the joint member 202 so as to protrude above the frame 192.
Is connected to the timing belt 199. With this configuration, when the motor 196 rotates, the moving frame 175 moves in the front-rear direction of the apparatus along the guide shaft 193.

The discharge mechanism 171 has a plurality of guide plates 210, 211 and 212 for guiding the paper, as shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 24. The first guide plate 210 is disposed at substantially the same height and at the same inclination as the bin 25 located at the unloading opening.
0 is taken out of the sheet. Also, the second guide plate 211
Is provided continuously above the first guide plate 210 and on the front side of the first guide plate 210, and the lower end thereof can be opened and closed about the support pin 213. As shown in FIG. 24, the second guide plate 211 and the third guide plate 212 are arranged at positions facing each other across the movement path of the stacker hand mechanism 170.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the discharging mechanism 171 has a motor 216 supported by a supporting frame 215. The support frames 215 are arranged on both sides of the moving path of the stacker hand mechanism 170. Further, below the first guide plate 210, there is a rotating shaft 217 arranged substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the first guide plate 210. Pulleys 21 are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 217 and substantially in the middle thereof.
8a, 218b, 218c are fixed. The support frame 215 also includes drive rollers 219a and 219b.
Are rotatably arranged at predetermined intervals. These drive rollers 219a and 219b are connected to pulleys 218c and 218b fixed to the rotary shaft 217 by timing belts 220a and 220b, respectively, and are driven to rotate. Each drive roller 219a, 21
Driven rollers 221a and 221b are in pressure contact with 9b, respectively. The sheet pulled toward the front side by the hand mechanism 170 is sandwiched between the rollers 219a and 219b and the driven rollers 221a and 221b, and the stack section 17 is formed.
You will be guided to the 2nd side. Each driven roller 221a, 221b
21 is rotatably attached to the tip of the revolving arm 222 as shown in FIG. 21, and sandwiches the paper with a predetermined pressing force. In the middle of the discharge path of the discharge mechanism 171, a pair of transmissive optical sensors 223a and 223b (see FIG.
4) is arranged to detect a jam in the discharge section.

Here, as is apparent from FIG. 24, the rotating shaft 217 and the discharge roller pair 219 in the discharge mechanism 171.
a, 221a and 219b, 221b, etc., have the same inclination as the inclination of the bin 25, and the left side in the figure is located at the upper side. Therefore, when these roller pairs are rotated at the same speed, the right corner of the sheet in FIG. 24 falls first onto the stacking section 172, and this corner is easily damaged. Therefore, the roller pair 219a, 2
The discharge speed of the roller 21a is higher than that of the lower roller pair 219b, 221b. That is, the rotation speed is increased. For this reason, the sheet discharged by these roller pairs falls into the stack portion 172 almost at the same time through the positions shown in FIG. Therefore, damage to one corner can be avoided.

The stack unit 172 is used by the paper take-out device 3
It can be pulled out from the main body to the front side of the device. As shown in FIG. 21, the stack portion 172 has a substantially horizontal horizontal tray 230 and a rotary tray 232 rotatably mounted by a pin 231 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction on the side wall of the stack portion 172. doing. A roller 233 is attached to the free end of the rotating tray 232. On the other hand, the stack unit 1 of the sheet take-out device 3
A guide member 234 which is inclined upward rearward from a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction is provided on a side wall of the portion where the 72 is accommodated.
Is provided. Then, the roller 2 of the rotating tray 232
33 moves on this guide member 234. For this reason, when the stack unit 172 is stored in the sheet take-out device 3 (FIG. 21), the sheets are stored in a bent posture in which the rear of the device is inclined upward, and the stack unit 172 is stored.
Is pulled out forward, the rotation tray 232 is in a substantially horizontal posture, and the paper can be easily taken out.

Control Block The copying machine main body 1 of this copying machine has a copying machine main body control section 250 as shown in FIG. 26, and the automatic document feeder 11 has an RDH control section 251. Further, the sorter 2 is provided with a sorter control unit 252, and the sorter control unit 252 controls the sorter 2 and the sheet take-out device 3. Each control unit 250-2
52 has a microcomputer including a ROM, a RAM, and a CPU. In the sorter control unit 252, FIG.
7, various selection keys K1, K2, K3, and K4 provided on an operation panel 253 of the sorter, sensors of each part in the sorter 2 and the sheet take-out device 3, and other input units are connected. . The sorter control unit 252 is connected to the motors of the sorter 2 and the sheet take-out device 3 and the solenoid.
The EDs (display units) L1 and L2 are connected to other output units. The sorter control unit 252 includes a copier main unit control unit 25.
0, and the RDH controller 251 is also connected to the copier controller 250. Copier main body controller 250
Is connected to an operation panel 250a on which various keys such as keys for selecting each mode and ten keys are arranged.

Here, the key K1 on the sorter operation panel 253 is a key for raising the bin unit 27, and the key K2 is a key for lowering the bin unit 27. The key K3 is a key for selecting a process (hereinafter, referred to as a multi process) for causing the process in the processing unit 29 and the removal process of the sheet removal device 3 to be performed in parallel. The key K4 is the processing unit 29
Is a key for instructing execution of processing in
DL1 and L2 are multi-processing and processing units 2, respectively.
9 to indicate the ON or OFF state of the processing in FIG.

General Operation In this apparatus, various operation modes can be designated on the copying machine main body 1 side. That is, it is possible to set whether or not the sorting process is performed at the time of the discharging process, whether the processed sheets are discharged to the stack unit 172, and whether the stapling process or the punching process is performed by the processing unit 29 of the sorter 2. it can. Further, by selecting the multi-processing, it is possible to execute the processing with the number of copies equal to or larger than the number of bins.

[0048] When the sorting sorting mode is selected, the paper that has been discharged from the copying machine main body 1 is transported to the sorting introduction passage 28b side by the branching claw 161, each bin of the bin unit 27 2
Introduced in 5. Each of the bins 25 of the bin unit 27 sequentially rises or descends as the spiral cam 33 rotates, and sorts the introduced sheets. Bottle 2
At the time of vertical movement of 5, the space between the upper and lower bins 25 becomes large at the discharge / processing opening and the extraction opening below it. At this time, if the trailing edge of the paper is curled upward, it may exceed the standing wall portion 25d of the bin 25. However, when the bin 25 is moved, the stopper 51 is in a fall-prohibited posture, which causes the paper to fall into the bin. It can be prevented from falling from 25.

On the other hand, when the non-sort mode is selected, the sheet is sent to the non-sort carry-in path 28c by the branch claw 161. The paper transported by the non-sorting loading path 28c is sequentially discharged to the non-sorting bin 162. When a mode for performing post-processing stapling or punching is selected, the processing is performed on the paper accommodated in the bin 25.

In this case, after the sorting process is completed, if the lowermost bin of the bins containing the sheets is located at the ejection / processing opening (if the number of originals is an odd number), it remains as it is. Start post-processing. If the lowermost bin is not located at the ejection / processing opening (when the number of originals is an even number), each bin 25 is moved so that the lowermost bin is located at the ejection / processing opening.

Next, the stopper 51 is set in a drop-permitting posture, the processing hand units 60a and 60b are projected, and the hand mechanism 81 holds the edge of the sheet in the bin 25. In this state, the spiral cam 33 is rotated by ／ rotation,
The bin 25 located at the discharge / processing opening is lowered by a predetermined amount. In this position, the lowermost end of the sheet gripped by the hand mechanism 81 is located above the standing wall 25 d of the bin 25. Next, when the hand units 60a and 60b are retracted and returned to the home position, the trailing edge of the sheet moves to the processing position of the stapling device 58. Then, the gripping of the sheet is released. The processing hand units 60a and 60b to be used are selected according to the paper size. That is, when the width size is small, only one hand unit 60a is used, and when the size in the width direction is large, both hand units 60a and 60b are used.

When stapling the front corner of the sheet (single point printing), the stapling device 58 is in this state.
To perform stapling processing. In the case where the binding process is performed at the rear corner of the apparatus (inside punching), the stapling apparatus 58 is moved rearward by moving the moving table 57, and the stapling processing is performed at a predetermined position.
Similarly, when the binding process is performed at two points on the front side and the rear side of the apparatus (two-point hitting), the stapling apparatus 58 is stopped at a predetermined position and the stapling processing is performed. When performing the punching process, the moving table 57 is similarly moved in the front-rear direction, and the punch device 59 is driven. When performing these processes, after moving the paper to the processing position, before releasing the gripping of the paper by the hand mechanism 81,
The paper fixing device 10 grips and fixes a corner corresponding to the front side of the paper and behind the leading end of the stapling device 58. This ensures that the paper does not shift during processing,
Processing can be performed at an accurate position.

When the processing is completed, the sheet is again gripped by the hand mechanism 81, and the processing hand units 60a, 6
0b is projected, and the paper is moved above the bin 25. Then, the hands 85 and 86 are opened to release the grip of the sheet.
In this state, the arm 90 of the sheet ejecting mechanism 82 is made to project, and the trailing end of the sheet is pushed. Then, the hand 85,
86, and is returned to the bin 25.

Since the rear end of the sheet is projected by the arm 90 after the gripping is released by the hands 85 and 86, the sheet can be reliably returned from the hands 85 and 86 into the bin 25. When these processes are completed, the hand mechanism 81 is once moved to the home position, and then the spiral cam 33 is further rotated by ４. Thereby, the bin 25 containing the processed paper is moved to the take-out opening.

Width Alignment Processing When paper is introduced into the bin 25 during the sort processing, paper width alignment processing is executed. During the post-processing, the processing hand units 60a, 60b
A similar sheet width adjustment process is executed before the sheet is gripped in. In this case, the shutter member 121 is lowered to shield the outlet 111a. Then, the width shifting plate 136 is moved forward by a predetermined amount according to the sheet size. As a result, the sheet in the bin 25 is pushed forward, and the width of the sheet is adjusted so as to be sandwiched between the shutter member 121 and the width shift plate 136.

When the multi -processing mode is selected, in parallel with the above-mentioned post-processing, the take-out processing for taking out the processed paper in the bin 25 to the front side is performed. In this case, the stacker hand mechanism 170 moves rearward (bin side) with respect to the bin 25 located at the take-out opening 111a,
The front end of the paper in the bin 25 is gripped. When the end of the sheet is gripped by the stacker hand mechanism 170, the hand mechanism 170 is moved forward by the moving mechanism 190. Then, the paper in the bin 25 is taken out of the outlet 111.
20A is drawn toward the apparatus front side along the first guide plate 210 of FIG. At this time, the roller pair of the discharge mechanism 171 is rotating in synchronization with the moving speed of the hand mechanism 170. The hand mechanism 170 moves forward and the ejection mechanism 17
When it comes to one roller portion, the end of the sheet is pinched by the roller pair. Upon detecting this, the rotation of the hand mechanism 170 and the roller pair is temporarily stopped, and the hands 176 and 176 of the hand mechanism 170 are stopped.
177 is released to release the grip of the sheet. By further moving the hand mechanism 170 to the front side, the sheet is separated from the hands 176 and 177 and remains on the discharge mechanism 171 side. By rotating the pair of rollers of the discharge mechanism 171 in this state, the sheet is transported to the front side of the apparatus, and is guided downward along the second guide plate 211. Then, the paper is stored in the stack unit 172.

By executing such multi-processing, for example, even if the number of bins is 20, sorting processing and post-processing can be performed on paper of 20 sets or more,
A limitless sorter can be realized. Stack section 172
When taking out the paper stored in the stack unit 17,
2 is pulled out to the front side of the device. Then, the rotating tray 232
21 moves clockwise in FIG. 21 around the fulcrum pin 231 while moving forward along the guide member 234. When the stack portion 172 is pulled out to the maximum, the rotating tray 232 is in a substantially horizontal posture, and the paper in the stack portion 172 can be easily taken out.

Here, when the sheet is discharged by the roller pair of the discharging mechanism 171, the sheet discharging speed of the roller pair located on the upper side in FIG. 25 is increased, so that the sheet falls on the stack portion 172. Then, the falling posture becomes a posture shown in and after FIG. 25, the lower end hits the tray of the stack unit 172 without tilting, and damage to the corners of the sheet is prevented.

When performing maintenance on the stapling device 58 and the like, the cover 260 on the front side of the sorter 2 is opened,
The base table 56 is pulled out from the sorter 2 forward.
In this state, the stapling device 58, the punching device 59, and the hand units 60a, 60
Since b can be taken out of the sorter 2, maintenance can be easily performed. Control Operation This copying machine is controlled by the copying machine main unit control unit 250 and the sorter control unit 252 as follows.

When the main switch of the control unit on the main body of the copying machine is pressed, first, step S1
, Initial settings such as setting the number of copies to one are performed. Next, in step S2, a condition input process such as receiving an input for setting the number of copies is performed.
In step S3, an operation mode selection process is performed. In step S4, a copy process is performed. In step S5, a post process is performed. Here, in this example, staple processing and multi-processing will be described as examples of post-processing.

Mode Selection Processing The mode selection processing in step S3 will be described with reference to FIGS.
Shown in In this mode selection processing, first, in step S10
, It is determined whether the mode determination flag f2 is on or off. Here, the mode determination flag f2 indicates that the operation mode has been determined (for example, during copy processing).
Is ON, and is OFF if it is not fixed. Since the mode determination flag f2 is off in the initial state, the process proceeds from step S10 to step S11. Since the flag f2 is on during the copy process or the like, the process exits the mode selection process in this case. In step S11,
It is determined whether a key for selecting a sort mode has been pressed. In step S12, it is determined whether the ejection mode has been selected, and in step S13, it is determined whether the staple mode has been selected. Here, the discharge mode is
This is a processing mode in which the sheets in the bin 25 are taken out to the stack section 172 of the sheet take-out device 3, and in this case, both stapling and discharging are performed in parallel (multi-processing). This multi-processing is performed by the operation panel 253 on the sorter side.
Is selected by the key K3 provided in the.

When the key for selecting the sort mode is pressed, the process proceeds from step S11 to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the sort mode is already set. If the sort mode is already set, the process proceeds to step S15, and the operation mode is set to the non-sort mode. If the sort mode has not been selected, the flow shifts to step S16 to set the sort mode. As described above, by pressing the key for selecting the sort mode, the sort mode can be selected or the set sort mode can be canceled.

When the key (multi-key K3) for selecting the discharge mode is pressed, the process proceeds from step S12 to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether the discharge mode has already been selected. If it has been selected, the flow shifts to step S18 to set the non-discharge mode. If the discharge mode has not been selected, the process proceeds from step S17 to step S19. In step S19, it is determined whether the staple mode has been selected. Here, if the discharge mode is selected while the staple mode is not selected, the sheets are discharged without stapling, and the sheets are separated in the stack unit 172. For this reason,
If the discharge mode is set and the staple mode is not set, the process proceeds from step S19 to step S19.
Then, the process proceeds to step 20, where the discharge mode is set and the staple mode is forcibly set. If the staple mode has already been set, the process proceeds to step S19.
From step S21 to set the discharge mode.

Next, when the key for selecting the staple mode is pressed, the steps S13 to S13 are performed.
Move to 22. In step S22, it is determined whether the staple mode has already been set. If not set, the process moves to step S23 to set the staple mode. If the staple mode has already been set, the process proceeds from step S22 to step S24 to cancel the staple mode. In step S24, the non-staple mode is set. Next, in a step S25, it is determined whether or not the discharge mode is selected. If the discharge mode has been set, the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, an error message is displayed. That is, when the non-staple mode and the discharge mode are selected, the sheets are separated in the stack unit 172 as described above. For this reason, an error message is displayed on the display unit to alert the operator. When this error message is displayed, no signal for setting the discharge mode is sent to the control unit 252 on the sorter side, and the discharge process is prohibited. If the discharge mode is not set, the process returns from step S25 to the main routine.

Copy Processing Next, the copy processing of step S4 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S30, it is determined whether the copy acceptance permission flag f3 is on or off. When the copy acceptance permission flag f3 is on, acceptance of the copy is permitted. In this case, steps S30 to S3
Move to 1. If it is off, copy processing is prohibited, and this processing routine is exited. In step S31, it is determined whether the copy processing flag f4 is on or off. The copy processing flag f4 is ON, indicating that the processing is in progress. If it is off, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, it is determined whether the copy button has been pressed. If not pressed, the process returns to the main routine.
If the copy button is pressed to start the copy process, the process proceeds to step S33. Step S3
In 3, the mode confirmation flag f2 and the copy processing flag f4 are turned on and the process returns to the main routine.

If the copy processing flag f4 is on, the process proceeds from step S31 to step S34. In step S34, it is determined whether the number-of-copies setting flag f5 is on. Here, the number-of-copies setting flag f5 is set according to the number of copies (number of copies) and the number of bins 25 set by the operator. To execute. If the number-of-copies setting flag f5 is already on, the process proceeds to step S36. In this step S36, normal copy processing is executed. That is, the image information of the original is read, the size of the paper is determined, the paper corresponding to the determination result is fed from the paper feed cassette, the image forming operation is performed, and the paper is delivered to the sorter side.

Next, in step S37, it is determined whether the copy processing end flag f6 is on or off. When the processing including the sort processing by the sorter 2 is completed, the flag f6 is turned on. If the number of copies preset by the operator is equal to or larger than the number of bins, the flag f6 is turned on when the processing for the number of bins is completed. If it has not been completed, the process returns to the main routine and repeats the copy process and the like. If the flag f6 is on, the process proceeds to step S38. In step S38, it is determined whether the post-processing mode is selected. If it is selected, the stapling process shift permission flag f7 is turned on, the copy acceptance permission flag f3 is turned off, and the process returns to the main routine. The stapling process shift permission flag f7 is ON and is “permitted”. On the other hand, if the post-processing is not selected, the process proceeds to step S40. Step S40
Then, the copy acceptance permission flag f3 is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

In step S41, it is determined whether or not there is a sheet on the bin 25. If there is a sheet on the bin, the process proceeds to step S42, the mode determination flag f2 is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S43. In step S43, it is determined whether a key for selecting post-processing is pressed during the copy processing or after the copy processing and the sort processing are completed. This key is prepared on the operation panel 250a of the copying machine main body 1, so that even if post-processing has not been selected before the start of copying, it can be selected later. If post-processing is selected after the start of copying, the process moves from step S43 to step S44. Step S44
Then, it is determined whether or not the post-processing execution switch K4 on the operation panel 253 of the sorter 2 has been pressed. After the switch is pressed, the process proceeds to step S45. In step S45, the mode determination flag f2 is turned on, the post-processing shift permission flag f7 is turned on, and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, when there is no sheet on the bin 25, the process proceeds from step S41 to step S46. In step S46, it is determined whether or not the variable Y indicating the number of remaining copies is “0”. The remaining number of copies Y is a value obtained by subtracting the number of bins from the preset number of copies (B) set by the operator. If the remaining number of copies Y is “0”, the process proceeds to step S47.
In step S47, the mode determination flag f2, the copy processing flag f4, the number of copies determination flag f5, and the copy processing end flag f6 are turned off, and the process returns to the main routine. If the remaining number of copies Y is not "0", the process proceeds from step S46 to step S48. Step S48
Then, the copy number determination flag f5 and the copy processing flag f6 are turned off, the copy acceptance permission flag f3 is turned on, and the process returns to the main routine.

Next, the number setting process of step S35 will be described. As shown in FIG. 33, in the copy number setting process, it is first determined in step S50 whether or not the sort mode is selected. If the sort mode has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S51. Step S
At 51, the preset number of copies B is set as the number of remaining copies Y, and the preset number of copies B is set as the number of processing copies A.
Further, the copy number setting flag f5 is turned on, and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the sort mode is selected, the process proceeds from step S50 to step S58. In the step S58, it is determined whether or not it is the first number setting processing. In the case of the first processing, the process moves to step S52. In step S52, the preset number of copies B is set as the remaining number of copies Y, and the process proceeds to step S53. In the case of the second and subsequent processes, the process skips step S52 and shifts to step S53. Step S53
Then, it is determined whether or not the number of remaining copies Y is equal to or less than the number of bins (in this example, “20”). If the number of remaining copies B exceeds the number of bins, NO is determined in step S53,
Move to step S54. In step S54, the number of copies A is set to "20", and the remaining number of copies Y is set to "Y-20", and the process proceeds to step S56. In step S56, the copy number setting flag f5 is turned on, and the process returns to the main routine.

If the number of remaining copies Y is less than or equal to the number of bins, the process proceeds from step S53 to step S57. In step S57, the remaining number of copies Y is set as the number of processing copies A,
The remaining copy number Y is set to "0", the copy number setting flag f5 is turned on, and the process returns to the main routine. By such processing, the number of preset copies initially set is, for example, “3”.
In the case of "0", the number of copies A is divided into "20" and "10". For example, in the case of "50", the number of copies A is divided into "20", "20", and "10".

Post- Processing on Copying Machine Main Body Next, the post-processing control on the copying machine main body side will be described with reference to FIG. In this process, first, in step S60, it is determined whether the post-processing shift permission flag f7 is on or off. If it is off, the process returns to the main routine. If the flag f7 is on, step S
It moves to 61. In step S61, it is determined whether the post-processing end flag f8 is on or off. The post-processing end flag f8 is turned on when the processing for the number of processed copies A in FIG. 33 ends. For example, when only the sorting process is completed, the process proceeds from step S61 to step S62. In the step S62, it is determined whether or not the remaining number of copies Y is “0”. If Y is not "0", the flow shifts to step S63, specifies multi-processing, and returns to the main routine. On the other hand, if the number of remaining copies Y is equal to or smaller than the number of bins, Y is set to “0” in step S57 in FIG. 33, and in this case, the process proceeds to step S64. In the step S64, it is determined whether or not the multi-processing is designated. If multi-processing is specified, step S6
The process proceeds to step S3, and if multi-processing is not specified, the process proceeds to step S65 and returns to the main routine without multi-processing.

When the post-processing for the number of processed copies A is completed, the post-processing end flag f8 is turned on as shown in step P46 of FIG.
The process moves from step 61 to step S66. In step S66, it is determined whether or not the remaining number of copies Y is “0”.
If it is "0", the flow proceeds to step S67, and the post-processing end flag f8, the post-processing shift permission flag f7, the copy processing end flag f6, the copy number setting flag f5, the copy processing flag f4, and the mode determination flag f2 are respectively set. Turn off and return to the main routine. If the remaining number of copies Y is not "0", the process proceeds to step S68, in which the post-processing end flag f8, the post-processing shift permission flag f7, the copy processing end flag f6, and the copy number setting flag f5 are turned off. Turn on f3 and return to the main routine.

Sorter-side control On the sorter side, the sorter control unit 252 executes the control shown in FIG. 35 and thereafter. First, in step P1, initialization is performed. In this initial setting, processing such as returning each part to the initial position and turning off the solenoid is performed.
Next, in step P2, it is determined whether or not conditions such as an operation mode and flag data have been input from the copying machine main body control unit 250. In step P3, the copier controller 25
It is determined whether or not the condition sent from 2 is the non-sort mode. At step P4, it is determined whether the mode is the sort mode. At step P5, it is determined whether the mode is the post-processing mode. In step P6, it is determined whether or not the post-processing execution key K4 has been pressed on the operation panel 253 on the sorter 2 side. In step P7, it is determined whether or not the bin unit raising key K1 has been pressed. In step P9, it is determined whether or not the bin unit lowering key K2 has been pressed.
It is determined whether 3 has been pressed.

When various conditions such as the operation mode and the flag data are changed and the condition is input from the copying machine main body control section 252, the process proceeds from step P2 to step P10 to set the operation mode according to the condition. Set. When the non-sort mode is set by the condition processing in step P10, the process shifts from step P3 to step P11. In step 11, the paper ejected from the copying machine main body 1 is guided to the non-sorting carry-in path 28 c by switching the branch claws 161, and the paper is ejected to the non-sort bin 162.

In the case of the sort mode, the process shifts from step P4 to step P12 to execute the sort process. In the case of the post-processing mode, the process shifts from step P5 to P13 to execute post-processing. Further, when the key K4 for executing post-processing is pressed from the operation panel 253 of the sorter 2, the process shifts from step P6 to step P14. In Step P14, a stapling process is executed. For this reason, the operator can manually feed paper into the bin 25 and perform stapling processing on the paper. If the bin unit raising key K1 is pressed, the process shifts from step P7 to step P15 to raise the bin unit 27 by one bin. Conversely, when the bin lowering key K2 is pressed, the process shifts from step P8 to step P16 to lower the bin unit 27 by one bin. If the multi-processing key K3 has been pressed, the program shifts from Step P9 to Step P17. In Step P17, the multi-processing mode is reversed. That is, when the multi-processing mode is set and the multi-processing key K3 is pressed, the multi-processing mode is set. Conversely, when the multi-processing mode is not set, the multi-processing key K3 is set. If is pressed, the multi-processing mode is set. Based on this mode set state, the above-described mode selection processing in step S12 and steps S17 to S21 is executed.

Sorting Process When the sorting mode is selected, the sorting process shown in FIG. 37 is executed. In this case, first, step P2
A sort transport process is performed at 0. That is, the branch pawl 161 is switched to sort the paper from the copier body 1 into the sorting carry-in path 2.
8b and drive the motor 39 to drive the bin unit 2
The paper is discharged to the bin 25 located at the discharge / processing opening while sequentially moving each bin 25 of No. 7 up and down.

Next, in Step P21, the width aligning plate 136
Is moved forward to start the width adjustment operation. Next, in step P22, it is determined whether or not the sheet introduced into the sorter 2 is the last sheet. If it is not the last sheet, the program shifts to Step P23. In Step P23, it is determined whether or not the moving direction of the bin needs to be changed.
When all the bins are moving upward or downward from the discharge / processing opening, the moving direction needs to be changed. In this case, the process shifts from step P23 to step P24 to change the moving direction of the bin unit 27. If there is no need to change, the process shifts from step P23 to step P25, and moves by one bin in the same direction.
If the sheets are sorted into the bins 25 to become the final sheets in this manner, the process proceeds from step P22 to step P26.
Move to In Step P26, the introduction unit 2 of the sorter 2
8a is stopped.

When the width adjusting operation in step P21 is started, the processing shown in FIG. 38 is executed. In this width adjustment process, the motor 142 is driven in step P27, and the pulleys 152 and 150a and the timing belt 1
The pinion 150 is rotated through the
Width protruding plate 136 is projected through. After projecting a predetermined distance, the width shift plate 136 is retracted by an operation reverse to that described above in step P28. Here, the width shift plate 13
6 is controlled by the paper size. By such a width adjustment process, the sheets in the bin 25 are aligned on the front side of the apparatus.

Post -Processing When the post- processing mode is selected, the processes of FIG. 39 and thereafter are executed. First, in Step P30, it is determined whether or not the bin unit 27 is located above the discharge / processing opening. If the bin unit 27 is not located above the discharging / processing opening at the time when the sorting process is completed, the process proceeds to step P31, where (A-1) (A: the number of processing units, for example, the number of bins is 20). 19 for individual
Bin 25 of the individual pieces). If it is located above, the process proceeds from step P30 to step P32. In Step P32, the number of processing copies A (see FIG. 33) is set as the variable X indicating which bin the processing bin is. Next, in Step P33, it is determined whether or not multi-processing is designated. If the multi-processing is not designated, the process proceeds to step P35.

In Step P35, the stapling process described later is executed. Next, in step P36, the bin 25 is lowered by one bin, and in step P37, the variable X is set to "1".
After the subtraction, the process shifts to Step P38. In Step P38, it is determined whether or not the variable X has become “0”. If not “0”, the process shifts to Step P35, where Step P35
To Step P38 are repeatedly executed. If the stapling process is completed for all the bins in which sheets are stored, YES is determined in Step P38, the flag f8 is turned on in Step P39, and the process returns to the main routine.

If YES is determined in step P33, the process proceeds to step P40. In Step P40, it is determined whether or not the variable X is “0”. If it is not the last bin, NO is determined in Step P40, and the routine goes to Step S41. In Step P41, it is determined whether or not the variable X is A. That is, it is determined whether or not the bin to be processed is the first bin. If the bin is the first bin, the process shifts to Step P42 to execute Process 1 described later. Step P4 for the second and subsequent bins
The process shifts from Step 1 to Step P43 to execute Process 2 described later. If it is the last bin, YE in step P40
If determined to be S, the program shifts to Step P44. Step P
In step 44, processing 3 described later is executed, and in step P45, 1 is set.
In step P46, the flag f8 is turned on and the process returns to the main routine. The processing in Step P45 is
Next, when paper is discharged from the copying machine main body 1, the paper is received at the discharge / processing opening.

By such post-processing, when the preset number of copies B is 25 and the number of bins is 20, for example, the number of copies to be processed “20” is first set as the variable X. This "2
When the post-processing is completed for the “0” part, the condition becomes “A = 5”.
When multi-processing is specified, the remaining number of copies “5” is set as a variable X, and the same post-processing is performed.

In process 1, the process shown in FIG. 41 is executed. In this process, the width adjustment process in step 50 and the hand protrusion process in step P51 are executed in parallel. The width adjustment processing in step P50 is the same as the processing shown in steps P21 and P27 described above. In the hand protruding process of step P51, the solenoid 52 is turned on, and the stopper 51 is set to the drop allowable posture as shown in FIG. Next, the timing belt 103 is circulated by driving the motor 100 to make the slide plate 84 protrude toward the bin 25. As a result, the tip of the processing hand mechanism 81 moves into the notch 25 c of the bin 25. Here, the paper size is detected during the above-described copy processing, and
The hand unit 60 to be used depends on the paper size.
a and 60b are selected.

Next, in Step P52, the hand mechanism 81
The solenoid 87 is turned on and the end of the paper is
6 to hold. Next, by controlling the rotation of the spiral cam 33, the bin 25 is lowered by 3/4. By lowering the bin 25 by 3/4, the end of the paper gripped by the hands 85 and 86 is raised by the upright wall 25d of the bin 25.
It is a position where you can get over.

Next, the processes of steps P54, P55 and P56 are executed in parallel. In Step P54, the motor 127 is driven to
Then, the shutter member 121 is moved up through 8. In step P55, the width shift plate 136 is retracted. Next, in step P56, the motor 100 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above, and the processing hand mechanism 81 is moved backward to return to the home position. Thereby, the sheet is taken out to the staple position. Next, in step P57, a stapling process described later is executed. When the stapling process is completed, step P
The process proceeds to 58, where the processing hand mechanism 81 is protruded. Thus, the stapled sheet is moved above the bin 25. Next, at step P59, the solenoid 8
7 is turned off, the hands 85 and 86 are released, and the grip of the sheet is released. Then, in step P60, the solenoid 91
Is turned on to project the arm 90. As a result, the rear end of the sheet is pushed, and is securely separated from the hands 85 and 86 and stored in the bin 25. Thereafter, in step P61, the hand mechanism 81 is returned to the home position, and in step S62, the bin 25 is lowered by 1/4, and the bin 25 containing the stapled paper is moved to the front take-out position facing the take-out opening 111a. In step P63, the variable X is decremented by "1", and the process returns to step P33 in FIG.

For the second and subsequent bins, step P43 and step P41 of FIG.
Then, the processing 2 as shown in FIG. 42 is executed. In the processing 2, the width adjustment start processing in step P70, the processing for stapling processing in step P71 and thereafter, and the processing of taking out the stapled paper to the front side of the apparatus in step P72 and thereafter are executed in parallel. You. The processing in steps P71 and P73 is the same as the processing in steps P51 and P52 described above. In Step P74, it is determined whether or not the sheet has been drawn 30 mm forward by the stacker hand mechanism 170 described later. The process shifts to step P75 after being pulled out. Here, the waiting for the 30 mm withdrawal by the stacker hand mechanism 170 in step P74 is because if the bin for stapling is lowered before the start of the forward take-out processing, the paper cannot be gripped by the stacker hand mechanism 170. Because. Step P76
Width retreat processing and steps P77 to P8
The processing in 3 is exactly the same as the processing in step P55 and step P56 to step P61 in processing 1 described above.

While performing the stapling process as described above, the take-out process to the front side of the apparatus is executed in parallel. That is, first, in step P72, the stacker hand mechanism 1
70 is projected rearward (bin 25 side). Then, in Step P85, the solenoid 178 is turned on and the hands 176 and 177 grip the front side of the sheet. Next, in Step P86, the motor 196 of the moving mechanism 190 is driven to pull out the stacker hand mechanism 170 to the front side of the apparatus via the timing belt 199. At the same time as this step P86DH, the roller pair of the discharging mechanism 171 is rotated in synchronization with the moving speed of the stacker hand mechanism 170. By moving the stacker hand mechanism 170, the stapled paper in the bin 25 is taken into the paper take-out device 3. Next, in Step P87, it is determined whether or not the stacker hand mechanism 170 has reached the sheet grip release position. At this position, the front end of the sheet is sandwiched by the roller pair of the ejection mechanism 171. After waiting for the stacker hand mechanism 170 to reach the grip release position, the process moves to step P88. In Step P88, the drawer of the stacker hand mechanism 170 and the rotation of the roller pair are temporarily stopped, and the solenoid 178 is turned off to release the grip of the sheet. Next, in Step P89,
The stacker hand mechanism 170 is further retracted to the front side. Next, in Step P90, the stacker hand mechanism 17
It is determined whether 0 has retreated to a position where it does not interfere with the sheet discharged by the roller pair. Stacker hand mechanism 1
After waiting for 70 to be withdrawn, the routine goes to Step P91, and the roller pair is turned on. As a result, the sheet is conveyed to the front side, guided downward along the second guide plate 211, and accommodated in the stack portion 172.

As described above, since the roller pair is temporarily stopped during the drawing of the paper to separate the paper from the stacker hand mechanism 170, the paper is surely discharged from the stacker hand mechanism 170 without using a special member. It can be delivered to the mechanism 171 side. Next, in Step P92, it is determined whether or not the sheet has passed through the discharge mechanism 171 and dropped into the stack section 172. The flow shifts to step P93 after waiting for the passage of the sheet. In Step P93, it is determined whether or not the bin 25 has dropped by 1/4, and after waiting for the drop, the process shifts to Step P94. Step P9
In step 4, the stacker hand mechanism 170 is again protruded toward the sorter 2 to prepare for taking out the paper of the next bin.

When the stapling process and the paper discharging process are completed, the variable X is set to "1" in step P95.
Subtract. For the last bin, process 3 in FIG. 43 is executed. In the process 3, since the stacker hand mechanism 170 has already protruded toward the bin 25 by the process 2, the process starts from the sheet gripping process in step P100. The processing in Steps P100 to P107 is exactly the same as the processing in Steps P85 to P92 in Processing 2 described above. In Step P107, the flow shifts to Step P108 after waiting for the paper to pass. In Step P108, the rotation of the roller pair of the discharge mechanism 171 is stopped. Next, in step P109, the shutter member 121 is lowered to close the take-out port 111a. When these processes are completed, the process returns to the main routine.

Next, the control operation of the stapling process will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In Step P110, it is determined whether or not the stapling process is performed by one-point printing. The single-dot printing is a process for performing stapling processing on the front end corner of the sheet in a state where the sheet is at the reference position, that is, the stapling device 58 is at the home position. In step P111, it is determined whether or not to perform stapling at two points, that is, at two points in the sheet width direction. If the stapling process is performed for only one reference position, the process shifts from Step P110 to Step P112. In Step P112, the driving unit 72 of the stapling device 58
Is driven to lower the lower jaw 71 to execute the stapling process. If two-dot printing has been instructed, the process shifts from step P111 to step 113. Step P1
At 13, the front end of the sheet is gripped by the sheet fixing device 110. Next, in Step P114, the stapling device 58 is moved to one of the two points corresponding to the sheet size. Then, in Step P115, the stapling device 58 is driven to execute the stapling process. Next, in step SP116, the stapling device 58 is moved to another stapling position. Then, in Step P117, the same stapling processing as described above is executed. When the stapling process is completed, the stapling device 58 is moved to the home position in step P118, and the stapling process is completed.

On the other hand, when performing so-called deep punching, that is, stapling processing on the corner portion on the rear end side opposite to the one-point punching to the reference position, steps P110 and P111
Is determined to be NO in any one of the steps P119 and P119.
Move to In step P119, the aforementioned step P
Similarly to 113, the front end of the sheet is gripped by the sheet fixing device 110. Then, in step P120, the stapling device 58 is moved to the rear corner of the sheet. Then, in step P121, the same stapling process as described above is executed. Then, in Step P122, the stapling apparatus 5
8 is moved to the home position, and the stapling process ends.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the bin 25 is used.
The rotatable stopper 51 is provided to prevent the sheet from falling from the sheet. However, the stopper 51 may be allowed to move up and down, the dropping is prohibited at the lowered position, and the dropping is allowed at the raised position.

[0095]

As described above, according to the present invention, the regulating member is arranged at one end on the lower side of the paper receiver, and the first posture for prohibiting the fall of the paper from the paper receiver and the second posture for permitting the fall are provided. Since it can be taken, it is possible to prevent the paper from falling even when the paper having a curled rear end is stored in the paper receiver, and moreover, it is easy to take out the paper even when a processing device is arranged at one end of the paper receiver. Get better

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a copying machine employing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration diagram of the copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a bin provided in a sorter of the copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical section of a sorter.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a driving unit of the bin unit.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a rotation detection plate and a sensor for controlling movement of the bin.

7 is a sectional front view of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a processing unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the paper fall prevention mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the operation of the paper fall prevention mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a driving unit of the processing unit.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the stapling apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the processing hand unit.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the processing hand unit.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the paper fixing device.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a shutter member and its driving unit.

FIG. 17 is a sectional plan view of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of the width adjusting device.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the width adjusting device.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional front view of the sheet take-out device.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional side view of the sheet take-out device.

FIG. 22 is a side view of the stacker hand mechanism.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a moving mechanism of the stacker hand mechanism.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a discharge mechanism.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the discharge mechanism.

FIG. 26 is a control block diagram.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of an operation panel of the sorter.

FIG. 28 is a main control flowchart of the copying machine main body.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a mode selection process.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a mode selection process.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart of copy processing.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart of a copy process.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a number setting process.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of post-processing.

FIG. 35 is a main control flowchart of the sorter.

FIG. 36 is a main control flowchart of the sorter.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart of sort processing.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart of a width adjustment process.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart of post-processing.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart of post-processing.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart of processing 1 in FIG. 39;

42 is a flowchart of the process 2 in FIG. 39. FIG.

FIG. 43 is a flowchart of processing 3 in FIG. 39;

FIG. 44 is a flowchart of a stapling process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Copying Machine Main Body 2 Sorter 25 Bin 25d Standing Wall Part 50 Fall Prevention Mechanism 51 Stopper 52 Solenoid

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Keiji Okumura 1-22-28 Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Satoru Hayama 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Incorporated (56) Reference JP-A-2-132063 (JP, A) JP-A-63-300897 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sheet accommodating device for accommodating a sheet ejected from an image forming apparatus, wherein the accommodated sheet is pulled out to one end side, and a predetermined processing is performed by a processing device. One end side is inclined downward, the discharged paper is placed, and a paper receiver having a standing wall portion for preventing the paper from falling at the one end side; and one end side of the paper receiver, inside the paper receiver. When a processing is performed by the processing unit, a regulating member arranged so as to have a first posture that prohibits the contained sheets from falling over the standing wall portion and a second posture that allows the sheets to fall. Further, a paper receiving moving means for moving the paper receiving downward by at least the height of the standing wall portion so that the paper can be pulled out from the paper receiving, and the regulating member in the first posture and the second posture. A sheet storage device including: a drive unit that moves between the sheet storage unit and the drive unit.