JP2692749B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF).
The present invention relates to a paper switching mechanism in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine equipped with the.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-86344, an image forming apparatus that selectively conveys a document placed on a sheet mounting table or a transfer sheet to a document passage or a paper feed passage, Filed by the applicant and already published.

In the above conventional technique, the select switch is manually operated and the switching mechanism is operated depending on whether the paper on the paper mounting table is a document or a transfer paper in advance.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-described prior art, (1) only one of the original document and the transfer sheet can be placed on the sheet placing table.

(2) Since the original and the sheet cannot be mixedly placed, it is necessary to feed the transfer sheet from another sheet feeding unit in order to place the original on the sheet placing table and copy the original. (Separate sheet feeding means is required.) (3) When the transfer sheet is placed on the sheet placing table, the original cannot be placed, so that the function of the ADF cannot be used.

There is a problem.

(Means for Solving the Invention) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, the paper feed passage for the manual transfer paper is also configured as the paper feed passage of the automatic document feeder, and the paper feed passage is An image forming apparatus in which a document path and a transfer sheet path are branched from a paper path at a branch point, and a switching mechanism for selectively switching the paper feed path between the document path and the transfer sheet path is provided at the branch point. A paper loading table provided on the upstream side of the paper feeding path for loading the paper, a paper feeding roller for transporting the paper loaded on the paper loading table to the downstream side, and the switching mechanism operating. A control unit for controlling the sheet, and the original and the transfer sheet can be mixedly mounted on the sheet mounting table as the sheet, and a mixed status signal of the original and / or the transfer sheet placed on the sheet mounting table is sent to the control section. Input to the control means The switching mechanism is operated in response to the mixed loading status signal, and if the paper is a document, the paper feed path is switched to the document path, and if the paper is a transfer paper, the paper feed path is switched to the transfer paper path. An image forming apparatus is provided.

(Operation) With the configuration as described above, by inputting the originals and the transfer paper that are mixedly placed on the paper placing table in advance, the original is transferred to the ADF side, and the transfer paper is transferred to the transfer paper path. The switching mechanism is operated so that the sheet is fed to.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the general configuration and operation of the copying apparatus will be described.

A sheet 3 is placed on a sheet table 2 formed on the upper side of the apparatus main body 1. That is, the original 4 and / or the transfer paper 5 are placed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the sheet placing table. Explaining with reference to FIG. 2, the document 4 is placed on the uppermost surface of the sheet placing table 2 with the document surface facing downward. . Under the original 4, three transfer sheets 5 are placed. Then, the sheets are fed one by one from the uppermost layer to the sheet feeding path 7 by the sheet feeding device 6. Here, the sheet feeding device 6 includes a sheet feeding roller 8 and a conveying roller 10 that is synchronized with the sheet feeding roller 8 by a belt 9. Next, the conveyance roller 10 and the double feed prevention roller 11 that rotates in the same direction as the conveyance roller 10.
This prevents multiple sheets from being fed. When the paper 3 to be fed is the original 4, the paper feed passage 7 is moved by the switching mechanism 12 provided at the branch point where the paper feed passage 7 branches into the original passage 13 and the transfer paper passage 19. Is connected to the document passage 13.

The document feeder 14 provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 is mainly composed of a driving roller 15 and a feeding belt 16. The original 4 fed into the original passage 13 is fed by the original conveying device 14 described above.
By this, it is conveyed to a predetermined position on the contact glass 17 which is a transparent flat plate provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1 and stopped. Here, after the copy described below is performed, the original 4 is
The document is conveyed again by the document feeder 14 and discharged onto a discharge tray 18 provided on the side of the apparatus body 1.

When the paper 3 is the transfer paper 5, the switching mechanism
By 12, the paper feed path 7 is connected to the transfer paper path 19. By the way, the transfer paper 21 in the paper feed cassette 20 mounted on the side portion of the apparatus main body 1 is also fed into the transfer paper passage 19 one by one by the paper feed roller 22.

The transfer paper 5 (21) sent to the transfer paper passage 19 is transferred by the registration roller pair 23 and the conveyance roller pair 24 to the transfer device.
Transported to 25.

 On the other hand, copying is performed as follows.

The light from the exposure lamp 26 passes through the contact glass 17 and is applied to the original 4, and the original image is reflected by the mirrors 27, 2 of the optical device.
An image is formed on the photoconductor drum 32 through 8,29, the lens 30, and the mirror 31. At the back of the exposure lamp 26, a reflection plate 33 for efficiently irradiating the original 4 with the light from the exposure lamp 26 is provided.

The exposure lamp 26, the mirror 27, and the reflection plate 33 reciprocate in the directions of arrows A3 and A4, and the exposure lamp 26 is turned on in the forward path to perform exposure scanning on the original 4. Further, the mirrors 28 and 29 reciprocate in the directions indicated by arrows A3 and A4 with a movement amount that is half the movement amount of the exposure lamp 26.

Then, the charging device 34 forms an image of the document on the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 32, so that an electrostatic image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 32. This electrostatic image is visualized as a toner image by a developing device 35 which will be described later, and this toner image is further transferred by the transfer device 25 onto the transfer paper 5 (21) conveyed from the pair of conveying rollers 24. .

The transfer paper 5 (21) on which the toner image is transferred is separated by the peeling device 36.
When it is separated from the photosensitive drum 32 by the conveyor belt 37
Are conveyed to the fixing roller pair 38. Further, the transfer paper 5 (21) which has been fixed is discharged onto a discharge tray 39 provided on the side portion of the apparatus main body 1.

In the developer storage portion 40 of the developing device 35, the developer 41 made of toner forms a magnetic brush, and the magnetic brush slides on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 32, whereby an electrostatic image on the drum surface is formed. It is visualized as described above.

Reference numeral 43 is a cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 after transfer.

FIG. 4 shows a side sectional view of the switching mechanism 12 which is the main part of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, the switching mechanism 12 is constituted by a roller 45 that performs normal rotation in the direction of arrow A5 or reverse rotation in the direction of arrow A6. It is provided in. As the paper 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, one original 3 is placed on the uppermost surface of the paper group, and three transfer papers 5 are placed below the original 3 on the original tray 2.

Next, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control means for operating the switching mechanism, and the operation unit 51 shown in FIG. 3 is used to key in such a mixed loading state of the original 3 and the transfer paper 5. The input data (mixed loading status signal) is memoized in the memory 55 through the CPU 52. Then, a copy switch (not shown) is operated. As a result, the paper feed roller 8 of the paper feed device 6 and the conveyance roller 10 synchronized with the belt 9 rotate in the direction of arrow A7, that is, in the clockwise direction, and the uppermost original 3 is fed into the paper feed path 7. The double-feed prevention roller 11
Rotates in the same direction as the transport roller 10 to prevent multiple sheets from being fed. Next, the control means 54 reads the data input to the memory 55 through the CPU 52 and operates the switching mechanism 12 via the I / 0 port 53. That is, the rollers of the switching mechanism 12
45 has also started forward rotation, and the paper feed passage 7 and the document passage 13
Connect. Therefore, the uppermost original 4 is sent to a predetermined position on the contact glass 17 after being sent to the original passage 13.

After the uppermost original 4 is sent, the transfer paper 5 is fed 3 times.
Is done many times. Here, the roller 45 of the switching mechanism 12 has started reverse rotation, and connects the paper feed path 7 and the transfer paper path 19.
Therefore, the transfer paper 5 is sent to the transfer paper passage 19.
After that, a copy is made as described above, and the copy is discharged onto the discharge tray 39.

Next, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the switching mechanism, and is a side sectional view showing an example in which the switching mechanism 12 is a shift lever pair 46.

In FIG. 5, the switching mechanism 12 is a fulcrum on the side of the paper feed passage 7.
It has a pair of shift levers 46, which have 47, 48 and rotate about the fulcrums 47, 48 in synchronization with the arrow A8 direction or the arrow A9 direction. The shift lever pair 46 rotates between the document passage 13 and the transfer paper passage 19 by a solenoid (not shown) or the like.

Also in this example, the paper feed is performed in the same manner as described above by operating the copy switch. Then, the data input by the operation unit 51 activates the switching mechanism 12 via the CPU 52. That is, if the paper 3 is a transfer paper, the shift lever 46 rotates in the direction of arrow A9 to connect the paper feed passage 7 to the transfer paper passage 19 (indicated by a solid line in the figure).
Therefore, the transfer paper 5 is sent to the transfer paper passage 19. On the other hand, if the paper 3 is the original 4, the shift lever 46 moves the arrow A8.
The paper path 7 is connected to the document path 13 by rotating in the direction.

That is, by providing such a switching mechanism, the paper feed path can be selectively switched between the original path and the transfer paper path.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, one original 4 is placed on the paper placing table 2 and three transfer papers 5 are placed below the original 4 so that one original 4 is placed. However, it is also possible to obtain one copy of the original by alternately placing the original and the transfer paper one by one.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a document and a transfer sheet can be mixedly mounted on the sheet mounting table, and the mixed state of the mixed document and the transfer sheet can be controlled by a control unit. By inputting into, it becomes possible to automatically switch the switching mechanism according to the original or the transfer sheet.

Further, since the ADF paper loading table can be used as the paper loading table for the manual transfer paper, the structure is simple and the cost is low.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified side sectional view of a copying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a sheet mounting table, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of control means of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a switching mechanism including rollers, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a switching mechanism including a shift lever pair. 2 ... Paper loading table, 3 ... Paper, 4 ... Original, 7 ... Paper feed passage, 12 ... Switching mechanism, 13 ... Original passage, 19 ...
Transfer paper path, 54 ... Control means

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A paper feed passage for a manual feed transfer paper is also used as a paper feed passage of an automatic document feeder, and the original paper passage and the transfer paper passage are branched from the paper feed passage at a branch point, and the paper feed paper is fed. In an image forming apparatus equipped with a switching mechanism for selectively switching a paper passage between the original passage and the transfer paper passage, the paper loading device is provided upstream of the paper feed passage and has paper placed thereon. It has a table, a paper feed roller for conveying the paper placed on the paper table to the downstream side, and a control means for operating the switching mechanism. Mixed loading is possible, and a mixed loading status signal of originals and / or transfer sheets placed on the paper loading table is input to the control means, and the switching mechanism is operated by the mixed loading status signal input to the control means. If the paper is original, Switching the feed path to the document path, if the paper is a transfer sheet, the image forming apparatus characterized by switching the sheet feed path to the transfer paper path.