JP4560437B2 - Sheet stacking apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet stacking apparatus that stacks and aligns conveyed sheets, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet stacking apparatus.

  Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, facsimiles, etc., sheets S formed with an image forming unit are sequentially stacked one by one by a sheet stacking device disposed above the image forming unit and aligned. After that, there is a staple processing (for example, Patent Document 1).

  11A and 11B show the sheet stacking device disclosed in Patent Document 1. FIG. Here, (a) is a diagram of the sheet stacking device viewed from above, and (b) is a diagram of the sheet stacking device viewed from the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. In this sheet stacking apparatus, the sheet S conveyed from the upstream side (above (a)) is discharged and stacked on the intermediate tray 70 by the discharge roller 82, and the stacked sheet S is jogged on both side edges. The sheet is aligned in the sheet width direction by pressing with 76 and 77. Thereafter, the paddle 80 is rotated and brought into contact with the surface of the sheet, the sheet S is returned to the upstream side, and the trailing end is abutted against the reference member 78 to perform alignment in the sheet conveying direction. Here, when the alignment in the conveyance direction is performed by the paddle 80, the joggers 76 and 77 that have pressed the sheet S in the width direction are slightly retreated outward to make the width direction restriction rough. The paddle 80 allows the sheet S to move smoothly toward the reference member 78. Note that racks 74 and 75 are fixed to the joggers 76 and 77, respectively, and the pinions 73 meshing with the racks 74 and 75 are rotated forward and backward via the motor 71 and the reduction gear 72 to thereby rotate the joggers 76 and 75. 77 is moved.

  As described above, after the sheet S aligned in the width direction and the conveyance direction is stapled by the stapler 83, the bundle discharge roller 81 is rotated, and the joggers 76 and 77 are opened beyond the sheet width. It is discharged onto a loading tray (not shown).

JP 2003-073012 A

  In the above-described sheet stacking apparatus, when performing alignment in the conveyance direction of the sheet S, the joggers 76 and 77 that perform alignment in the width direction are positioned slightly outside the both ends of the sheet S, and the sheet By moving to a predetermined position (rough alignment position) where the regulation is made rough, alignment in the transport direction is performed while sufficiently maintaining the alignment in the width direction.

  However, the operation of moving the joggers 76 and 77 to the rough alignment position repeats the operation and stop of the jogger in a short time, and there is a problem that the operation stability and the operation sound are deteriorated. The joggers 76 and 77 must be fixed at the rough alignment position during alignment of the sheet S in the conveying direction. However, when receiving the subsequent sheet S, the joggers 76 and 77 are retracted to the receiving position outside the rough alignment position. I have to let it. Therefore, the joggers 76 and 77 must be retracted to the receiving position within the time from the end of the alignment in the transport direction to the arrival of the leading edge of the succeeding sheet S. To enable this, the joggers It is necessary to move the sheets 76 and 77 at a sufficiently high speed, or to secure a space between the sheets so that the subsequent sheet S is not conveyed until the joggers 76 and 77 are retracted. However, in the former case, there is a problem that the drive unit becomes large or the operation sound becomes loud. On the other hand, in the latter case, there are problems such as a decrease in throughput and an increase in conveyance sound due to an increase in the conveyance speed for widening the space between sheets.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a sheet stacking device that solves the above-described problems by providing a regulating member that regulates the sheet after alignment in the width direction in a rough state in the width direction, and an image including the same. An object of the present invention is to provide a forming apparatus.

In the sheet stacking apparatus for stacking and aligning the conveyed sheets, the present invention is provided along a conveying direction of the sheets on the stacking surface, and a stacking member having a stacking surface that supports the transported sheets from below. A first reference member for positioning one side end, and a receiving position for receiving the sheet conveyed on the stacking surface, move to the alignment position in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction toward the first reference member. A first alignment member that aligns the sheet by pressing the other side end along the sheet conveyance direction on the stacking surface and abutting the one side end against the first reference member; And between the receiving position and the alignment position so as to be movable between a projecting position projecting on the stacking surface and a retracting position retracting from the stacking surface. Standard part Possess a regulating member for regulating the widthwise position of the sheet between said regulating member, with the conveyance of the sheet onto the stacking surface, it moved to the retracted position, the first alignment member The other side edge of the sheet moved by the movement of the sheet moves from the retracted position to the protruding position as it passes over the regulating member .

  According to the present invention, after the sheets on the stacking member are aligned in the sheet width direction by the first reference member and the first alignment member, the sheet is disposed between the receiving position and the alignment position (rough alignment position). Because the regulating member can substantially maintain the alignment state of the sheet in the sheet width direction, the first alignment member can be immediately moved and disposed at the receiving position of the subsequent sheet. For this reason, the increase in the size of the drive unit and the increase in operation sound caused by moving the first alignment member at a high speed, which has been a problem in the past, are suppressed, and the decrease in throughput and the increase in conveyance sound are prevented. can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, what attached | subjected the same code | symbol in the same drawing or a different drawing performs the same structure or the same effect | action, The duplication description is abbreviate | omitted suitably about these. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments are intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. is not.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 shows a sheet stacking apparatus 46 to which the present invention can be applied, and an image forming apparatus M including the same. The image forming apparatus M shown in the figure is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and the figure is a schematic view of the internal configuration viewed from the front side (the side on which the user stands when operating the image forming apparatus M). . In the following description, it is assumed that the left and right sides of the image forming apparatus M itself correspond to the left and right sides in FIG.

  An image forming apparatus M shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming unit (printer unit) 1 that forms an image on a sheet S as a recording medium, an image reading unit (reader unit) 2 that reads image information written on a document, The image forming unit 1 includes a sheet processing unit (sheet processing apparatus) 3 that performs predetermined processing such as stapling on the sheet S on which an image is formed. The image forming unit 1, the image reading unit 2, and the sheet processing unit 3 are configured as independent units, and the entire image forming apparatus M is arranged from the bottom to the image forming unit 1, the sheet processing unit 3, and the image processing unit. The reading unit 2 is combined in that order. That is, the sheet processing unit 3 is sandwiched between the image forming unit 1 and the image reading unit 2.

  The image forming unit 1 includes a sheet feeding / conveying unit 10, a transfer unit 11, a fixing unit 12, and a sheet discharging unit 13.

  The sheet feeding / conveying unit 10 separates the sheets S one by one by a sheet feeding roller 15 and a separation / conveying roller 16 from a plurality of sheets S stored in a stacked state in the sheet feeding cassette 14 and conveys the sheet S. It is conveyed along the guide 17 to the transfer unit 11.

  The transfer unit 11 forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 20 by an electrophotographic method. That is, the transfer unit 11 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 20 with a charging roller (not shown), and then performs exposure based on image information with a laser scanner 21 to form an electrostatic latent image. The latent image is developed by a developing device (not shown) to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 20. This toner image is transferred by the transfer roller 23 onto the surface of the sheet S conveyed by the sheet feeding / conveying unit 10 described above.

  The fixing unit 12 heats and presses the sheet S, on which the toner image is transferred on the surface in the transfer unit 11, by the fixing roller 24 and the pressure roller 25, and fixes the toner image on the surface.

  The sheet discharge unit 13 conveys the sheet S after fixing the toner image in three different directions. That is, first, by switching the first flapper 26 upward, the sheet S guided to the first conveyance path 27 is discharged onto the first discharge tray 29 in a face-up state by the first discharge roller 28. . Secondly, by switching the first flapper 26 downward, the sheet S guided to the second conveyance path 30 is further switched to the left by switching the second flapper 31 to the left. Paper is discharged onto the second paper discharge tray 33. Third, the sheet S guided to the second conveyance path 30 is supplied to the upper sheet processing unit 3 by switching the second flapper 31 to the right.

  The image reading unit 2 includes an automatic document feeder (ADF) 34 and a scanner unit 35. The ADF 34 separates and feeds a plurality of documents (not shown) stacked on the document stacking tray 36 one by one by a feed roller 37, and a document reading position where the optical carriage 40 of the scanner unit 35 is stopped. 38. The ADF 34 is configured to be openable and closable around a hinge (not shown) disposed at the rear, and is opened and closed when a document is placed on the document table glass 39 and when the document is removed. .

  The scanner unit 35 includes a movable optical carriage 40 that reads image information of a document. In the scanner unit 35, image information of the document placed on the document table glass 39 is read while being scanned in the horizontal direction by the optical carriage 40, and photoelectrically converted by the CCD 41. Further, when the original is read using the ADF 34, the optical carriage 40 stops at the original reading position 38 and reads the image information of the original being conveyed. The image forming unit 1 described above forms an image on the sheet S based on the image information read by the image reading unit 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet processing unit 3 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between an image forming unit 1 disposed below and an image reading unit 2 disposed above. A conveyance path 42 for guiding the sheet S conveyed from the image forming unit 1, conveyance rollers 43 and 44 for conveying the sheet S along the conveyance path 42, a discharge roller 45 for discharging the sheet S, and a sheet stacking An apparatus 46 and a stacking tray 47 on which sheets S or sheet bundles discharged from the sheet stacking apparatus 46 are stacked are provided.

  The sheet stacking device 46 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sheet stacking device 46 as viewed from the front side, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet stacking device 46 in a state where the jogger is disposed at the alignment position, as viewed from the upper left obliquely, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view of the sheet stacking device 46 with the jogger disposed at the standby position, FIG. 5 is a top view of the sheet stacking device 46 with the jogger disposed at the receiving position, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the sheet stacking device 46 in a state where the jogger is disposed at the receiving position, and is a perspective view of the sheet stacking device 46 in a state where the jogger is disposed at the receiving position. FIG. 4 is a view of the sheet stacking device 46 in a state where the jogger is disposed at the alignment position as viewed from above.

  In the following description, the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 5 and the opposite direction are the transport direction of the sheet S (the sheet transport direction: the vertical direction in the figure), and the direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction is the sheet S. The width direction (sheet width direction: left-right direction in the figure). Further, one side end (front side end) along the sheet conveying direction of the sheet S is the side end S1, the other side end (back side end) is the side end S2, and one side along the sheet width direction. The other end is called the rear end S4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet stacking device 46 includes an intermediate tray 50 as a stacking member, a first reference member 51, a jogger 52 as a first alignment member, and a sheet restriction flag 53 as a restriction member. have.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate tray 50 is disposed diagonally to the right of the discharge roller 45. The intermediate tray 50 has a planar stacking surface 50a whose left side in FIG. 2 is inclined downward, that is, a planar stacking surface 50a whose upstream side along the sheet S conveyance direction (arrow A direction) is inclined downward. have. The stacking surface 50a supports the rear end side of the sheet S discharged from the discharge roller 45 from below. On the uppermost stream side of the stacking surface 50a, a second reference member 56 (however, shown as a surface in the drawing) is provided that rises perpendicularly to the stacking surface 50a. The second reference member 56 is a member that serves as a positioning reference for the trailing edge S4 (see FIGS. 5 and 8) of the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction. A lower discharge roller 61 that is paired with an upper discharge roller 60 described later is rotatably disposed on the most downstream side of the stacking surface 50a.

  A plate-like upper guide 58 is disposed above the intermediate tray 50 so as to face the stacking surface 50a. The upper guide 58 guides the upper surface of the sheet S that is discharged onto the stacking surface 50 a by the discharge roller 45. Here, the upper surface of the sheet S discharged onto the stacking surface 50a is the surface on which the toner image (image) is not formed by the image forming unit 1 described above. The upper guide 58 rotatably supports the upper discharge roller 60 on the most downstream side, and the downstream side is configured to be able to swing substantially vertically with the most upstream side as the center. The upper discharge roller 60 contacts the lower discharge roller 61 when the upper guide 58 is positioned downward as shown in FIG. 2, and the lower discharge roller 60 is discharged when the upper guide 58 is positioned upward as shown in FIG. Separated from the roller 61. When the sheet S is discharged from the discharge roller 45 and when the sheet S is aligned on the stacking surface 50a, the upper discharge roller 60 is separated so as not to interfere with these operations. On the other hand, as will be described later, the sheet bundle after the stapling process is abutted and discharged onto the stacking tray 47.

  Further, an alignment roller 57 as a second alignment member that can be moved up and down and rotated is disposed in the vicinity of the upstream side portion of the intermediate tray 50. When the alignment roller 57 is lowered, the alignment roller 57 contacts the upper surface of the sheet S on the stacking surface 50a to move the sheet S toward the above-described second reference member 56, and the rear end S4 of the sheet S is moved to the second reference member 56. By abutting against the member 56, the sheet S is aligned in the conveyance direction. Further, at the time of ascent, the sheet S discharged from the discharge roller 45 is retracted to a position where it can be discharged onto the stacking surface 50a without any trouble.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first reference member 51 protrudes upward from the stacking surface 50 a described above. The first reference member 51 has an inner reference surface 51a formed along the sheet S conveyance direction (arrow A direction) and perpendicular to the stacking surface 50a. The first reference member 51 serves as a positioning reference in the sheet width direction of one side edge S1 of the sheet S discharged and stacked on the stacking surface 50a.

  The jogger 52 has a pressing surface 52a facing the reference surface 51a of the first reference member 51 described above, and is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction on the stacking surface 50a. The jogger 52 pushes the innermost standby position shown in FIG. 4, the receiving position (solid line in FIG. 5) slightly outside the other side end S <b> 2 of the sheet S, and the other side end S <b> 2 of the sheet S. An alignment position where one side end S1 is abutted against the reference surface 51a of the first reference member 51 to align the sheet S in the sheet width direction (dotted line in FIG. 5, solid line in FIG. 8). Note that, for the sheet S having the largest sheet width direction size (sheet passing width) as in the present embodiment, the standby position and the receiving position are the same, and the sheet passing width is smaller than this. For the sheet S, the receiving position is set inside the standby position. The jogger 52 is urged toward the standby position by an urging member (not shown), and moves in conjunction with the operation of the jogger 55 described later. This movement will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, joggers 54 and 55 having a “U” shape as viewed from the upstream side are disposed on the near side and the far side on the downstream side of the intermediate tray 50. The joggers 54 and 55 have upper plates 54a and 55a, lower plates 54b and 55b, and side plates 54c and 55c that connect them on the outside, respectively, and are open at the center. As shown in FIG. 5, a reference surface 54d and a pressing surface 55d are provided inside the side plates 54c and 55c, respectively. The sheet S conveyed from the upstream side enters between the upper plates 54a and 55a and the lower plates 54b and 55b of the joggers 54 and 55. Then, the vicinity of one side end S1 and the other side end S2 on the leading end side of the sheet S is supported from below by the lower plates 54b and 55b.

  The joggers 54 and 55 are individually moved in the sheet width direction by driving means (not shown). The jogger 54 on the near side can move between the standby position shown in FIG. 4 and the reference position shown in FIG. On the other hand, the back jogger 55 can move between the standby position shown in FIG. 4, the receiving position shown in FIG. 5, and the alignment position shown in FIG. 8. When the joggers 54 and 55 are arranged at the standby position shown in FIG. 4, the distance X between the lower plates 54 b and 55 b becomes larger than the sheet width of the sheet S. As a result, the sheet bundle after the stapling process can be dropped onto the stacking tray 47 as will be described later. Further, when the jogger 54 on the near side is disposed at the reference position shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the reference surface 54 d is disposed at the same position as the reference surface 51 a of the first reference member 51 described above. The jogger 55 has an engaging portion (not shown) that can be engaged with and disengaged from the jogger 52 described above. This engaging portion is engaged when the jogger 55 moves inward (right side in FIG. 4) when the pressing surface 55d of the jogger 55 coincides with the pressing surface 52a of the jogger 52 in the standby position. The engagement state is maintained thereafter. Therefore, on the inner side of the standby position of the jogger 52, the pressing surface 52a of the jogger 52 and the pressing surface 55d of the jogger 55 move together. When the jogger 55 moves outward, the engaged state of the engaging portion is released when the jogger 52 is disposed at the standby position, and thereafter, the jogger 55 returns to the standby position alone. As described above, the first reference member 51 and the jogger 54 integrally form the reference surfaces 51a and 54d, and the joggers 52 and 55 perform the alignment operation in synchronization with the respective pressing surfaces 52a and 55d. Do.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the sheet restriction flag 53 is configured to be able to go in and out (can be moved in and out) with respect to the stacking surface 50 a of the intermediate tray 50. The sheet restriction flag 53 is formed in a plate shape and has a restriction surface 53b parallel to the reference surface 51a of the first reference member 51 described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet restriction flag 53 has a swing center 53a positioned below the alignment surface 50a on the upstream side of the stacking surface 50a, and the downstream portion swings substantially vertically. . As shown in FIG. 4, a slit 50b for allowing the sheet restriction flag 53 to enter and exit from the stacking surface 50a is formed in a portion of the intermediate tray 50 corresponding to the sheet restriction flag 53. In addition, illustration of the slit 50b is abbreviate | omitted except FIG. The sheet regulation flag 53 can swing between the rough alignment position shown in FIG. 2 and the retracted position shown in FIG. 6, and is urged toward the rough alignment position by an urging member (not shown). . Note that a slit (not shown) is formed at a position corresponding to the sheet restriction flag 53 in the upper guide 58 described above, and the upper end of the sheet restriction flag 53 disposed at the rough alignment position moves the slit upward from below. To penetrate. That is, when the sheet restriction flag 53 is in the rough alignment position shown in FIG. 2, the space (sheet discharge space) formed between the stacking surface 50a of the intermediate tray 50 and the upper guide 58 is completely closed in the vertical direction. To do. Further, the sheet restriction flag 53 in the state of being arranged at the rough alignment position has an inclined surface 53c that is inclined upward on the downstream side with respect to the stacking surface 50a. A wedge-shaped space R is formed between the inclined surface 53c and a portion located on the upstream side of the upper guide 58 as shown in FIG. Thus, the leading edge of the sheet S discharged by the discharge roller 45 moves following the upper guide 58 and comes into contact with the inclined surface 53c, so that the sheet restriction flag 53 can be reliably retracted from the stacking surface 50a. . The position of the sheet restriction flag 53 in the sheet width direction is between the receiving position of the jogger 52 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5 and the alignment position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 5 and the solid line in FIG. Is set slightly outside. In other words, the position slightly outside the alignment position is slightly outside the side edge S2 of the sheet S aligned in the sheet width direction. Assuming that the arrangement position of the sheet restriction flag 53 is the rough alignment position, the sheet restriction flag 53 disposed at the rough alignment position is retracted to the retreat position by the sheet S discharged onto the stacking surface 50a of the intermediate tray 50. Further, when the sheet S is aligned in the sheet width direction, the sheet S is detached from the side end S2 and returned to the original rough alignment position.

  A stapler 48 is disposed at the corner 51c (see FIG. 4) on the upstream side and the near side of the intermediate tray 50 described above. The stapler 48 is ejected onto the stacking surface 50a of the intermediate tray 50 described above, and staples the staples at the corners of the aligned sheet bundle as will be described later.

  Next, the operation of the sheet stacking apparatus 46 having the above configuration will be described.

  The sheet S on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit 1 described above is conveyed to the sheet processing unit 3 when performing a stapling process. The conveyed sheet S is further conveyed along the conveyance path 42 by the conveyance rollers 43 and 44, and is discharged onto the stacking surface 50 a of the intermediate tray 50 by the discharge roller 45. Here, before the sheet S is discharged, the joggers 52, 54, and 55 are arranged at predetermined positions. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the jogger 54 is arranged such that its reference surface 54 d is at the same position in the sheet width direction as the reference surface 51 a of the first reference member 51. Further, the jogger 55 is moved from the standby position shown in FIG. 4 to the receiving position shown in FIG. Along with this, the jogger 52 is also arranged at the receiving position. In this state, the reference surfaces 51a and 54d of the first reference member 51 and the jogger 54 are arranged outside the side end S1 of the sheet S to be discharged, and the pressing surfaces 52a and 55d of the joggers 52 and 55 are It is arranged outside the side edge S2 of the sheet S to be discharged. Further, at this time, the lower plate 54b of the jogger 54 supports the front end side of the side end S1 of the sheet S from below, and the lower plate 55b of the jogger 55 supports the front end side of the side end S2 of the sheet S from below. It is arranged at a position where it can be supported. Further, the upper discharge roller 60 moves to the separation position shown in FIG. 6 and stops rotating before the trailing end S4 of the sheet S comes out of the discharge roller 45 at the latest. As a result, the sheet S that has passed through the discharge roller 45 is stacked on the stacking surface 50 a of the intermediate tray 50. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sheet restriction flag 53 is pushed by the leading edge S <b> 3 of the sheet S and is retracted from the stacking surface 50 a and disposed at the retracted position.

When the sheets S are stacked on the stacking surface 50a, alignment in the sheet width direction is performed by the movement of the joggers 52 and 55. At this time, the jogger 54 on the reference side is fixed at a position where the reference surface 54 d is flush with the reference surface 51 a of the first reference member 51. On the other hand, the jogger 55 and the jogger 52 operating in conjunction therewith push the side edge S2 of the sheet S by the pressing surfaces 55d and 52a to move the sheet S in the sheet width direction. When the joggers 55 and 52 move to the alignment position shown in FIG. 8, the sheet S is aligned in the sheet width direction with the side edges S1 abutting against the reference surfaces 51a and 54d. At this time, since the side edge S2 of the sheet S passes over the sheet restriction flag 53 and the sheet S is removed from the sheet restriction flag 53, the sheet restriction flag 53 that has been retracted by the weight of the sheet S is Again, it returns to the rough alignment position protruding from the loading surface 50a. Since the position of the sheet restriction flag 53 is arranged slightly outside the sheet width of the sheet S with respect to the reference surfaces 51a and 54a, the position of the sheet S in the sheet width direction is held in a somewhat rough state ( Regulation).

After the sheet restriction flag 53 protrudes and returns to the rough alignment position, the joggers 55 and 52 return to the receiving position for receiving the sheet S. In parallel with this, the alignment roller 57 descends and comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet S, and moves the sheet S toward the second reference member 56. At this time, since the sheet regulation flag 53 can maintain the alignment state in the sheet width direction with an appropriate margin, the alignment resistance can be used even when aligning the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction. Don't be.

  When the trailing edge S4 of the sheet S comes into contact with the second reference member 56, the alignment roller 57 is retracted upward to prepare for the subsequent loading of the sheet S. At this time, the joggers 55 and 52 are moved from the alignment position where the sheet S is abutted against the first reference member 51 and the reference surfaces 51a and 54d of the jogger 55 to the rough alignment position (position for supporting alignment in the conveyance direction). Without stopping, it returns directly to the receiving position of the succeeding sheet S. Therefore, the joggers 55 and 52 have sufficient time to move to the receiving position when the alignment in the conveyance direction is completed, and the subsequent sheet S can be received immediately after the alignment is completed, so that the operation with a margin can be performed. In addition, since the operation is simplified, the operation sound is also reduced.

  The sheet stacking device 46 repeats the same operation until the number of sheets S on the intermediate tray 50 reaches a predetermined number of sheets to be stapled. When the final sheet S alignment operation is completed, the joggers 55 and 52 are moved to the side edges of the sheets S. It moves to the position where it abuts against S2 and is completely aligned. The stapler 48 staples the aligned sheets S (sheet bundle). After the stapling process, the joggers 54 and 55 are opened and completely retracted until the lower plates 54b and 55b are wider than the sheet width, and the sheet bundle is nipped and conveyed by the upper discharge roller 60 and the lower discharge roller 61. As a result, the sheet bundle is discharged to the stacking tray 47 and stacked.

  In this embodiment, the case where the sheet restriction flag 53 enters and exits from the lower side of the stacking surface 50a has been described as an example. Instead, the sheet restriction flag 53 enters and exits from the upper guide 58 toward the lower stacking surface 50a. You may comprise as follows. In this case, the same effect can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, after the sheet S is aligned in the sheet width direction, the joggers 52 and 55 can be retracted to the receiving position of the subsequent sheet S without stopping at the rough alignment position. In addition, since the alignment in the sheet width direction can be sufficiently maintained even during the alignment in the sheet conveying direction, it is possible to provide the sheet stacking device 46 which has a small operation sound and is advantageous for the throughput.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 9 shows a sheet stacking apparatus 46A according to the second embodiment. This figure is a view of the sheet stacking device 46A as viewed from above. In the first embodiment described above, the sheet stacking device 46 having one sheet restriction flag 53 has been described. The sheet stacking apparatus 46A according to the present embodiment has a plurality of sheet restriction flags 62, 63, 64.

  These sheet restriction flags 62, 63, and 64 are disposed at different positions in the sheet width direction. Note that the configuration and operation of each of the sheet restriction flags 62, 63, and 64 are the same as those of the above-described sheet restriction flag 53 of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  These sheet restriction flags 62, 63, and 64 are disposed, for example, corresponding to the sheet widths of the large, medium, and small sheets S, respectively. That is, with reference to the reference surface 51a of the first reference member 51, the distances of the sheet restriction flags 62, 63, 64 to the restriction surfaces 62a, 63a, 64a are respectively the large size sheet S and the medium size sheet S. The sheet width of each small-sized sheet S is set to be slightly longer.

  According to the present embodiment, the sheet restriction flags 62, 63, and 64 appropriately hold the alignment state in the sheet width direction when aligning in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the sheets S having different sizes in the sheet width direction. Can do.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 10 shows a sheet stacking apparatus 46B according to the third embodiment. This figure is a view of the sheet stacking device 46B as viewed from the front side.

In the present embodiment, a detection sensor 66 that detects the position of the sheet restriction flag 53 is provided. The seat regulation flag 53 has a sensor flag 65 that is pivoted integrally with the seat regulation flag 53 fixed to the swing center 53a. On the other hand, the detection sensor 66 has a light emitting part (not shown) and a light receiving part (not shown). For example, when the sensor flag 65 blocks light emitted from the light emitting part, the sheet restriction flag 53 is detected. Is detected at the retracted position shown in FIG. 10, and when it is not blocked, it is detected that the sheet restriction flag 53 is at the rough alignment position.

As a result, when the detection sensor 66 detects the rough alignment position of the sheet regulation flag 53, the alignment operation in the sheet conveyance direction can be started immediately. For this reason, there is a problem that the alignment in the conveyance direction is started before the alignment in the sheet width direction is completed, or it takes too much time until the alignment in the conveyance direction is started after the alignment in the sheet width direction is completed. This eliminates the need for more reliable and efficient alignment operation.

<Embodiment 4>
In the present embodiment, driving means (not shown) such as a solenoid for driving the sheet restriction flag 53 in the first and third embodiments is provided. In this case, before the sheet S is conveyed onto the stacking surface 50a of the intermediate tray 50, the solenoid is turned on to retract the sheet restriction flag 53 to the retracted position, and the jogers 52, 54, and 55 move the sheet S to the sheet width. After aligning the direction, turn off the solenoid. According to this, it is possible to reduce the conveyance resistance due to the sheet regulation flag 53 generated when the sheet S is carried onto the stacking surface 50a of the intermediate tray 50. Further, as described in the second embodiment, when a plurality of sheet restriction flags 62, 63, 64 are provided, the sheet size being processed is selected from among the plurality of sheet restriction flags 62, 63, 64. By retracting other sheet regulation flags by the solenoid, the load on the sheet S being aligned can be reduced.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sheet stacking apparatus and the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sheet stacking apparatus according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from the front side. In Embodiment 1, it is the perspective view which looked at the sheet | seat stacking apparatus of the state by which the jogger was arrange | positioned in the alignment position from diagonally forward left. In Embodiment 1, it is the figure which looked at the sheet | seat stacking apparatus of the state by which the jogger has been arrange | positioned in the standby position from the upper direction. In Embodiment 1, it is the figure which looked at the sheet | seat stacking apparatus in the state by which the jogger has been arrange | positioned in the receiving position from the upper direction. In Embodiment 1, it is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the sheet stacking apparatus at the time of sheet discharge and alignment from the front side. In Embodiment 1, it is the perspective view which looked at the sheet | seat stacking apparatus in the state by which the jogger was arrange | positioned in the receiving position from diagonally forward upper left. In Embodiment 1, it is the figure which looked at the sheet | seat stacking apparatus of the state by which the jogger has been arrange | positioned in the alignment position from the upper direction. In Embodiment 2, it is the figure which looked at the sheet stacking apparatus which has a some sheet | seat control flag from upper direction. In Embodiment 3, it is a figure explaining the drive means which drives a sheet | seat control flag. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the conventional sheet stacking apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming part 2 Image reading part 3 Sheet processing part 11 Transfer part 46, 46A, 46B
Sheet stacking device 50 Intermediate tray (stacking member)
50a Loading surface 51 First reference member 52 Jogger (first alignment member)
53, 62, 63, 64
Seat restriction flag (regulation member)
54 Jogger 55 Jogger 56 Second reference member 57 Alignment roller (second alignment member)
66 Detection sensor (detection means)
M Image forming apparatus S Sheet S1 One side end (one side end along the conveyance direction)
S2 The other side end (the other side end along the transport direction)
S3 Front end S4 Rear end

Claims (7)

In a sheet stacking device that stacks and aligns conveyed sheets,
A stacking member having a stacking surface for supporting the conveyed sheet from below;
A first reference member for positioning one side end along the conveyance direction of the sheet on the stacking surface;
By moving from the receiving position for receiving the sheet conveyed on the stacking surface to the alignment position in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction toward the first reference member, the sheet is moved along the sheet conveying direction on the stacking surface. A first alignment member that aligns the sheet by pressing the other side end and abutting the one side end against the first reference member;
Between the receiving position and the alignment position, it is movably disposed between a protruding position protruding on the stacking surface and a retracted position retracting from the stacking surface. possess a regulating member for regulating the widthwise position of the sheet with the reference member,
The regulating member moves to the retracted position as the sheet is conveyed onto the stacking surface, and the other side end of the sheet moved by the first alignment member passes above the regulating member. With this, it moves from the retracted position to the protruding position .
A sheet stacking apparatus characterized by that. Biasing means for biasing the regulating member toward the protruding position;
The regulating member is moved to the retracted position against the urging force of the urging means by the sheet conveyed on the stacking surface, and the other side end of the sheet moved by the first alignment member There accompanied to pass over the regulating member, you move to the projecting position from the retracted position by the biasing force of said biasing means,
The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Have a driving means for moving the regulating member between the retracted position and the protruding position,
The driving unit moves the restricting member to the retracted position before the sheet is conveyed onto the stacking surface, and the other side end of the sheet moved by the first alignment member is located above the restricting member. after passing through, Before moving the regulating member to the projected position from the retracted position,
The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of the restricting members are disposed corresponding to sheets of different sizes in the width direction stacked on the stacking surface.
The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking apparatus is a sheet stacking apparatus. Having a detecting means for detecting the position of the regulating member;
The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking apparatus is a sheet stacking apparatus. A second reference member for positioning one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of the sheet on the stacking surface along the width direction;
A second alignment member that abuts the sheet on the stacking surface against the second reference member;
The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking apparatus is a sheet stacking apparatus. In an image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; and a sheet stacking device that stacks a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit.
The sheet stacking apparatus is the sheet stacking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
An image forming apparatus.

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