JP5240561B2 - Drawer unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawer unit and an image forming apparatus that include a recording medium carry-in unit into which a recording medium is carried from a recording medium conveyance unit and can be drawn out from the apparatus main body.

  In general, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, a sheet material, which is a recording medium accommodated in a paper feeding unit, is conveyed to a transfer unit, and the sheet material conveyed to the transfer unit is made by the image forming unit. The imaged toner image is transferred. The sheet material to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit, and the toner image on the sheet material is fixed. The sheet material on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to a paper discharge tray or conveyed to a duplex unit. The sheet material conveyed to the duplex unit is reversed, conveyed again to the transfer unit, and the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the sheet material.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, the recording medium transport unit for transporting sheet materials such as a paper feed unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a duplex unit is used as a drawer unit that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body. Hereinafter, when the jam occurs, the removal work of the sheet material is facilitated. That is, by pulling out the unit to the outside of the apparatus and exposing the inside of the unit, it is easy to take out the sheet material jammed in the unit.

  However, when a jam occurs, the sheet material sometimes straddles the drawer unit and the apparatus main body unit. In this case, when the drawer unit is pulled out in the direction perpendicular to the sheet material conveyance direction for jamming processing, the portion of the sheet material located on the drawer unit side moves toward the apparatus main body side while being crumpled. . The portion of the sheet material located on the apparatus main unit side approaches the pull-out direction of the pull-out unit while being crumpled. When the drawer unit is completely pulled out from the apparatus main body, the sheet material is torn in a complicated manner. The sheet material pulled close to the apparatus main body side of the drawer unit pulled out from the apparatus main body enters into the gap on the apparatus main body side of the drawer unit in a complicated manner, so that it is difficult to take out the sheet material. It was. Similarly, the sheet material that has been torn off in the drawing direction of the apparatus main body unit also enters into a gap or the like on the drawing direction side of the apparatus main body unit, making it difficult to take out the sheet material. In this way, if you try to force the sheet material that has entered the gap and so on in one direction by squeezing in one direction of the drawer unit and the device main unit, the sheet material will be torn and a piece of paper will break into the drawer unit and device main unit. There were cases where it remained. As a result, there is a risk that a paper piece may be caught in a conveyance roller provided in the drawer unit, a conveyance roller provided in the apparatus main body unit, or the like, resulting in conveyance failure. Further, if a piece of paper stays in the vicinity of a sensor for detecting a jam provided in the drawer unit or a sensor for detecting a jam provided in the apparatus main body unit, there is a possibility that good jam detection cannot be performed. Further, if the sheet material is cardboard, the drawer unit cannot be pulled out, and there is a possibility that the jam processing cannot be performed.

  Further, when the drawer unit is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction for jam processing, there are the following problems. This is because the drawer unit side of the sheet material is held between the pair of conveyance rollers of the drawer unit. On the other hand, the apparatus body unit side of the sheet material is sandwiched between a pair of conveying rollers of the apparatus body unit. For this reason, a large force is required to pull out the drawer unit due to the force for sandwiching the sheet material of the pair of conveying rollers on the apparatus body unit side, and the workability of the jam processing is deteriorated. Further, if the drawer unit is forcibly pulled out, a large load is applied to the pair of conveyance rollers that sandwich the sheet material of the apparatus main unit and the pair of conveyance rollers that sandwich the sheet material of the drawer unit. As a result, the conveyance roller pair of the drawer unit and the conveyance roller pair of the apparatus main body unit may be damaged.

  Patent Document 1 describes an image forming apparatus provided with a cutter that cuts a sheet material stopped between units. According to the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, before pulling out the drawer unit, the cutter can be operated by the operation unit that operates the cutter, and the sheet material straddling the units can be cut. As described above, before the drawer unit is pulled out, if the cutter is operated by the operation unit for operating the cutter and the sheet material straddling between the units is cut, the drawer unit is pulled out in a direction orthogonal to the sheet material conveyance direction. In this case, the sheet material does not come close when the drawer unit is pulled out, and the sheet material can be easily removed. Further, when the drawer unit is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction, the drawer unit can be easily pulled out and damage to the conveyance roller pair can be prevented.

JP 2005-335886 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, before the drawer unit is pulled out, the user may forget the process of operating the cutter with the operation unit to cut the sheet material straddling the units. Thus, if the user forgets to operate the cutter before pulling out the drawer unit and pulls out the drawer unit, the same problem as described above occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drawer unit and an image forming apparatus that can reliably cut a recording medium straddling between units when being pulled out from the apparatus main body. That is.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is provided with a recording medium cutting means for cutting a recording medium stopped in a state where a part of the other unit remains, and is configured to be drawn out from the apparatus main body. In the drawer unit, operating means operated to regulate the withdrawal of the drawer unit by the regulating means for regulating the drawer of the drawer unit and release the drawer regulation of the drawer unit, and an upstream side in the recording medium conveyance direction Recording medium transporting means for transporting a recording medium carried from the unit and transporting it to a unit downstream in the recording medium transporting direction, and recording stopped in a state where a part of the recording medium transporting direction upstream unit remains. The recording medium cutting means for cutting the medium, and stopped in a state where a part thereof is transported to the downstream unit in the recording medium transport direction A recording medium cutting means for cutting the recording medium, and cutting the recording medium by the carrying recording medium cutting means when the operating means is operated to release the drawer control of the drawer unit by the regulating means And the recording medium is cut by the loaded recording medium cutting means .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the drawer unit of the first aspect, the pull-out direction of the pull-out unit is a direction orthogonal to the sheet material conveying direction.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the drawer unit of the first or second aspect, the cutting of the recording medium by the recording medium cutting means is linked with the operation of the operation means when the restriction is released by the restricting means. It is characterized by having made it.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the drawer unit according to any one of the first to third aspects, a rotary cutter is used as the recording medium cutting means.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the drawer unit according to any one of the first to fourth aspects further comprises a storage portion for storing a recording medium carried in from another unit.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the drawer unit of the fifth aspect, there is provided a visual recognition means for making the recording medium accommodated in the accommodating portion visible without pulling out the drawer unit. It is.
The invention of claim 7, in any of the drawer unit 請 Motomeko 1 to 6, characterized in that the conveying Shinano said recording medium by said conveying means comprising a reversing path for reversing.
The invention according to claim 8 is directed to an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a drawer unit configured to be drawable with respect to the apparatus main body, and a regulating unit that regulates movement of the drawer unit in the pulling direction. in the image forming apparatus equipped with, as the drawer unit, is characterized in that using either of the drawer units claims 1 to 7.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes a recording medium transport unit configured to be able to be pulled out with respect to the apparatus main body, and transports the recording medium to the drawer unit. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the recording medium transport unit can be pulled out by operating the operation means to release the unit drawing restriction.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect , the operation unit includes a gripping portion that can be gripped, and the gripping portion is configured to record the recording unit when the pulling-out unit is restricted by the restricting means. Located at a facing position facing the medium transport unit, the drawer of the recording medium transport unit is restricted, and when the restriction of the drawer unit drawer by the restricting means is released, the recording medium transport unit moves from the facing position to a retracted position. Then, the restriction on the drawer of the recording medium transport unit is released.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, the drawer unit includes a fixing unit and a paper discharge path for conveying the recording medium on which the image is fixed to a discharge portion. It is a fixing paper discharge unit.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the drawer unit reverses the sheet material on which the image is fixed and feeds it again to the image forming unit. The double-sided unit is provided.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any of the eighth to twelfth aspects, the drawer unit is a recording medium conveyance unit that conveys a recording medium.

  According to the present invention, the recording medium is cut by the recording medium cutting means when the operation means is operated to release the pull-out restriction of the drawer unit by the restricting means, so that the pull-out restriction by the restricting means is released. When the drawer unit can be pulled out, the recording medium stopped with a part remaining in the other unit is always cut by the recording medium cutting means. Therefore, when pulling out the drawer unit in the direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, when pulling out the drawer unit, the recording medium straddling the drawer unit and the other unit is crushed by one side of the unit. It can be surely prevented from being torn off. Thereby, the jam processing operation can be facilitated. Further, when the drawer unit is pulled out in the same direction as the recording medium conveyance direction, the drawer unit can be easily pulled out, and the jam handling operation can be facilitated.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine as an image forming apparatus will be described. First, an outline of the copying machine will be described with reference to FIG. This image forming apparatus has a function as a so-called digital color copying machine that scans and reads a document, digitizes it, and copies it on a sheet. The copying machine also has a facsimile function for transferring image information of a document with a remote place and a so-called printer function for printing image information handled by a computer on a sheet.

  In FIG. 1, the copying machine includes a printer unit 100, a paper feed unit 50, and a document conveyance reading unit 150.

  The document conveyance reading unit 150 includes a scanner 160 that is a document reading device fixed on the printer unit 100 and an ADF 170 that is a document conveyance device supported by the scanner 160.

The paper feed unit 50 includes three paper feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c, a feed unit 70, and the like arranged in multiple stages. Further, a retracting unit, which is a drawer unit, is disposed on the left side of the paper feeding unit 50 in the drawing, and a waste toner tank 53 is disposed on the right side of the drawing.
The paper feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c are configured to be drawable from the apparatus main body. The feeding unit 70 includes three pairs of separation rollers 72a, 72b, and 72c, a paper feed path D, and a pair of conveyance rollers 73 serving as a plurality of conveyance units. Each of the three paper feed cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c is housed in a state where a plurality of sheet materials (not shown) serving as recording media are stacked. Then, based on a control signal from the control unit, the feeding rollers 71a, 71b, 71c are rotationally driven, and the uppermost recording paper in the paper bundle is sent out toward the paper feed path D. The fed sheet material is separated into one sheet by the pair of separation rollers 72a, 72b, 72c, and then reaches the sheet feed path D. Then, the paper is fed to the carry-in portion of the paper conveyance unit 30 provided in the printer unit 100 via the conveyance nips of a plurality of paper-feed conveyance roller pairs 73 which are recording medium conveyance means provided in the paper supply path D. .

  In FIG. 1, an image forming unit 10 is provided in the approximate center of the printer unit 100. The image forming unit 10 includes a transfer unit 20 that is a transfer unit in which an endless intermediate transfer belt 21 that is a transfer body is stretched by a plurality of stretching rollers, and yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C ) And four image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K for forming black (K) color images.

Each image forming unit 1Y, M, C, K includes a photoreceptor 2Y, M, C, K as an image carrier that carries a toner image. There are charging devices 3Y, M, C, K, exposure devices 7Y, M, C, K, developing devices 4Y, M, C, K, cleaning devices 5Y, M, C, and K are arranged.
Each of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K is integrally provided with a photoconductor, a charging device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and the like, and is removable from the apparatus main body as a process cartridge.

A transfer unit 20 is disposed below the four image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 21, the transfer unit 20 includes four primary transfer rollers 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, a belt cleaning device (not shown), and the like.
While the endless intermediate transfer belt 21 stretched by a plurality of rollers is brought into contact with the photoreceptors 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K, the endless movement is performed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Let The four primary transfer rollers 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are disposed so as to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and receive a primary transfer bias from a power source (not shown). Further, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is pressed toward the photoreceptors 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K from the inner peripheral surface side to form primary transfer nips. In each primary transfer nip, a primary transfer electric field is formed between the photoreceptors 2Y, M, C, and K and the primary transfer rollers 6Y, M, C, and K due to the influence of the primary transfer bias.

Below the image forming unit 10, a paper conveyance unit 30 that is a drawer unit and a recording medium conveyance unit is provided. The paper transport unit 30 includes a registration roller pair 31, a secondary transfer roller 32, a fixing unit 40, and a plurality of transport roller pairs 37 </ b> B as recording medium transport means. Further, a paper feed path B, a shunt path E, a paper discharge path F, a reversing path G, and the like are provided.
The secondary transfer roller 32 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 around the secondary transfer backup roller 23 from the belt front surface to form a secondary transfer nip. As a result, a secondary transfer nip where the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roller 32 abut is formed.

  A secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 32 by a power source (not shown). On the other hand, the secondary transfer backup roller 23 in the belt loop is grounded. Thereby, a secondary transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip.

  A pair of registration rollers 31 is disposed on the right side of the secondary transfer nip in the drawing, and the sheet material sandwiched between the rollers can be synchronized with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 at the secondary transfer nip. Send it out.

  A conveyance belt unit 34 is disposed on the left side of the secondary transfer nip diagram. The transport belt unit 34 moves the endless transport belt 34a endlessly in the counterclockwise direction in the figure by the rotational drive of the drive roller 34a while being stretched by the drive roller 34b and the driven roller 34c. The sheet material delivered from the secondary transfer nip is conveyed along with the endless movement of the belt while being held on the belt upper tension surface and delivered to the fixing unit 40.

  The fixing unit 40 forms a fixing nip by bringing a pressure roller 42 into contact with a fixing roller 41 containing a heat source. The sheet material received by the fixing unit 40 is pressed or heated in the fixing nip, so that the image on the surface is fixed. Then, the toner is sent out from the fixing unit 40 toward the first switching claw 35.

  The first switching claw 35 is swung by a solenoid (not shown), and the sheet material conveyance path is switched between a discharge path and a retreat path in accordance with the swing. When the paper discharge path is selected by the first switching claw 35, the sheet material sent out from the inside of the fixing unit 40 passes through the paper discharge path F and is discharged outside the apparatus.

When the evacuation path E is selected by the switching claw 35, the sheet material fed out from the fixing unit 40 is a carry-in unit provided on the left side of the sheet feeding unit 50 in the drawing, and a evacuation unit that is a drawer unit. 60.
A reverse path G is formed below the fixing unit 40 and the conveyance belt unit 34. When the sheet material is conveyed from the sheet conveying unit 30 to the retracting unit 60 and the trailing end of the sheet material reaches the unloading roller pair 38 that is unloaded to the retracting unit 60, the unloading roller pair 38 is rotated in reverse to reversely feed the sheet material. Let When the carry-out roller pair 38 is rotated in the reverse direction, the second switching claw 36 is swung clockwise from the posture shown in FIG. Thereby, the sheet material is turned upside down and conveyed to the reversing path G. Then, the image enters the secondary transfer transfer nip again, and the secondary transfer processing and fixing processing of the image are performed on the other surface.

  In the copying machine configured as described above, in each image forming unit 1, in each image forming unit 1, each photosensitive member 2 is uniformly charged by each charging device 3, and laser writing is performed for each color by the exposure device 7. An electrostatic latent image is formed. Then, each developing device 4 develops toner according to the latent image to form a single color toner image. The toner images formed on the respective photoreceptors 2 by the respective image forming units 1 are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  On the other hand, the sheet material is sent to the secondary transfer nip in time with the synthesized color image on the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the color image is secondarily transferred to record the color image on the sheet material. The sheet material on which the color image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip is fixed with the color image by the fixing unit 40. On the other hand, the residual toner remaining on the surface of each photoconductor 2 after the toner image is transferred is removed by each cleaning device 5 to prepare for image formation again. Further, residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the color image is transferred to the sheet material at the secondary transfer nip is removed by a belt cleaning device (not shown) to prepare for image formation again. Residual toner removed by each cleaning device 5 and a belt cleaning device (not shown) is conveyed to a waste toner tank 53.

  A post-processing device 80 is provided on the left side in the drawing of the copying machine, and accepts a sheet material discharged through the paper discharge path F, and performs a predetermined post-processing such as stapling or punching as it is, Discharge onto a discharge tray (not shown).

  A manual feed tray (not shown) is disposed on the right side of the copying machine in the drawing, and the sheet material on the manual feed tray is fed to the paper feed path B of the paper transport unit 30.

A plurality of jam detection sensors (not shown) are provided in the paper feed path B, the reverse path G, the paper discharge path F, and the like of the paper transport unit 30. Jam determination is performed when a jam detection sensor detects a sheet material, and if a sheet material is not detected even after a predetermined period of time has passed from the jam detection sensor downstream of the jam detection sensor, the jam is detected. It is determined that it has occurred.
When it is determined that a jam has occurred, the control unit of the copying machine (not shown) discharges the remaining paper remaining in the paper transport unit 30 to the outside or transports it to the evacuation unit 60. Specifically, the remaining paper on which the image has already been formed passes through the fixing unit 40 and is conveyed outside the apparatus. On the other hand, the remaining paper on which image formation has not been completed is transported to the retracting unit 60 and accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60.
In this way, when processing of the remaining paper remaining in the paper transport unit 30 is completed, the user is notified that a jam has occurred with a warning sound or the like. Then, the user confirms the jam occurrence location displayed on the display panel, pulls out the paper transport unit 30 from the apparatus main body in a direction orthogonal to the sheet material transport direction, and removes the jammed sheet material. Further, the retracting unit 60 is pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the sheet material conveying direction, and the remaining paper stored in the retracting unit 60 is removed.

  In the present embodiment, by configuring the retracting unit 60 as a drawer unit so that the retracting unit 60 can be pulled out toward the front side of the apparatus, the remaining paper accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60 can be easily removed. Further, as described above, the copying machine also functions as a switchback unit that is a component of the duplex unit that reverses the sheet material and enters the secondary transfer transfer nip again by reversing the sheet material. Thereby, compared with what provides the save unit 60 and the switchback part, respectively, size reduction of an apparatus and the freedom degree of an apparatus layout can be raised. In addition, an efficient conveyance path can be designed. Of course, the save unit 60 and the switchback unit may be provided separately.

  If the user forgets to collect the remaining paper stored in the save unit 60 at the time of the previous jam processing, if the remaining unit 60 stores a lot of remaining paper, the remaining paper is stored in the storage unit of the save unit 60. In some cases, the remaining paper stops across the paper transport unit 30 and the retreat unit 60. As described above, when one of the paper transport unit 30 and the retreat unit 60 is pulled out from the apparatus main body in a state where the remaining paper has stopped over the paper transport unit 30 and the retreat unit 60, the sheet material is removed. The sheet is torn in one of the directions (sheet material width direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction. Further, when the sheet material is thick paper, the paper transport unit 30 and the evacuation unit 60 cannot be pulled out, and jam processing cannot be performed. Further, if the paper transport unit 30 or the retracting unit 60 is forcibly pulled out, the paper transport unit 30 or the retracting unit 60 may be damaged.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 60 that is a drawer unit is provided with a loaded recording medium cutting unit 90 that cuts the sheet material stopped across the paper transport unit 30 and the storage unit 60. The carry-in recording medium cutting means 90 includes a rotary cutter 91 and a fixed blade 92. The carry-in recording medium cutting means 90 is disposed in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance, which is a carry-in unit into which the sheet material is carried from the paper carrying unit 30. When the remaining paper stops across the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60, the recording medium cutting means 90 cuts the remaining paper stopped across the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60, and If the retracting unit 60 or the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, the above-described tearing of the sheet material can be prevented. However, if the user forgets to operate the carry-in recording medium cutting means 90 and pulls out the retracting unit 60 or the paper transport unit 30, the sheet material is crumpled in either direction in the sheet material width direction and is torn off. It will be.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cutting of the carry-in recording medium cutting unit 90 is configured to be performed in conjunction with the operation for releasing the restriction of the withdrawal of the retracting unit 60 and the paper transport unit 30. In this way, the retracting unit 60 or the sheet transporting unit 30 is configured to perform the cutting of the loaded recording medium cutting unit 90 in conjunction with the operation of releasing the restriction of the withdrawal of the retracting unit 60 and the sheet transporting unit 30. When pulling out, the cutting operation of the loaded recording medium cutting means 90 is always performed. Therefore, when the retracting unit 60 or the sheet transport unit 30 is pulled out, the sheet material that has stopped across the sheet transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60 is reliably cut. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material from being crumpled in any one of the sheet material width directions and being torn off.
This will be specifically described below.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the retracting unit 60.
The evacuation unit 60 is configured to be pulled out from the apparatus main body by a slide rail or the like (not shown).
As shown in the drawing, an opening door 63 that opens in the direction of the arrow in the drawing is provided on the left side surface of the retracting unit 60 in the drawing. When the retracting unit 60 is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the remaining doors accommodated in the accommodating unit 68 of the retracting unit are easily removed by opening the opening door 63. A viewing window 62 serving as a visual recognition means is provided on the side surface of the retracting unit 60 in the pulling direction side (front side surface of the apparatus) so that the remaining paper stored in the storage portion 68 can be confirmed without opening the opening door 63. It has become. A carry-in port 67 serving as a carry-in unit is provided on the upper surface of the retracting unit 60, and a carry-in recording medium cutting unit 90 including a rotary cutter 91 and a fixed blade 92 is provided in the vicinity of the carry-in port 67. .

The rotary cutter 91 has a rotary part 91a having a substantially oval cross section and extending in the sheet material width direction, and a rotary blade 91b attached to the rotary part 91a. The rotary blade 91b is slightly spiraled toward the back side in the figure. Rotating shafts 93a and 93b extend at both ends of the rotating portion 91a, and the rotating shafts 93a and 93b are rotatably supported by the retracting unit 60 via bearings 94a and 94b, respectively (see FIG. 4). . An operation lever 120 serving as an operation means is fixed to the end of the front rotation shaft of the rotation unit 91a. Further, a stopper member 141 is fixed to the end portion of the back side rotation shaft 93b of the rotation portion 91a.
The fixed blade 92 may have the cutting edge 92a directed upstream in the transport direction as shown in FIG. 3A, or may be directed downstream as shown in FIG. 3C. However, it is preferable to provide the cutting edge 92a on the upstream side because the sheet material P can be guided by the cutting edge 92a. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the fixed blade 92 may be arranged on the right side in the drawing, and the rotary cutter 91 may be arranged on the left side in the drawing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view around the rotary cutter 91.
As shown in the figure, an operation lever 120 as an operation means is attached to the front end of the rotary shaft 93a on the front side of the rotary cutter 91. Further, a stopper member 141 which is a member constituting a restricting means is fixed to the tip of the back side rotation shaft 93b of the rotary cutter 91.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the stopper mechanism 140 serving as a restricting unit.
As shown in the figure, the stopper mechanism 140 is composed of a stopper member 141 fixed to the tip of the back side rotation shaft 93b of the rotary cutter 91, an arm 142 and an arm 142 fixed to the back side plate 130 of the apparatus in a swingable manner. It has a roller 143 attached rotatably.
The stopper member 141 has a rectangular shape, and one end side is fixed to the back side rotation shaft 93 b of the rotary cutter 91. On the other end side of the stopper member 141, a locking groove 141a is provided.
A central portion of the arm 142 is fixed to the back side plate 130 of the apparatus by a swing pin 147 so as to be swingable. A roller 143 is rotatably fixed to one end of the arm 142. The other end of the arm 142 is biased by a compression spring 145 that is a biasing member. The roller 143 attached to one end of the arm 142 is urged toward the stopper member 141 by the urging force of the compression spring 145.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the retracting unit 60 is attached to the apparatus main body, the back side rotation shaft 93b penetrates the rectangular through hole 131 provided in the back side plate 130 of the apparatus body. The stopper member 141 is located on the back side of the apparatus with respect to the back side plate 130.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the movement of the retracting unit 60 in the pull-out direction (in the direction of arrow Q in the figure) is restricted by the stopper mechanism 140, the locking groove of the stopper member 141 as shown in FIG. A roller 143 is engaged with 141a. In this way, when the locking groove 141a is directed upward in the vertical direction and engaged with the roller 143, as shown in FIG. 4A, a part of the stopper member 141 is attached to the back side plate 130 of the apparatus. It faces the surface on the opposite side of the facing unit. As a result, even if the retracting unit 60 is to be pulled out toward the near side (in the direction of arrow Q in the figure), the stopper member 141 hits the surface opposite to the retracting unit facing surface of the back plate 130 on the back side of the apparatus, and is in front of the retracting unit 60. Pulling out to the side (in the direction of arrow Q in the figure) can be restricted.

When pulling out the retracting unit 60 from the apparatus main body, the user comes into contact with the holding protrusions 122 provided on the front side plate 60a of the retracting unit 60, as shown in FIG. 4B. The operation lever 120 is rotated until the grip 121 is directed downward in the vertical direction. Note that the rotation of the operation lever 120 on the side opposite to the direction of the arrow M in the figure is restricted by a rotation prevention projection 146 provided on the back side plate 130 of the apparatus. Further, when the stopper member 141 and the roller 143 are separated from each other, the locking protrusion 122 may be omitted in the configuration in which the grip portion 121 automatically faces downward due to the weight of the operation lever 120. When the stopper member 141 is separated from the roller 143, the other end of the arm 142 abuts against a restriction projection 144 provided on the apparatus back side plate 130 to restrict the rotation of the arm 142.
In this way, when the operation lever 120 is rotated so that the grip portion 121 faces downward, the stopper member 141 rotates in the direction of arrow N as shown in FIG. 4B, and the stopper member 141 is locked. The groove 141a is also directed downward in the vertical direction. As a result, a part of the stopper member 141 does not face the opposite surface of the back plate 130 of the apparatus on the side opposite to the retracting unit, and the movement restriction of the retracting unit 60 in the pulling direction (arrow Q direction in the figure) is released. The Thereby, the save unit 60 can be pulled out.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the operation lever 120 is rotated in order to release the movement restriction of the retracting unit 60 in the pulling direction, the rotary cutter 91 rotates. As a result, when there is a remaining paper that straddles the paper transport unit 30 and the retreat unit 60, the remaining paper is cut.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the remaining sheet cutting of the carry-in recording medium cutting unit 90.
As shown in FIG. 6A, when the sheet material P is stopped across the paper transport unit 30 and the retreat unit 60, the operation lever 120 is used to release the movement restriction in the pull-out direction of the retreat unit 60. As shown in FIG. 6B, the rotary cutter 91 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. Then, the front side of the rotary blade 91b and the tip of the fixed blade 92 come into contact (point K in the figure), and the cutting of the sheet material P is started. This is because the rotary blade 91b is formed in a slightly spiral shape toward the back side, so that the front side of the rotary blade 91b first contacts the tip of the fixed blade 92. When the operation lever 120 is further rotated, the contact position of the rotary blade 91b with the tip of the fixed blade 92 moves from the near side to the far side, and the sheet material P is gradually cut from the near side to the far side. Go. As shown in FIG. 6C, the cutting of the sheet material P is completed before the movement restriction in the pulling direction by the operation lever 120 is released (while the operation lever 120 is being rotated). Then, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the gripping portion 121 faces downward and the movement restriction in the pulling direction is released, the portion of the sheet material P that is positioned in the retracting unit 60 is the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60. Fall into.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet material P is cut by the recording medium cutting unit 90 by the operation of releasing the movement restriction of the retracting unit 60 in the pulling direction by the operation lever 120. Specifically, the sheet material P is cut by the recording medium cutting means 90 in conjunction with the operation of releasing the movement restriction in the pull-out direction of the retracting unit 60 by the operation lever 120. As a result, when the retracting unit 60 is pulled out, the sheet material P in a stopped state is surely cut across the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material P from being crumpled in either direction of the sheet material width and being torn off.

  In this embodiment, the rotary blade 91b is formed in a slightly spiral shape toward the back side, and the front side of the rotary blade 91b is first brought into contact with the tip of the fixed blade 92, but this may be reversed. That is, the rotary blade 91b may be formed in a spiral shape such that the back side of the rotary blade 91b first contacts the tip of the fixed blade 92, and the sheet material P may be gradually cut from the back to the front.

  When the retracting unit 60 is pulled out from the apparatus main body and the sheet material accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60 is removed, the retracting unit 60 is pushed into the apparatus main body, and the retracting unit 60 is attached to the apparatus main body. When the retracting unit 60 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the operation lever 120 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow M direction in FIG. When the operation lever 120 is rotated in the reverse direction, the stopper member 141 comes into contact with the rotation-preventing projection 144 provided on the back plate 130 on the back of the apparatus, and the roller 143 engages with the locking groove 141a of the stopper member 141. To do. When the roller 143 is engaged with the locking groove 141 a of the stopper member 141, the roller 143 presses the stopper member 141 by the urging force of the compression spring 145. Thereby, it can suppress that the stopper member 141 rotates by vibration etc., and restrictions are cancelled | released.

  Further, the stopper mechanism 140 may be provided with a detecting means for detecting whether or not the withdrawal unit 60 is pulled out. As an example, the rotation preventing projection 144 is a push switch. When the roller 143 is not engaged with the locking groove 141a, that is, when the withdrawal restriction of the retracting unit is released, one end of the arm contacts the push switch. As a result, it is possible to detect that the withdrawal unit withdrawal restriction has been released. When the roller 143 is engaged with the locking groove 141a, that is, when the withdrawal of the retracting unit is restricted, one end of the arm is separated from the push switch. Thereby, it can be detected that the withdrawal unit is restricted. When the retracting unit is not regulated, if an image formation execution command or the device door is closed, a warning sound will be sent to notify the user that the retracting unit is not regulated. To do. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the image formation from being executed in a state where the withdrawal unit is not restricted. Further, when the retracting unit is pulled out, an operation for releasing the pulling is surely performed, and the sheet material P in a stopped state is surely cut across the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60.

In the present embodiment, the paper transport unit 30 is also configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body. For this reason, in a state where there is remaining paper that is stopped across the paper conveyance unit 30 and the retreat unit 60, the paper conveyance is performed before the operation lever 120 is operated to cancel the movement restriction in the pull-out direction of the retreat unit 60. If the unit 30 is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the remaining paper is crumpled in the sheet material width direction and is torn off.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the paper transport unit 30 cannot be pulled out unless the operation lever 120 is operated to release the movement restriction of the retracting unit 60 in the pulling direction. This will be specifically described below.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged configuration diagram around the operation lever 120.
As shown in the figure, the operation lever 120 is configured so that a part of the grip part 121 faces the paper transport unit 30 when the pulling direction movement of the retracting unit 60 with the grip part 121 facing upward is restricted. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the paper transport unit 30 is to be pulled out, the front side surface of the paper transport unit 30 abuts the grip portion 121 of the operation lever 120 and moves toward the front side of the paper transport unit 30. The drawer can be regulated. Then, when the operation lever 120 is rotated to cancel the withdrawal restriction of the retracting unit 60, the grip portion 121 of the operation lever 120 moves from the facing position facing the paper transport unit 30 to the retracted position for retracting. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60 can be pulled out. Further, when the operation lever 120 is rotated to release the restriction of the withdrawal unit 60, the recording medium cutting unit 90 performs the operation of cutting the sheet material P as described above. The sheet material P in a stopped state straddling the retreat unit 60 is cut. As a result, even when the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, the sheet material P in a state of being reliably stopped across the paper transport unit 30 and the retracting unit 60 is cut. Therefore, even when the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material P from being crumpled in one direction in the sheet material width direction and being torn off.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, a carry-in recording medium cutting unit 190 may be provided near the carry-in portion of the paper transport unit 30. In this case, apart from the retracting unit 60, a restricting means for restricting the movement of the paper transport unit 30 in the pull-out direction and an operation lever as an operating means for releasing the restriction by the restricting means are provided. Then, the operation of operating the control lever performs the cutting operation of the sheet material of the loaded recording medium cutting means of the paper transport unit 30 in conjunction with the release of the restriction of the restriction means. As a result, due to some trouble, the sheet conveying unit 30 can be pulled out only after the sheet material remaining between the sheet conveying unit 30 and the feeding unit 70 is cut without being conveyed to the retreat unit 60. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet material remaining between the paper transport unit 30 and the feeding unit 70 from being crumpled in the sheet material width direction and being torn off.

  Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described.

[Modification 1]
First, Modification 1 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the first modification.
As shown in the drawing, in the image forming apparatus according to the first modification, the evacuation unit 60 is fixed to the apparatus main body. The sheet material accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60 is configured such that the sheet material accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 is removed by opening the opening door 168 provided on the left side surface of the apparatus. . In the image forming apparatus according to the first modification, the sheet material from the unloading recording medium cutting unit 290 and the feeding unit 70 is disposed in the vicinity of the unloading unit that unloads the sheet material to the retracting unit 60 of the sheet conveying unit 30 as a drawer unit. A carry-in recording medium cutting means 190 is provided in the vicinity of the carry-in section to be carried in.

FIG. 12A is a schematic configuration diagram around the carry-out recording medium cutting unit 290, and FIG. 12B is a schematic configuration diagram around the carry-in recording medium cutting unit 190.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the carry-out recording medium cutting unit 290 includes a fixed blade 291 and a rotary cutter 292. Between the unloading roller pair 38 and the unloading recording medium cutting means 290, the sheet material is moved between the rotary cutter 292 and the fixed blade 291 so that the sheet material P can smoothly pass between the rotary cutter 292 and the fixed blade 291. A guide plate 38a is provided in between. Further, the linear portion of the rotating portion 292a is inclined so that the linear portion of the rotating portion 292a of the rotary cutter 292 serves as a guide and the sheet material P is smoothly carried into the retracting unit 60.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, the carry-in recording medium cutting means 190 also includes a fixed blade 191 and a rotary cutter 192. The linear portion of the rotating portion 192a is inclined so that the sheet material P is smoothly conveyed to the guide portion 37a. Thereby, the sheet material P carried in from the feeding unit 70 is guided to the linear portion of the rotating portion 192a and smoothly guided to the guide member.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of the operation lever 180 of the paper transport unit 30 and its peripheral structure.
As shown in FIG. 13, the operation lever 180 is fixed to the front end portion of the rotary shaft 181 that is rotatably supported by the paper transport unit 30. A rectangular stopper member 141 is fixed to the rear end of the rotating shaft 181. When the paper transport unit 30 is attached to the apparatus main body, the rotary shaft 181 passes through a rectangular through hole 132 (dotted line in the figure) provided in the apparatus back side plate, and the stopper member 141 is the apparatus. It is located on the back side with respect to the back side plate 130. The detailed configuration of the stopper member 141 and the configuration of the stopper mechanism 140 (not shown) serving as the restricting means are the same as the configuration shown in FIG.

A first driven pulley 182a is fixed to the end of the front rotation shaft 293a of the rotary cutter 292 of the carry-out recording medium cutting means 290, and the first pulley 183a is fixed near the front end of the rotation shaft 181. Has been. A first timing belt 184a is stretched between the first pulley 183a and the first driven pulley 182a.
A second driven pulley 182b is fixed to the end of the front rotation shaft 193a of the rotary cutter 192 of the loaded recording medium cutting means 190, and the second pulley 183b is fixed near the front end of the rotation shaft 181. Has been. A second timing belt 184b is stretched between the second pulley 183b and the second driven pulley 182b.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the gripping portion 180a of the operation lever 180 is upward, a part of the stopper member 141 faces the surface opposite to the sheet transport unit facing surface of the apparatus back side plate. As a result, when the gripping portion 180a of the operation lever 180 is upward, when the paper transport unit 30 is to be pulled out, the stopper member 141 hits the back side plate of the apparatus and movement in the pulling direction is restricted.

  When pulling out the paper transport unit 30, the operation lever 180 is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise in the figure, and the operation lever 180 is brought into contact with a locking projection 122 provided on the front side plate of the paper transport unit 30. The stopper member 141 does not face the back plate on the back side of the apparatus, and the movement restriction in the pulling direction of the paper transport unit 30 is released. Thereby, the sheet conveyance unit 30 can be pulled out from the apparatus main body as shown in FIG.

Further, when the operation lever 180 is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise in the drawing in order to release the movement restriction in the pull-out direction of the paper transport unit 30, the carry-in recording medium cutting means 190 of the carry-in recording medium cutting means 190 is rotated via the second timing belt 184b. The rotary cutter 192 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, and the sheet material cutting operation is performed. Accordingly, the sheet material P stopped between the feeding unit 70 and the paper transport unit 30 is cut due to some trouble. Further, when the operation lever 180 is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise in the drawing in order to release the movement restriction in the pulling direction of the paper conveyance unit 30, the unloading recording medium cutting means 290 is connected via the first timing belt 184a. The rotary cutter 292 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, and the sheet material cutting operation is performed. As a result, the sheet material stopped across the retreat unit 60 and the paper transport unit 30 is cut due to some trouble.
As described above, in the first modification, when the paper transport unit 30 that is the drawer unit is pulled out, the sheet material P and the retreat unit 60 and the paper that are reliably stopped straddling between the paper feed unit 70 and the paper transport unit 30 are used. The sheet material P stopped across the conveyance unit 30 is cut. Thereby, when the paper conveyance unit 30 is pulled out, it is possible to prevent the sheet material P from being moved to the sheet material width direction and being torn off at the carry-in part or the carry-out part of the paper conveyance unit 30.

[Modification 2]
Next, Modification 2 will be described.
FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the second modification. The image forming apparatus according to the second modification is a monochrome image forming apparatus. Then, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), a fixing paper discharge unit 30a having a fixing unit and a paper discharge path F composed of a plurality of paper discharge conveyance roller pairs serving as conveyance means is provided as a drawer unit. It can be pulled out. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16B, the double-sided unit including the switchback unit 139 and the reversing path G composed of a plurality of reversing conveyance roller pairs is configured as a drawer unit so that it can be pulled out from the apparatus main body. Yes.

  The procedure for forming an image formed on the photosensitive member 2 in the first modified example on a sheet material is as follows. The sheet materials stacked on the sheet feeding cassettes 51a, 51b, and 51c are fed by the feeding devices 170a, 170b, and 170c, respectively, and are conveyed by the vertical feeding unit 70 to a position where they contact the photoreceptor 2. The image data on the memory is written onto the photoreceptor 2 by a laser from the exposure device 7 and passes through the developing unit 4 to form a toner image. The toner image on the photosensitive member is transferred while the sheet P is conveyed by the conveying belt 34 at the same speed as the rotation of the photosensitive member 2. Thereafter, the image is fixed by the fixing unit 40 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 81.

  When images are formed on both sides, the sheet material P fed from each of the paper feed cassettes 51a, 51b, 51c is not guided to the discharge tray 81 side by a discharge path switching claw (not shown). It is transported to the entrance transport path and transported to the pullable duplex unit 30b. The sheet material P carried into the duplex unit 30b is temporarily stored in the switchback unit 139, and is fed out in the reverse direction by the switchback roller pair 139a serving as a return conveyance unit, and is guided downward by a reverse path switching claw (not shown). It is reversed and sent to a reversing path G provided therebelow. Then, it is sent again to the vertical feeding unit 70 by the double-sided reversing roller pair 37G, which is a conveying means connected to a drive source (motor) (not shown), and is discharged after the image is printed on the back surface. Each of the reverse conveying roller pair 37G is provided with a drive shut-off means such as an electromagnetic clutch so that the reverse path G is filled with one or more sheets of material and can wait once.

  When the sheet material is reversed and discharged, the sheet material that has been switched back by the duplex unit 30b as described above is sent to the reverse discharge conveyance path F ′ without being sent to the reverse path G by the reverse path switching claw (not shown). The paper is returned again to the fixing paper discharge unit 30a and discharged out of the main body, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 81 by the fixing paper discharge unit 30a.

As shown in FIG. 17, a loaded recording medium cutting means 390 is provided in the vicinity of a carry-in portion into which a sheet material is carried from the fixing paper discharge unit 30a of the duplex unit 30b that is a drawer unit. Further, an unloading recording medium cutting means 490 is provided in the vicinity of the unloading section for unloading the sheet material to the vertical feeding unit 70 of the duplex unit 30b. The configurations of the carry-out recording medium cutting unit 490 and the carrying-in recording medium cutting unit 390 are the same as described above.
As shown in FIG. 16B, the double-sided unit 30b has an operation lever 180 that releases the drawer by a regulating means (not shown) that regulates the drawer of the double-sided unit 30b. As shown in FIG. 18A, when the pull-out of the duplex unit 30b is restricted, a part of the grip portion of the operation lever 180 faces the fixing paper discharge unit 30a. As a result, even if the gripping portion 280 of the fixing paper discharge unit 30a is gripped and the fixing paper discharge unit 30a is to be pulled out to the apparatus main body, the gripping portion of the operation lever 180 comes into contact with the fixing paper discharge unit 30a. It is designed not to be pulled out.

  As with the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the operation lever 180 has a stopper member 141 attached to the back end, and a rotary shaft having a first pulley and a second pulley fixed near the front end. It is fixed to. The first timing belt is stretched between the first pulley and the first carry-out pulley attached to the rotary shaft of the rotary cutter of the carry-out recording medium cutting means, and the second timing belt is carried into the second pulley. The recording medium cutting means is stretched around a second carry-in pulley attached to the rotary shaft of the rotary cutter.

When the operation lever 180 is rotated to pull out the duplex unit 30b, as shown in FIG. 18B, the gripping portion of the operation lever 180 is moved from a facing position facing the fixing sheet discharge unit 30a to a retracted position where it is retracted. Moving. As a result, the duplex unit 30b and the fixing sheet discharge unit 30a can be pulled out. Further, when the operation lever 180 is rotated to release the restriction on the drawer of the duplex unit 30b, the sheet material cutting operation of the carry-in recording medium cutting means 390 is performed, so that the gap between the fixing sheet discharge unit 30a and the duplex unit 30b is performed. The sheet material that has been stopped over is cut. Further, when the operation lever 180 is rotated to release the restriction on the drawer of the duplex unit 30b, the sheet material cutting operation of the unloading recording medium cutting means 490 is performed, so that between the duplex unit 30b and the vertical feeding unit 70 is performed. The sheet material in a state stopped at is cut.
As described above, in the second modification, when the fixing paper discharge unit 30a or the duplex unit 30b is pulled out, the sheet material and the duplex unit 30b that are securely stopped between the longitudinal feeding unit 70 and the duplex unit 30b and the fixing are fixed. The sheet material stopped across the paper discharge unit 30a is cut. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sheet material from being crumpled in the width direction of the sheet material at the carry-in portion or the carry-out portion of the fixing paper discharge unit 30a or the duplex unit 30b.

  Further, a recording medium cutting means may be provided in the vicinity of the carry-out portion for carrying out the sheet material to the paper discharge tray 81 of the fixing paper discharge unit 30a or in the vicinity of the carry-in portion where the sheet material is carried from the conveyance belt 34 to the fixing paper discharge unit 30a. Good. In this case, in order to pull out the fixing paper discharge unit 30a, first, the operation lever provided in the duplex unit is operated so that it can be pulled out, and then the operation lever provided in the fixing paper discharge unit is operated to fix the fixing paper discharge unit 30a. Release the paper output unit drawer restriction. When operating the operation lever provided in the fixing paper discharge unit to release the regulation of the fixing paper discharge unit, the recording medium cutting means provided near the carry-out portion or the carry-in portion of the fixing paper discharge unit 30a is used. Sheet material cutting operation is performed. As a result, when the fixing paper discharge unit 30a can be pulled out, the sheet material stopped straddling the fixing paper discharge unit 30a and the paper discharge tray 81, or straddling the transport belt 34 and the fixing paper discharge unit 30a. Stopped sheet material is cut. As a result, even when the fixing paper discharge unit 30a is pulled out, it is possible to prevent the sheet material from squeezing at the carry-out portion or the carry-in portion of the fixing paper discharge unit 30a and being torn off.

[Modification 3]
Next, Modification 3 will be described.
FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to Modification 3. In the image forming apparatus according to the third modification, the sheet transfer unit 30 including the secondary transfer roller 32, the fixing unit 40, the discharge path, and the like can be pulled out from the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. It is configured. Further, the double-sided unit 230 having a switchback unit, a reverse path, and the like is also configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body as shown in FIG.

  The sheet transport unit 30 is provided with a first loaded recording medium cutting unit 590a in the vicinity of a first loading unit into which a sheet material is loaded from the feeding unit 70. Further, a second loading recording medium cutting unit 590b is provided in the vicinity of the second loading portion where the sheet material is loaded from the manual feed tray 82. In addition, an unloading recording medium cutting unit 591 is provided in the vicinity of the unloading section for unloading to the sheet discharge tray 81.

  The duplex unit 230 is provided with a loaded recording medium cutting unit 231 in the vicinity of a loading unit into which a sheet material is loaded from the sheet conveying unit 30. Further, an unloading recording medium cutting unit 232 is provided in the vicinity of the unloading unit for unloading the sheet material from the duplex unit 230 to the sheet conveying unit 30.

  Also in the image forming apparatus according to the third modified example, when the drawer of the duplex unit 230 is restricted, a part of the grip portion of the operation lever 180 that releases the regulation of the drawer of the duplex unit 230 faces the sheet conveyance unit 30 and the sheet The drawer of the transport unit 30 is restricted. When the drawer restriction of the duplex unit 230 is canceled, the sheet material cutting operation of the unloading recording medium cutting unit 232 and the loaded recording medium cutting unit 231 of the duplex unit 230 is performed in conjunction with the cancellation operation. As a result, the sheet material stopped across the duplex unit 230 and the paper transport unit 30 is cut. Therefore, even if the double-sided unit 230 is pulled out, it is possible to prevent the sheet material from coming close to the sheet material width direction and being torn off at the carrying-in part or carrying-out part of the double-sided unit 230.

  When the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, the drawer regulation of the duplex unit 230 is released, and further, the operation lever 181 provided in the paper transport unit 30 is operated to cancel the drawer regulation of the paper transport unit 30. The cutting operation of the first loaded recording medium cutting unit 590a is performed in conjunction with the operation of operating the operation lever 181 provided in the paper transport unit 30 to release the drawer regulation of the paper transport unit 30. Further, the cutting operation of the second carry-in recording medium cutting unit 590b and the cutting operation of the carry-out recording medium cutting unit 591 are also performed. Accordingly, the sheet material stopped between the manual feed tray 82 and the paper transport unit 30, the sheet material stopped between the paper discharge tray 81 and the paper transport unit 30, and between the feeding unit 70 and the paper transport unit 30. The sheet material stopped at is cut. Therefore, even when the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, it is possible to prevent the sheet material from squeezing in one direction in the sheet material width direction at the carry-in part or the carry-out part of the paper transport unit 30 and being torn off. it can.

[Modification 4]
Next, Modification 4 will be described.
FIG. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus of Modification 4.
As shown in the drawing, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth modification, the retracting unit 60 is fixed to the apparatus main body. The sheet material accommodated in the accommodating portion 68 of the retracting unit 60 is configured such that the sheet material accommodated in the retracting unit accommodating portion 68 is removed by opening an opening door 168 provided on the left side surface of the apparatus. ing. In the image forming apparatus according to the fourth modified example, a loaded recording medium cutting unit 690 is provided in the vicinity of the loading unit of the retracting unit 60 into which the sheet material is loaded from the sheet conveying unit 30 as a drawer unit.

  The carry-in recording medium cutting means 690 includes a rotary cutter and a fixed blade as described above, and the operation lever 120 is fixed to the front end of the rotary shaft on the front side of the rotary cutter, as in FIG. Then, the grip portion 121 of the operation lever 120 faces the paper transport unit 30 to restrict the drawer of the paper transport unit 30. When the paper transport unit 30 is pulled out, the operation lever 120 is rotated, and the grip portion 121 of the operation lever 120 is moved from the facing position facing the paper transport unit 30 to the retracted position where it is retracted. As a result, the paper transport unit 30 can be pulled out. In addition, the rotary cutter of the loaded recording medium cutting means 690 provided in the retracting unit 60 rotates in conjunction with the movement of rotating the operation lever 120 to release the paper feed unit 30 and thereby restricting the drawer. A cutting operation is performed. As a result, the sheet material stopped between the paper conveyance unit 30 and the evacuation unit 60 is cut, and even if the paper conveyance unit 30 is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the sheet material remains in the sheet material width direction at the carry-out portion of the paper conveyance unit 30. It is possible to prevent it from being torn away due to crawls.

  In the above description, the recording medium cutting means is composed of a fixed blade and a rotary cutter, but may be composed of a fixed blade 92 and a guillotine cutter 93 as shown in FIG. In the configuration using the guillotine cutter 93, in order to slide the guillotine cutter 93 to the fixed blade side by the rotation of the operation lever, the gear 94 is fixed to the rotating shaft to which the operation lever is fixed. A rack portion 93a that meshes with the gear is provided. Thereby, the guillotine cutter 93 moves to the fixed blade side in conjunction with the turning operation for releasing the control lever pull-out restriction, and the sheet material can be cut. When the drawer unit is mounted on the apparatus main body and the operation lever is operated so as to restrict the drawer unit with the restricting means, the guillotine cutter 93 moves away from the fixed blade 92, and the fixed blade 92, the guillotine cutter 93, There is a gap between them. Thereby, the sheet material can pass between the fixed blade 92 and the guillotine cutter 93.

  The present invention can also be applied to a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out of the apparatus main body in which the stored sheet material is conveyed to the feeding unit. That is, when the sheet cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body with the sheet material stopped across the sheet cassette and the feeding unit, the stopped sheet material straddles between the sheet cassette and the feeding unit 70. It will be torn in the width direction. Therefore, the unloading section recording medium cutting means is provided near the unloading section of the sheet cassette, and the unloading section recording medium cutting means is cut in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever that releases the stopper mechanism that restricts the sheet feeding cassette in the pulling direction. Enable operation. As a result, the stopped sheet material is cut between the paper feeding cassette and the feeding unit, and even if the paper feeding cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the sheet material is removed at the feeding cassette unloading unit and the feeding unit loading unit. It is possible to prevent the sheet material from being torn in one of the width directions of the sheet material.

  Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a drawer unit that is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction. In this case, when the sheet material stops across the unit on the apparatus body side and the drawer unit that is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction, the sheet material is sandwiched between the conveyance roller pair of the unit on the apparatus body side, It is also held between a pair of conveyance rollers provided in the drawer unit. In this state, if the drawer unit is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction, a large force is required due to the clamping force of the conveyance roller pair of the unit on the apparatus main body side. Also, when pulling out the drawer unit, a load is applied to the pair of conveyance rollers holding the sheet material on the apparatus main body side or the pair of conveyance rollers holding the sheet material of the drawer unit, and the pair of conveyance rollers may be damaged. There is also. For this reason, the jam handling operation becomes difficult. Therefore, in the drawer unit that pulls out in the same direction as the sheet material conveyance direction, a recording medium cutting unit is provided, and the recording medium cutting unit is operated in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever that releases the stopper mechanism that restricts the drawer unit in the pulling direction. Enable cutting operation. Thus, when the drawer unit is pulled out in the same direction as the sheet material conveying direction, the sheet material stopped across the unit on the apparatus main body side and the drawer unit is cut, so that the drawer unit can be pulled out smoothly. Further, no load is applied to the conveying roller pair that holds the sheet material on the apparatus main body side and the conveying roller pair that holds the sheet material of the drawer unit, and damage to the conveying roller pair can be suppressed. .

  As described above, in the drawer unit of the present embodiment, the sheet material as the recording medium is cut by the recording medium cutting means by the operation of the operation lever as the operating means for releasing the pulling restriction by the stopper mechanism as the restricting means. As a result, when the drawer unit is in a drawable state, the sheet material stopped across the other unit and the drawer unit is surely cut by the recording medium cutting means. Therefore, when the drawer unit is pulled out, the sheet material stopped across the other units and the drawer unit does not crawl in the sheet material width direction and is torn off. As a result, it is possible to easily remove the sheet material stopped across the other unit and the drawer unit.

  In addition, when the drawer unit is in a drawable state by linking the cutting of the sheet material by the recording medium cutting means with the operation of the operation lever when releasing the restriction by the stopper mechanism, the other unit and the drawer unit Thus, the sheet material stopped across the sheet can be surely cut by the recording medium cutting means.

  Also, by using a rotary cutter as the recording medium cutting means, the recording medium cutting means can be made smaller than when using a guillotine cutter.

  In addition, the drawer unit of the present embodiment includes a storage unit that stores the sheet material carried in from the paper transport unit, so that the sheet material carried in from the paper transport unit can be stored.

  In addition, the drawer unit of the present embodiment is provided with a visual window that is a visual recognition means that allows the sheet material accommodated in the accommodating portion to be visually recognized without pulling out the drawer unit, so that the drawer unit is not pulled out in the accommodating portion. The accommodated sheet material can be confirmed.

  In addition, the drawer unit of the present embodiment includes a pair of conveyance rollers as a recording medium conveyance unit that conveys the sheet material conveyed from the unit upstream in the sheet material conveyance direction and conveys the sheet material to the unit downstream in the sheet material conveyance direction. Thus, the sheet material can be conveyed from the unit upstream in the sheet material conveyance direction to the unit downstream in the sheet material conveyance direction.

  In addition, the drawer unit of the present embodiment includes a loaded recording medium cutting unit that cuts the recording medium stopped in a state where a part is left in the upstream unit in the recording medium conveyance direction, and a unit downstream in the recording medium conveyance direction. And a discharge recording medium cutting means for cutting the recording medium stopped in a state where a part of the recording medium is conveyed, and a sheet by the discharge recording medium cutting means by operating an operation lever as an operation means for releasing the restriction by the stopper mechanism. The material is cut and the sheet material is cut by the loaded recording medium cutting means. Therefore, when the drawer unit can be pulled out, the sheet material stopped in a state where a part is left in the upstream unit in the sheet material conveyance direction and a part is conveyed to the downstream unit in the sheet material conveyance direction. The sheet material stopped in the state is surely cut by the recording medium cutting means. As a result, when the drawer unit is pulled out, the sheet material stopped across the other units and the drawer unit does not crawl in the sheet material width direction and is torn off. As a result, it is possible to easily remove the sheet material stopped across the other unit and the drawer unit.

  In addition, the drawer unit of the present embodiment includes a reversing path that reverses the sheet material while being conveyed by the pair of reverse conveying rollers serving as a conveying unit, so that the sheet material can be reversed and conveyed by the drawer unit.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, it is configured to be able to be pulled out with respect to the apparatus main body, and includes a recording medium transport unit that transports a recording medium to the drawer unit. The paper transport unit can be pulled out by canceling the drawer regulation. As a result, the sheet transport unit cannot be pulled out unless the operation lever is operated to release the pull-out restriction of the pull-out unit by the stopper mechanism, and the sheet material cutting operation of the loaded recording medium cutting means is not performed. Therefore, when the paper transport unit is in a drawable state, the sheet material straddling the paper transport unit and the drawer unit is cut. As a result, when the paper transport unit is pulled out, the sheet material stopped across the paper transport unit and the drawer unit does not crawl in the sheet material width direction and is torn off.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the operation lever includes the gripping portion that can be gripped, and the gripping portion is located at a position facing the paper transport unit when the drawer unit pull-out is restricted by the stopper mechanism. The drawer of the transport unit is restricted. As a result, when the paper transport unit is to be pulled out, the paper transport unit abuts against the grip portion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the paper transport unit from being pulled out when the drawer regulation of the drawer unit is not released and the sheet material cutting operation of the loaded recording medium cutting unit is not performed. In addition, when the restriction of the drawer unit drawer by the stopper mechanism is released by operating the operation lever, the gripping part of the operation lever moves from the opposite position to the retracted position, and the restriction on the drawer of the paper transport unit is released. Is done. As a result, the drawer control of the drawer unit is released by operating the operation lever, and after the sheet material cutting operation of the loaded recording medium cutting means is performed, the paper transport unit can be pulled out. Therefore, when the paper transport unit is pulled out, the sheet material stopped across the paper transport unit and the drawer unit does not crawl in the sheet material width direction and is torn off.

  In addition, according to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the discharge unit includes a fixing discharge unit including a fixing unit and a discharge path for conveying a recording medium on which an image is fixed to a discharge unit. When a jam occurs in a paper path or the like, it is possible to easily perform the jam processing by pulling out the fixing paper discharge unit from the apparatus main body. In addition, since the fixing paper discharge unit can be pulled out after the sheet material cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, the sheet material stopped across the fixing paper discharge unit and other units when the fixing paper discharge unit is pulled out, It is possible to prevent the sheet material from being torn off in the width direction.

  Further, according to the second and third modifications, the sheet material on which the image is fixed is reversed, and the double-sided unit provided with the reversing path for conveying again to the image forming unit is used as the drawer unit. When a jam occurs, the jam handling can be easily performed by pulling out the duplex unit from the apparatus main body. In addition, since the double-sided unit can be pulled out after the sheet material cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, when the double-sided unit is pulled out, the sheet material stopped straddling the double-sided unit and the other unit is moved in the sheet material width direction. It can be prevented from being torn off by crap.

  In addition, by using the withdrawal unit that retracts the sheet material remaining in the paper transport unit when a jam occurs as the drawer unit, the retracted sheet material can be easily removed by pulling the withdrawal unit out of the apparatus main body. Further, since the retracting unit can be pulled out after the sheet material cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, the sheet material stopped across the retracting unit and the paper transport unit when the retracting unit is pulled out is moved in the sheet material width direction. It can be prevented from being torn off by crap.

  Further, according to the first and third modifications, the paper transport unit is used as a drawer unit, so that when a jam occurs in the paper transport unit, the paper transport unit can be easily pulled out from the apparatus main body to easily perform jam processing. It can be carried out. In addition, since the paper transport unit can be pulled out after the sheet material cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, the sheet material stopped across the paper transport unit and other units when the paper transport unit is pulled out is the sheet material width. It can be prevented from being torn in the direction by rolling.

  Further, as shown in the fourth modification, a recording medium cutting unit that cuts the sheet material stopped across the retreat unit and the paper conveyance unit is provided in the retraction unit that is a carry-in unit into which the sheet material is carried from the paper conveyance unit. The sheet material may be cut by the recording medium cutting unit by operating the operation lever to release the sheet conveyance unit pull-out restriction by the holding part of the operation lever as the restriction unit. Even if configured in this way, the sheet conveying unit can be pulled out after the sheet material cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, so that when the sheet conveying unit is pulled out, the sheet conveying unit is stopped across the other units. It is possible to prevent the sheet material from being torn off by rolling in the sheet material width direction.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copier as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The schematic perspective view of a retracting unit. The figure which shows the structural example of a carrying-in recording medium cutting | disconnection means. (A) is a schematic sectional drawing of the periphery of a rotary cutter in a state where the retracting unit drawer is regulated. (B) is a schematic sectional drawing of the periphery of the rotary cutter in a state in which the withdrawal restriction of the retracting unit is released. The schematic block diagram of a stopper mechanism. The figure explaining the sheet material cutting of a carrying-in recording medium cutting means. The enlarged block diagram of the periphery of an operation lever. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a sheet feeding unit pull-out restriction by a grip portion of an operation lever. The figure explaining the state which a withdrawal unit and a paper conveyance unit can draw out. The figure which shows the structure which provided the conveyance recording medium cutting | disconnection means in the conveyance part vicinity of the paper conveyance unit. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first modification. (A) is a schematic block diagram of the periphery of a carrying-out recording medium cutting | disconnection means. (B) is a schematic block diagram around a carrying-in recording medium cutting means. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an operation lever of the paper transport unit and its peripheral structure. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view when the paper transport unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a second modification. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view when the fixing paper discharge unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. (B) is a schematic perspective view when the duplex unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. The figure explaining the arrangement position of a carrying-in recording medium cutting means and a carrying-out recording medium cutting means. (A) is a schematic perspective view before operating the operating lever of the double-sided unit to release the drawer restriction of the double-sided unit. (B) is a schematic perspective view after operating the operating lever of the double-sided unit to release the drawer restriction of the double-sided unit. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a third modification. FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective view when the paper transport unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. (B) is a schematic perspective view when the duplex unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth modification. The schematic block diagram of the recording-medium cutting | disconnection means using a guillotine cutter.

Explanation of symbols

10: image forming unit 30: paper transport unit 30a: fixing paper discharge unit 30b, 230: duplex unit 60: retreat unit 62: viewing window 67: carry-in port 68: storage unit 80: post-processing devices 90, 190, 231, 390 , 690: loading recording medium cutting means 91: rotary cutter 92: fixed blade 120, 180: operation levers 121, 180a, 280: gripping part 130: back side plate 131, 132: through hole 140: stopper mechanism 141: stopper member 232 , 290, 490, 591: Unloading recording medium cutting means

Claims (13)

A recording medium cutting means for cutting the recording medium stopped in a state where a part of the other unit remains,
In the drawer unit configured to be drawable with respect to the apparatus body,
Operation means operated to restrict the drawer of the drawer unit by the regulating means for regulating the drawer of the drawer unit and to release the drawer regulation of the drawer unit ;
A recording medium conveying means for conveying a recording medium carried in from a unit upstream in the recording medium conveying direction and conveying the recording medium to a unit downstream in the recording medium conveying direction;
Carrying-in recording medium cutting means for cutting the recording medium stopped in a state where a part is left in the unit upstream in the recording medium conveyance direction;
An unloading recording medium cutting means for cutting the recording medium stopped in a state where a part of the unit is conveyed to the downstream unit in the recording medium conveying direction;
When the operation means is operated to release the withdrawal restriction of the drawer unit by the restriction means, the recording medium is cut by the carry-out recording medium cutting means and the recording medium is cut by the carry-in recording medium cutting means. A drawer unit characterized by being configured to be made . The drawer unit of claim 1,
A drawer unit, wherein a drawer direction of the drawer unit is a direction orthogonal to a sheet material conveying direction. The drawer unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A drawer unit characterized in that the cutting of the recording medium by the recording medium cutting means is linked to the operation of the operation means when the restriction is released by the restriction means. The drawer unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A drawer unit using a rotary cutter as the recording medium cutting means. The drawer unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A drawer unit comprising a storage unit for storing a recording medium carried in from another unit. The drawer unit of claim 5,
A drawer unit characterized by providing a visual recognition means for making it possible to visually recognize the recording medium accommodated in the accommodating portion without pulling out the drawer unit . In any of the drawer unit 請 Motomeko 1 to 6,
A drawer unit comprising a reversing path for reversing the recording medium while the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying means. An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium;
A drawer unit configured to be drawable from the apparatus main body;
In an image forming apparatus comprising a regulating means for regulating movement of the drawer unit in the drawer direction,
Examples drawer unit, an image forming apparatus characterized by using any of the drawer unit according to claim 1 to 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 .
It is configured to be capable of being pulled out with respect to the apparatus main body, and includes a recording medium transport unit that transports a recording medium to the drawer unit.
An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the recording medium transport unit can be pulled out by operating the operation unit to release the drawer unit drawer regulation by the regulation unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 .
The operating means includes a gripping portion that can be gripped,
The gripping unit is located at a position facing the recording medium transport unit when the drawer unit pull-out is restricted by the restricting unit, and restricts the pull-out of the recording medium transport unit, and the drawer unit by the restricting unit 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the restriction on the drawer is released, the restriction on the drawer of the recording medium transport unit is released by moving from the facing position to a retracted position where the drawer is retracted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 ,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawer unit is a fixing paper discharge unit including a fixing unit and a paper discharge path for conveying a recording medium on which an image is fixed to a discharge unit. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawer unit is a double-sided unit having a reversing path that reverses the sheet material on which the image is fixed and conveys the sheet material again to the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12 ,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the drawer unit is a recording medium conveyance unit that conveys a recording medium.

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