JP4862352B2 - Recording medium discharge apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a recording medium discharge device that discharges a plurality of sheet-like recording media on which images are recorded from the apparatus main body so as to be stacked in a sorted state by discharging the sheets at different positions. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a recording medium discharge device.

  In general, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine, a facsimile, or a printer, a sheet-like recording medium (for example, paper such as plain paper) on which an image is formed is aligned on a tray or the like. In general, the apparatus main body is equipped with a recording medium discharge device in order to discharge the stacked state.

  In this recording medium ejecting apparatus, when a plurality of originals (a plurality of sets) are copied, the sheet that has been conveyed is used to sort the copied sheet-like recording media into sets (partially). In some cases, there is provided a discharge section that is movable in the paper width direction for discharging the paper in the paper width direction that intersects with the conveyance direction.

  In such a recording medium ejecting apparatus, the sorting means of the type that moves (offsets) the copied sheet-like recording medium itself can be realized with a relatively simple configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost. It is effective as a sorting means to be standard-mounted on the main body.

  Further, in a conventional recording medium discharge device having sorting means for moving (offset) the sheet-like recording medium itself, the discharge roller moving device is operated to move the discharge roller in the discharge roller axial direction. The paper is moved in the axial direction of the paper discharge roller to be discharged onto the paper discharge tray for sorting, and paper discharged when the paper discharge roller is not moved in the axial direction is discharged to the paper discharge tray. A sheet trailing edge first guide surface for guiding the trailing edge of the discharged sheet when falling on the tray, and a sheet trailing edge second guide for guiding the trailing edge of the sheet to be discharged when the discharging roller is moved in the axial direction. And a sheet side end positioning surface for positioning the side edge of the discharged sheet provided at the boundary between the sheet rear end first guide surface and the sheet rear end second guide surface is proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In order to sort the sheets to be discharged by the conventional sorting means configured as described above, for example, a predetermined number of sheets are discharged without first moving the discharge rollers in the axial direction. At this time, the paper that is discharged without moving the paper discharge roller in the axial direction, when the paper discharged from the upper paper discharge roller falls onto the paper discharge tray, the rear end of the paper discharged is the paper in the paper discharge tray. Guided by the first guide surface at the rear end, the side edge of the discharged paper is guided by the paper side edge positioning surface, and the paper is discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray so that the disturbance of the landing point is reduced.

  Next, when a predetermined number of sheets are sorted and discharged, the discharge roller moving device moves the discharge roller in the axial direction and discharges the sheet. When the paper discharged by moving the paper discharge roller in the axial direction falls onto the paper discharge tray, the trailing edge of the paper discharged is guided by the second guide surface of the paper rear end and reaches the paper discharge tray. The paper is discharged and stacked so as to reduce disturbance.

  However, with the conventional sorting means described above, it is difficult to sufficiently adjust the stacking state consistency (sheet alignment) of the sheets that are sorted and discharged onto the discharge tray.

  In addition, a conventional recording medium discharging apparatus for sorting sheets requires a tray for stacking sheet-like media discharged by the discharging means, and a tray moving means for sorting the sheet-like media stacked on the tray. A pair of aligning members for aligning the sheet-like media stacked on the tray in the shift direction are ejected from the ejecting means by moving in the shift direction orthogonal to the ejecting direction by a predetermined amount. The end face of the sheet medium parallel to the sheet discharge direction is aligned and aligned, and the uppermost sheet medium discharged from the discharge means onto the tray is provided at the end of the tray by the feed means. There has been proposed one in which all the end surfaces of the sheet-like medium are neatly aligned so as to move toward the rear end fence (for example, see Patent Document 2). See).

  However, the conventional sheet-like medium is provided with a pair of aligning members for aligning the sheet-like medium in the shift direction, and a feeding means for moving the uppermost sheet-like medium toward the rear end fence provided at the end of the tray. Since the sorting unit is configured to perform the sorting operation by moving the tray in the shift direction by the tray moving unit, the configuration includes a sorting unit for moving (offset) the sheet-like recording medium itself. When trying to apply to a recording medium ejecting apparatus, there is a problem that the mechanism becomes very complicated and difficult to realize.

  By the way, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17, the uppermost sheet-like recording medium is placed on the tray 10 with respect to the recording medium discharge device provided with sorting means for moving (offset) the sheet-like recording medium P itself. It is conceivable that an aligning means (paper aligning means) 14 that moves toward the rear end fence 12 provided at the end is fixed to a predetermined position near the discharge roller 16 on the apparatus main body side.

  In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17, the sorting means for performing the offset operation on the sheet-like recording medium itself is moved in the direction of the rotation axis of the discharge roller 16 while being nipped by the discharge roller 16 and the pinch roller 18. The free end portion of the sheet-like member in which the aligning means 14 is made of a plastic film and is formed in a strip shape is brought into sliding contact with the sheet-like recording medium P, so that the trailing edge is dropped after being dropped on the tray 10. The laminated state is adjusted by contacting the rear end fence 12.

  In the case of such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the discharge roller 16 is moved in the axial direction to perform the sorting operation, and then the sheet-like recording medium P is discharged. become.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the sheet-like recording medium P is located at the center of the sheet-like recording medium P in a state where the rear end of the sheet-like recording medium P exits the discharge roller 16 and freely falls on the stacking tray 10. The alignment means 14 is pressed against the surface of the sheet-like recording medium P at a position eccentric from the center line along the conveying direction, and the balance is lost when the sheet-like recording medium P is returned to the rear end fence 12 of the tray 10. Will rotate.

Further, the sheet-like recording medium P is operated by the aligning means 14 so that the entire rear end side of the sheet-like recording medium P is the tray 10 after one corner of the sheet-like recording medium P hits the rear end fence 12 of the tray 10. Since it operates so as to be in contact with the rear end fence 12, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the offset amount L deviates from the planned offset position indicated by the imaginary line in the figure. The boundary between the sets may be lost, or it may be loaded inconsistently and the user needs to realign each set, which makes it difficult to sort.
JP-A-8-208098 JP 2001-341927 A

  In view of the above-mentioned points, the present invention improves the alignment performance at the time of offset discharge, in which the sheet-like recording medium itself discharged on a single tray is moved (offset) to perform sorting, so that sorting can be performed accurately. It is an object of the present invention to newly provide a recording medium discharging apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a simple configuration.

The recording medium discharge device according to claim 1 of the present invention sorts the conveyed sheet-shaped recording medium by discharging and stacking the sheet-shaped recording medium on the stacking tray so as to be offset for each set. In the recording medium discharging apparatus, the sheet-shaped recording medium is moved in a direction crossing the conveying direction and discharged onto the stacking tray, and a pair of vertically disposed discharging rollers, and the pair of discharging rollers are recorded in the sheet-shaped recording medium. The sheet-like recording medium is mounted so as to move in conjunction with the movement in the direction crossing the medium conveyance direction, and the sheet-like recording medium is dropped from the pair of discharge rollers and dropped onto the stacking tray. A sheet is slidably brought into contact with the sheet-like recording medium in a state of being balanced with respect to the center line along the medium conveying direction, and dropped to a predetermined position on the stacking tray. A sul matching means, said upper discharge roller of the pair of discharge rollers is fixed, a drive shaft that is driven to rotate, at both sides of the discharge rollers of the upper in the axial direction can rotate the drive shaft A bracket comprising: a pair of side surfaces supported by the upper surface; and an upper surface portion connected to one side of the pair of side surface portions above the upper discharge roller. And a guide surface that restrains the bracket from rotating when the drive shaft is driven to rotate, and the alignment means extends downward from the upper surface of the bracket .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium ejecting apparatus according to the first aspect, the aligning means is configured such that the leading end side of a member formed in a thin strip shape having flexibility slides on the surface of the sheet-shaped recording medium. It is characterized by being configured to guide.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium ejecting apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the aligning means is in the form of two block-shaped guides that are slidably in contact with both end sides parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet-like recording medium. It is characterized by comprising a guide member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the recording medium discharging apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects.

  By configuring as described above, in a state of being balanced with respect to the center line along the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium, in accordance with the movement of the sheet-like recording medium that is offset and discharged by the offset discharging means. By moving the aligning means so as to be guided in sliding contact with the sheet-like recording medium, the offset amount of the sheet-like recording medium is reduced (lost) due to the rotation of the sheet-like recording medium by the aligning means. It is possible to prevent this, improve the performance of aligning sheet-like recording media, and improve the storage capacity in the stacking tray.

  The recording medium discharge apparatus and the image forming apparatus of the present invention improve the alignment performance at the time of offset discharge in which the sheet-like recording medium itself discharged onto a single tray is moved (offset) and sorted by a simple configuration. Thus, there is an effect that sorting can be performed accurately.

  An image forming apparatus including a recording medium discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals for convenience of explanation.

  In the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1, an image carrier 24 is provided in the apparatus main body 22, and three recording medium cassettes 26 containing sheet-like recording media P are mounted. Each of the three recording medium cassettes 26 shown in FIG. 1 accommodates sheets of different sizes and sheets of different weights per unit area (sheet-like recording medium P). As an example of the paper having different sizes, there are B5 size paper, A3 size paper, and the like.

  Examples of paper having different weight per unit area include plain paper, coated paper, thick paper, and an OHP sheet. In general, the weight per unit area of the recording medium varies depending on the type (paper type) of the recording medium. In addition, the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. In the manual paper feed unit 28, a specific size or a specific type of recording medium such as a postcard is set. Designation of the size and type of the recording medium on which the image is formed is performed by the operator operating an operation panel (not shown).

  The image carrier 24 shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of a drum that rotates in a predetermined direction. FIG. 1 shows a transfer roller 30 provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the image carrier 24. In the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1, a region where the image carrier 24 and the transfer roller 30 are in contact is a transfer region. The sheet-like recording medium P accommodated in the recording medium cassette 26 and the sheet-like recording medium P fed from the manual paper feed unit 28 are conveyed to this transfer region by various rollers.

  Around the image carrier 24 shown in FIG. 1, a charger, an exposure device, a developing device, and the like are provided, but are not shown here. The surface of the drum-shaped image carrier 24 is uniformly charged by a charger, and then exposed by an exposure device to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier 24 is developed by a developing machine to become a toner image. This toner image is transferred to the recording medium sent to the transfer area. The image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 is also provided with a fixing device 32, and the recording medium that has received the transfer of the toner image is sent to the fixing device 32, and the toner image is fixed on the recording medium. The

  The image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 includes three sheet discharge devices 34 and one stacking tray 10 for each sheet discharge device, and a recording medium conveyance path 36 extending from the fixing device 32 includes these three sheet discharge devices 34. Each is connected to a sheet discharge device 34 of the table. The stacking tray 10 stacks recording media on which image formation has been performed. The stacking tray 10 shown on the right side of FIG. 1 stacks recording media on which image formation has been performed on one side with the surface (printing surface) on which the image formation has been performed facing downward (hereinafter, the top tray 10t). Sometimes called). On the other hand, the stacking tray 10 shown on the left side of FIG. 1 stacks recording media with the printing surface facing upward (hereinafter may be referred to as a face-up tray 10f).

  The image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 is also provided with a paper reversing device 38 that is used when images are formed on both sides of a sheet-like recording medium, and the recording medium conveyance path 36 includes the paper reversing device 38. A branching route is provided. Further, the recording medium conveyance path 36 is also provided with a distribution mechanism 40 that distributes the sheet-like recording medium P sent out from the fixing device 32 to one of the three sheet discharge devices 34. .

  Each of the three sheet discharge devices 34 shown in FIG. 1 has the same configuration, and includes a discharge unit 41. The discharge unit 41 discharges the recording medium toward the stacking tray 10. The discharge unit 41 is provided at a position higher than the height position where the stacking tray 10 is provided, and the recording medium discharged from the discharge unit 41 falls onto the stacking tray 10. The stacking tray 10 is gradually inclined downward toward the rear end fence 12 on the discharge unit 41 side, and the sheet-like recording medium P that has fallen on the stacking tray 10 follows the inclination of the inclined surface of the stacking tray 10. It is possible to slide down until it hits the rear end fence 12.

  1 is provided with a discharge roller 16 and an offset home position detection sensor 46. The sheet discharge device 34 shown in FIG. 1 also includes a rear end detection sensor 42 and a height position detection sensor 44. Two rear end detection sensors 42 are provided in the recording medium conveyance path 36.

  The upstream rear end detection sensor 42 in the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium P conveys the sheet-like recording medium P to the sheet discharge device 34 arranged on the most upstream side among the three sheet discharge devices 34. At this time, it is detected that the rear end of the conveyed sheet-like recording medium P has passed. The downstream rear end detection sensor 42 detects that the rear end of the conveyed sheet-like recording medium P has passed when the sheet-like recording medium P is conveyed to the remaining two sheet discharge devices 34. It is.

  Two height position detection sensors 44 are provided at different height positions with respect to one stacking tray 10, and the height position of the uppermost sheet-like recording medium P on the stacking tray 10 is determined in two stages. Detect over. The height position detection sensor 44 shown in FIG. 1 may be replaced with a linear sensor so that the height position of the uppermost recording medium on the stacking tray 10 can be continuously detected.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side facing the operator side when in use. 3 is an external perspective view of the portion of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in which the sheet discharge device is incorporated as viewed obliquely from the top tray side, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the face-up tray side. It is the external appearance perspective view seen from diagonally upward.

  A face-up tray 10f is shown on the left side of FIG. 2, and two top trays 10t are shown on the right and left sides. FIG. 3 shows a discharge unit 41 of the sheet discharge device 34 that discharges the sheet-like recording medium P to the top tray 10t. 2 and 3 also show the rear wall 48 of the image forming apparatus provided between the lower top tray 10t and the upper top tray 10t. On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a discharge unit 41 of the sheet discharge device 34 that discharges the sheet-like recording medium P to the face-up tray 10f.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the discharge unit shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 with the discharge unit removed from the sheet discharge device.

  In the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the discharge unit 41 shown in FIG. 5 extends in a direction connecting the front surface and the rear surface of the image forming apparatus. This direction is a direction corresponding to the recording medium width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium P conveyed through the recording medium conveyance path 36 shown in FIG.

  The discharge unit 41 is provided with a discharge roller 16 that is an offset discharge unit for moving the sheet-like recording medium P in the direction intersecting the transport direction and discharging it onto the stacking tray 10. The discharge roller 16 includes four drive rollers 50 arranged at predetermined intervals on a drive shaft 52 that rotates by receiving a driving force of a motor (not shown), and a pinch roller that forms a nip region between the drive rollers 50. 18.

  The drive roller 50 is fixed to the drive shaft 52. One end of the drive shaft 52 is supported on the fixed chute 54 via a bearing member 56. The fixed side chute 54 is fixed to a frame (not shown) of the sheet discharge device 34, but the discharge portion 41 extends in the direction in which the rotation shaft of the drive shaft 52 extends relative to the fixed side chute 54 (recording). A movable side chute 58 is movable in the medium width direction.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the fixed chute is removed from the discharge unit illustrated in FIG. 5 and viewed from the pinch roller side. FIG. 6 shows a movable side chute 58 that extends in the extending direction of the rotating shaft of the drive shaft 52 (left-right direction toward FIG. 6).

  Bearing members 60 are installed at both ends of the movable side chute 58. The bearing member 60 is mounted so as to be movable in the recording medium width direction integrally with the drive shaft 52 and the drive roller 50.

  Further, the pinch roller 18 is rotatably supported on the movable side chute 58. With this configuration, the pinch roller 18 can move in the recording medium width direction together with the movable side chute 58. Accordingly, when the movable chute 58 moves in the recording medium width direction, the discharge roller 16 moves in the recording medium width direction together with the movable chute 58 while maintaining the nip region.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the movable chute 58 adjusts the posture in flight of the sheet-like recording medium P that is discharged onto the stacking tray 10 and freely falls, and further, the rear end side of the sheet-like recording medium P Is fitted with alignment means 14 for guiding them so as to contact the rear end fence 12.

  For this reason, the balance of the aligning means 14 is uniform in the movable chute 58 with respect to the center line passing through the center of the direction (width direction) orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheet-like recording medium P discharged from the movable chute 58. Thus, one or a plurality of aligning means 14 are mounted so as to achieve a balanced state in which a moment that is inclined from the discharge direction is not applied to the ejected sheet-like recording medium P. When the single aligning means 14 is mounted, the aligning means 14 is arranged on the center line in the discharge direction of the sheet-like recording medium P.

  The movable chute 58 has a pair of aligning means 14 so as to be symmetric with respect to a center line passing through the center in the direction (width direction) orthogonal to the discharge direction of the discharged sheet-like recording medium P. Installing.

  Therefore, the bracket 78 is pivotally attached to the movable chute 58 at a predetermined position corresponding to the center line of the sheet-like recording medium P of the drive shaft 52. The bracket 78 is formed in a side face saddle shape and is pivotally attached to the drive shaft 52 by a bearing member 80 installed at one free end of the side face saddle shape.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the bearing member 80 includes a bearing member such as a plastic bearing or a ball bearing for freely supporting the drive shaft 52 and a means for restraining the drive shaft 52 from moving in the thrust direction. Provide. The means for restraining the movement of the drive shaft 52 in the thrust direction is formed, for example, by forming a ring-shaped groove in the drive shaft 52 and fitting a so-called E-ring into the groove.

  Since the bracket 78 attached to the drive shaft 52 via the bearing member 80 configured in this way is in a state of being freely rotatable with respect to the drive shaft 52, the bracket 78 is restrained from being rotated along with the drive shaft 52 being driven to rotate. Therefore, the upper surface portion of the bracket 78 is configured to abut on the guide surface 79 of a fixing member such as a casing of the image forming apparatus 20. Since the bracket 78 moves integrally with the movable chute 58, a spring (not shown) or the like is provided so that the bracket 78 can always slide while maintaining a state in which the bracket 78 is in contact with the guide surface 79. The bracket 78 is configured to be urged so as to be in pressure contact with the guide surface 79 by urging means using the above.

  In the bracket 78, a base end portion of a commonly used member for alignment means is pivotally attached to the other free end portion of the side surface saddle type. In addition, the member for this alignment means 14 can be comprised by what has arrange | positioned the member made from the plastic film which has flexibility at the front end side of what formed the rubber | gum material in strip | belt shape, and was formed in the shape of a thin strip. .

  Further, the movable side chute 58 can be configured by mounting the alignment means 14 as shown in FIG.

  In the aligning means 14 as shown in FIG. 11, both end portions of the holding member 82 bridged in a bridge shape are integrally attached to the two bearing members 60 respectively disposed on both end portions of the movable side chute 58. Configure.

  Fixing brackets 84 are fixed to the holding member 82 at two predetermined positions that make the balance of the aligning means 14 even with respect to the center line of the sheet-like recording medium P discharged from the movable chute 58. The alignment means 14 is configured by pivotally attaching the base end portion of the above-described generally used alignment means member to the free end of each fixing bracket 84.

  Note that the alignment means 14 is mounted on the drive shaft 52 of the discharge roller 16 shown in FIG. 7 and the alignment means 14 is mounted on the bearing member 60 of the movable chute 58 shown in FIG. According to the configuration, since the configuration is simple, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the recording medium ejecting apparatus using the configuration and to provide an inexpensive product.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the image forming apparatus 20, the leading end of the sheet-like recording medium P conveyed through the recording medium conveyance path 36 enters the nip region of the discharge roller 16. At this time, the movable chute 58 has a position in which the central portion in the width direction of the front end of the recording medium coincides with the intermediate position of the adjacent drive roller 50 with a gap in the central portion of the drive shaft 52 (hereinafter, this position is referred to as the home position Called).

  In the image forming apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, recording is performed for each set so that sorting can be easily performed when a plurality of originals (multiple sets) are copied to the sheet discharge device 34 corresponding to the lower top tray 10t. An offset function for offsetting the medium in the recording medium width direction and discharging it onto the stacking tray 10 is provided. Note that the sheet discharge device 34 corresponding to the face-up tray 10f and the top tray 10t that is in the upper side in the drawing may also be provided with an offset function.

  In the sheet discharge device 34, the movable chute 58 at the home position is moved in the recording medium width direction in order to realize the offset function. The sheet discharge device 34 according to the present embodiment includes a drive unit 62 that moves the movable chute 58 in the recording medium width direction. The drive unit 62 includes a stepping motor 64 and a sector gear 66 (see FIG. 6). The sector-shaped portion 68 of the sector gear 66 meshes with the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 64, and the leading end portion 70 of the sector gear 66 is connected to the movable side chute 58 so as to be interlocked therewith.

  The sector gear 66 rotates about the gear rotation fulcrum 72 (see arrow R in FIG. 6) as the stepping motor 64 rotates, and the movable side chute 58 moves in the recording medium width direction (see FIG. 6). (See arrow S in 6).

  Also, a drive gear 74 that is long in the axial direction is attached to the end of the drive shaft 52 shown in FIG. 6 opposite to the end supported by the stationary chute 54 via the bearing member 56. A gear 74 meshes with a transmission gear 76 that transmits a driving force of a motor (not shown). When the movable side chute 58 is moved in the recording medium width direction by the driving unit 62, the driving gear 74 is also moved in the recording medium width direction. Therefore, the drive gear 74 is long in the extending direction of the drive shaft 52 (recording medium width direction) so that the engagement with the transmission gear 76 is maintained even if it moves in the recording medium width direction.

  Next, an example of an offset function control operation by the drive unit 62 will be described.

  First, in the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1, when the rear end of the sheet-like recording medium P that has passed through the fixing device 32 passes through the rear end detection sensor 42, the drive shaft 52 shown in FIG. Then, the drive roller 50 starts to rotate and the drive unit 62 starts counting time. At this time, when the movable side chute 58 is at a position other than the home position, the drive unit 62 moves the movable side chute 58 to the home position.

  In this image forming apparatus 20, when the movable chute 58 approaches the home position, the offset home position detection sensor 46 shown in FIG. 1 detects the movable chute 58 approaching the home position, and the stepping motor 64 has a control unit (not shown). And the movable side chute 58 is stopped at the home position.

  In the image forming apparatus 20, the leading edge of the sheet-like recording medium P reaches the nip region of the discharge roller 16 as an offset discharge unit, and is drawn into the nip region by the rotating drive roller 50. Thereafter, in the image forming apparatus 20, the stepping motor 64 starts to rotate, and the movable chute 58 starts to move in the recording medium width direction.

  When the movable chute 58 moves, the discharge roller 16 serving as an offset discharge means moves in the recording medium width direction (rotational axis direction of the drive shaft 52) while the recording medium P is sandwiched in the nip region. At this time, the drive roller 50 continues to rotate, and the sheet-like recording medium P is continuously discharged.

  When the movable side chute 58 reaches a predetermined offset position, the rotation of the stepping motor 64 is stopped and the movable side chute 58 is stopped. Further, in this image forming apparatus 20, after the trailing edge of the sheet-like recording medium P has exited the nip region, the rotational driving of the discharge roller 16 is stopped.

  In the sheet discharge device 34 having the offset function as described above, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the sheet is discharged in a state in which the discharge roller 16 has moved axially to a predetermined offset position in order to perform a sorting operation. The operation of discharging the recording medium P is performed.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the sheet-like recording medium P is separated from the discharge roller 16 and flies a short distance to the stacking tray 10 to freely fall, The alignment means 14 is slidably contacted and guided so as to press against the surface of the sheet-like recording medium P in a state of being balanced with respect to the center line along the conveying direction through the center of the sheet-like recording medium P.

  Therefore, the sheet-like recording medium P is operated in a well-balanced manner by the aligning means 14, moves in parallel with the transport direction and falls onto the stacking tray 10, and the entire rear end side of the sheet-like recording medium P is simultaneously removed from the tray 10. It operates so as to be in contact with the rear end fence 12.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the sheet-like recording medium P is placed on a slope that is pressed by the aligning means 14 at the rear end and continues to the rear end fence 12 side of the stacking tray 10. The

  Therefore, since the sheet-like recording medium P is accurately placed at a predetermined offset position on the stacking tray 10, it can be stacked in a set manner. Therefore, in this image forming apparatus 20, the sheet alignment performance is improved when sorting, and a predetermined number of sheet-like recording media P discharged onto the stacking tray 10 are not aligned so that the boundary between the sets cannot be recognized. It is possible to prevent the user from being loaded, and to make it easy to sort by eliminating the need for the user to realign each set.

  Next, another configuration example of the recording medium discharging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the configuration of the recording medium ejecting apparatus shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the sheet-like recording medium P transported in the recording medium ejecting apparatus provided with sorting means for moving (offset) the sheet-like recording medium P itself. Two block-shaped guide members G, which are slidably in contact with both ends parallel to the direction, are arranged at predetermined positions corresponding to the width of the sheet-like recording medium P on the drive shaft 52.

  The guide member G is mounted so as to be able to hold a predetermined posture with respect to the drive shaft 52 using a bearing member in the same manner as the alignment means 14 shown in FIG. 7 described above, or as shown in FIG. It can be fixedly attached to a holding member installed integrally with the chute.

  In this recording medium discharging apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the sheet-like recording medium P is discharged in a state where the discharging roller 16 has moved in the axial direction to a predetermined offset position in order to perform the sorting operation. To perform the operation.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, when the sheet-like recording medium P is separated from the discharge roller 16 and flies over a short distance to the stacking tray 10, it freely falls. The corresponding guide members G are slidably in contact with the both end portions.

  Accordingly, the sheet-like recording medium P is guided so as to pass between the two guide members G, moves in parallel with the transport direction, and falls onto the stacking tray 10. Then, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the sheet-like recording medium P moves so that the entire rear end side of the sheet-like recording medium P is simultaneously brought into contact with the rear end fence 12 of the tray 10. Then, it is placed on the slope that continues to the rear end fence 12 side of the stacking tray 10.

  Therefore, since the sheet-like recording medium P is accurately placed at a predetermined offset position on the stacking tray 10, it can be stacked in a set manner. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 20 improves the sheet alignment performance when sorting, so that a predetermined number of sheet-like recording media P discharged on the stacking tray 10 do not understand the boundary between sets. It is possible to prevent the stacking from being irregularly arranged, to eliminate the need for the user to realign each set, and to facilitate sorting.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various other configurations can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus including a recording medium discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing an external appearance of an image forming apparatus including a recording medium discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side facing an operator when used. 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from an obliquely upper side on a top tray side of a portion in which a sheet discharge device is incorporated. 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from an obliquely upper side on a face-up tray side of a part where a sheet discharging apparatus is incorporated. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a discharge unit in an image forming apparatus including a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the discharge unit removed from the sheet discharge device. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the fixed side chute is removed from the discharge portion and viewed from the pinch roller side in the image forming apparatus including the recording medium discharge device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a discharge unit in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. (A) and (B) are plan views schematically showing a state in which a sheet-like recording medium is being discharged by a discharge roller in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view. (A) and (B) are plan views schematically showing a state in which a sheet-like recording medium is guided by an alignment unit in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view. FIGS. 4A and 4B are a plan view and a side view schematically showing a state in which sheet-like recording media are aligned in an alignment unit in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus including the recording medium discharge device according to the embodiment of the present invention with a main portion of a discharge portion having another configuration removed. (A) and (B) are plan views schematically showing a state in which a sheet-like recording medium is being discharged by a discharge roller in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view. (A) and (B) are the guide members which are the alignment means of the other structure in the image forming apparatus provided with the recording-medium discharge apparatus concerning the embodiment of this invention, and are the state which is guiding the sheet-like recording medium It is the top view and side view which show typically. (A) and (B) are guide members that are alignment means of another configuration in an image forming apparatus provided with a recording medium discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and schematically show a state in which sheet-like recording media are aligned. FIG. 2 is a plan view and a side view. (A) and (B) are a plan view and a side view schematically showing a state in which a sheet-like recording medium is discharged by a discharge roller in order to explain the problem to be solved by the present invention. (A) and (B) schematically illustrate a state in which a rotational force is applied when a sheet-like recording medium ejected from a recording medium ejecting apparatus is guided by an alignment means in order to explain the problem to be solved by the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view and a side view. (A) and (B) are for the purpose of explaining the problem to be solved by the present invention, when the sheet-like recording medium discharged from the recording-medium discharging device is guided by the aligning means. It is the top view and side view which show typically the state discharged | deviated from the offset position.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Loading tray 12 Rear end fence 14 Alignment means 16 Discharge roller 18 Pinch roller 20 Image forming device 34 Sheet discharge device 41 Discharge unit 50 Drive roller 52 Drive shaft 58 Moving side chute 60 Bearing member 78 Bracket 80 Bearing member 82 Holding member 84 Bracket

Claims (4)

In the recording medium discharging apparatus for sorting the sheet-like recording medium being conveyed by discharging and stacking it on the stacking tray so as to be in an offset state for each set,
A pair of vertically disposed discharge rollers that move the sheet-like recording medium in a direction crossing the conveying direction and discharge the sheet-like recording medium onto the stacking tray;
The pair of discharge rollers are mounted so as to move in conjunction with the movement of the pair of discharge rollers in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium, and the sheet-like recording medium is detached from the pair of discharge rollers and placed on the stacking tray. When the sheet-like recording medium is dropped, the sheet-like recording medium is slidably brought into contact with the center line along the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium and dropped to a predetermined position on the stacking tray. Alignment means to guide;
A drive shaft on which the upper discharge roller of the pair of discharge rollers is fixed and driven to rotate;
A pair of side portions rotatably supported by the drive shaft on both sides of the upper discharge roller in the axial direction, and one side of the pair of side portions above the upper discharge roller. A bracket provided with an upper surface portion provided,
A guide surface that comes into contact with the upper surface of the bracket and stops the rotation of the bracket when the drive shaft is driven to rotate;
With
The recording medium ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning means extends downward from an upper surface of the bracket .   2. The alignment unit according to claim 1, wherein the alignment unit is configured to guide the leading end side of a member formed in a thin strip having flexibility in sliding contact with the surface of the sheet-like recording medium. Recording medium discharge device.   2. The recording medium discharge according to claim 1, wherein the aligning means is constituted by two block-shaped guide members that are slidably in contact with both ends parallel to the conveyance direction of the sheet-like recording medium. apparatus.   An image forming apparatus comprising the recording medium discharging apparatus according to claim 1.

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