JP2706886B2 - Sorting tray 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 sorting tray device for sorting and stacking sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printing machine by a discharge tray which can be moved up and down and moved horizontally.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sorting tray device having a sorting function, a sheet discharging tray forming an upwardly inclined surface outward from a sheet discharging port for discharging a sheet by a predetermined distance is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the discharging direction. (Hereinafter, left and right directions).

[0003] The sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port falls onto a discharge tray that is moved to the left or right, slides down the discharge tray by its own weight, and is placed at the rear end of the discharge tray. In contact with the receiving member, the rear ends of the sheets are aligned, sorted, and stacked.

In this type of sorting tray apparatus, at the beginning, sheets are stacked on a paper discharge tray, and at the end, when a large number of sheets are stacked and the stacking height is increased, that is, the first sheet is set to, for example, 200. In the second sheet, the sheet drop height from the sheet discharge port to the uppermost sheet stacked on the sheet discharge tray is greatly different.

[0005] For this reason, the discharged sheet slides on the upwardly discharging tray or the uppermost sheet stacked on the discharging tray depending on the stacking height of the sheet, and the rear end of the sheet is received in the sheet end receiving portion. The amount of shift in the left-right direction with respect to the sheet discharge direction differs before the sheet stops in contact with the member. Therefore, among the sheets stacked on the discharge tray, the upper sheets are well aligned, but the lower sheets are often uneven.

In view of the above, it has been considered that a vibration isolating rubber is fixed to the sheet end receiving member to prevent the sheet from shifting due to the bouncing after coming into contact with the sheet end receiving member. In many cases, the lower sheet on the sheet discharge tray was still irregular.

Further, it has been considered to raise and lower the sheet discharge tray in accordance with the sheet stacking height to make the sheet drop height uniform. However, when the sheet stacking height increases, the sheet discharge tray is moved right and left. When moving in the direction, resistance occurs between the sheet and the sheet end receiving member. For this reason, the sheets do not follow the sheet discharge tray moving left and right, and there is a problem that the stacked sheets are not aligned in the left and right direction.

Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 4-22826, the sheet-shaped sheet end receiving member can be moved right and left, and the sheet discharge tray is moved right and left in accordance with the left and right movement of the sheet end receiving member. , The resistance between the sheet end receiving member and the sheet when the sheet discharge tray is moved right and left is eliminated, thereby preventing the sheet from being misaligned.

[0009]

However, in this structure, since the sheet end receiving member and the paper discharge tray move integrally, the total weight of the members to be moved in the left-right direction is large, and these members are not moved. A large driving force was required to move in the direction. In addition, a space for moving the sheet end receiving member left and right is required in the apparatus main body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a sorting tray device that can prevent irregularities of sheets sorted and stacked on a discharge tray with a simple structure.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of discharge means for discharging a sheet are provided.
The paper output tray 37 is provided below the paper tray 37 and is arranged to be inclined upward in the sheet discharging direction to accumulate the sheets S from the discharging unit 36.
A plurality of sheet end receiving rollers 42 for aligning the trailing end of the sheets S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 37; an elevating means 43 for moving the sheet discharge tray 37 up and down with respect to the sheet end receiving rollers 42; Moving means 44 for horizontally moving the discharge tray 37 relative to the sheet end receiving roller 42 in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction.
Numeral 2 is rotatably provided on the sorting tray device main bodies 28a and 70a, and is slidably in contact with the discharge tray 37 or the stacked sheets S when the discharge tray 37 is horizontally moved, and is driven to rotate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the sheet edge receiving roller 81 is rotatably provided upright on the sorting tray device main body 80a, and the driving means 82 for rotating the sheet edge receiving roller 81; Driving means 82 for rotating the sheet edge receiving roller 81 in synchronization with the horizontal movement.
And a control unit 50 for controlling the driving of the motor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a sheet end receiving roller 42 is provided below each of the discharging means 36 on the paper discharging side.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a belt 102 is wound around a sheet end receiving roller 101.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the sheets S discharged from the plurality of discharge means 36 fall onto the discharge tray 37, and the sheets S are brought into contact with the sheet end receiving rollers 42 by their own weights to be aligned. Is done.

[0016] Then, as the sheet ejection tray 37 is moved up and down and moved horizontally, the sheets S successively ejected to the sheet ejection tray 37 are stored with a plurality of sheets stacked one by one for each copy content.

When the sheet ejection tray 37 is moved up and down, the contact area between the rear end of the sheet S and the standing sheet edge receiving roller 42 is small, so that the resistance of the sheet edge receiving roller 42 to the sheet S decreases. Further, when the discharge tray 37 moves horizontally, the sheet end receiving roller 42 also rotates following the movement of the discharge tray 37 or the stacked sheets S, so that the resistance of the sheet end receiving roller 42 to the sheet S decreases. For this reason, the sheets S can be moved smoothly, and the sheets S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 37 do not become uneven, so that a stable stacking and sorting operation can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the sheet edge receiving roller 81 is driven to rotate in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the paper discharge tray 37, the resistance of the sheet edge receiving roller 81 to the sheet S is reduced. For this reason, the sheet S can be moved smoothly.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the sheet S is discharged from the discharge means 36 and falls and comes into contact with the discharge means 36, the sheet S may be returned in a direction opposite to the discharge direction. However, since the sheet end receiving roller 42 is disposed below the sheet discharging side of the discharging means 36, the sheet S falls along the sheet end receiving roller 42, and thus the sheet S tilts and the sheet S falls below the discharging means 36. Elimination is eliminated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the discharge tray 37 is horizontally moved in the left-right direction, the sheet S
The rear end of the belt 102 comes into surface contact with the belt 102, and the belt 102
Move in the left-right direction, and the resistance of the belt 102 to the sheet S decreases. For this reason, the sheet S can be smoothly moved, and the sheet S can be prevented from entering between the sheet end receiving rollers 101.

[0021]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a copier equipped with the sorting tray device, and FIG. 3 is a discharge tray and sheet end receiving rollers. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the left and right movement states of the discharge tray, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control unit.

In the copying machine equipped with the sorting tray device of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a document feeder 2 is provided above a copying machine main body 1. The copier body 1 is provided with an exposure glass 3 forming an exposure section E at an upper portion thereof, and a light source lamp 4, a mirror 5, and a mirror 5 below the exposure glass 3.
An optical system 9 including 6, 7, and a lens 8 is provided.

The optical system 9 optically scans the original conveyed to the exposure section E by the original conveying device 2 with the light emitted from the light source lamp 4, and transmits the reflected light to each of the mirrors 5.
By irradiating an exposure point on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 via the lenses 6, 7 and the lens 8, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of the document is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10.

Around the photosensitive drum 10, a main charger 11 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 to a predetermined potential, a developing device 12, and a transfer charger 13
And a peeling charger 14 are provided.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is developed by the developing device 12 as a toner image.
The toner image is transferred onto the sheet S by the transfer charger 13, and then the transferred sheet S is peeled off from the photosensitive drum 10 by the peeling charger 14.

A sheet conveying path 15 for conveying a sheet S for transferring a toner image is provided below the photosensitive drum 10. On the upstream side of the sheet conveying path 15, a sheet feeding device 17 that feeds the sheet S from each sheet feeding deck 16 is provided. The sheet S stored in each sheet feeding deck 16 is fed to the photosensitive drum 10 through the sheet conveying path 15. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the sheet transport path 15, the sheet S on which the toner image is
And a fixing device 19 for fixing the toner image on the sheet S are provided.

On the downstream side of the fixing device 19, a deflector 22 is provided which branches the conveying direction of the sheet S into a sheet post-processing device 20 and a re-conveying path 21. The re-conveying path 21 forms a circulation path for conveying the sheet S on which the toner image has been transferred by the photosensitive drum 10 to the photosensitive drum 10 again. It enables double-sided copying.

The document feeder 2 has a document feed path 24 for feeding a document to an exposure section E formed on the upper end surface of the copying machine main body 1. The document conveying path 24 forms a circulation path. In the path, a document tray 25 for stacking documents and a document stacked on the document tray 25 are sequentially fed to the exposure unit E. A feed belt 26 and a plurality of transport rollers 27 for transporting the sheet S to the exposure unit E are provided.

Further, on the side of the paper discharge port 1a in the copying machine main body 1,
The sheet post-processing device 20 and the sorting tray device 28 are connected. The sheet post-processing apparatus 20 includes a post-processing conveyance path 31 for conveying the sheet S to a post-processing unit 30 that performs stapling processing on the sheet S, and an unprocessed conveyance path 32 for conveying the sheet S unprocessed. Is formed.

The post-processing unit 30 includes a sheet receiving table 33 for temporarily storing the sheets S, a jogger 34 for aligning the sheets S on the sheet receiving table 33, and a stapler 35 for performing stapling processing on the sheets S. ing. And
The unprocessed or stapled sheets S are discharged to a paper discharge tray 37 by a plurality of discharge means 36, and are collected and sorted by a sorting tray device 28.

The discharge means 36 comprises a plurality of upper discharge rollers 40 disposed near the sheet discharge port 39 and a plurality of lower driven rollers 41 which are driven to rotate with respect to the discharge rollers 40.

The sorting tray device 28 is provided below a plurality of discharge rollers 40 as shown in FIGS.
And a plurality of sheet end receiving rollers 42 that align the rear end of the sheets S stacked on the discharge tray 37 with the sheet S from the discharge roller 40 inclined upward in the discharge direction. A lifting means 43 for raising and lowering the discharge tray 37 with respect to the sheet end receiving roller 42; and a moving means 44 for horizontally moving the discharge tray 37 in the horizontal direction with respect to the sheet end receiving roller 42. .

At the rear end of the paper discharge tray 37, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a notch 45 is formed to avoid the sheet end receiving roller 42 when the discharge tray 37 is moved up and down and moved horizontally, and a band-like elastic material (cushion) 46 made of sponge rubber is attached to the notch 45. ing.

The sheet end receiving roller 42 is made of metal, and is rotatably provided on the sorting tray device main body 28a from directly below each driven roller 41, through the cutout 45 of the sheet discharge tray 37, and rotatably stands. Has a length that allows a vertical range. Further, the sheet edge receiving roller 42 is in sliding contact with the cushion 46 of the paper discharge tray 37 and rotates following the horizontal movement of the paper discharge tray 37.

As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating means 43 includes a support 47 for supporting the paper discharge tray 37 so as to be movable left and right, an elevating belt 48 fixed to the support 47, and an elevating belt 48. It comprises a pair of upper and lower rollers 49 rotatably supported by the sorting tray device main body 28a and a drive motor for rotating one of the rollers 49.

The support 47 is guided vertically by guide rollers 47b on guides 47a arranged vertically on the sorting tray device main body 28a.

The moving means 44 includes a pinion mounted on a support 47 which meshes with a rack mounted on the paper output tray 37, and a drive motor for rotating the pinion via gears and the like. Equipped on body 47.

Further, a reflection type photosensor for detecting the distance from the uppermost sheet S of the sheets S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 37 to the driven roller 41 is mounted on the upper portion of the sorting tray device main body 28a. A control unit 50 is provided for controlling the driving of the lifting / lowering means 43 so that the distance is optimum for the sheets S to be stacked on the discharge tray 37 at the time of discharging the sheets S based on the detection signal of the photo sensor.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 50 includes a CPU 5
1 and controls the copier body 1 and the document feeder 2 in relation to each other.

A plurality of motors M1 to Mi for driving each rotating component such as a transport roller and a paper feed roller in the photosensitive drum 10, the copying machine main body 1 and the document transport device 2 are connected to a motor driver 52. A plurality of clutches CLT1 to CLTi for intermittently driving the sheet feeding device 17 and the like.
Is connected to the clutch driver 53, and each deflector 22
Solenoids SOL1 to SOLi for driving the actuators are connected to a solenoid driver 54.

The drivers 52, 53, 5
4. DC power supply 55, a plurality of paper detection sensors SE for detecting that a paper or a document has passed a predetermined position in the transport path.
Control elements used for document conveyance control, paper conveyance control, and copy process control, such as 1 to SEi, are connected to the interface circuit 56.

The interface circuit 56 is connected to the CPU 51 and outputs detection signals from the sheet detection sensors SE1 to SEi to the CPU 51, and controls and operates the drivers 52, 53 and 54 according to the control signal from the CPU 51. It has become.

The CPU 51 has a ROM (Read Onl)
y Memory) 57 and RAM (Random)
Access Memory) 58,
The control is performed according to a control program stored in the ROM 57 in advance. This control includes control of a copying procedure when performing one-sided copying and two-sided copying.

On the other hand, the RAM 58 is used as a buffer memory, a flag, a counter, a timer, and other calculation areas necessary for copy control.

The light source lamp 4 is connected to the interface circuit 56 via a driver 59 and a light control unit 60. The interface circuit 56 is connected to the operation key 61 and the display driver 6.
2, a display device 63 is connected.

In the above-described configuration, the unprocessed or stapled sheet S discharged from the discharge roller 40 and the driven roller 41 falls onto the discharge tray 37 that is moving to the left or right, and the sheet S has its own weight. As a result, the sheet tray 37 slides down, comes into contact with the sheet edge receiving roller 42, and is aligned.

Here, when the sheet S falls and comes into contact with the driven roller 41, the rotation of the driven roller 41 causes the sheet S to return in the direction opposite to the discharge direction. However, since the sheet end receiving rollers 42 are disposed directly below the driven rollers 41, the sheet S falls along the sheet end receiving rollers 42, and the inclination of the sheet S and the entanglement of the driven roller 41 are eliminated.

The sheets S successively discharged to the discharge tray 37 are similarly aligned, and the distance between the uppermost sheet S stacked on the discharge tray 37 and the driven roller 41 is detected by the photo sensor each time. Then, based on the detection result, the paper discharge tray 37 is lowered so as to have an optimum falling distance.

The discharge trays 37 are alternately horizontally moved in the left-right direction so that a plurality of sheets S discharged to the discharge tray 37 are stored at different stacking positions for each copy content. During the horizontal movement of the discharge tray 37, the sheet end receiving roller 42 slidably in contact with the cushion 46 of the discharge tray 37 is rotated by the movement of the discharge tray 37.

As described above, the sheet S discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 37 is brought into contact with the sheet end receiving roller 42 so that the rear end of the sheet S is aligned, and the sheet discharge tray 37 is horizontally moved in the left-right direction. At times, the sheet end receiving roller 42 is also driven to rotate, so that the sheet end receiving roller 42 does not resist the movement of the sheet S in the left-right direction, and the sheet S can move smoothly.

Further, since the contact area between the rear end portion of the sheet S and the standing sheet edge receiving roller 42 is small, the resistance of the sheet edge receiving roller 42 with respect to the sheet S when the discharge tray 37 moves up and down is small. S can move up and down smoothly. For this reason, the sheets S stacked on the discharge tray 37 are
No irregularities occur, and stable stacking and sorting operations can be performed.

Further, since the sheet end receiving roller 42 has a simple structure rotatably supported by the sorting tray device main body 28a, only the discharge tray 37 moves when the discharge tray 37 moves in the left-right direction. The driving force for moving the sheet-side sheet receiving member in the left-right direction is smaller than in the case where the conventional sheet-shaped sheet receiving member is also moved,
Moving space can be reduced.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 6 is a structural view of a sorting tray device according to a second embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the paper discharge tray and sheet edge receiving rollers, and FIG. It is a top view showing a movement state. Members having the same functions as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the sorting tray device 70 of the second embodiment,
Each of the sheet end receiving rollers 42 is disposed in the sorting tray device main body 7.
At 0a, it is rotatably installed upright away from the paper discharge tray 37. Then, the sheet end receiving roller 42 aligns the sheet S by abutting the rear end of the sheet S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 37, and is supported so as to be rotatable with low torque with respect to the sorting tray device main body 70a. ing.

Therefore, when the discharge tray 37 moves horizontally in the left-right direction, the sheet edge receiving roller 42
7 is rotated by the movement of the sheets S stacked on the sheet 7.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As described above, since the sheet end receiving roller 42 is rotatable at a low torque by the horizontal movement of the sheet S in the left-right direction, the sheet S does not resist the movement of the sheet S in the left-right direction. The sheet S can move smoothly.
Therefore, the sheets S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 37 do not become uneven, and stable stacking and sorting operations can be performed.

<Third Embodiment> FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram illustrating a driving mechanism of a sheet end receiving roller. Members having the same functions as in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the sorting tray device 80 of the third embodiment,
Driving means 82 for rotating each sheet end receiving roller 81 is provided. This driving means 82 is
Gear 83 attached to the lower end of each sheet end receiving roller 42, and a shaft 8 attached to the sorting tray device main body 80a.
4, an idle gear 85 attached to the gear 83, a drive motor 86 attached to the lower portion of the sorting tray device main body 80a, and a motor shaft 86a of the drive motor 86 engaged with one end of the gear group. The sheet end receiving rollers 81 are simultaneously rotated by the driving force of the driving motor 86.

The control unit 50 controls each of the sheet edge receiving rollers 8 in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the paper discharge tray 37 in the left-right direction.
A synchronous drive function is provided for controlling the drive of the drive motor 86 so that the motor 1 rotates.

Therefore, in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the discharge tray 37 in the horizontal direction, that is, the horizontal movement of the stacked sheets S, the sheet end receiving roller 81 with which the rear end of the sheets S abuts is driven to rotate. Thus, the sheet S can be moved smoothly without causing resistance to the movement of the sheet S in the left-right direction. Other configurations and operations are the same as in the second embodiment.

<Fourth Embodiment> FIG. 11 is a view showing a state in which the rear end of a sheet enters between sheet edge receiving rollers, FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device of a fourth embodiment,
13 is a perspective view of the sheet ejection tray and the sheet edge receiving roller, FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the left and right movement of the sheet ejection tray, and FIG. 15 is a layout diagram of a cover for the sheet edge receiving roller. Members having the same functions as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the sorting tray device 90 of the fourth embodiment,
In order to prevent irregularity of the sheet S due to the rear end portion of the sheet S entering between the sheet end receiving rollers 42 as shown in FIG. A cover 91 is provided between the rollers 42.

The cover 91 is, as shown in FIGS.
The sheet edge receiving roller 42 is attached to the sorting tray device main body 90a.
As shown in FIG. 15, the distance A from the rear end of the sheet S in contact with the sheet end receiving roller 42 to the cover 91 is smaller than the radius R of the sheet end receiving roller 42 as shown in FIG. It has become.

For this reason, when the discharge tray 37 moves horizontally in the left-right direction, if the rear end of the stacked sheets S is slightly displaced and tries to enter between the sheet end receiving rollers 42, the rear end of the stacked sheets S hits the cover 91. Touch Then, the position deviation of the sheet S is corrected by the next sheet end receiving roller 42, and the sheet S is returned to a normal state. In this way, irregularity of the sheet S due to entry of the rear end portion of the sheet S between the sheet end receiving rollers 42 and entanglement of the sheet S in the sheet end receiving roller 42 can be prevented. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

<Fifth Embodiment> FIG. 16 is a structural view of a sorting tray device according to a fifth embodiment, FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the discharge tray and the endless belt, and FIG. It is a top view showing a movement state. Members having the same functions as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the sorting tray device 100 of the fifth embodiment, four sheet end receiving rollers 101 are rotatably provided on the sorting tray device main body 100a, and are hung over the entire length of the two sheet end receiving rollers 101. Two sets of wound endless belts 102 are arranged on the left and right.

Each of the endless belts 102 is movable in the left-right direction so as to be slidably contacted with the cushion 46 of the discharge tray 37 and rotated by the rotation when the discharge tray 37 moves horizontally in the left-right direction. For this reason, the belt 102 does not resist the movement of the sheet S in the left-right direction, and the sheet S can move smoothly. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As described above, since the endless belt 102 is wound around the entire length of the sheet end receiving roller 101, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the sheet S from entering between the sheet end receiving rollers 101, and the sheet end receiving roller 101 can be prevented. The number of rollers can be reduced.

Further, since the rear end of the sheet S is in surface contact with the belt 102, the rear end of the sheet S is less damaged than when the sheet S comes into point contact with the sheet end receiving roller. Hard to hurt.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above-described embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the cover of the fourth embodiment may be applied to the sheet end receiving rollers 42 and 81 of the second and third embodiments. Further, the belt 102 of the fifth embodiment may be applied to the sheet edge receiving rollers 42 and 81 of the second and third embodiments.

[0072]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the sheet discharge tray on which the sheets are stacked is moved up and down, the contact between the rear end of the sheets and the erected sheet end receiving roller is achieved. Since the area is small, the resistance of the sheet end receiving roller to the sheet S is small, and the sheet can be raised and lowered smoothly. Further, when the sheet discharge tray is horizontally moved in the left-right direction, the sheet end receiving roller is driven to rotate by slidingly contacting the sheet discharge tray or the stacked sheets, so that the resistance of the sheet end receiving roller to the sheet is small and the sheet is smooth. Can be moved to Therefore, there is no irregularity in the sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray, and a stable stacking and sorting operation can be performed.

Further, by adopting a simple structure in which the sheet end receiving roller is rotatably supported by the sorting tray main body, the conventional sheet-shaped sheet end receiving member can be used when the discharge tray moves in the left-right direction. The driving force for driving in the left-right direction is smaller than that in the case of moving, so that the moving space can be reduced.

According to the second aspect, the sheet end receiving roller is driven to rotate in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the discharge tray in the left-right direction, so that the resistance of the sheet end receiving roller with respect to the sheet is small, and the sheet moves smoothly. it can. For this reason,
There is no irregularity in the sheets stacked on the discharge tray, and stable stacking and sorting can be performed.

According to the third aspect, when the sheet falls, even if the sheet comes into contact with the discharging means and is affected by the return force in the direction opposite to the discharging direction by the discharging means, the sheet end receiving roller is moved by the discharging means. Because it is located below the discharge side,
The sheet falls along the sheet edge receiving roller, and it is possible to prevent the sheet from skewing and being entangled below the discharge tray.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the belt is wound around the sheet end receiving rollers, the sheet does not enter between the sheet end receiving rollers, so that irregularity of the sheets and sheet entanglement in the sheet end receiving rollers can be prevented. . Further, since the rear end of the sheet comes into surface contact with the belt, there is an excellent effect that the rear end of the sheet is less damaged and the rear end of the sheet is less likely to be damaged as compared with a point contact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a copier equipped with a sorting tray device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a discharge tray and a sheet edge receiving roller.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a left and right movement state of a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control unit.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the sheet ejection tray and sheet edge receiving rollers.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the left and right movement states of a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram illustrating a driving mechanism of a sheet edge receiving roller.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a rear end of a sheet enters between sheet edge receiving rollers.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the paper discharge tray and sheet edge receiving rollers.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the left and right movement states of a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 15 is a layout diagram of a cover with respect to a sheet edge receiving roller.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the discharge tray and the endless belt.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a left and right movement state of a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of a sorting tray device when a cover is applied to the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the paper discharge tray and sheet edge receiving rollers.

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the left and right movement states of the paper discharge tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S Sheet 28a Sorting device main body 36 Discharge means 37 Discharge tray 42 Sheet end receiving roller 43 Elevating means 44 Moving means 50 Control unit 82 Drive means 102 Belt

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A discharge tray provided below a plurality of discharge means for discharging the sheets, for collecting the sheets from the discharge means while being inclined upward in a sheet discharge direction; A plurality of sheet end receiving rollers for aligning the rear end portion, elevating means for elevating the sheet ejection tray with respect to the sheet end receiving roller, and moving means for horizontally moving the sheet ejection tray in a direction orthogonal to the ejection direction; Wherein the sheet end receiving roller is rotatably provided on the sorting tray device main body, and is rotated by slidingly contacting the sheet discharging tray or the stacked sheets when the sheet discharging tray is horizontally moved. Tray device. 2. A discharge tray provided below a plurality of discharge means for discharging sheets and configured to accumulate sheets from the discharge means while being inclined upward in a sheet discharge direction, and a sheet tray for collecting sheets stacked on the discharge tray. A plurality of sheet end receiving rollers for aligning the rear end portion, elevating means for elevating the sheet ejection tray with respect to the sheet end receiving roller, and moving means for horizontally moving the sheet ejection tray in a direction orthogonal to the ejection direction; The sheet edge receiving roller is rotatably provided upright on the sorting tray device main body, and drives the sheet edge receiving roller to rotate, and rotates the sheet edge receiving roller in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the discharge tray. And a control unit for controlling the driving of the driving means. 3. The sorting tray device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet end receiving roller according to claim 1 or 2 is provided below a discharge side of each discharge unit. 4. The sorting tray device according to claim 1, wherein a belt is wound around a sheet end receiving roller.