JP6421775B2 - Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device that is inserted into an in-body discharge space of an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveying device.

  Conventionally, a stacking process in which a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer is stacked, and the bundle of stacked sheets is bound together by a staple, and a punch hole (perforation) by a punch hole forming apparatus A paper post-processing apparatus capable of executing punch hole forming processing for making a hole is used.

  When such a sheet post-processing apparatus is mounted on the side surface of the image forming apparatus, there is a problem that an installation space for the image forming apparatus is increased by the amount of mounting the sheet post-processing apparatus. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a sheet post-processing unit is slidably disposed in a space (in-cylinder discharge space) of an apparatus main body formed by a document reading unit, a printing unit, and a paper discharge unit. Has been.

  In Patent Document 2, a first post-processing device is provided in a space between the image forming unit and the image reading unit so as to be movable along the guide rail, and between the first post-processing device and the discharge roller. An image forming apparatus capable of selectively mounting a second post-processing apparatus is disclosed. Moreover, the structure provided with a cover member is also described so that the 2nd post-processing apparatus may cover the front surface at the time of moving along a guide member.

JP 2006-240759 A JP 2009-63832 A

  In the configuration in which the sheet post-processing device is inserted along the rail in the in-cylinder discharge space as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a rail formed by bending a metal plate into a U-shaped cross section is often used. In that case, there is a problem that the operator mistakenly inserts the finger into the concave portion inside the rail and hurts the finger at the edge of the rail.

  In order to avoid insertion of a finger into the recess of the rail, a method of providing a cover member that covers the recess of the rail is conceivable. On the other hand, when a paper jam occurs between the image forming apparatus main body and the paper post-processing device, it is necessary to slide the paper post-processing device so as to protrude outward from the in-cylinder discharge space in order to remove the paper. There is. For this reason, if the cover member is fixed to the rail, the sheet post-processing apparatus cannot be slid.

  Therefore, as in Patent Document 2, the cover member needs to be a separate member from the rail. However, when another unit is inserted between the image forming apparatus main body and the sheet post-processing apparatus, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of cover members having different lengths depending on the presence or absence of the unit, resulting in a large number of parts. There was a problem of becoming. In addition, an opening (hole) is formed on the bottom surface of the paper post-processing device to prevent interference with the rail when sliding, and the paper post-processing device is slid so as to protrude outward from the in-body discharge space. In some cases, there was a risk of inserting a finger by mistake from the opening on the bottom. In addition, since the internal parts can be seen from the opening, the appearance is impaired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention includes a sheet conveying device capable of preventing the insertion of a finger into the recess of the rail portion or the opening of the main body portion, and the main body portion being slidable along the rail portion. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present invention is a sheet conveying apparatus including a main body and a frame. The main body includes a sheet conveying mechanism. The frame has a pair of guide rails that slidably support the main body and is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. A rail cover is slidably attached to the guide rail. When the main body is arranged at the initial position in the image forming apparatus main body, a part of the guide rail protrudes from the main body and the rail cover is arranged at the first position covering the protruding part of the guide rail. When the main body is disposed at the sliding position protruding from the image forming apparatus main body, the rail cover protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body together with the main body, and the tip of the rail cover is substantially flush with the main body. Placed in position.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, the rail cover is disposed at the first position that covers the front end portion of the guide rail when the main body portion is disposed at the initial position. Can be prevented. On the other hand, when the main body is moved from the initial position to the sliding position for jamming or the like, the rail cover protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body together with the main body, and the front end of the rail cover is substantially flush with the main body. Therefore, when the main body is moved to the sliding position, the main body and the rail cover do not interfere with each other, and the main body can be moved smoothly. Further, since the rail cover does not protrude from the main body, the rail cover can be prevented from being damaged, and the design of the image forming apparatus is improved.

Schematic showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 equipped with the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 of the present invention. Side sectional view of a sheet post-processing apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. External perspective view of sheet post-processing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment A side view of the sheet post-processing device 20 as viewed from the front side (the right front side in FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 100. The perspective view which looked at the guide rail 60a from the inner side (back side of FIG. 4) The perspective view which looked at the rail cover 70 from the outside The perspective view which looked at the rail cover 70 from the inside Side view of image forming apparatus 100 in which only sheet post-processing device 20 is mounted in in-cylinder discharge space 16 Side view of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the sheet post-processing device 20 and the punch hole forming device 90 are mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16. The top view which looked at the connection part of the main-body part 20a and the guide rail 60a in FIG. 8 from the downward direction The top view which looked at the connection part of the main-body part 20a and the guide rail 60a in FIG. 9 from the downward direction Side view of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the main body 20a of the sheet post-processing device 20 is pulled out from the in-cylinder discharge space 16.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 including a sheet post-processing apparatus 20 according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, a digital multi-function peripheral is illustrated as an example of the image forming apparatus 100. However, the paper post-processing apparatus 20 of the present invention is other than a digital multi-function peripheral, for example, a laser printer, an inkjet printer, a facsimile machine, Similarly, it can be connected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming unit P that forms a monochrome image by each process of charging, exposure, development, and transfer is disposed in the main body of an image forming apparatus (for example, a monochrome multifunction device) 100.

  In the image forming unit P, along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1), the charging unit 2, the exposure unit 3, the developing device 4, the transfer roller 7, the cleaning device 8, and the static eliminating device. (Not shown) is provided. In the image forming unit P, the image forming process for the photosensitive drum 1 is executed while rotating the photosensitive drum 1 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is formed by laminating a photosensitive layer on an aluminum drum, for example, and the charging unit 2 uniformly charges the photosensitive layer on the surface. Then, an electrostatic latent image in which charging is attenuated is formed on the surface that has received a laser beam from the exposure unit 3 described later. The above-mentioned photosensitive layer is not particularly limited. For example, an amorphous silicon (a-Si) photosensitive layer having excellent durability, or an organic photosensitive layer that can generate high-resolution images with little generation of ozone during charging. A layer (OPC) or the like is preferable.

  The charging unit 2 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. For example, a corona discharge device that discharges by applying a high voltage using a thin wire or the like as an electrode is used as the charging unit 2. Instead of the corona discharge device, a contact-type charging device that applies a voltage in a state where a charging member typified by a charging roller is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor may be used. The exposure unit 3 irradiates the photosensitive drum 1 with a light beam (for example, a laser beam) based on the document image data read by the image reading unit 18 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

  The developing device 4 forms toner images by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. The toner is supplied to the developing device 4 by the toner container 5. Here, a single-component developer (hereinafter also simply referred to as toner) composed only of magnetic toner components is accommodated in the developing device 4.

  The transfer roller 7 transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 onto the sheet conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 11. The cleaning device 8 includes a cleaning roller and a cleaning blade that are in linear contact with the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 1, and removes residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image is transferred to a sheet.

  The image reading unit 18 includes a scanner lamp that illuminates the document during copying, a scanning optical system equipped with a mirror that changes the optical path of reflected light from the document, and a condensing lens that focuses the reflected light from the document to form an image. And a CCD sensor or the like (both not shown) that converts the imaged image light into an electrical signal, and reads a document image and converts it into image data.

  When performing a copy operation, the image reading unit 18 reads the image data of the document and converts it into an image signal. On the other hand, in the image forming unit P, the photosensitive drum 1 that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 is uniformly charged by the charging unit 2. Next, the exposure unit 3 irradiates the photosensitive drum 1 with a laser beam (light beam) on the basis of the document image data read by the image reading unit 18, so that the electrostatic latent image based on the image data is transferred to the photosensitive member. Form on the surface of the drum 1. Thereafter, the developing device 4 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image.

  A sheet is conveyed from the sheet storage unit 10 through the sheet conveyance path 11 and the registration roller pair 13 at a predetermined timing toward the image forming unit P on which the toner image is formed as described above. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 7. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 1, conveyed to the fixing unit 9, and heated and pressed to fix the toner image on the sheet.

  The paper that has passed through the fixing unit 9 passes through the paper transport path 11, is transported to the discharge roller pair 14, and is transported into the paper post-processing device 20 mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16 by the discharge roller pair 14.

  The sheet post-processing device 20 is detachably attached to the bottom surface 16a of the in-body discharge space 16. When the paper post-processing device 20 is detached from the in-body discharge space 16, the bottom surface 16a is used as a paper discharge tray.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the sheet post-processing apparatus 20. Inside the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 are provided a processing tray 30 for stacking a plurality of loaded sheets, and a stapler 40 for binding a bundle of sheets stacked on the processing tray 30 with staples. A discharge tray 50 that can be moved up and down to a position suitable for paper discharge is provided on the side surface of the paper post-processing device 20. A punch hole forming device 90 (see FIG. 9) for forming punch holes in the paper can be mounted between the paper post-processing device 20 and the discharge roller pair 14.

  A paper carry-in port 21 is provided at a position facing the discharge roller pair 14 of the paper post-processing device 20. At the substantially central portion in the direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction of the paper carry-in port 21 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2), the leading edge of the paper carried into the paper post-processing device 20 is detected by the discharge roller pair 14. A carry-in detection sensor (not shown) is arranged.

  An actuator-type paper detection sensor 28 that detects the passage of paper is disposed downstream of the paper carry-in port 21 with respect to the paper transport direction. A first discharge roller pair 27 is disposed on the downstream side of the paper detection sensor 28. Further, below the first discharge roller pair 27, a processing tray 30 on which a predetermined number of sheets conveyed by the first discharge roller pair 27 are aligned and stacked, and a bundle of sheets stacked on the processing tray 30 (sheet bundle) ) Is provided with a stapler 40 for performing the binding process.

  A second discharge roller pair 29 that discharges the sheet bundle from the processing tray 30 to the discharge tray 50 is disposed on the downstream side of the processing tray 30 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction. The second discharge roller pair 29 includes a rubber discharge roller 29a that can be rotated forward and backward by a drive motor (not shown), and a resin discharge roller 29b that rotates following the discharge roller 29a. . The discharge roller 29a is supported by a roller holder 31 that can swing up and down about the rotation shaft 31a.

  On the downstream side of the first discharge roller pair 27 (on the left side in FIG. 2) above the processing tray 30, the paper carried by the first discharge roller pair 27 is struck in the direction of the processing tray 30 to be along the tray surface. A hitting member 33 is provided. The processing tray 30 is provided so as to incline downward toward the rear end side (the right side in FIG. 2) of the stacked paper, and the second discharge roller pair 29 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the paper is removed from the rear end side. The paper is drawn onto the processing tray 30, and the rear end of the paper comes into contact with the abutting portion 30a. As a result, the sheets are stacked on the processing tray 30 with the rear ends thereof aligned. Further, the processing tray 30 is provided with a pair of side end alignment cursors 35 for aligning the sheet bundle loaded on the processing tray 30 in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2).

  The stapler 40 can be moved in the paper width direction perpendicular to the transport direction by a moving mechanism (not shown), and moves to a predetermined position along the abutting portion 30a of the processing tray 30 according to the content of the binding process.

  Next, the operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 will be described. An image forming process is performed in the image forming apparatus 100, and the sheet carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 from the sheet carry-in entrance 21 is further conveyed downstream by the first discharge roller pair 27. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the roller holder 31 swings upward, and the discharge roller 29a is disposed at a position (separated position) separated from the discharge roller 29b. Therefore, the sheet conveyed by the first discharge roller pair 27 protrudes to the discharge tray 50 through the gap between the discharge roller 29a and the discharge roller 29b.

  At the timing when the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the first discharge roller pair 27, the roller holder 31 is swung downward and the discharge roller 29a is disposed at a position (contact position) where the discharge roller 29a contacts the discharge roller 29b. Thereafter, the tapping member 33 is driven to cause the paper to follow the processing tray 30. In this state, by rotating the discharge roller 29a in the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2), the paper is drawn along the processing tray 30, and the trailing edge is aligned by the abutting portion 30a. At this time, the intermediate portion of the sheet is nipped by the second discharge roller pair 29, and the leading end of the sheet protrudes from the second discharge roller pair 29 onto the discharge tray 50. When the paper is drawn along the processing tray 30, the paper is nipped in a state where the discharge roller 29a is in pressure contact with the discharge roller 29b only by its own weight so as not to draw the paper more than necessary.

  When the acceptance of one bundle of sheets is completed, the stapler 40 is moved to the notch position of the abutting portion 30a to insert the trailing end of the bundle of sheets into the staple unit 40a, and the staple unit 40a binds the bundle of sheets. Is done. After the sheet bundle is bound by the staple unit 40a, the sheet bundle is conveyed upward along the processing tray 30 by rotating the second discharge roller pair 29 in the forward direction (clockwise in FIG. 2). 50 is discharged. When the sheet bundle is discharged to the discharge tray 50, not only the weight of the roller holder 31 but also the roller holder 31 is urged downward by a biasing member such as a spring so that the discharge roller 29a is pressed against the discharge roller 29b. As a result, the sheet bundle is nipped with a stronger force than when the sheet is pulled in, so that the sheet bundle can be reliably discharged to the discharge tray 50.

  When shift discharge is set, when the second discharge roller pair 29 is driven to discharge the sheet bundle to the discharge tray 50, the roller holder 31 is first moved to the separation position. Thereafter, the side edge alignment cursor 35 is disposed at a position shifted by a predetermined amount in a position (reference position) where the sheet is received or in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction (sheet width direction) from the reference position. Then, the roller holder 31 is moved to the contact position to discharge the paper. As a result, the sheet bundle is alternately discharged to a reference discharge position on the discharge tray 50 and a shift discharge position shifted by a predetermined amount from the reference discharge position in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction (paper width direction). On the discharge tray 50, they are alternately stacked in the paper width direction and sorted.

  A sheet pressing member 51 is disposed below the second discharge roller pair 29. The sheet pressing member 51 is supported so as to be swingable about the fulcrum 51a, and overlaps the discharge tray 50 and a retreat position where it is retracted from the discharge tray 50 (not overlapping the discharge tray 50) as shown in FIG. It is selectively arranged at a sheet pressing position that protrudes to the position and presses the upper surface of the sheet discharged onto the discharge tray 50.

  3 is an external perspective view of the sheet post-processing apparatus 20, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 as viewed from the front side (the right front side in FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the exterior cover 53 of the main body 20a is removed. The sheet post-processing device 20 includes a main body 20a and a frame 20b that slidably supports the main body 20a.

  The main body 20a accommodates a processing tray 30, a stapler 40, and the like (all of which are shown in FIG. 2). Inside the exterior cover 53, a circuit board 54 that transmits a control signal to the processing tray 30 and the stapler 40 and a support frame 55 that supports the circuit board 54 are mounted. Further, an opening 53a (see FIGS. 10 and 11) for preventing interference with the guide rails 60a and 60b when the main body 20a is moved along the guide rails 60a and 60b is provided on the lower surface of the exterior cover 53. Is formed.

  The frame 20b constitutes the lower surface of the sheet post-processing device 20, and faces the bottom surface 16a (see FIG. 1) of the in-body discharge space 16. An insertion convex portion 61 is formed on one end side (the discharge roller pair 14 side) of the frame 20b, and a fixing plate 63 is attached to the other end side of the frame 20b. The insertion convex portion 61 is inserted into a positioning hole (not shown) formed in the inner portion of the in-cylinder discharge space 16 and the fixing plate 63 is fastened to the side surface of the image forming apparatus 100 with screws, so that the frame 20b is It is fixed to the bottom surface 16 a of the inner discharge space 16.

  A pair of guide rails 60a and 60b are formed at both ends in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4) of the frame 20b perpendicular to the sliding direction of the main body portion 20a (left and right direction in FIG. 4). Yes. As the sliding roller 56 on the main body 20a side moves along the guide rails 60a and 60b, the main body 20a reciprocates with respect to the frame 20b. When a paper jam occurs between the paper post-processing device 20 and the discharge roller pair 14, the main body 20a is slid in the pulling direction (left direction in FIG. 4) to perform the jam processing.

  A rail cover 70 is slidably attached to the downstream end portions (left end in FIG. 4) of the guide rails 60a and 60b with respect to the pulling direction of the main body portion 20a. One end of a tension spring 80 is locked to the first locking portion 71 of the rail cover 70. The other end of the tension spring 80 is locked to the second locking portion 57 of the support frame 55. The rail cover 70 is biased by the tension spring 80 in a direction approaching the main body portion 20a (right direction in FIG. 4).

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the guide rail 60a as viewed from the inside (the back side in FIG. 4). The guide rail 60a is formed by bending a metal plate into a U-shape in cross section, and includes a bottom surface portion 65 with which the sliding roller 56 abuts and a side surface portion 66 extending vertically upward from the side edge of the bottom surface portion 65. And an upper surface portion 67 extending from the upper end of the side surface portion 66 so as to overlap the bottom surface portion 65. A concave portion 68 is formed in a portion surrounded by the bottom surface portion 65, the side surface portion 66, and the top surface portion 67. The guide rail 60b has the same configuration except that it is symmetrical with the guide rail 60a.

  6 and 7 are perspective views of the rail cover 70 as seen from the outside (the front side of the image forming apparatus 100) and the inside (the back side of FIG. 6), respectively. 6 and 7 show the rail cover 70 attached to the guide rail 60a, but the rail cover 70 attached to the guide rail 60b is similar to that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 except that it is symmetrical. It is a configuration.

  The rail cover 70 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped resin member, and an insertion hole 70a into which the guide rails 60a and 60b are inserted is formed in the lower part. A first locking portion 71 that locks one end of a tension spring 80 (see FIG. 4) is formed on the side surface of the rail cover 70. The upper portion of the rail cover 70 is formed with a first upper surface portion 70b and a second upper surface portion 70c that overlaps a part of the first upper surface portion 70b, and the first upper surface portion 70b has an engagement protrusion ( Engagement grooves 73 are formed to slidably engage with each other (not shown). An engaging portion 75 that engages with an engaged portion 74 (see FIG. 10) of the main body 20a is formed at the downstream end of the rail cover 70 with respect to the pulling direction of the main body 20a.

  Next, the movement of the rail cover 70 accompanying the movement of the main body 20a in the paper post-processing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a side view of the image forming apparatus 100 in which only the sheet post-processing device 20 is mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16. FIG. 9 is a side view of the sheet post-processing device 20 and the punch hole forming device 90 in the in-cylinder discharge space 16. Side views of the mounted image forming apparatus 100, FIGS. 10 and 11 are plan views of the connecting portion between the main body 20a and the guide rail 60a in FIGS. 10 and 11, the description of the image forming apparatus 100 is omitted, and only the main body 20a, the guide rail 60a, and the rail cover 70 are illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when only the sheet post-processing device 20 is mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16 without mounting the punch hole forming device 90, the main body portion 20 a is located at the innermost side (initial position) of the in-cylinder discharge space 16. ) And part of the guide rails 60a and 60b protrudes from the main body portion 20a in the pull-out direction. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the rail cover 70 is disposed at a position that covers the protruding portions of the guide rails 60 a and 60 b (hereinafter referred to as a first position).

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the paper post-processing device 20 and the punch hole forming device 90 are mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16, the main body portion 20 a is extended in the pull-out direction by the punch hole forming device 90 (about several tens of mm). The main body 20a and the side surface of the image forming apparatus 100 are arranged at a position (shift position) that is substantially flush with each other. At this time, the rail cover 70, which is a separate member from the main body 20 a, is urged in the direction approaching the main body 20 a (the right direction in FIG. 4) by the urging force of the tension spring 80. Thus, the rail cover 70 does not move from the first position, and only the main body portion 20a moves in the pull-out direction. Accordingly, the rail cover 70 does not protrude from the side surface of the image forming apparatus 100.

  FIG. 12 is a side view of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the main body portion 20a of the sheet post-processing apparatus 20 is pulled out from the in-cylinder discharge space 16. When the main body portion 20a is disposed at a position (sliding position) protruding in the pulling direction from the in-body discharge space 16, the engaging portion 75 formed on the rail cover 70 engages with the engaged portion 74 of the main body portion 20a. The rail cover 70 is disposed at a position moved in the pulling direction together with the main body portion 20a (hereinafter referred to as a second position). In a state where the rail cover 70 is disposed at the second position, the tip end portion of the rail cover 70 is substantially flush with the main body portion 20a.

  When the main body 20a is inserted into the in-cylinder discharge space 16 from the state of FIG. 12, the rail cover 70 moves in the insertion direction together with the main body 20a by the urging force of the tension spring 80. When the punch hole forming device 90 is not mounted, the main body 20a is inserted to the initial position on the back side of the side surface of the image forming device 100 as shown in FIG. 8, and the rail cover 70 is connected to the guide rails 60a and 60b. It arrange | positions in the 1st position which covers a front-end | tip part. On the other hand, when the punch hole forming device 90 is mounted, as shown in FIG. 9, the main body 20a is inserted to the shift position, and the rail cover 70 is disposed at the first position.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, when the punch hole forming device 90 is not mounted, the rail cover 70 is disposed at the first position that covers the front ends of the guide rails 60a and 60b, and therefore the guide rails 60a and 60b. It is possible to prevent the user from accidentally putting his hand into the recess 68 (see FIG. 5).

  When the punch hole forming device 90 is mounted, the position of the main body 20a is shifted in the pulling direction, but the rail cover 70 is a separate member from the main body 20a, and the first force is applied by the urging force of the tension spring 80. Does not move from position. Therefore, the rail cover 70 does not protrude outward from the in-cylinder discharge space 16, and the rail cover 70 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, the design of the image forming apparatus 100 is also improved.

  When the main body 20a is moved from the initial position to the sliding position for jamming or the like, the rail cover 70 is disposed at the second position moved in the pulling direction together with the main body 20a. Therefore, since the main body 20a and the rail cover 70 do not interfere when the main body 20a is moved to the sliding position, the main body 20a can be smoothly moved without removing the rail cover 70. Further, since the rail cover 70 does not protrude from the main body portion 20a, the rail cover 70 can be prevented from being damaged, and the design of the image forming apparatus 100 is also improved.

  Furthermore, the state in which the opening 53a formed in the exterior cover 53 of the main body 20a is closed by the rail cover 70 can be maintained, and the components in the main body 20a can be seen through the opening 53a. It is possible to prevent a hand from being accidentally inserted into the portion 53a.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, in the embodiment described above, the rail cover 70 and the main body 20a (support frame 55) are connected by the tension spring 80 so that the rail cover 70 is disposed at the initial position and the sliding position in accordance with the movement of the main body 20a. However, instead of the tension spring 80, a mechanism for engaging and releasing the main body portion 20a and the rail cover 70 is provided, and the rail cover 70 is moved to the first position and the second position according to the movement of the main body portion 20a. You may arrange in the position.

  In the above embodiment, the punch hole forming device 90 can be attached to the image forming apparatus 100 separately from the paper post-processing device 20, but the paper post-processing provided with the punch hole forming device in the main body 20a. The device 20 may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet post-processing device 20 mounted in the in-cylinder discharge space 16 of the image forming apparatus 100 has been described as an example. For example, a relay unit is inserted into the in-cylinder discharge space 16; When the sheet post-processing device mounted on the outer surface of the image forming apparatus 100 and the discharge unit of the image forming apparatus 100 are connected using the relay unit, the present invention can also be applied to the relay unit.

  The present invention can be used in a sheet conveying apparatus that is inserted into the in-body discharge space of the image forming apparatus and whose main body portion can slide along the rail portion. By utilizing the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet conveying apparatus capable of preventing the insertion of a finger into the recess of the rail part or the opening of the main body part and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveying apparatus.

6 Image forming unit 8 Image reading unit 16 In-body discharge space 16a Bottom surface (sheet stacking surface)
16a1 Inclined surface 16b Recess 20 Paper post-processing device (sheet conveying device)
20a body 20b frame 30 processing tray 40 stapler 50 discharge tray 53 outer cover 53a opening 60a, 60b guide rail 70 rail cover 75 engaging portion 80 tension spring (biasing member)
90 Punch hole forming device 100 Image forming device

Claims (7)

A main body having a sheet conveying mechanism;
A frame having a pair of guide rails for slidably supporting the main body, and mounted on the image forming apparatus main body;
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising:
A rail cover slidably mounted on the guide rail is provided;
When the main body is arranged at an initial position in the image forming apparatus main body, a part of the guide rail protrudes from the main body and the rail cover is arranged at a first position covering the protruding portion of the guide rail. And
When the main body is disposed at a sliding position protruding from the image forming apparatus main body, the rail cover protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body together with the main body, and the tip of the rail cover is substantially the same as the main body. A sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus is disposed at a second position that is flush with the surface.   An opening for mounting on the guide rail is formed on the lower surface of the main body, and the rail cover protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body of the opening when disposed in the second position. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion to be closed is closed. An urging member for urging the rail cover in the first position direction is provided;
3. The sheet conveyance according to claim 1, wherein when the main body is disposed at the initial position, the rail cover is disposed at the first position by a biasing force of the biasing member. apparatus.   The rail cover is held at the first position by the urging force of the urging member until the main body portion protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body, and the main body portion protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body. The engaging portion formed at the tip of the rail cover engages with the main body, and the rail cover moves from the first position to the second position. The sheet conveying apparatus according to 3.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the biasing member is a tension spring that connects the rail cover and the main body.   6. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet forming apparatus receives a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus and performs at least one of a binding process, a punch hole forming process, and a sorting process. The sheet conveying apparatus of crab.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 1.

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