JP4416260B2 - Sheet material conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on a sheet material, for example, a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine, and more particularly to transport the sheet material provided in these apparatuses. The present invention relates to a sheet material conveying apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the sheet material conveying apparatus 100 of this type of image forming apparatus has a first conveying path 110 and a second conveying path 111 as shown in FIG. 6, and the conveying path 110 and the conveying path 111 merge. The sheet material P passing through the conveyance path 110 is reversed in the conveyance direction by the conveyance direction changing means for changing the conveyance direction of the sheet material P, so that the conveyance path is reversed. There are some which pass through the transport path 111 by the regulation means 130 for regulating the above.
[0003]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, the transport path 110 is formed by the first guide 120 and the second guide 121, and the transport path 111 is formed by the second guide 121 and the third guide 122. Is done.
[0004]
The restricting means 130 is rotatably held by the first guide 120 and has an urging means 140 for bringing the restricting means 130 into contact with the second guide 121, and the restricting means 130 conveys the sheet material P. There are ribs 130a and 130b for reducing resistance, and some second guides 121 are provided with engaging means 141 and 142 for engaging with the ribs 130a and 130b of the regulating means 130.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of the prior art as described above, the engagement between the ribs 130 a and 130 b of the regulating means 130 biased by the second guide 121 and the engaging means 141 and 142 formed on the second guide 121. Depending on the size of the sheet material, the end of the sheet material may pass through the joint.
[0006]
In that case, since the rib 130b is urged by the urging force of the urging means 140 so as to contact the upper end 141c of the engaging portion 141, the rib 130b and the first side end portion 141a of the engaging portion 141 are in contact. When the distance is narrow and the distance between the rib 130b and the second side end portion 141b is narrow, as shown in FIG. 7B, the end portion of the sheet material is abruptly bent in each space, whereby the sheet There is a risk that the edge of the material may be broken.
[0007]
When an edge break occurs at the end of the sheet material, as shown in FIG. 7C, the sheet material itself has a strong stiffness, so the front end of the sheet material strongly contacts the third guide 122, In the worst case, the sheet material buckled due to impact, causing jams.
[0008]
Further, when the width between the side end portions 141a1 and 141b1 of the engaging means 141 is widened to reduce the bending of the sheet material P as described above, it is reversed as shown in FIG. 7D. When the leading edge of the sheet material is curled toward the first guide 120 and the sheet material size is just near the inside of the rib 130b, the distance between the first side end 141a1 and the rib 130b is large. Since the sheet material front end P1 is easily pulled into the first guide side, there is a risk that the sheet material front end P1 is caught by the upper end 141c1 of the engaging means 141, which also causes the ear folding or jamming.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to accurately convey the sheet material and simplify the configuration regardless of the size of the sheet material. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the sheet material conveying apparatus to which the present invention is applied in order to achieve the above object, the first and second guide members are provided so as to guide and oppose the sheet material conveyed along the sheet material conveying path. And a rib provided on one of the first and second guide members up to the end along the sheet material conveyance direction to reduce conveyance resistance, and on the other, a groove corresponding to the rib, The first and second guide members are opposed to each other so that one guide member of the first and second guide members is urged toward the other guide member at the downstream end. provided Te, said groove gradually groove width toward the bottom portion corresponding to the tip portion of the rib to reduce the bending of the time the sheet material end portion passes and wherein Ttei Rukoto narrowly.
[0011]
After the sheet material conveyed along the sheet material conveyance path passes through the end portion, the first and second guide members that urge each other by reversing the conveyance direction of the sheet material by a conveyance direction changing unit. Therefore, it is also preferable that the conveyance direction is regulated so as not to return to the sheet material conveyance path, and the sheet material is reversed and conveyed along the sheet material reversal conveyance path.
[0012]
It is also preferable to provide an inclined part on the side of the groove toward the bottom.
[0013]
It is also preferable to provide a curved portion on the side of the groove toward the bottom.
[0014]
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the sheet material on which an image is formed by the image forming means is conveyed by the sheet material conveying device described above.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.
[0016]
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 50 provided with a sheet material conveying apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the sheet material conveying apparatus 1 at a portion A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view thereof.
[0017]
First, an outline of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 50 emits a laser based on the obtained image information by the laser scanner 51 and irradiates the laser on the photosensitive drum 53 built in the process cartridge 52.
[0019]
Then, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 53, and the latent image is developed with toner by the process cartridge 52.
[0020]
On the other hand, the sheet material S stacked on the sheet stacking unit is fed by a feeding roller while being separated one by one, and is further conveyed downstream (in the direction of the arrow) by each conveying roller. The development by the toner formed on the photosensitive drum 53 is transferred onto the material by the transfer unit 54.
[0021]
Then, the sheet material on which the unfixed toner image is formed is conveyed further downstream, the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 55, and then discharged as it is by the sheet material conveying unit 1. Alternatively, the sheet material is reversed and then discharged outside the apparatus, or in the case of the double-sided copy mode, the sheet material is conveyed upstream again for execution of the above-described image forming process.
[0022]
Next, the sheet material conveying apparatus 1 will be described.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, a sheet material conveyance path 10 and a sheet material reversal conveyance path 11 are formed in the sheet material conveyance device 1. A regulation means (first guide member) 30 that regulates conveyance is provided, and the conveyance direction of the sheet material P that has passed through the sheet material conveyance path 10 is reversed by a conveyance direction changing unit that changes the conveyance direction of the sheet material P. There are some that pass through the sheet material reversal conveyance path 11 by the regulation means 30 for regulating the conveyance path.
[0024]
The sheet material conveyance path 10 is formed by the guide 20 and the guide 21 (second guide member) on the upstream side, and is formed by the regulation means 30 and the guide 21 held by the guide 20 on the downstream side, and the sheet material is reversed. The transport path 11 is formed by a guide 21 and a guide 22.
[0025]
The restricting means 30 is rotatably held by the guide 20 and has an urging means 40 for bringing the restricting means 30 into contact with the guide 21. As shown in FIG. Ribs 30a and 30b for reducing the conveyance resistance of the material P are provided, and the guide 21 is provided with grooves 23 and 24 corresponding to the ribs 30a and 30b.
[0026]
The grooves 23 and 24 are provided with notched portions (inclined portions) 23a, 23b, 24a, and 24b that are inclined with respect to the sheet material conveyance direction in order to reduce bending when the sheet material ends.
[0027]
Thereby, when the sheet material end portion passes between the rib 30a or the rib 30b and the groove 23 or 24, the rib 30a and the oblique cutout portions 23a and 23b or the rib 30b and the oblique cutout portions 24a and 24b. Since a sufficient space is generated between them, the conveyance resistance is reduced, and the inclination of the oblique notch 24b reduces the bending of the sheet material end as shown in FIG. It is possible to greatly reduce the folding and jamming of the part.
[0028]
Further, even when the tip of the inverted sheet material is curled toward the first guide 20 and the sheet material size is just near the inside of the rib 30a or the rib 30b, as shown in FIG. In addition, since the sheet material front end P1 is prevented from being caught by the bottom portions 23c and 24c of the groove by the oblique cutouts 23b and 24b, it is possible to greatly reduce the edge folds and jams at the end of the sheet material.
[0029]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0030]
In FIG. 4, a sheet material conveying path 10 and a sheet material reversing conveying path 11 are formed in the sheet material conveying apparatus 1, and the sheet material conveying path 10 and the sheet material reversing conveying path 11 are respectively guides 20 and 21a (second guide members). ), 22.
[0031]
The guide 20 is provided with a restricting means (first guide member) 30 so as to be rotatable. The restricting means 30 is urged by the urging means 40 to the guide 21a. The restriction means 30 is provided with ribs 30a and 30b, and the guide 21a is provided with grooves 25 and 26 corresponding to the ribs 30a and 30b.
[0032]
The grooves 25 and 26 are provided with notches 25a, 25b, 26a, and 26b each having a corner portion that is a curved surface and a curved portion in order to reduce bending when the sheet material passes through the edge portion.
[0033]
Thus, when the sheet material end portion passes between the rib 30a or 30b and the groove 24 or 25, sufficient space is provided between the rib 30a and the notch portions 25a and 25b or the rib 30b and the notch portions 26a and 26b. Therefore, the conveyance resistance is reduced and the bending of the sheet material end portion is reduced by the notch portion 26b in which the corner portions are curved surfaces. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.
[0034]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. Constituent parts similar to those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0035]
In FIG. 5, a sheet material conveying path 10 and a sheet material reversing conveying path 11 are formed in the sheet material conveying apparatus 1, and the sheet material conveying path 10 and the sheet material reversing conveying path 11 are guides 20 and 21b (second guide members), respectively. ), 22.
[0036]
The guide 20 is provided with a restricting means 30 (first guide member) so as to be rotatable. The restricting means 30 is biased by the biasing means 40 toward the guide 21b. The restriction means 30 is provided with ribs 30a and 30b, and the guide 21b is provided with grooves 27 and 28 corresponding to the ribs 30a and 30b.
[0037]
The grooves 27 and 28 include notches 27a, 27b, and 28a that are slanted with respect to the sheet material conveyance direction and that have corners that are curved and curved in order to reduce bending when the sheet material passes through the edges. , 28b are provided.
[0038]
Thus, when the sheet material end portion passes between the rib 30a or 30b and the groove 27 or 28, a sufficient space is provided between the rib 30a and the notch portions 27a and 27b or the rib 30b and the notch portions 28a and 28b. In this embodiment, the sheet resistance is reduced by the cutout portion 28a that is inclined with respect to the sheet material conveyance direction and the corners are curved. The same effect as 1 and 2 can be obtained.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the groove corresponding to the rib that is provided up to the end along the sheet material conveyance direction and reduces the conveyance resistance gradually moves toward the bottom corresponding to the tip of the rib. By narrowing the groove width, the deformation at the edge of the sheet material can be suppressed regardless of the size of the sheet material, and the conveyance resistance of the sheet material can be reduced, thus preventing the occurrence of edge folding or jamming at the edge of the sheet material. Therefore, it is possible to provide a high-quality sheet material conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus with a simplified configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet material conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 1 in the section of FIG. 1A.
3A is a schematic side view of the sheet material conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIGS. 3B and 3C are schematic perspective views for explaining a passing state of an end portion of the sheet material. .
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a sheet material conveying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a sheet material conveying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional sheet material conveying apparatus.
7A is a schematic side view of a conventional sheet material conveying apparatus, and FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D are schematic perspective views for explaining a passing state of an end portion of the sheet material. .
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet material conveyance apparatus 10 Sheet material conveyance path 11 Sheet material inversion conveyance path 20, 21, 21a, 21b, 22 Guide 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Groove 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a, 28b Notch 23c, 24c Bottom 30 Restricting means 30a, 30b Rib 40 Energizing hand 50 Image forming apparatus

Claims (5)

The sheet material conveyed along the sheet material conveyance path is guided, and the sheet material is conveyed to one of the first and second guide members provided opposite to each other and the first and second guide members. A rib that is provided up to the end along the direction to reduce the conveyance resistance, and on the other side, a groove corresponding to the rib,
The first and second guide members are provided to face each other so that one guide member of the first and second guide members is biased toward the other guide member at the downstream end. ,
The groove, the sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim Ttei Rukoto narrowly gradually groove width toward the bottom portion corresponding to the tip portion of the rib to reduce the bending of the time the sheet material end portion passes. After the sheet material conveyed along the sheet material conveyance path passes through the end portion, the first and second guide members that urge each other by reversing the conveyance direction of the sheet material by a conveyance direction changing unit. The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material is reversely conveyed along the sheet material reversal conveying path by restricting the conveying direction so as not to return to the sheet material conveying path. The sheet material conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising an inclined portion on a side portion of the groove facing the bottom portion. The sheet material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a curved portion is provided on a side portion of the groove facing the bottom portion. 5. An image forming apparatus, wherein a sheet material on which an image is formed by an image forming means is conveyed by a sheet material conveying device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4.

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