JP3584130B2 - Sheet material processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet material processing apparatus having a function of arbitrarily sorting and carrying out sheet materials to a plurality of trays, and more particularly, to a sheet material processing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile. It is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image forming apparatus typified by a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like has used a sheet material processing apparatus having a function of arbitrarily sorting and carrying out a sheet material on which an image is recorded to a plurality of trays.
[0003]
This is because, in an image forming apparatus such as a network printer used by a plurality of persons, when a large amount of recorded sheet material is carried out to one tray, each person is placed in a sheet bundle stacked on the tray. Since there is a possibility that the output document (the sheet material on which the recording has been made) may not be known, this can be arbitrarily sorted out to a plurality of trays, carried out, and separated for each document.
[0004]
As this conventional sheet material processing apparatus, for example, a sheet material conveyed from an image forming apparatus main body is received, and the sheet material is conveyed on a common sheet material conveyance path (common conveyance path) while being placed on a plurality of discharge trays. There is a so-called sorter device which arbitrarily sorts and discharges and loads. As is well known, this sorter apparatus is mainly used by being attached to a medium-speed to high-speed copying machine for copying a plurality of copies of the same document and a large-sized printer for printing a large amount of sheet materials.
[0005]
Specifically, for example, there is a sheet material processing apparatus of a type in which a discharge tray is fixed. In this sheet material processing apparatus, a plurality of discharge trays and a plurality of discharge roller pairs for discharging the sheet material onto each discharge tray are fixed to the apparatus main body. A transport guide for forming a branch path for guiding the sheet material from the transport path to the position of each discharge roller pair, a switching flapper for arbitrarily switching the transport direction of the sheet material at a branch portion of the common transport path, and the switching; A solenoid for driving the flapper is arranged for each discharge tray.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional example, there is a problem that the cost is increased because the solenoid for driving the flapper for distributing the sheet material to each tray is arranged for each tray.
[0007]
Further, in recent years, there is a demand for a device that is small in size and low in cost, can randomly designate a tray for discharging sheet materials during continuous recording, and has a larger number of trays. However, in the apparatus shown in the conventional example, members such as a flapper and a solenoid are required for each discharge tray, and it has been difficult to satisfy requirements in terms of cost, size of the apparatus, and the like.
[0008]
Further, each time the number of trays is increased, the number of solenoids is increased by the same number. As a result, electric components for driving the solenoids are also required, which causes a problem that the cost is further increased. In particular, in a sheet material processing apparatus, the cost of a portion for distributing the sheet material greatly affects the cost of the entire apparatus. Therefore, arranging a solenoid corresponding to each tray is greatly disadvantageous to the cost of the apparatus. Had become.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable sheet material processing apparatus capable of minimizing an increase in the cost and the size of the apparatus due to an increase in the number of trays and capable of stably conveying the sheet material.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sheet material processing apparatus having a function of arbitrarily sorting and discharging a sheet material to a plurality of trays, comprising a conveying unit for conveying the sheet material, A common transport path for transporting the sheet material substantially parallel to the direction in which the trays are lined, a position blocking the common transport path for guiding the sheet material from the common transport path to each tray, and a position along the common transport path. A swinging member that can swing selectively to a position that does not obstruct the common transport path for guiding the sheet material, and an unloading device that unloads the sheet material, the transport direction of which has been switched by the swinging member, to the receiving tray. Means, operating means for rotating the rocking member, connecting means for connecting a plurality of rocking members to one operating means, and intervening between the connecting means and each rocking member, respectively. An elastic member And, The elastic member is a spring member having no initial tension, the swinging member is fixed to the connecting means at a neutral position of a tensile load and a compressive load of the spring member, When a plurality of swinging members are operated by one operating means, if there is a sheet material being conveyed at a position where the swinging member rotates, the swinging member remains at a position where the swinging member does not block the common conveying path. It is characterized by having been constituted.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, the sheet material conveyed through the common conveyance path is sorted by one of the plurality of oscillating members operating simultaneously via the connecting means and the elastic member by one operating means. It is guided in any tray direction. If the swing member that sorts the sheet material is the downstream one among the simultaneously operating swing members, the upstream swing member remains at a position that does not block the common conveyance path (specifically, It only touches the sheet material being conveyed), so that the conveyance of the sheet material is not restricted. Therefore, even if the upstream swinging member operates simultaneously with the downstream swinging member, the downstream swinging member smoothly sorts the sheet materials.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of a sheet material processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, a sheet processing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine will be described as an example.
[0013]
[First Embodiment]
A sheet material processing apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus including the sheet material processing apparatus.
[0014]
First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, an automatic document feeder 2 for automatically circulating a document is provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1, and a face-up tray 22 and a plurality of face-down trays 50 are provided downstream (left side in the figure). Is installed.
[0015]
The image forming apparatus 1 uses a well-known electrophotographic method, and detailed description thereof is omitted here. However, an image of a document positioned on the platen glass 3 is transferred onto the photosensitive drum 4 by an optical system (not shown). An image is formed, a visible image (toner image) is formed by a developing device 5 provided around the drum 4, transferred to a sheet material by a transfer device 6, and permanently fixed by a fixing device 7. .
[0016]
The sheet material on which the image forming process has been completed as described above is normally discharged and stacked on the face-up tray with the image surface facing upward by the discharge roller pair 8. However, when images are formed in page order (for example, 10 pages from 1 page), if the sheets are sequentially stacked with the image side facing up, the sheet materials are arranged in an order opposite to the page order. Will be loaded. In order to arrange them in the order of pages, the present sheet material processing apparatus 10 having a sheet material reversing mechanism as shown in the figure is mounted near the discharge port 9 of the image forming apparatus 1. Thus, when the image is formed in the order reverse to the page order, the sheet material is sequentially discharged and stacked on the face-up tray 22 with the image side up, and when the image is formed in the page order. By sequentially discharging and stacking the sheet material on any of the face-down trays 50 with the image side down and the image side down, the page order of the sheet material can be aligned.
[0017]
Next, the configuration of the sheet material processing apparatus 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 11, 12, and 13 denote conveying roller groups, and a plurality of conveying rollers are arranged on the same circumference of the conveying roller 11 which is driven and rotated in one direction (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. (Two in this embodiment) rotatable rollers 12, 13 are in pressure contact. That is, the transport roller 11 and the roller 12 that is in pressure contact with the upper side of the roller 11 function as a carry-in roller pair that carries in the sheet material S, and the transport roller 11 and the roller 13 that is in pressure contact below the roller 11 are pressed. Functions as an unloading roller pair for unloading the sheet material S. Accordingly, the sheet material S is carried in by the conveying roller 11 and the pressing roller 12, and is carried out by the conveying roller 11 and the pressing roller 13.
[0018]
Numeral 14 denotes a flapper serving as a switching means, which is disposed downstream of the carry-in roller pair 11 and 12, and is positioned by a solid line position shown in FIG. And the position alternately switched between the two-dot chain line position. That is, the flapper 14 selectively switches a plurality of transport paths downstream of the transport roller 11. Specifically, when the flapper 14 is switched to the solid line position shown in FIG. 1, the sheet material S is guided to the reversing path 24. Further, when the flapper 14 is switched to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line shown in FIG. 1, the sheet material S is guided to the face-up discharge path 20 with the image side up without being inverted. Therefore, by selectively switching the flapper 14, it is possible to select whether to discharge and stack the sheet material S with the image side up, or to discharge and stack the sheet material S with the image side down.
[0019]
A discharge roller pair 21 is disposed in the face-up discharge path 20, and discharges the fed sheet material S onto a face-up tray 22 outside the apparatus. The face-up tray 22 is detachably attached to the apparatus 10, and sequentially stacks and holds the sheet materials S discharged by the discharge roller pair 21.
[0020]
Reference numeral 16 denotes a reverse feed roller, which is always rotating in the opposite direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure) with respect to the transport roller 11 in order to carry out the sheet material S carried in the reverse path 24. The reverse feed roller 16 is located below the extension of the nip tangent line of the carry-in roller pair 11, 12 and at a position where the leading end of the sheet material S carried in from the carry-in roller pair 11, 12 reaches. , 12 side. For this reason, the sheet material S guided by the flapper 14 switched to the solid line position shown in FIG. 1 is carried into the reversing path 24 without contacting the reverse feed roller 16.
[0021]
A roller 15 as a driven rotating member is rotatably attached to the flapper 14 at a position facing the reverse feed roller 16. Therefore, when the flapper 14 is switched to the two-dot chain line position shown in FIG. 1, the roller 15 rotates in contact with the reverse feed roller 16 and rotates when the flapper 14 is switched to the solid line position shown in FIG. 1. It is spaced apart from the feed roller 16.
[0022]
That is, the sheet material S conveyed into the reversing path 24 by the flapper 14 switched to the solid line position shown in FIG. Discharged up. At this time, the sheet material S is temporarily exposed to the outside of the apparatus, but the temporary discharge port 24a is disposed between the face-up tray 22 and a face-down tray 51 described later. For this reason, the sheet material S that is temporarily exposed to the outside of the apparatus from the temporary discharge port 24a is protected by the trays 22 and 51, and is not easily touched by the user. Therefore, skewing and damage of the sheet material S due to touch by a person can be prevented, and smooth reverse conveyance can be performed. Further, since the temporary exposure of the sheet material S can be hidden by the trays 22 and 51, the aesthetic appearance during operation is also favorable.
[0023]
Further, the tray 25 disposed below the temporary discharge port 24a prevents the temporarily discharged sheet material S from contacting the sheet material S already stacked on the face-down tray 51. . Thereby, irregularities caused by rubbing the sheet materials S stacked on the face-down tray 51 can be prevented, and a good stacked state can be maintained.
[0024]
Further, sensors 17 and 18 as detection means for detecting the rear end of the sheet material S are disposed upstream of the pair of carry-in rollers 11 and 12. When the sensors 17 and 18 detect that the rear end of the sheet material S has passed during face-down discharge, the flapper 14 is moved by a solid line shown in FIG. The position is switched from the position to the two-dot chain line position. Therefore, the tip of the flapper 14 is smoothly transferred from the nip of the pair of input rollers 11 and 12 to the nip of the pair of output rollers 11 and 13.
[0025]
Then, the sheet material S is pushed toward the reverse feed roller 16 by the switching (lowering) operation of the flapper 14. That is, when the flapper 14 is switched to the two-dot chain line position shown in FIG. 1, the roller 15 provided on the flapper 14 contacts the reverse feed roller 16, and the sheet material S is brought into contact with the reverse feed roller 16 and the roller 15. The sheet is nipped and is discharged toward the pair of discharge rollers 11 and 13 in a direction opposite to the direction of loading.
[0026]
The sheet material S carried out by the carry-out roller pairs 11 and 13 is guided to one of a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) face-down discharge ports 61 to 65 on the downstream side thereof. The sheets are discharged and stacked from 65 on the face-down trays 51 to 55 with the image side down (face-down). For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the flapper 81 is switched from the solid line position shown in FIG. The sheet is discharged onto the face-down tray 51 and stacked by a discharge roller pair 71 provided. That is, the sheet material S is discharged and stacked with the image surface facing down (image forming order).
[0027]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 19 denotes a guide member for guiding the sheet material S discharged from the discharge port 9 of the image forming apparatus 1 to the nip of the pair of carry-in rollers 11 and 12. The guide member 19 is configured to be swingable about the rotation center axis of the transport roller 11 in accordance with a sheet material discharge position (a discharge port or a nip of a discharge roller pair) of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, by swinging the guide member 19 as necessary, it is possible to correspond to various image forming apparatuses having different discharge positions of the sheet material S.
[0028]
Here, a case where a plurality of sheet materials are successively carried in and sequentially stacked on the face-down tray 51 will be described. When the sensors 17 and 18 detect the rear end of the conveyed sheet material, the flapper 14 descends and unloads the sheet material at the timing when the rear end of the sheet material passes through the nip of the pair of carry-in rollers 11 and 12 as described above. While being guided to the roller pairs 11 and 13, the reverse feed roller pairs 15 and 16 pinch the sheet material and convey it to the discharge roller pairs 11 and 13.
[0029]
Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the flapper 14 is configured such that the tip thereof overlaps the transport roller 11 in the axial direction. Therefore, the sheet material can be conveyed better due to the friction between the tip of the flapper 14 and the conveying roller 11 and also serves as a guide to the discharge roller pairs 11 and 13 so that the nip between the discharge roller pairs 11 and 13 can be smoothly performed. The sheet material can be guided. Further, if the lowering position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line) of the front end of the flapper 14 is lower than the rotation center axis of the conveying roller 11, the front end (the rear end before reversing) of the sheet material does not hit the conveying roller 11, It is possible to more smoothly guide to the nip between the carry-out roller pair 11 and 13.
[0030]
More specifically, the trailing end of the sheet material that has passed through the nip of the carry-in roller pair 11 and 12 is pressed against the transport roller 11 by the tip of the swingable flapper 14, and the rotational friction force of the transport roller 11 Thus, the sheet is conveyed in the same direction even if it passes through the nip between the pair of carry-in rollers 11 and 12. This conveyance is performed up to a position where the frictional force of the conveyance roller 11 disappears, that is, a lower intersection point (a two-dot chain line position) where the conveyance roller 11 and the flapper 14 are lowered. When the trailing edge of the sheet material passes through the intersection point, the flapper 14 further descends, and when the sheet material is nipped by the reverse feed roller pair 15 and 16 and is fed backward, the rear end of the sheet material becomes It has passed over the transport roller 11 and is smoothly guided to the nip between the pair of discharge rollers 11 and 13.
[0031]
Then, when the leading end of the sheet material (the rear end before reversing) is sandwiched between the carry-out roller pairs 11 and 13, the flapper 14 moves up, and the reverse feed roller pairs 15 and 16 separate. At this timing, the leading end of the next sheet material is held between the carry-in roller pairs 11 and 12 and guided to the reversing path 24. Accordingly, the next sheet material is guided to the temporary discharge port 24 a along the upper surface (image surface side) of the previous sheet material, and is conveyed without contacting the reverse feed roller 16. When the trailing end of the previous sheet material (the leading end before reversing) passes through the nip of the pair of carry-out rollers 11, 13, the trailing end of the next sheet material is detected by the sensors 17, 18, and the nip of the pair of carry-in rollers 11, 12 is detected. , The above-described inversion operation is similarly repeated.
[0032]
Therefore, the sheet material continuously conveyed can be reversely conveyed at high speed and reliably, and an apparatus particularly suitable for an image forming apparatus that performs image forming processing at high speed can be provided. In addition, since the transport roller 11 and the reverse feed roller 16 are always rotating in one direction, a complicated drive mechanism and drive control for rotating the conventional rollers forward and reverse are not required, and an inexpensive apparatus is provided. be able to.
[0033]
Next, the configuration of a mechanism that sorts sheet materials into respective face-down trays and carries them out will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a sheet material processing apparatus having a five-stage face-down tray is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be any number of stages depending on the situation.
[0034]
First, the overall configuration of the sheet material processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 51 to 55 denote discharge trays (face-down trays) serving as receiving trays for stacking and holding sheet materials carried out from the discharge ports. Reference numerals 71 to 75 denote discharge roller pairs as discharge means, which are arranged for each discharge tray, and discharge the sheet material to the discharge trays 51 to 55. Reference numeral 30 denotes a common transport path for vertically transporting the sheet material conveyed after the recording to each of the sorting units (portions branching from the common transport path to the respective trays). The sheet material transport path is formed substantially parallel to the direction in which the trays are arranged from the material inlet portion to the discharge roller pair 75 located at the most downstream side. In this common conveyance path 30, conveyance roller pairs 31 to 34 as conveyance means are arranged at a predetermined interval, and the sheet materials are moved vertically in the common conveyance path 30 by the conveyance roller pairs 31 to 34 (upward in FIG. 1). (Below). Numerals 81 to 84 denote flappers as swinging members for arbitrarily guiding the conveyed sheet material to the respective discharge roller pairs 71 to 74. The flappers 81 to 84 have their rotation centers located on the discharge port side with respect to the common transport path 30 and do not block the common transport path 30 (solid line positions in the figure) and block positions (two-dot chain line positions in the figure). It is configured to be able to swing. The transport roller pairs 31 to 34 are disposed immediately after the flappers 81 to 84 (downstream side) in the transport direction of the common transport path 30.
[0035]
Next, the operation of the flapper at the time of sheet material sorting will be described. Reference numerals 36 and 37 denote solenoids as operating means for selectively swinging the flappers 81 to 84. The solenoid 36 swings the flappers 81 and 83, and the solenoid 37 swings the flappers 82 and 84, and is fixed to a frame (not shown) of the sheet material processing apparatus 10, respectively. Reference numerals 38 and 39 denote links as connecting means, which are connected so as to operate integrally with the movable parts of the solenoids 36 and 37, and are arranged so as to be movable only in the vertical direction in FIG. Tensile springs 40 and 41 are fixed at one end to hook portions of the links 38 and 39, and at the other end to hook portions formed by the frame of the apparatus. Reference numerals 42 to 45 denote tension springs as elastic members. Of these, the tension springs 42 and 43 connect the hook portions of the link 38 connected to the solenoid 36 and the hook portions of the flappers 81 and 83, respectively. The springs 44 and 45 connect each hook of the link 39 connected to the solenoid 37 and each hook of the flappers 82 and 84.
[0036]
FIG. 1 shows a state where the solenoid is turned off. When the solenoids 36 and 37 are OFF, the links 38 and 39 are located below by the tension of the tension springs 40 and 41. At this time, since the projections 81b, 82b, 83b, 84b formed in the non-sheet passing area are pushed downward by the ends near the hooks of the links 38, 39, the flappers 81 to 84 are pushed down. It is located at a position (solid line position in the figure) that does not block the common transport path 30 that has swung counterclockwise around 81a, 82a, 83a, and 84a. Here, for example, when the solenoid 36 (or the solenoid 37) is turned on, the link 38 (or the link 39) is pulled up (in the direction of the arrow a), and the flappers 81, 83 (or the flappers 82, 84) are tension springs 42. , 43 (or the tension springs 44, 45), and swings clockwise to move to a position where the common transport path 30 is blocked (a broken line position in the figure).
[0037]
Next, a series of operations when guiding the sheet material to the discharge port 64 by the fourth flapper 84 will be described as an example. The sheet material on which the image has been recorded by the image forming apparatus 1 is transferred to the sheet material processing apparatus 10, and after reversing, the front end (rear end before reversing) is detected by the sensors 46 and 47 at the entrance of the common transport path 30. Is detected. Next, the sheet material is conveyed downward at a predetermined speed from the upper portion of the common conveyance path 30 by pairs of conveyance rollers 31, 32, and 33. Then, based on the detection signals of the sensors 46 and 47, the solenoid 37 is turned on at the timing when the leading end of the sheet material reaches the transport roller pair 33 located immediately after the third flapper 83. When the solenoid 37 is turned on, the flappers 82 and 84 try to swing clockwise by pulling up the link 39 in the direction of the arrow a, but the tension spring 45 connecting the second flapper 82 and the link 39. Is set sufficiently higher than the swing resistance of the flapper 82 and weaker than the waist of the conveyed sheet material. Therefore, when the leading end of the second flapper 82 swings to a position where the second flapper 82 blocks the common conveyance path 30 and the second flapper 82 abuts on the sheet material being conveyed in the common conveyance path 30, the tension of the sheet material causes the tension spring. 45 extends, and the flapper 82 stops at a position where it abuts on the sheet material without blocking the common transport path 30. On the other hand, the fourth flapper 84 swings to a position where the fourth flapper 84 blocks the common transport path 30. Then, the sheet material is further conveyed further downward by the conveying roller pair 33 of the common conveying path 30 and hits the flapper 84. Then, since the direction of the force due to the leading end of the sheet material abutting on the flapper 84 is the direction in which the flapper 84 is rotated clockwise, the sheet material surely moves in the direction of the fourth discharge roller pair 74. The sheet is guided and discharged onto the fourth discharge tray 54 by the discharge roller pair 74. At this time, the sheet material rubs against the front end portion of the flapper 82, but the front end portion (contact portion with the sheet material) of each flapper has an R shape as shown in FIG. The paper is rubbed smoothly without being caught on the front end, and is conveyed downward by a conveyance roller pair disposed immediately after the flapper.
[0038]
Although the description is omitted here, the operation when the third flapper 83 guides the sheet material to the discharge port 63 can be said to be the same as the above-described operation. The tension of the tension springs 42 to 44 is set in the same manner as the tension spring 45. Further, the shape of the tip portions (contact portions with the sheet material) of the flappers 81, 83, and 84 are also formed in an R shape similarly to the flapper 82.
[0039]
Further, in the apparatus having the above configuration, when discharging the sheet material to the lowermost discharge tray 55, it is sufficient that none of the flapper is operated (the solenoids 36 and 37 are in the OFF state). Then, the sheet is guided to the discharge port 65, discharged to the discharge tray 55 by the discharge roller pair 75, and stacked.
[0040]
Further, as described above, by employing a configuration in which two flappers are operated by one solenoid, when the sheet material is guided to the discharge roller side by the third or fourth flapper, the first and second flappers are used. The conveying sheet material rubs, but in order to prevent the sheet material from being restrained by rubbing with the first or second flapper, each of the conveying roller pairs 31 to 34 arranged in the common conveying path 30 is used. Is set to have a conveying force sufficiently larger than the rubbing resistance.
[0041]
As described above, the flappers 81 to 84 are connected to the links 38 and 39 connected to the solenoids 36 and 37 by the tension springs 42 to 45, whereby a plurality of flappers can be operated by one solenoid. Even if it is operated, flappers other than the flapper that performs the sorting operation (the flapper that blocks the common conveyance path) do not restrain the conveyance sheet material. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a highly reliable sheet material processing apparatus capable of minimizing the cost increase and the increase in the size of the apparatus due to the increase in the number of trays, and performing stable conveyance of the sheet material.
[0042]
[Second embodiment]
A sheet material processing apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial enlarged cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the main part of the sheet material processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Since the overall configuration of the apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment, and includes a combination of flappers 81 to 84 operated by solenoids 36 and 37 and links 38 and 39. Only the shape is different. Specifically, the first and second flappers 81 and 82 are operated by the solenoid 36, and the third and fourth flappers 83 and 84 are operated by the solenoid 37.
[0044]
In the apparatus having the above configuration, when the sheet material is discharged to the fourth discharge tray, the solenoid 37 is turned on, the link 39 is operated, and the flappers 83 and 84 are simultaneously rotated (moving to a position where the common conveyance path 30 is blocked). ). Then, as in the above-described embodiment, the fourth flapper 84 rotates to a position (solid line position in FIG. 3) that blocks the common transport path 30, but the third flapper 83 is nipped and transported by the transport roller pair 33. The sheet comes into contact with the sheet material and stops. The sheet material is guided by the fourth flapper 84 while being conveyed by the conveying roller pair 33, and is discharged onto the fourth discharge tray 54 by the fourth discharge roller pair 74 shown in FIG.
[0045]
That is, in the first embodiment described above, a plurality of flappers operated simultaneously by one solenoid are alternately arranged alternately. However, as in the present embodiment, a plurality of flappers operated simultaneously by one solenoid are operated. The same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained even if the configuration is arranged in a row.
[0046]
Next, the conditions of the flapper that can be operated by the same solenoid will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the case where the third flapper 83 and the fourth flapper 84 are operated by the same solenoid 37 (see FIG. 3) will be described as an example. In FIG. 4, L represents the length of the smallest transportable sheet material in the transport direction, and H represents the minimum sheet material S when the sheet material is continuously transported. ₁ , S ₂ Represents the interval between. Further, of the flappers 83 and 84 operated by one solenoid 37, the flapper 83 located on the upstream side in the sheet material conveyance direction rotates from the position A where the common conveyance path 30 is interrupted to the flapper 84 located on the downstream side. Let M be the sheet material conveyance distance to the position B of the discharge roller pair 74 that is reached after guiding the sheet material to the discharge port side. At this time, the flappers that can be operated by the same solenoid have a positional relationship such that the sheet material transport distance M is smaller than the length L + H obtained by adding the minimum sheet material length L and the minimum sheet material interval H. is necessary. That is, in the present embodiment, the flappers 83 and 84 that can be operated by the solenoid 37 are arranged and configured to have the above-described positional relationship.
[0047]
[Third embodiment]
A sheet material processing apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the sheet material processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing characteristics of a tension spring. Since the overall configuration of the apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted here.
[0048]
As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment, and includes the shapes of the links 38 and 39 operated by the solenoids 36 and 37 and the flappers 81 to 84. The shape and the characteristics of the tension springs 42 to 45 are different.
[0049]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the tension springs 42 to 45 are set so that the initial tension is not applied and the load N becomes 0 when the elongation L is La, and when the elongation L contracts from the elongation La. A compressive load acts, and a tensile load acts when it extends beyond this elongation La. The flappers 81 to 84 are fixed to the links 38 and 39 by the tension springs 42 to 45. Therefore, as shown by the flapper 81, when the solenoid 36 is OFF, the extension of the tension spring 42 is La and stops at the solid line position, and when the solenoid 36 is ON, the extension of the tension spring 42 is La while the extension is La. It moves to the position and stops. At this time, if the stoppers 90 and 91 are provided at the respective stop positions, the stop can be performed at a more accurate position.
[0050]
Although not shown, when the stoppers 90 and 91 are provided as described above, the stoppers are similarly provided at the respective stop positions of the flappers 82 to 84.
[0051]
Next, the sheet material sorting operation in the apparatus having the above configuration will be described. In the present embodiment, the flappers 81 to 84 can bend in both rotation directions. That is, when the flapper 81 operates while the sheet material is present in the common conveyance path 30, the flapper 81 comes into contact with the sheet material by a pulling force and stops rotating. If the solenoid is turned off at the timing after the leading edge of the sheet material is pulled by the flapper 81, the flapper 81 tries to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Stops in contact with. Although the operation of the flapper 81 is illustrated here, the same can be said for the operations of the flappers 82 to 84.
[0052]
In this manner, if the respective flappers 81 to 84 are held at the neutral positions by the respective tension springs 42 to 45, the flappers may be operated at the timing when the leading end position of the sheet material comes immediately before the flapper of the discharge port to be sorted. The provision of the configuration (such as the flapper position and the length of the conveyance path) due to the large size of the sheet material as described above may be eliminated, and it is not necessary to change the operation timing of the flapper in a complicated manner.
[0053]
After the sheet material is drawn into the discharge port by the flapper, the solenoid of the flapper can be turned off, so that the duty of the solenoid can be reduced and an inexpensive solenoid can be used. That is, a lower-cost device can be provided.
[0054]
[Fourth embodiment]
A sheet material processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the sheet material processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory views showing a state of a spring provided in a link. Since the overall configuration of the apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted here.
[0055]
As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet material processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment, and includes the shapes of the links 101 and 102 operated by the solenoids 36 and 37 and the shapes of the flappers 121 to 124. The shape and the characteristics of the springs 111 to 114 are different.
[0056]
As shown in FIG. 8, a compression spring 111 and a cap 115 for pressing the end thereof are disposed on the link 101, and one end 121 a of the flapper 121 is provided with a gap (play) in an engagement hole 101 a provided in the link 101. engaged with t. Although not shown, the connection between the link 101 and the flapper 112 and the connection between the link 102 and each of the flappers 113 and 114 have the same configuration.
[0057]
The state shown in FIG. 8 is either the state where the solenoid 36 is OFF or the state where there is no sheet material in the common conveyance path 30 when the solenoid 36 is ON and the flapper 121 blocks the common conveyance path 30. Further, the state shown in FIG. 9 is a state in which the solenoid 36 is ON, a sheet material is present in the common transport path 30, and the flapper 121 is in contact with the sheet material in the common transport path 30. That is, with the above-described configuration, when the solenoid 36 is turned on and the link 101 moves in the direction of the arrow a, one end 121a of the flapper 121 is lifted by the cap 115 as shown in FIG. To move to a position where the common conveyance path 30 is blocked. At this time, if there is a sheet material in the common conveyance path 30, the flapper 121 comes into contact with the sheet material and stops by pushing down the cap 116 as shown in FIG.
[0058]
Further, in the above configuration, since one end 121a of the flapper 121 and the engaging hole 101a of the link 101 are engaged with play, the solenoid 36 is turned off after the sheet material is pulled in by the flapper 121 and the link 114 is moved downward. Even if the flapper 121 moves, the flapper 121 can stay in a state of being rotated. That is, the one end 121a of the flapper 121 is located above the engagement hole 101a of the link 101 (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 8), and the flapper 121 can be stopped with the common transport path 30 being blocked. Therefore, after the sheet material is pulled in by the flapper 121, the solenoid 36 can be turned off, so that the duty of the solenoid can be reduced and an inexpensive solenoid can be used. That is, a lower-cost device can be provided.
[0059]
[Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where two flappers are simultaneously operated by one solenoid is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which three or more flappers are simultaneously operated by one solenoid. It may be.
[0061]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and similar effects can be obtained by combining or deforming a link as a connecting means, a spring as an elastic member, and a flapper as a swinging member.
[0062]
In the above-described embodiment, the sheet material processing apparatus having the function of arbitrarily sorting and discharging the sheet materials on a plurality of trays has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also effective to apply the present invention to an apparatus having a processing unit such as a stapler for performing processing such as binding on a bundle of sheets.
[0063]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sheet material processing apparatus used in the image forming apparatus in which the image surface is formed on the upper surface of the sheet material has been described, but the image forming apparatus in which the image surface is formed on the lower surface of the sheet material is conversely described. In the sheet material processing apparatus used in the present invention, the tray for discharging and stacking the sheet material without reversing the sheet material is a face-down tray, and the tray for reversing and discharging the sheet material is a face-up tray. It is valid.
[0064]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like is exemplified as a form of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function or an information processing apparatus such as a computer may be used. The present invention may be in the form of an image output terminal, and the same effects as described above can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet material processing apparatus used in these apparatuses.
[0065]
In the above-described embodiment, an electrophotographic method is exemplified as a recording form by the image forming unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, recording by an inkjet method, a thermal transfer method, a heat-sensitive method, a wire dot method, or the like. Or other recording methods, and the same effects as described above can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet material processing apparatus used in an image forming apparatus that takes these recording modes. can get.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
[0067]
As described above, according to the present invention, the sheet material conveyed along the common conveyance path is one of a plurality of oscillating members which are simultaneously operated via the connecting means and the elastic member by one operating means. It is sorted by the moving member and guided in an arbitrary tray direction. If the swing member that sorts the sheet material is the downstream one among the simultaneously operating swing members, the upstream swing member remains at a position that does not block the common conveyance path (specifically, It only touches the sheet material being conveyed), so that the conveyance of the sheet material is not restricted. Therefore, even if the upstream swinging member operates simultaneously with the downstream swinging member, the downstream swinging member smoothly sorts the sheet materials. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a highly reliable sheet material processing apparatus capable of minimizing the cost increase and the increase in the size of the apparatus due to the increase in the number of trays, and performing stable conveyance of the sheet material.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus including the sheet material processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a sectional configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a sectional configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing characteristics of a tension spring in a sheet material processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a sectional configuration diagram of a sheet material processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a compression spring in a link in a sheet material processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a compression spring in a link in the sheet processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
S: Sheet material
1. Image forming apparatus
2. Automatic document feeder
3. Platen glass
4: Photoconductor drum
5 ... Developer
6 ... Transfer device
7 ... Fusing unit
8 ... Discharge roller pair
9 ... outlet
10 ... Sheet processing equipment
11, 12, 13 ... conveying roller
14 ... Flapper
14a ... axis
15 ... roller
16 ... Reverse feed roller
17, 18… Sensor
19 Guide member
20: Face-up discharge path
21 ... Discharge roller pair
22 ... Face-up tray
24 ... Reversal pass
24a: temporary outlet
25 ... reversing tray
30: Common transport path
31 to 34 ... Conveying roller pair
36, 37 ... Solenoid
38,39… Link
40-45 ... Tension spring
46, 47… Sensor
50: Face down tray
51 to 55: discharge tray
61 to 65 ... outlet
71 to 75: discharge roller pair
81 to 84 ... Flapper
81a-84a ... shaft
81b-84b ... Projection
90, 91 ... stopper
101, 102 ... link
101a ... engagement hole
111 to 114 ... spring
115… Cap
121 to 124 ... Flapper
121a ... One end

Claims (4)

In a sheet material processing apparatus having a function of arbitrarily sorting and carrying out sheet materials to a plurality of trays,
Having a conveying means for conveying the sheet material, a common conveying path for conveying the sheet material substantially parallel to the direction in which the trays are arranged,
Selectable between a position where the common transport path is blocked to guide the sheet material from the common transport path to each tray and a position where the common transport path is not blocked to guide the sheet material along the common transport path. A swing member that can swing to
An unloading unit that unloads the sheet material whose transport direction has been switched by the swinging member to the receiving tray;
Operating means for rotating the rocking member;
Connecting means for connecting a plurality of swing members to one operating means;
An elastic member interposed between the connecting means and each swing member,
Has,
The elastic member is a spring member having no initial tension, and the swinging member is fixed to the connecting means at a neutral position of a tensile load and a compressive load of the spring member. A sheet material processing unit that, when operated, if there is a sheet material being conveyed at a position where the swinging member rotates, the swinging member remains at a position where the swinging member does not block the common conveyance path. apparatus. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tension of the spring member is set to be greater than the swing resistance of the swing member and less than the waist of the sheet material being conveyed. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the swing member is engaged with the connection unit with a gap. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit, a feeding unit, and the sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

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