JP6011314B2 - Sheet discharging apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet discharge apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for discharging a recording sheet so as to be easily taken by a user without increasing the size of the apparatus.

In recent years, technological development for reducing the installation area of an image forming apparatus has been actively performed. For this reason, not only miniaturization of an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording sheet, but also space saving of a sheet discharging apparatus that discharges and holds an image-formed recording sheet has been studied.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the vertical sheet discharge tray 600, the rear surface support member 602 on which the recording sheet discharged by the discharge roller device 601 including the front discharge roller 601 f and the rear discharge roller 601 r is placed. The slope is tight. If such a vertical sheet discharge tray 6 is employed, the installation area of the image forming apparatus 6 can be reduced as compared with the case where the recording sheet is placed horizontally (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-002769

However, in the vertical sheet discharge tray 600, since the recording sheet is placed on the slope of the rear support member 602, the recording sheet comes into close contact with the rear support member 602. Must be peeled away from member 602. For this reason, it is difficult for the user to handle.
Further, the trailing edge of the discharged recording sheet is guided onto the bottom member 603 by the front discharge roller 601f, and comes into contact with the inner wall of the front support member 604 and stops. For this reason, the recording sheet is bent by its own weight on the vertical sheet discharge tray 600, and there is a possibility that an undesirable bending wrinkle may be formed. As the inclination of the rear support member 602 becomes tighter, the recording sheet becomes easier to bend due to its own weight. Therefore, there is a limit to reducing the installation area of the image forming apparatus 6 by tightening the inclination of the rear support member 602.

Further, when the discharge roller device 601 discharges the next recording sheet in this state, the next recording sheet comes into frictional contact over almost the entire surface of the previous recording sheet. For this reason, the previous recording sheet is shifted upward, and the recording sheets are not aligned on the vertical sheet discharge tray 600 and are accumulated randomly.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a sheet discharging apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of aligning recording sheets in an easy-to-take-out state without increasing the size of the apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes a discharge roller that discharges a sheet in a vertically upward direction, a guide surface in front of the discharge direction of the sheet by the discharge roller, and the sheet in the discharge direction. A sheet passing guide that guides the sheet in a slanting direction and a sheet that is disposed on the opposite side of the sheet passing guide with the sheet discharge path interposed therebetween. A sheet discharge guide that supports and guides the sheet, a stocker that communicates with the sheet discharge path and stores the sheet rear end side in the discharge direction , a guide unit that guides the sheet rear end that has passed through the discharge roller to the stocker, and a sheet the and a sheet conveying path for guiding toward the discharge roller, from the bottom of the stocker where the trailing edge of the sheet abuts, the discharge guide which supports the seat from below supported The distance to the end is shorter than the length in the sheet discharge direction, and the support end of the sheet discharge guide and the bottom surface of the stocker are both positioned below the extended surface of the guide surface of the sheet passing guide. The guide surface of the sheet passing guide abuts against the sheet stored in the stocker to regulate the curvature of the sheet, and the stocker passes through the discharge roller and then parallels to the sheet conveyance path. The bottom surface is arranged at a position for receiving the trailing edge of the sheet that has been dropped .

  In this way, since the sheet is discharged vertically upward, a paper discharge tray that protrudes in the horizontal direction becomes unnecessary, and the enlargement of the image forming apparatus can be avoided. In addition, the distance from the bottom surface of the stocker that accommodates the rear end of the sheet to the upper end of the discharge guide that indicates the vicinity of the front end of the sheet is shorter than the length from the rear end to the front end of the sheet, and the front end of the sheet is discharged Since it protrudes beyond the upper end of the paper guide, it is easy to take out the sheet.

Furthermore, since the bottom surface of the stocker that accommodates the rear end of the sheet is located at a position lower than the discharge roller, the friction distance at which the sheet discharged from the discharge roller rubs against the sheet already stored in the stocker is shortened. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sheet discharge behavior from becoming unstable due to friction between the sheets and to align the discharged sheets.
In this case, the discharge roller also serves as the guiding means, and the number of parts constituting the sheet discharge device can be suppressed by guiding the trailing end of the sheet to the stocker by rotational frictional force. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of cost.

Further, since the sheet stored in the stocker is supported by the paper discharge guide, the sheet portion protruding from the paper discharge guide is curved with the paper discharge guide as a fulcrum by its own weight so that it can be viewed from above. If this is the case, the printed content of the image-formed sheet is easy to see from the user, which is convenient.
Further, a moving means for moving the bottom surface of the stocker in the vertical direction may be provided. Further, if the moving means moves the bottom surface of the stocker so that it becomes higher as the sheet length in the discharge direction is shorter. Regardless of the size of the sheet, the visibility and operability of the user can be improved.
In addition, a prevention member may be provided that prevents the sheet having the sheet rear end in contact with the bottom surface of the stocker from contacting the discharge roller.
In addition, the image forming apparatus includes a prevention unit that prevents movement of a rear end of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller, the discharge roller is a roller pair, and the regulation unit is the roller of the roller pair. The rear end may be prevented from moving toward the roller farther from the bottom surface of the stocker.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the sheet discharge device according to the present invention. If it does in this way, there can exist the above effects. Furthermore, a display means for displaying information to the user is provided, and the sheet discharge device is configured such that the guide surface of the sheet passing guide is inclined so as to discharge the sheet toward the user facing the display means. In this case, the user can visually recognize the discharged sheet while maintaining the posture facing the display unit, so that the operability of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a sheet discharge device 206. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the sheet discharging operation of the sheet discharging apparatus 206 in the order of (a) to (c). FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the sheet discharging operation of the sheet discharging device 206 in the order of (a) to (c) following FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the vertical sheet discharge tray which concerns on a prior art.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a sheet discharge apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1] Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a casing 101 fixedly installed on a bottom plate 100, and a liquid crystal display with a touch panel that functions as an information terminal on the upper portion of the casing 101. A device (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) 110 is provided. A sheet discharge port 120 for discharging a recording sheet on which an image is formed is provided immediately below the LCD 110. The sheet discharge port 120 is open upward in the vertical direction, and discharges the recording sheet obliquely upward toward a user who stands upright on the LCD 100 and performs touch panel input.

  As described above, if the sheet discharge port 120 is provided at a position directly below the LCD 100, the discharged recording sheet can be easily visually recognized, so that forgetting to remove the recording sheet can be prevented. Further, if the discharge port is provided at a low position of the image forming apparatus 1, the user must bend to take the recording sheet. However, according to the present embodiment, the recording sheet can be taken without bending.

  Further, as will be described later, since the recording sheet is held in a state in which a part is projected from the sheet discharge port 120 until the recording sheet is taken by the user, it is easy for the user to take the storage sheet, and the recording sheet It is also possible to improve the visibility. Further, when the recording sheet is discharged in the horizontal direction, it is necessary to provide a paper discharge tray that protrudes in the horizontal direction. However, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide such a paper discharge tray. No increase in size of 1.

Further, since the recording sheet is projected into the air from the sheet discharge port 120 instead of on the paper discharge tray, a person other than the user who directly faces the image forming apparatus 1, for example, the administrator of the image forming apparatus 1 sees from a distance. In this case, it becomes easy to find forgetting to take the recording sheet.
As shown in FIG. 2, an image forming unit 200, a power supply device 210, and a personal computer (PC) 220 are accommodated in the housing 101 of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming unit 200 is a so-called intermediate transfer tandem color image forming apparatus. The power supply device 210 receives power from an external power supply such as a commercial power supply, and supplies power to the LCD 110, the image forming unit 200, and the PC 220. The PC 220 displays an image on the LCD 110, issues a print job to the image forming unit 200 in response to touch panel input, and executes image formation. For this reason, the PC 220 is connected to the image forming unit 200 by, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The image data of the image displayed on the LCD 110 by the PC 220 and the image data attached to the print job may be image data stored in the storage device of the PC 220 or image data acquired via a network or the like. . The PC 220 may display not only a still image but also a moving image on the LCD 110.
The image forming unit 200 includes a paper feed cassette 201, an image forming process device 202, a mechanical control board 203, a controller board 204, a fixing device 205, and a sheet discharge device 206, and according to a print job received from the PC 220. The toner image formed by the image forming process device 202 is transferred onto the recording sheet supplied from the image forming apparatus, and is thermally fixed by the fixing device 205. The sheet on which the toner image is fixed is accumulated in a stocker described later by the sheet discharge device 206. In this case, the recording sheet is accumulated with the leading end protruding from the sheet discharge port 120.

The mechanical control board 203 mainly controls the mechanical operation of the image forming process unit 202. The controller board 204 functions as an interface with the PC 202 and controls the overall operation of the image forming unit 200.
[2] Configuration of Sheet Discharge Device 206 Next, the configuration of the sheet discharge device 206 will be described in more detail.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet discharge device 206 includes a discharge roller pair 301 that further conveys the recording sheet conveyed in the direction of arrow A from the sheet conveyance path 300 toward the sheet discharge port 120. The roller pair 301 includes a driving roller 301d and a driven roller 301f. A sheet passing guide 302 is provided at the tip of the recording sheet conveyed by the discharge roller pair 301. When the recording sheet comes into contact with the guide surface 302 g of the sheet passing guide 302, the sheet passing guide 302 moves in the direction of the sheet discharge guide 303. Led.

  The paper discharge guide 303 is a member having a plate-like main body portion 303m and a fall prevention rib 303r protruding from the main body portion 303m toward the upper portion of the discharge roller pair 301. The upper end of the discharge guide 303 is at a position lower than the extended surface P of the guide surface 302g of the sheet passing guide 302. The fall prevention rib 303r prevents the foreign matter entering from the sheet discharge port 120 from falling into the image forming unit 200.

  The stocker 304 is a container that accumulates the recording sheets that have passed through the discharge roller pair 301. The bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304 is at a position lower than the extended surface P of the guide surface 302g. Further, the inner wall surface near the discharge roller pair 301 of the stocker 304 is partially bulged to form an interference prevention rib 304r. The interference prevention rib 304r prevents the recording sheet accumulated in the stocker 304 from coming into contact with the drive roller 301d. This prevents the generation of abnormal noise due to contact.

A guide member 305 is provided above the driven roller 301f. The guide member 305 prevents the trailing edge of the recording sheet that has passed through the discharge roller pair 301 from moving toward the driven roller 301f.
The sheet discharge device 206 is disposed so that the sheet discharge guide 303 is on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 and the stocker 304 is on the back side.

[3] Sheet Discharge Operation Next, the sheet discharge operation of the sheet discharge device 206 will be described.
4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating the sheet discharging operation of the sheet discharging apparatus 206 in the order of (a) to (c). As shown in FIG. 4A, the sheet discharge device 206 discharges the recording sheet conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 300 substantially upward in the vertical direction by the discharge roller pair 301. The discharged recording sheet is inclined in contact with the guide surface 302g of the sheet passing guide 302, and is guided in the direction of arrow B while being curved. As a result, the leading edge of the recording sheet protrudes greatly toward the user side outside the sheet discharge port 120, and is further pushed downward by gravity. The recording sheet is further curved by this pressing force.

  Generally, a sheet-like member has a greater restoring force as the curvature increases. Therefore, the higher the rigidity (the stronger the waist), the smaller the curvature, and the curvature of the entire sheet is averaged. For this reason, when the recording sheet 400 is bent by being pushed down, the bending portion protrudes toward the sheet passing guide surface 302 due to its rigidity and is pressed against the guide surface 302g.

  Thereafter, when the trailing edge of the recording sheet 400 passes through the discharge roller pair 301, the trailing edge of the recording sheet 400 is pressed against the driving roller 301d by the elastic restoring force of the curved recording sheet 400 (FIG. 4B). Then, the rear end of the recording sheet 400 is guided to the stocker 304 side by friction with the driving roller 301d (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 4C). The trailing edge of the recording sheet 400 that has passed over the drive roller 301d falls further in the direction of arrow D due to gravity, and reaches the bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304 (FIG. 5A).

  Further, in a state where the rear end of the recording sheet 400 has reached the bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304, the recording sheet 400 may fall to the drive roller 301d side by the contact of the interference prevention ribs 304r of the stocker 304 with the recording sheet 400. Therefore, the gap 510 is generated, and the recording sheet 400 and the driving roller 301d are separated from each other. As a result, interference friction between the recording sheet 400 and the driving roller 301d is prevented, so that toner peeling and abnormal noise due to rubbing between the recording sheet 400 and the driving roller 301d are prevented.

  The bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304 is such that the leading edge of the recording sheet 400 protrudes from the sheet discharge port 120 by about 10 [mm] to 50 [mm] when the rear end of the recording sheet 400 reaches the bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304. Are arranged at various positions. When the leading end of the recording sheet 400 tries to hang down in the direction of arrow F due to the weight of the protruding leading end, the recording sheet 400 tends to bend and the curved portion is in the direction of arrow E with respect to the guide surface 302g of the sheet passing guide 302. Pressed. For this reason, the curvature of the recording sheet 400 is limited, and the drooping of the leading end of the recording sheet 400 is also limited. Therefore, the recording sheet 400 accumulated in the stocker 304 is prevented from being bent (FIG. 5B).

  When the next recording sheet 500 is discharged from the discharge roller pair 301 in a state where the recording sheet 400 is accumulated in the stocker 304, the recording sheet 500 contacts the recording sheet 400, and a frictional force is generated between the two (see FIG. 5 (c)). However, in the present embodiment, since the recording sheet 500 rubs against the recording sheet 400 only between the curved portion and the leading end portion of the recording sheet 400, the friction distance is short.

  When the friction distance is long, the frictional force acting between the recording sheet discharged first and the recording sheet discharged later increases. For this reason, the recording sheet discharged first is lifted as the subsequent recording sheet is discharged, and the recording sheet becomes uneven in the stocker 304. There is also a risk of falling outside. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the friction distance is short, the recording sheet 400 discharged first does not move with the recording sheet 500 discharged later, and the discharge behavior is stabilized. The recording sheets 400 and 500 can be stored together.

Further, since the recording sheet 500 discharged later is always discharged to the discharge guide 303 side of the previously discharged recording sheet 400, the recording sheets are accumulated in the stocker 304 in a state in which the discharge order is maintained.
[4] Modifications As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications can be implemented. .

  (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304 is fixed has been described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this, and instead of this, the size of the recording sheet to be accumulated is used. Accordingly, a drive mechanism that drives the bottom surface 304b up and down in the vertical direction may be provided. If the bottom surface 304b is moved up and down according to the size of the recording sheet, the protruding portion of the recording sheet from the sheet discharge port 120 can be set to an optimal length, and the curved portion (waist) of the recording sheet is optimal. Can be held in a stable state.

  When the bottom surface 304b of the stocker 304 is moved up and down, only the bottom surface 304b may be moved up and down, or the entire stocker 304 may be moved up and down. In any case, it is desirable to move the bottom surface 304b up and down so that it is below the extended surface P of the guide surface 302g in the direction of gravity. In addition, it is desirable that the interference preventing ribs have a shape that can prevent interference between the recording sheet and the driving roller 301d regardless of the height of the bottom surface 304b.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the length of the recording sheet protruding from the sheet discharge port 120 is about 10 [mm] to 50 [mm] has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, instead of this, the length of the recording sheet that protrudes from the sheet discharge port 120 is increased so that it is bent by its own weight, and the recording sheet is discharged so that the printing surface of the recording sheet faces the user side. You may do it. This makes it easier for the user who is facing the image forming apparatus 1 to see what is printed on the recording sheet stored in the stocker 304 of the sheet discharging apparatus 206. .

  (3) In the above embodiment, the case where the leading edge of the recording sheet accumulated in the stocker 304 protrudes toward the user who operates the touch panel of the image forming apparatus 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, instead of this, the recording sheet may be accumulated in the stocker 304 so that the leading end protrudes toward the LCD 110 rather than the user. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said embodiment can be acquired.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the recording sheet accumulated in the stocker 304 interferes with the drive roller 301d of the discharge roller pair 301 in particular by providing an interference prevention rib that partially bulges the inner wall surface of the stocker 304. Although the case of preventing the above has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this, and a shape other than the rib shape may be used instead. Further, instead of causing a part of the inner wall surface of the stocker 304 to bulge, another member may be disposed as an interference preventing member. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said embodiment can be acquired.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the case where the trailing edge of the recording sheet is guided to the stocker 304 side by the drive roller 301d after passing through the discharge nip of the discharge roller pair 301 has been described. Needless to say, the rear end of the recording sheet may be guided to the stocker 304 side using means other than the drive roller 301d. Examples of such guiding means include guidance by blowing air using a fan and guidance by bringing a paddle into contact with the rear end of the recording sheet. Needless to say, the effect of the present invention is the same regardless of the guiding means.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the case where the discharge roller pair 301 conveys the recording sheet substantially upward in the vertical direction has been described. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to this. You may do it. That is, as long as the leading edge of the recording sheet can be guided to the paper discharge guide 303 by the paper passing guide 302, the recording sheet may be discharged inclined toward the LCD 110 of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Conversely, the discharge roller pair 301 may discharge the recording sheet by inclining toward the front side toward the LCD 110. In this case, as long as the curved portion of the recording sheet contacts the guide surface 302g of the sheet passing guide 302 when accumulated in the stocker 304, the leading end of the recording sheet is discharged without contacting the sheet guide 302. The recording sheet may be discharged to the upper side of the paper guide 303.

In any case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.
(7) In the above embodiment, the case where the guide surface 302g of the sheet passing guide 302 has a substantially planar shape has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-planar shape is used instead. Also good. If the leading edge of the recording sheet is guided to the upper side of the sheet discharge guide 303 and abuts against the curved portion of the recording sheet accumulated in the stocker 304, the same effect can be obtained even if it takes a shape other than a flat surface.

  (8) In the above embodiment, the case where the image forming unit 200 is an intermediate transfer type tandem type image forming apparatus has been described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this, and direct transfer is performed instead. A type of image forming apparatus may be used. Further, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the tandem type, and may be a monochrome image forming apparatus instead of the color image forming apparatus. Further, a method other than the electrophotographic method such as an ink jet method or a heat sensitive method may be applied. The effect of the present invention is the same regardless of the image forming method employed by the image forming unit 200.

  The sheet discharge apparatus and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention are useful as an apparatus for discharging a recording sheet so as to be easily taken by a user without increasing the size of the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... Image forming apparatus 101 ... Case 120 ... Sheet discharge port 200 ... Image forming unit 206 ... Sheet discharge apparatus 300 ... Sheet conveyance path 301 ... Discharge roller pair 301d ... Drive roller 301f ... Follow Roller 302 ... Paper passing guide 302g ... Guide surface 303 ... Discharge guide 303m ... Body portion 303r ... Fall prevention rib 304 ... Stocker 304b ... Bottom surface 304r of stocker ... Interference prevention rib 305 ... Guide member

Claims (9)

A discharge roller for discharging the sheet vertically upward;
A sheet passing guide having a guide surface in front of the sheet discharge direction by the discharge roller and guiding the sheet in a direction oblique to the discharge direction;
A sheet discharge guide that is disposed on the opposite side of the sheet passing guide across the sheet discharge path, and supports and guides the sheet guided obliquely by the sheet passing guide from below;
A stocker that communicates with the paper discharge path and stores the rear end side of the sheet in the discharge direction ;
Guiding means for guiding the rear end of the sheet that has passed through the discharge roller to the stocker;
A sheet conveyance path for guiding the sheet toward the discharge roller ,
The distance from the bottom surface of the stocker with which the sheet rear end abuts to the support end of the sheet discharge guide that supports the sheet from below is shorter than the length in the sheet discharge direction,
The support end of the paper discharge guide and the bottom surface of the stocker are both positioned below the extended surface of the guide surface of the paper passing guide,
The guide surface of the sheet passing guide regulates the curvature of the sheet by contacting the sheet stored in the stocker ,
The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stocker is provided with a bottom surface at a position for receiving the trailing edge of the sheet that has fallen in parallel with the sheet conveying path after passing through the discharging roller . The discharge roller also serves as the guiding means,
The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a trailing edge of the sheet is guided to the stocker by a rotational frictional force. When the sheet stored in the stocker is supported by the paper discharge guide, the sheet portion protruding from the paper discharge guide is curved with the paper discharge guide as a fulcrum by its own weight, and is visible from above. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet discharging apparatus is provided. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that moves a bottom surface of the stocker in a vertical direction. The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the moving unit moves the bottom surface of the stocker so that the lower the length of the sheet in the discharging direction is, the higher the sheet is. A prevention member is provided for preventing a sheet whose rear end is in contact with the bottom surface of the stocker from contacting the discharge roller.
The sheet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet discharging apparatus is a sheet discharging apparatus. A prevention means for preventing movement of the trailing edge of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller;
The discharge roller is a pair of rollers,
The restricting means prevents the rear end from moving toward the roller farther from the bottom surface of the stocker among the rollers constituting the roller pair.
The sheet discharging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet discharging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A display means for displaying information to the user,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the sheet discharge device is configured such that a guide surface of the sheet passing guide is inclined so as to discharge the sheet toward a user facing the display unit.

Images