JP5309906B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, etc., and a multifunction machine having at least two functions. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a sheet stacking unit.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, and a multi-function machine having at least two functions, an image forming unit and a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit (image forming apparatus main body ( Hereinafter, the sheet discharge unit that discharges from the rear to the front or side (horizontal) of the sheet discharge direction from the rear of the apparatus and a sheet discharge space above the image forming unit is formed. An in-cylinder discharge type (hereinafter referred to as “cylinder”) having an image reading unit (hereinafter also referred to as a “scanner”) and a sheet stacking unit that is provided on the upper surface of the image forming unit and stacks sheets discharged from the sheet discharge unit. An image forming apparatus (also referred to as an “inner paper discharge type”) is known.

This type of image forming apparatus has an advantage that the area occupied when the image forming apparatus is installed can be reduced because the sheet discharge tray as the sheet stacking unit is within the area occupied by the apparatus main body. ing.
In the in-body discharge type image forming apparatus, the height of the apparatus is suppressed and the apparatus is made compact by arranging the scanner with respect to the sheet stacking portion so as not to be as large as possible. .

  However, the above-described in-body discharge type image forming apparatus is provided with a plurality of discharge destinations (a sheet discharge portion or a sheet stacking portion) and selectively discharges to these discharge destinations so that copying or copying can be performed. If the printer output paper and the facsimile reception paper are not mixed, the visibility of the paper deteriorates due to the proximity of one bin tray, which is one of the plurality of paper discharge destinations, and the scanner, or the sheet is taken out. There was a problem that it was difficult to do.

  Particularly in recent years, there has been a tendency for operation units such as operation panels to become larger in order to display detailed information about the device in an easy-to-understand manner for users, such as by displaying jamming, paper replenishment, and unit replacement procedures. In the case of a large operation unit, the visibility deterioration of the 1 bin tray becomes remarkable.

  Conventionally, in the in-body discharge type image forming apparatus, the following various proposals have been made as techniques for improving the takeout and visibility of a sheet from a discharge tray which is a sheet stacking unit (for example, And Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-173262), a paper discharge tray that is movably provided in a paper discharge unit is automatically moved to the front side together with the discharged paper so as to take out the paper. Ease is improved.

  In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3526969), a recess is provided in a part of a paper discharge tray formed on the upper surface of an apparatus housing that houses an image forming unit, and the bottom surface of the recess is inclined to incline the sheet. The ease of taking out is improved.

  In Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent No. 2688458), as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sheet is not discharged directly to the sheet stacking section, but discharged to a lower portion of the sheet stacking section. The tray is disposed so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the sheet discharge tray is swung upward by the tray driving means, thereby improving the ease of taking out the sheet.

  In Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-54820), it is easy to take out a sheet by rotating an inner tray, which is a one-bin tray, around a vertical axis without forming a notch in a paper discharge tray. It is improving.

JP 2002-173262 A Japanese Patent No. 3526969 Japanese Patent No. 2688458 (FIGS. 6 and 7) JP 2003-54820 A JP-A-8-339106 JP 2007-65274 A JP 2007-84210 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the paper discharge tray is automatically moved to the front side together with the discharged paper, there is a problem that the configuration is complicated and a significant cost increase cannot be avoided.

  In Patent Document 2, a recess is provided in a part of the discharge tray, and the bottom surface of the recess is inclined, so that it is easy to put in a hand, and the sheet takeout property on the discharge tray is improved. However, in the case of assuming a one-bin tray as the second sheet stacking portion, if a part of this tray is not cut, the above-described concave portion may not be provided, and there is no effect of providing the concave portion in the one-bin tray. There is also a problem that the visibility of the sheet on the paper discharge tray is not improved.

  In Patent Document 3, the sheet visibility and the sheet take-out property are improved by swinging the discharge tray upward. However, the mechanism and driving means for swinging the discharge tray up and down are detected. Since the detection means is necessary, the configuration becomes complicated, and there is a problem that a significant cost increase cannot be avoided.

  In Patent Document 4, the inner tray, which is a one-bin tray, is rotated in the horizontal direction around the vertical axis to improve the sheet take-out property. Since a detecting means for detecting is required, the configuration becomes complicated, and there is a problem that a significant increase in cost cannot be avoided. Also, it is assumed that the inner tray is rotated manually or by operation from the operation unit, and it is assumed that the user knows that the sheet has been discharged to the inner tray. There is no improvement effect.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, description will be given of sheet take-out and visibility from a single bin tray in a conventional in-body discharge type image forming apparatus.
6 and 7 schematically show conventional in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatuses 1000 and 2000. FIG. In FIG. 6A, the image forming apparatus 1000 is a type in which the user operates the image forming apparatus 1000 by being positioned on the side facing the paper surface of the image forming apparatus 1000 (front side of the paper surface). FIG. 6A shows an example of horizontal paper discharge in which the sheet discharge direction X is set from the left side to the right side in FIG. 6A (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

  In FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, a sheet (not shown) such as a sheet on which an image is formed on the image forming unit 500 side based on a facsimile signal, for example, is a second sheet discharge unit. As a second sheet stacking unit disposed as a plurality of sheet stacking units in the in-cylinder space formed between the image forming unit 500 and the scanner 900. It is selectively stacked on the 1-bin tray 700. In FIG. 6A, reference numeral 600 denotes a paper discharge tray as a first sheet stacking unit.

  In the laterally discharged image forming apparatus 1000, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6B, in order to perform the rear end alignment of the sheets discharged and stacked on the 1-bin tray 700, normally, The shape is formed so as to incline downward from the downstream side of the 1-bin tray 700 toward the upstream side of the 1-bin tray 700 that is closer to the sheet roller pair 480. As described above, the space height h in the vertical direction Z between the upstream side of the 1-bin tray 700 and the scanner 900 is set wider than that between the downstream side of the 1-bin tray 700 and the scanner 900. 6 can easily take out a sheet (not shown) stacked by placing a hand in a space j indicated by a broken-line circle from the front side facing the paper surface of FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 2000 is a type in which a user is positioned on the right side of the image forming apparatus 2000 to operate the image forming apparatus 2000, and the sheet discharge direction X of the sheet on which the image is formed is FIG. 7 shows an example of the front discharge from the back, which is set from the left side (rear) to the right side (front). Examples of the front discharge from the back include Patent Documents 6 and 7 and the like.
In FIG. 7, a sheet (not shown) such as paper on which an image is formed on the image forming unit 2000 side is discharged in a sheet discharge direction X from a sheet discharge unit (not shown), and is a sheet stack formed on the upper surface of the image forming unit 550. It is loaded on the part 650. In the figure, reference numeral 210 denotes an in-cylinder space formed between the image forming unit 550 and the scanner 950.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in the image forming apparatus 1000, the space height h in the vertical direction Z between the upstream side of the 1 bin tray 700 and the scanner 900 is the downstream side of the 1 bin tray 700 and the scanner 900. Therefore, the user can easily take out a sheet (not shown) stacked by placing a hand in a space j indicated by a broken-line circle from the front side facing the paper surface of FIG. 6B. be able to.
However, when the 1-bin tray 700 of the image forming apparatus 1000 is applied to the image forming apparatus 2000 of the front discharge type from the back, the front side (right side in FIG. 7) of the image forming apparatus 1000 is the 1-bin tray 700 and the scanner 950. Since the space between the two becomes narrow, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to take out the sheet.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, while discharging the sheet to the front from the rear of the images forming apparatus main body, an image forming apparatus having an operation unit on the front side of the image forming apparatus, In addition to improving the visibility and ease of taking out of the sheet discharged to the second sheet stacking unit disposed above the first sheet stacking unit in the in-body discharge space , the height and installation area of the apparatus are increased. The main object is to realize and provide an image forming apparatus that does not become necessary.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention employs the following characteristic means / configuration in the invention of each claim.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is provided between the image forming unit , the image reading unit disposed above the image forming unit, the image forming unit and the image reading unit, and the image forming unit. a first sheet discharge portion for discharging the sheet discharging direction toward the anterior sheet that has passed from the rear of the image forming apparatus main body, is provided above the image forming portion, it is discharged from the first sheet discharge portion seat A second sheet discharge unit that is provided between the first sheet stacking unit, the first sheet discharge unit, and the image reading unit, and discharges the sheet that has passed through the image forming unit in the sheet discharge direction. A second sheet stacking unit that is disposed between the first sheet stacking unit and the image reading unit and stacks the sheets discharged from the second sheet discharge unit, and the sheet of the image reading unit. Provided at the downstream end in the discharge direction The second sheet stacking unit is arranged in a vertical direction between the second sheet stacking unit and the image reading unit in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction. Of the second sheet stacking portion is inclined downward from the other side toward the one side at the downstream end portion in the sheet discharge direction of the second sheet stacking portion. In addition, the downstream end portion of the second sheet stacking portion in the sheet discharge direction is disposed below the operation portion, and the downstream end portion in the sheet discharge direction of the one side of the second sheet stacking portion is the be an operating unit overlaps with the vertically you characterized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect , the first sheet discharge portion is provided downstream of the second sheet discharge portion in the sheet discharge direction. To do.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the size of the space formed between the image reading unit and the second sheet stacking portion, perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction In the direction in which the sheet is discharged, it is equal on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction, and is different on the downstream end side in the sheet discharge direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the second sheet stacking portion is locked to the image forming apparatus main body on the upstream side in the sheet discharging direction. The support means is locked to the image reading section via a support means on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction, and the support means has a space formed between the second sheet stacking section and the image reading section. It is arranged on the small side.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the second sheet stacking unit restricts the movement of the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction. A side end surface engaging portion, and the sheet side end surface engaging portion is located on the side of the second sheet stacking portion on the side where the space formed between the second sheet stacking portion and the image reading portion is large. It is provided in the edge part .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the second sheet stacking portion is a sheet front end surface locking that restricts the movement of the sheet in the sheet discharge direction. The sheet front end surface locking portion is provided along a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction at a downstream end portion of the second sheet stacking portion in the sheet discharge direction. To do.

According to the present invention, a novel image forming apparatus can be realized and provided by solving the above problems. The effects of the invention for each claim are as follows.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the above-described configuration, with the extraction ease of sheets and sheet visibility from the second sheet stacking portion is improved, even in the other side is the opposite side the first sheet The ease of taking out the sheet from the stacking unit and the visibility of the sheet are improved. Further, even if the downstream end portion in the sheet discharge direction on one side of the second sheet stacking portion overlaps the operation unit in the vertical direction, the space between the second sheet stacking unit and the operation unit is increased. Therefore, the sheet takeout and visibility are improved. Further, in easy single structure, the height of the apparatus, does not increase the footprint.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the above-described configuration, without increasing the instrumentation置高is, it is possible to improve the extraction and ease visibility sheet.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the above-described configuration, extraction ease and visibility of sheets over bets, without sacrificing the ease of jam, it can support the second sheet stacking portion. In addition, since the support means is arranged on the side where the vertical distance from the image reading unit is short, it is easy to ensure the strength of the support means.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a plurality of sheets from dropping from the side end portion of the second sheet stacking portion.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, with the above configuration, it is possible to reliably and beforehand prevent a plurality of sheets from dropping from the downstream end portion in the sheet discharge direction of the second sheet stacking portion.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described with reference to the drawings. As long as there is no possibility of confusion over the respective embodiments and the like, components (members and components) having the same function and shape are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described after being described once.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the operation together with the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front and slightly obliquely upper left, and FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes an image forming unit, which will be described later, which is disposed almost at the center of an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter simply referred to as “apparatus main body”) 3. The image forming unit 2, the first sheet discharge unit 4 that discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 2 from the rear of the apparatus main body 3 in the front sheet discharge direction X, and the upper side of the image forming unit 2. In-cylinder spaces 11 and 11 ′ as sheet discharge spaces are formed in the cylinder, and an opening for taking out an image-formed sheet (not shown) on the downstream end side in the sheet discharge direction X of the in-cylinder spaces 11 and 11 ′. An image reading unit 9 arranged so as to form openings 5 and 5 ′ as a unit, and a sheet (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the image forming unit 2 and discharged from the first sheet discharge unit 4. ) As the first sheet stacking unit A lay 6, a second sheet discharge portion 8 for discharging a sheet (not shown) in the sheet discharge direction X between the main body discharge tray 6 and the image reading portion 9, and a position above the main body discharge tray 6. And a 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 as a second sheet stacking section on which sheets (not shown) discharged from the second sheet discharge section 8 are stacked.

  In FIG. 1, a part thereof is shown by a two-dot chain line, and as shown by a solid line in FIG. (Hereinafter referred to as “scanner”) 9 is provided. An automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as “ADF”) 10 serving as a document feeder is disposed on the scanner 9.

The scanner 9 is provided with slit glass and contact glass (not shown) on the upper surface thereof, and a known reading means 1200 for reading an original is provided below the scanner glass. The reading unit 1200 includes an optical system that reads an original by moving in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction of the sheet discharge unit, and a specific configuration is described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3449870. It is the same.
The ADF 10 includes a transport unit that transports a document by moving in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction of the sheet discharge unit. Specific configurations of the ADF 10 include, for example, paragraphs “0013” to “0013” of Japanese Patent No. 3449870. The same as the contents described in “0021”.

  As indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and a solid line in FIG. 2, the front side of the apparatus body 3 is configured to include an instruction unit and a display unit necessary for an image forming operation or an operation for reading a document by the scanner 9. An operation unit 7 is arranged. The operation unit 7 is also called an operation panel, and includes a liquid crystal display (not shown) as display means, a hard key (not shown) including a numeric keypad, a start key, and various LEDs (light emitting diode devices). It has a well-known configuration arranged on the surface.

Further, an in-body space 11 is formed between the lower surface of the scanner 9 and the upper surface of the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50. An in-body space 11 ′ is also formed between the lower surface of the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 and the upper surface of the image forming unit 2. The in-cylinder spaces 11 and 11 ′ are paper discharge spaces for discharging the image-formed sheet in the sheet discharge direction X.
A space in the vertical direction Z of the in-body space 11 corresponds to a second sheet discharge unit space. The space in the vertical direction Z of the in-body space 11 ′ corresponds to the first space for the sheet discharge unit.

An opening 5 serving as an opening for taking out an image-formed sheet (not shown) from the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is formed on the downstream end side in the sheet discharge direction X in the second sheet discharge portion space. .
An opening 5 ′ serving as an opening for taking out an image-formed sheet (not shown) from the main body discharge tray 6 is formed on the downstream end side in the sheet discharge direction X in the first sheet discharge portion space. .

In FIG. 1 and the like, Y indicates a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction X, and Z indicates a vertical direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction X and the sheet width direction Y.
The sheets discharged and stacked on the 1-bin discharge tray 50 are easily taken out from the front left end side in FIG. 1 in the opening 5 formed on the front side (operation surface side) of the apparatus body 3 as will be described later. Can do. Details of the arrangement and shape of the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 will be described later. Similarly, the sheets discharged and stacked on the main body discharge tray 6 can be easily taken out from the front right end side in FIG. 1 in the opening 5 ′ formed on the front surface side (operation surface side) of the apparatus main body 3. .

  With reference to FIG. 2, the internal configuration of the apparatus main body 3 will be described. A manual tray 100 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 3 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body 3. A sheet (not shown) such as recording paper, transfer paper or paper on the manual tray 100 is fed. The image is fed to the image forming unit 2 by the roller 101. When the manual feed tray 100 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 3 as shown in FIG. 1, the back side (the side exposed to the front of the apparatus) is an exterior cover 100 a that forms the exterior of the apparatus main body 3.

Inside the apparatus main body 3, a paper feeding unit 15 is provided on the lower side, an image forming unit 27 constituting the image forming unit 2, and a fixing device 29 are provided on the upper side.
The sheet feeding unit 15 includes a sheet feeding tray 19 on which sheets P are stacked and accommodated, a sheet feeding roller 21, and the like. The sheet P fed by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 21 in the direction of the arrow in the drawing is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 23, the skew is corrected by the registration roller pair 25, and then transferred to the image forming unit 27 at a predetermined timing. It is transported to the site.
The paper feed unit 15 shown in FIG. 2 has a paper feed cassette 16 that is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 3. A handle 16a for insertion / removal operation is formed in the paper feed cassette 16 (see FIG. 1).

  In the present embodiment, the description has been made with the one-stage sheet cassette 16, but the sheet cassette can be extended to an additional number of cassettes as desired by the user.

The image forming unit 27 includes a photosensitive drum 31 as an image carrier, a transfer roller 33 as a transfer unit, and the like.
Although not shown, a known image forming means is disposed around the photosensitive drum 31 and image formation is performed by a known electrophotographic process. In other words, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, a charge eliminating unit, etc. (not shown) are arranged around the photosensitive drum 31 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 31. Then, after the image is visualized with toner, the transfer roller onto the sheet P that arrives at a predetermined timing or the sheet fed from the manual feed tray 100 (hereinafter, referred to as “sheet P” for the sake of simplicity). The toner image is electrostatically transferred by 33.

The fixing device 29 includes a fixing roller 35, a pressure roller 37, and the like, and heats and melts the toner transferred on the sheet P to fix the toner image on the paper P. After the fixing, the sheet P is conveyed downstream by a fixing discharge roller pair 39.
The sheet P is conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 15 while being guided by the first conveyance path 40 and conveyed by the conveying means such as the various rollers described above.

A sheet discharge unit 4 and a sheet discharge unit 8 are provided downstream of the first conveyance path 40. The sheet discharge unit 4 is provided at a first discharge conveyance path 41 branched from the first conveyance path 40 and communicated with and connected to the main body discharge tray 6 and a downstream end of the first discharge conveyance path 41. A first discharge roller pair 45 that discharges P and a sheet sensor 47 as a sheet detection unit that detects the sheet P are provided.
The sheet P is conveyed / guided via the first discharge conveyance path 41 in the sheet discharge unit 4 and discharged in the sheet discharge direction X by the first discharge roller pair 45, so that the image surface faces downward ( The sheets are stacked on the main body discharge tray 6 in a face-down manner.

A branch claw 46 is provided at a branch portion between the first discharge transport path 41 and the second discharge transport path 42.
The sheet discharge unit 8 includes a second discharge conveyance path 42 branched from the first conveyance path 40 and the first discharge conveyance path 41 and communicated with and connected to the 1-bin discharge tray 50, and a second discharge conveyance path. For example, a second paper discharge unit that discharges the sheet P that is formed and conveyed by the image forming unit 2 in the same process as described above based on a signal from a facsimile machine (not shown). And a roller pair 48.
For example, a sheet P that is image-formed and conveyed by the image forming unit 2 in the same process as described above based on a signal from a facsimile machine (not shown) or the like is conveyed to the second discharge conveyance path by the branch claw 55 and the branch claw 46. 42. The sheet P is conveyed and guided through the second discharge conveyance path 42 in the sheet discharge unit 8 and is discharged in the sheet discharge direction X by the second discharge roller pair 48 so that the image surface faces downward (face). Down) is stacked on the 1-bin delivery tray 50.

Between the image forming unit 27 and the fixing device 29 and the paper feeding unit 15, a sheet reversing unit 49 that is used when images are formed on both sides of the sheet P is provided.
The sheet reversing unit 49 includes a reverse conveyance path 51 that branches from the first conveyance path 40 in the vicinity of the downstream of the fixing device 29, and a first branch on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 25 that branches from the upper portion of the reverse conveyance path 51. The sheet feeding conveyance path 53 that joins the conveyance path 40 is provided.
A branch claw 55 is provided at a branch portion between the first conveyance path 40 and the reverse conveyance path 51, and a branch claw 57 is provided at a branch portion between the reverse conveyance path 51 and the refeed conveyance path 53.

In the duplex mode, the sheet P on which an image is formed on one side is guided to the reverse conveyance path 51 by the branching claw 55, is switched back by a predetermined amount by the conveyance roller pair 61, and is held substantially vertically by the reverse conveyance path 51. After that, the trailing edge of the sheet P becomes the leading edge and is guided to the refeed conveyance path 53 by the branching claw 57.
The sheet P is conveyed through the refeed conveyance path 53 by a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 63 and is refeeded toward the transfer portion of the image forming unit 27.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the detailed configuration and operation such as the arrangement and shape of the one-bin sheet discharge tray 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the size of the second sheet discharge portion space formed in the vertical direction Z between the 1-bin discharge tray 50 and the scanner 9 is In addition, the main feature is that the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction X is different.
In addition to the above features, the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 is inclined in the sheet width direction Y, and the size of the second sheet discharge unit space in the sheet width direction Y is upstream of the sheet discharge direction X. It is equally characterized by being different on the downstream end side in the sheet discharge direction X.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upstream side of the sheet stacking surface 50a (see FIG. 3) of the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 is formed substantially horizontally with the second sheet discharge roller pair 48 in the sheet width direction Y. As it goes downstream, the sheet stacking surface 50a is gradually inclined downward to the left.
That is, the front left end side in FIG. 1 of the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is formed so that the size of the opening 5 (see FIG. 2) in the vertical direction is larger than the front right end side. The sheet is easily visible and the sheet can be easily taken out.
The sheet discharged to the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 is discharged from the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 by the above left-downward inclination on the downstream end side of the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 and the inclined surface 50b and the wall surface 50c shown in FIG. It prevents falling off and misalignment.

  The front right end side of FIG. 1 of the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is inclined so that the downstream end side approaches the scanner 9 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction X, and the opening 5 ′ (see FIG. 1) from the front left end side. 2) is large, the visibility of the sheet on the main body discharge tray 6 is good, and the sheet can be easily taken out.

  The upstream side of the sheet discharge direction X of the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is via a tray support member 52 as a support unit that is integrally formed with the 1-bin discharge tray 50 in the downstream non-sheet stacking surface area. It is locked and fixed to the scanner 9 by fastening means such as screws (not shown) or appropriate fitting means. Although the description will be omitted, the scanner 9 is fixed to the apparatus main body 3 side. In this way, the tray support member 52 is on the side where the second sheet discharge portion space formed in the vertical direction Z between the scanner 9 and the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is small (in this embodiment, FIG. Right side), and there is no tray support member on the side where the space for the second sheet discharge portion is wide, so that the visibility of the sheet on the 1-bin discharge tray 50 is good and the sheet can be easily taken out. Become.

The shape of the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 includes a sheet leading end surface locking portion (or a sheet leading end surface limiting portion) as a sheet locking means (or sheet movement restricting means) for locking the sheet to the sheet stacking surface 50a, and the sheet side. And an end surface locking portion (or a sheet side end surface regulating portion).
That is, at the downstream end of the sheet discharge direction X in the 1-bin discharge tray 50, an upwardly inclined sheet front end surface locking portion that restricts the movement of the sheet front end in the sheet discharge direction X along the sheet width direction Y. An inclined surface 50b is provided.

  Further, the second discharge portion space above the 1-bin discharge tray 50 (the space formed in the vertical direction Z between the scanner 9 and the 1-bin discharge tray 50) is large and wide on the sheet width direction Y. A wall surface 50c serving as a sheet side end surface locking portion that restricts movement of the sheet in the sheet width direction Y is provided at one side end portion (left side in FIG. 1). The wall surface 50c prevents the sheet discharged vigorously from jumping out from the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 or falling.

As Figure 4 shows a two-dot chain line, first sheet P of approximately the same size as the bin discharge tray 50, the leading end of the sheet P is discharged and conveyed to a downstream tip of one bin discharge tray 50, the small In the case of a size sheet, the sheet is conveyed by its own weight due to the discharged momentum and the inclination of the 1-bin discharge tray 50 to a wide portion of the second discharge portion space at the downstream end of the 1-bin discharge tray 50. The sheet is visible from the wide space at the tip of the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50, that is, the opening 5 (see FIG. 2) at the front left end in FIG. 1, and the sheet can be easily taken out.

  Moreover, since the sheet can be visually recognized and the space for the second discharge section is widened, the user can intuitively understand that the sheet is taken out therefrom. For example, an LED (light emitting diode) that detects the presence of a sheet on the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 and notifies the user is more effective when it is arranged on the side where the second discharge section space is widened. . Furthermore, by providing the notch 50d to make it easier to pinch the sheet, it is possible to further easily take out the sheet.

In addition, a recess (or recess) 50e is provided on a part of the 1-bin delivery tray 50, on the side where the second delivery space is widened. As a result, the small-size sheets ejected from the second paper discharge roller pair 48 are dropped and stacked in the recesses 50e so that the stacking order of the small-size sheets is not changed, and FIG. as shown by dash-dotted, 1 sheet P in the bin discharge tray 50 with substantially the same magnitude that causes flexing the inclined surface shape of the recess 50e, Eject the easier the sheet pinch the sheet P can be easily .

Although the description is mixed, the sheet discharge method of the present embodiment is a so-called “center discharge reference” method in which the center position of the conveyed sheet (paper) P in the sheet width direction Y is the same regardless of the sheet size. Is adopted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 provided in the in-body space 11 (see FIG. 2) has a sheet discharge portion width center C <b> 50 as the center of the sheet P in the sheet width direction Y center. Is consistent with
As shown in FIG. 5, the formation area of the recess 50e is at least a portion of the small-size sheet P when the small-size sheet P indicated by a broken line is discharged from a second paper discharge roller pair (not shown). It is formed in a region that overlaps with the part.

In order to manufacture the inclined surface 50b, the wall surface 50c, the notch 50d, the recess 50e, and the tray support member 52 at a low cost, the 1-bin sheet discharge tray 50 shown in FIG. However, in the case where it is not necessary to have the above advantages, the inclined surface 50b, the wall surface 50c, and the tray support member 52 can be provided as separate members.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the arrangement and shape of the 1-bin discharge tray 50, on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction X, the conventional image forming apparatus (for example, the image forming apparatus 1000 in FIGS. 6 and 7). Is equivalent to a combination of 2000 and the like, and the configuration can be changed as described above on the downstream end side in the sheet width direction Y and the sheet discharge direction X, and the configuration is very simple. it is obvious. Of course, the above-described advantages and effects can be achieved.

A supplementary explanation will be given regarding the arrangement of the operation unit 7. 1 and 2, the operation unit 7 is provided in front of the scanner 9 so as to extend in the width direction (the apparatus left-right direction). The downstream end of the 1-bin discharge tray 50 overlaps with the operation unit 7 in the vertical direction Z (overlap). The recess 50e is disposed so as to overlap directly below the operation unit 7.
In FIG. 2, the operation unit 7 is provided on the front surface of the scanner 9, but is not limited to this form. For example, the operation unit 7 may be provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 3, and the downstream end of the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 may overlap the scanner 9, and the scanner 9 may be disposed forward. With this configuration, the amount of protrusion of the scanner 9 behind the apparatus can be suppressed as compared with FIG. 2, and the apparatus can be downsized. Further, with this configuration, even when the 1-bin paper discharge tray 50 and the scanner 9 overlap, the sheet take-out property and visibility are maintained by the recess 50e as in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to the in-body discharge type image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, and an image forming unit and a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit are discharged from the back of the image forming apparatus main body to the front. A sheet discharge space is formed above the image forming section, and an open section for taking out the sheet is formed on the downstream side of the sheet discharge direction in the sheet discharge direction. An image reading unit arranged in the above manner, a first sheet stacking unit that is provided on the upper surface of the image forming unit and stacks the sheets discharged from the first sheet discharge unit, the first sheet discharge unit, and the image reading A second sheet discharge unit disposed between the first sheet stacking unit and the second sheet discharge unit, the second sheet discharge unit being disposed above the first sheet stacking unit. The second sheet on which the sheets discharged from the If the image forming apparatus and a preparative loading section, is applicable to any image forming apparatus.
The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, the technical scope disclosed by the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and may be configured by appropriately combining them. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, modifications, and examples can be made within the scope of the present invention according to the necessity and application thereof.

1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention as seen through a part from an upper left side. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a one-bin paper discharge tray disposed in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from the upper left side on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of sheets stacked on the 1-bin paper discharge tray of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a simplified plan view of a main part for explaining the relationship between a recessed portion forming region formed on the 1-bin sheet discharge tray of FIG. 3 and a small-sized sheet. (A) is a simplified front view of a conventional in-body discharge type image forming apparatus of a horizontal discharge type, facing the front of the apparatus main body, and (b) is a one-bin tray of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 2 is a simplified external perspective view of a conventional in-cylinder paper discharge type image forming apparatus of a front paper discharge type from the back, as seen from slightly above and to the left.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Image forming part 3 Apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body)
4 First sheet discharge part 5 Opening part (opening part)
6 Main unit output tray (first sheet stacking unit)
7 Operation Unit 8 Second Sheet Ejecting Unit 9 Scanner / Image Reading Unit 10 ADF / Automatic Document Feeder (Document Feeder)
11 Inner space (sheet discharge space)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Paper feed part 27 Image formation part 29 Fixing device 31 Photosensitive drum (Image carrier)
50 1-bin output tray (second sheet stacking unit)
50a the sheet stacking surface 50b inclined surfaces (sheet over preparative tip face engaging portion)
50c wall (sheet over preparative end face engaging portion)
52 Tray support member (support means)
P sheet (sheet-shaped recording medium)
X Sheet discharge direction Y Sheet width direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction)
Z Vertical direction and height direction

Claims (6)

An image forming unit;
An image reading unit disposed above the image forming unit ;
A first sheet discharge unit that is provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit and discharges a sheet that has passed through the image forming unit in a sheet discharge direction from the rear to the front of the image forming apparatus main body;
Provided above the image forming section, a first sheet stacking portion for stacking the sheets discharged from the first sheet discharge unit,
A second sheet discharge section provided between the first sheet discharge section and the image reading section and discharging the sheet that has passed through the image forming section in the sheet discharge direction;
A second sheet stacking unit that is provided between the first sheet stacking unit and the image reading unit and stacks the sheets discharged from the second sheet discharge unit ;
An operation unit provided at a downstream end of the image reading unit in the sheet discharge direction,
The second sheet stacking unit is configured such that, in the direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction, the interval on one side in the vertical direction between the second sheet stacking unit and the image reading unit is larger than the interval on the other side. And at the downstream end of the second sheet stacking portion in the sheet discharge direction, it is inclined downward from the other side toward the one side, and the sheet discharge of the second sheet stacking portion The downstream end portion in the direction is disposed below the operation portion, and the downstream end portion in the sheet discharge direction on the one side of the second sheet stacking portion overlaps the operation portion in the vertical direction. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sheet discharge unit is provided downstream of the second sheet discharge unit in the sheet discharge direction . The size of the space formed between the image reading unit and the second sheet stacking portion, in the direction perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction, the same sheet discharge direction of the upstream side, downstream of the sheet discharge direction The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is different on an end side. The second sheet stacking unit is locked to the image forming apparatus main body on the upstream side in the sheet discharging direction, and is locked to the image reading unit via a support unit on the downstream side in the sheet discharging direction. The said support means is arrange | positioned in the space where the space formed between a 2nd sheet | seat stacking part and the said image reading part is small, The one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. The second sheet stacking unit includes a sheet side end surface locking unit that restricts the movement of the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction, and the sheet side end surface locking unit includes the second sheet stacking unit and the second sheet stacking unit. 5. The image according to claim 1, wherein a space formed between the image reading unit and the image reading unit is provided at a side end of the second sheet stacking unit on the larger side. Forming equipment. The second sheet stacking unit includes a sheet leading end surface locking unit that restricts movement of the sheet in the sheet discharging direction, and the sheet leading end surface locking unit is the sheet discharging direction of the second sheet stacking unit. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus is provided along a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction at a downstream end of the image forming apparatus.

Images