JP7151353B2 - Sheet discharge device and image processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet ejection device having a curl straightening function.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet discharge device has a conveying function and a curl correcting function in the vicinity of the discharge port in order to correct the curl of a sheet that has occurred during image processing such as image formation and during conveying along a conveying path and to discharge the sheet onto a tray. may be provided with rollers and rollers having

For example, in Patent Document 1, one roller is arranged on the upper side, and two rollers held by a holder and arranged in the sheet conveying direction are arranged on the lower side. A configuration is disclosed in which the two rollers of are brought into contact with the upper roller and rotated. According to this configuration, the curl is corrected by pressing the sheet along the peripheral surface of the upper roller by the two lower rollers.

JP-A-2000-56530

In the case of the configuration of Patent Document 1, between the two lower rollers, the sheet has a shape along the upper roller, so the sheet is curved along the conveying direction. Therefore, the trailing edge of the conveyed sheet may bounce toward the holder between the two lower rollers immediately after passing the first lower roller. For example, when conveying a stiff sheet such as cardboard, if the trailing edge of the sheet bounces toward the holder and collides with the upper part of the holder or a member placed around the holder, causing a collision sound. Alternatively, sheet conveyance may be disturbed due to bouncing of the trailing edge of the sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present application is to provide a technique for reducing bouncing of the trailing edge of a sheet in a sheet discharge device having a curl correction function.

The sheet ejection device of the present invention comprises: a housing; a driving roller for discharging a sheet in the housing along the sheet discharging direction; and a second pinch roller arranged at a position facing the drive roller downstream of the first pinch roller in the discharge direction and rotating in contact with the drive roller, and the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are connected to each other. A holder having a connecting portion for holding the first pinch roller movably holding the first pinch roller between a contact position where the first pinch roller contacts the drive roller and a separated position where the first pinch roller is separated from the drive roller an urging means for urging the first pinch roller in a direction toward the drive roller; and a guide member arranged at a predetermined position from the first pinch roller to the second pinch roller in the discharge direction, the guide member comprising a predetermined The position is a position farther from the drive roller than the connecting portion of the holder when the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position, and the holder is positioned at the separated position against the biasing means when the first pinch roller is positioned at the separated position. and a guide member located closer to the drive roller than the connecting portion of the.

According to the above configuration, the stiffness of the conveyed sheet separates the first pinch roller from the drive roller, and the sheet is conveyed along the separated first pinch roller or the guide member.

According to the present invention, when the first pinch roller is separated from the driving roller by being pushed by the sheet, the trailing edge of the sheet is conveyed from the separated first pinch roller to the guide member. bounce is reduced.

1 is a central sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the periphery of a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the ejection mechanism; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the first pinch roller in FIG. 3 is displaced to a separated position; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge mechanism during conveyance of a sheet with low stiffness; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge mechanism during conveyance of a sheet with low stiffness; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the ejection mechanism during transportation of stiff sheets. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the ejection mechanism during transportation of stiff sheets. FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram for explaining how a sheet with low stiffness is conveyed; FIG. 10 is a simplified diagram illustrating how a stiff sheet is conveyed in a horizontal state of the guide member; FIG. 10 is a simplified diagram illustrating how a stiff sheet is conveyed in a horizontal state of the guide member; FIG. 10 is a simplified diagram for explaining how a stiff sheet is conveyed with the guide member being inclined; FIG. 11 is a simplified diagram of integral movement of the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller in another embodiment;

In the following description, the state in which the image forming apparatus 1 is installed to be usable as shown in FIGS. 1 is defined from the front side, and the discharge tray 2B side of the image forming apparatus 1 is defined as the upper side, and the opposite side is defined as the lower side.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention, and includes a housing 2, a supply unit 3, a motor 4, and an image forming unit 5 as an example of an image processing section. , and a discharge unit 8 as an example of a sheet discharge device.

The supply unit 3 is arranged below the image forming apparatus 1 and conveys the sheet S held by the supply unit 3 to the image forming unit 5 . The image forming unit 5 is arranged downstream of the supply unit 3 in the conveying direction of the sheet S, and forms an image on the sheet S conveyed from the supply unit 3 . The discharge unit 8 is arranged downstream of the image forming unit 5 in the conveying direction of the sheet S, and discharges the sheet S on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit 5 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 .

The supply unit 3 includes a sheet tray 10 , a paper feed mechanism 20 , conveying rollers 24 and registration rollers 26 .

The sheet tray 10 is detachably attached to a sheet tray attachment portion 2A formed in the lower portion of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. The sheet tray 10 is mounted on the sheet tray mounting portion 2A by being inserted from the front toward the rear into the sheet tray mounting portion 2A, and positioned at the mounting position. In addition, the sheet tray 10 is pulled out from the rear to the front with respect to the sheet tray mounting portion 2A, so that the sheet tray 10 is moved from the mounting position to the drawing position.

The sheet tray 10 includes a tray body 11 capable of supporting a plurality of sheets S, a pressure plate 12 on which the sheets S are stacked and disposed on the tray body 11 so that the sheets S can be vertically displaced, and a pressure plate 12 . and a pressure plate lifting member 13 for lifting the platen.

The tip portion of the pressure plate 12 is vertically displaced around the rotation fulcrum 12A. The pressure plate raising member 13 is driven by the motor 4 to raise the tip of the pressure plate 12 . As the pressure plate lifting member 13 rises, the pressure plate 12 is lifted, and the sheets S stacked on the pressure plate 12 are raised to the sheet feedable position as shown in FIG.

The paper feeding mechanism 20 separates and takes out the sheets S stacked on the sheet tray 10 one by one, and conveys them toward the conveying rollers 24 . The paper feed mechanism 20 includes a pickup roller 21 , a separation roller 22 and a separation pad 23 .

The pickup roller 21 is a roller for picking up the sheet S raised to the sheet feedable position by the pressure plate 12 , and is arranged above the pressure plate 12 . The separation roller 22 is arranged downstream of the pickup roller 21 in the conveying direction of the sheet S, and the separation pad 23 is arranged to face the separation roller 22 and is biased toward the separation roller 22 .

The sheet S picked up by the pickup roller 21 is delivered to the separation roller 22 side, separated sheet by sheet between the separation roller 22 and the separation pad 23 , and conveyed toward the conveying roller 24 .

The conveying roller 24 is a roller that applies a conveying force to the sheet S, and is arranged downstream of the sheet feeding mechanism 20 in the sheet S conveying direction. The sheet S conveyed from the paper feeding mechanism 20 toward the conveying rollers 24 is conveyed toward the registration rollers 26 .

The registration rollers 26 are arranged downstream of the transport rollers 24 in the sheet S transport direction. The registration rollers 26 regulate the movement of the leading edge of the conveyed sheet S, temporarily stop it, and then convey it toward the transfer position at a predetermined timing.

The image forming unit 5 includes a process cartridge 50 that transfers an image onto the surface of the sheet S conveyed from the supply unit 3 , an exposure unit 60 that exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 54 of the process cartridge 50 , and the process cartridge 50 . A fixing unit 70 for fixing the image transferred to the sheet S is provided.

The process cartridge 50 is arranged above the sheet tray mounting portion 2A in the housing 2 . The process cartridge 50 includes a developer storage chamber 51 , a supply roller 52 , a development roller 53 , a photosensitive drum 54 and a transfer roller 55 .

The developer containing chamber 51 contains toner as a developer. The toner stored in the developer storage chamber 51 is sent to the supply roller 52 while being stirred by a stirring member (not shown). The supply roller 52 further supplies the toner sent from the developer storage chamber 51 to the development roller 53 .

The developing roller 53 is arranged in close contact with the supply roller 52 and carries the toner supplied from the supply roller 52 . A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 53 by bias applying means (not shown).

The photosensitive drum 54 is arranged adjacent to the developing roller 53 . The surface of the photosensitive drum 54 is uniformly charged by a charger (not shown) and then exposed by the exposure unit 60 . The exposed portion of the photoreceptor drum 54 has a lower potential than other portions, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed on the photoreceptor drum 54 . Then, charged toner is supplied from the developing roller 53 to the surface of the photosensitive drum 54 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, whereby the electrostatic latent image is developed into a developer image.

The transfer roller 55 is arranged opposite to the photosensitive drum 54, and a negative transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 55 by bias applying means (not shown). In a state in which a transfer bias is applied to the surface of the transfer roller 55, the sheet S is conveyed while being nipped between the photosensitive drum 54 on which the developer image is formed and the transfer roller 55 (transfer position). A developer image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 54 is transferred to the surface of the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

The exposure unit 60 includes a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a lens, and a reflecting mirror, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 54 with laser light based on image data input to the image forming apparatus 1. , the surface of the photosensitive drum 54 is exposed.

The fixing unit 70 has a heating roller 71 and a pressing roller 72 . The heating roller 71 is rotationally driven by the driving force from the motor 4, and is heated by supplying power from a power source (not shown). The pressing roller 72 is arranged to face the heating roller 71 and is in close contact with the heating roller 71 and is driven to rotate. When the sheet S onto which the developer image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 70 , the fixing unit 70 conveys the sheet S while nipping it between the heating roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 . Fix the image. The sheet S to be fixed may be curved and curled such that the surface heated by the heating roller 71, which is the upper surface in FIG. 1, is concave.

The discharge unit 8 includes a discharge mechanism 81 and a discharge port 8A, and discharges the sheet S conveyed from the fixing unit 70 to the outside of the housing 2 . A discharge tray 2B is formed on the upper surface of the housing 2, and the sheets S discharged to the outside of the housing 2 are deposited on the discharge tray 2B. The discharge unit 8 will be described in detail below.

[Ejection unit]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view around the discharge unit 8 of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the lower portion of the ejection mechanism 81, where (a) is a front side perspective view and (b) is a rear side perspective view. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the first pinch roller 83 in FIG. 3 is displaced to the separated position.

The discharge mechanism 81 discharges the sheet S conveyed from the fixing unit 70 to the discharge tray 2B through the discharge port 8A. The ejection mechanism 81 includes four sets of driving rollers 82, first pinch rollers 83, second pinch rollers 84, holders 85, urging means 86, and guide members 87 in the horizontal direction. As indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the transport path P from the fixing unit 70 to the ejection mechanism 81 extends rearward from the fixing unit 70, extends upward, and then extends upward. It is curved so as to extend forward toward. Due to the curved shape of the transport path P downstream of the fixing unit 71 in the ejection direction, the transported sheet S may be curved and curled such that the front surface of the sheet S is concave.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the drive roller 82 is arranged above the transport path P near the discharge port 8A of the housing 2 . A driving force from the motor 4 is transmitted to the driving roller 82 . The driving roller 82 contacts the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 to form a nip, thereby conveying the sheet S conveyed along the conveying path P along the discharge direction. In this embodiment, the diameter of the first pinch roller 83 is set smaller than the diameter of the driving roller 82 and the diameter of the second pinch roller 84 .

The first pinch roller 83 is arranged near the discharge port 8A of the housing 2 and below the driving roller 82, and is arranged at a position facing the driving roller 82. As shown in FIG. A shaft portion 83 A of the first pinch roller 83 is rotatably supported by a holder 85 . The first pinch roller 83 rotates following the driving roller 82 by contacting the driving roller 82 and forming a nip.

The second pinch roller 84 is arranged near the discharge port 8A of the housing 2 and below the driving roller 82 , and is arranged at a position facing the driving roller 82 . The second pinch roller 84 is arranged downstream of the first pinch roller 83 in the ejection direction. A shaft portion 84A of the second pinch roller 84 is rotatably supported by the housing 2 around the first axis R1. The second pinch roller 84 rotates following the driving roller 82 by forming a nip with the driving roller 82 .

Since the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 form a nip with the drive roller 82 , the sheet S is moved along the peripheral surface of the drive roller 82 by the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 . is conveyed while being pressed by Thereby, the curl of the sheet S is corrected.

As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 85 includes a substantially rectangular plate-like lower part 85A, a plate-like left part 85B extending upward at right angles from the left end of the lower part 85A, and a right end of the lower part 85A. It has a plate-like right side portion 85C extending upward at right angles from the lower portion 85A and four guide ribs 85D extending upward at right angles from the lower portion 85A.

The left side portion 85B and the right side portion 85C have holes 85E through which the shaft portions 84A of the second pinch rollers 84 are inserted. By inserting the shaft portion 84A into the hole portion 85E, the holder 85 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 84A of the second pinch roller 84 about the first axis line R1. The left side portion 85B and the right side portion 85C have holes 85F through which the shaft portions 83A of the first pinch rollers 83 are inserted. The holder 85 rotatably supports the first pinch roller 83 by inserting the shaft portion 83A into the hole portion 85F.

The left side portion 85B and the right side portion 85C have a symmetrical shape. An upper end portion 85H, which is the end portion of the left side portion 85B on the drive roller 82 side, and an upper end portion 85G, which is the end portion of the right side portion 85C on the drive roller 82 side, serve to guide the leading end portion of the sheet S. The upper end portion 85H is located between the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 when viewed from the axial direction of the shaft portion 84A, and has a downward recessed shape. Similarly to the upper end portion 85H, the upper end portion 85G is positioned between the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 when viewed from the axial direction of the shaft portion 84A, and is recessed downward. have a shape.

The guide rib 85D is arranged upstream of the first pinch roller 83 in the discharge direction, and is formed at the same height as the upstream upper end of the left side 85B and the upstream upper end of the right side 85C. The guide rib 85D guides the leading edge of the sheet S to the nip position between the first pinch roller 83 and the drive roller 82 in cooperation with the upstream upper end of the left side portion 85B and the upstream upper end of the right side portion 85C.

The holder 85 connects the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 and swings about the first axis R1. As the holder 85 swings, the first pinch roller 83 moves between the contact position (position shown in FIG. 3) in contact with the drive roller 82 and the separated position (position shown in FIG. 5) separated from the drive roller 82. It is movable.

As shown in FIG. 3, the biasing means 86 is a member that biases the first pinch roller 83 in the direction toward the drive roller 82, that is, in the direction from the separated position toward the contact position. A spring or an elastic body such as rubber can be used as the biasing means 86, and a compression coil spring is used in this embodiment. Specifically, the biasing means 86 is arranged between the lower portion 85A of the holder 85 and the housing 2, and biases the lower portion 85A of the holder 85 upward. As a result, the first pinch roller 83 is positioned at the contact position when the sheet S is not conveyed, and is pushed downward by the stiffness of the sheet S to move to the separated position.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the guide members 87 are arranged on both sides of the first pinch roller 83 in the axial direction (horizontal direction) of the shaft portion 83A of the first pinch roller 83 . The guide member 87 is a member that guides the sheet S when the first pinch roller 83 moves to the separated position against the biasing means 86 . The guide member 87 in this embodiment is a rib formed on the housing 2 so as to configure the lower portion of the transport path P near the discharge port 8A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 87 has a first guide portion 87A, a second guide portion 87B, and a third guide portion 87C.

The first guide portion 87A is formed at a position between the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 in the conveying direction, and extends in the direction away from the driving roller 82 from the first pinch roller 83 toward the second pinch roller 84. tilt to The first guide portion 87A in the present embodiment has a circular arrangement area of the first pinch roller 83 and a circular arrangement area of the second pinch roller 84, and a space between the circular arrangement areas when viewed from the left and right direction in FIG. , and are formed so as to slope downward toward the front. That is, when viewed from the axial direction (horizontal direction) of the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84, the first guide portion 87A extends from the circular arrangement area of the first pinch roller 83 to the circular position of the second pinch roller 84. It is placed in an area that partially overlaps the area up to the placement area.

The second guide portion 87B is located on the upstream side of the first guide portion 87A in the ejection direction, and is curved to project toward the transport space of the transport path P. As shown in FIG. The second guide portion 87B in this embodiment is located upstream of the first pinch roller 83 in the discharge direction and is formed in an arcuate shape that protrudes toward the transport space of the transport path P. As shown in FIG.

The third guide portion 87C is located on the upstream side in the ejection direction of the second guide portion 87B, and is formed so as to incline in a direction approaching the drive roller 82 from the upstream side in the ejection direction toward the downstream side. The third guide portion 87C in this embodiment is located upstream of the second guide portion 87B in the discharge direction, and is inclined upward from the rear toward the second guide portion 87B in order to narrow the transport space of the transport path P. is formed in

Next, the positional relationship in the height direction between the guide member 87 and the first pinch roller 83 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 , when the first pinch roller 83 is in the contact position, the first pinch roller 83 protrudes upward from the guide member 87 . That is, in this embodiment, the upper end of the first pinch roller 83 at the contact position protrudes upward from the upper end of the first guide portion 87A.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first pinch roller 83 is in the spaced position, the upper end of the first pinch roller 83 is at the same position as the guide member 87 in the vertical direction. That is, in this embodiment, the upper end of the first pinch roller 83 at the separated position is at the same height as the upper end of the first guide portion 87A. As a result, the sheet S is conveyed along the upper end portion of the first pinch roller 83 and the upper end portion of the first guide portion 87A which are at the same height.

Next, the positional relationship in the height direction between the guide member 87 and the holder 85 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when the first pinch roller 83 is in the contact position, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned above the guide member 87. As shown in FIG. That is, in this embodiment, when the first pinch roller 83 is at the contact position, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned above the upper end of the first guide portion 87A.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first pinch roller 83 is at the separated position, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned below the guide member 87. As shown in FIG. That is, in this embodiment, when the first pinch roller 83 is at the spaced position, the upper end portions 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned below the upper end portion of the first guide portion 87A.

Further, when the first pinch roller 83 is in the spaced position, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned with respect to the intersection point N between the nip line L between the drive roller 82 and the second pinch roller 84 and the first guide portion 87A. on the opposite side of the drive roller 82 . That is, in this embodiment, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are positioned below the intersection point N when the first pinch roller 83 is at the spaced position. As a result, the sheet S is guided by the first guide portion 87A without contacting the upper end portions 85G and 85H.

Next, the operation of conveying the sheet S by the discharge mechanism 81 will be described. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the discharge mechanism 81 while the sheet S having a low stiffness is being conveyed. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of the discharge mechanism 81 while the stiff sheet S is being conveyed. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the sheet S passing through the driving roller 82, the first pinch roller 83, and the second pinch roller 84. FIG. 7 shows the state immediately after the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83. FIG.

In the present embodiment, the curl formed during image formation and during sheet transport on the transport path P near the discharge mechanism 81 has a convex shape upward in the transport direction of the discharge mechanism 81. A reference numeral 81 corrects the curl so that it becomes convex downward in the conveying direction.

The sheet S having weak stiffness such as thin paper is conveyed along the conveying path P to the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83 , and then along the peripheral surface of the drive roller 82 and the second pinch roller 82 . It is conveyed to the nip position with the pinch roller 84 and discharged from the discharge port 8A. When the leading end of the sheet S moves from the first pinch roller 83 to the second pinch roller 84, it is conveyed while being guided by the upper end portions 85G and 85H.

When conveying a thin sheet S such as thin paper, since the force of the sheet S pushing the first pinch roller 83 downward is weaker than the biasing force of the biasing means 86, the first pinch roller 83 moves from the contact position. do not do. Therefore, from the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83 to the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the second pinch roller 84, the sheet S is projected downward along the peripheral surface of the drive roller 82. Since the paper is conveyed in a curved state, upwardly convex curls are strongly corrected.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7 , the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83 . At this time, the trailing edge of the sheet S bounces downward from the drive roller 82 and collides with the upper edges 85G and 85H of the holder 85. However, since the sheet S is weak, the collision noise of the trailing edge of the sheet S is reduced. don't grow. In the case of a thin sheet S such as thin paper, the curl tends to be large during sheet conveyance and image formation, and the discharge mechanism 81 needs to strongly correct the curl. As for the sheet S having weak stiffness such as thin paper, the first pinch roller 83 does not move from the contact position, so that the curl can be strongly corrected.

Next, a stiff sheet S such as thick paper will be described. 8 shows the sheet S passing through the drive roller 82, the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84, and FIG. indicates a state. A stiff sheet S such as thick paper is transported along the transport path P to the nip position between the driving roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83 . Subsequently, the sheet S is conveyed to the nip position between the drive roller 82 and the second pinch roller 84 and is discharged from the discharge port 8A, and pushes the first pinch roller 83 down to the separated position. When the leading end of the sheet S moves from the first pinch roller 83 to the second pinch roller 84, it is conveyed while being guided by the upper end portions 85G and 85H.

When conveying a stiff sheet S such as thick paper, the force of the sheet S pressing the first pinch roller 83 downward is stronger than the biasing force of the biasing means 86, so the first pinch roller 83 moves to the separated position. do. Therefore, the trailing edge of the sheet S is conveyed along the first guide portion 87A from the position where it contacts the first pinch roller 83 and the first guide portion 87A to the nip position between the driving roller 82 and the second pinch roller 84. be done. As a result, the trailing edge of the sheet S is conveyed without bouncing, so the collision noise is reduced. In the case of a strong sheet S such as thick paper, there is a tendency that the curl formed during sheet conveyance and image formation is small, and the discharge mechanism 81 does not need to strongly correct the curl. As for the stiff sheet S such as thick paper, by moving the first pinch roller 83 to the spaced position, it is possible to reduce the collision noise without much curl correction.

Next, the basic action of this embodiment will be described. 10 to 14 will be described using simplified diagrams for easier understanding. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the conveyance of a sheet S having a low stiffness such as thin paper, and FIGS. 11 to 13 are diagrams for explaining the conveyance of a stiff sheet S such as a thick paper. 10 to 12 are diagrams illustrating a state in which the first guide portion 87A is arranged horizontally, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the first guide portion 87A is arranged to be inclined. 11 to 13 show a state in which the first pinch roller 83 is separated from the driving roller 82 by the stiffness of thick paper or the like. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that all cardboards have the same stiffness, and that the amount by which the first pinch roller 83 is spaced downward due to the stiffness of all the cardboards is constant.

FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first guide portion 87A is not provided as a comparative example. 10A shows a state in which the sheet S is not conveyed, and the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 are in contact with the driving roller 82. FIG. The nip position between the first pinch roller 83 and the driving roller 82 is N1, and the nip position between the second pinch roller 84 and the driving roller 82 is N2. Further, when viewed from the axial direction of both pinch rollers 83 and 84, the intersection point between the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83 is C1, and the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the second pinch roller Let D1 be the point of intersection with the outer peripheral surface of 84, and let H2 be the line connecting the points of intersection C1 and D1. Let A1 be the highest upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83, and let H1 be a line perpendicular to a line connecting the upper end A1 and the shaft portion 83A.

FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing a configuration in which the first guide portion 87A is provided in FIG. 10(a), and is a diagram showing a state in which a weak sheet S such as thin paper is being conveyed. The upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A (corresponding to the sheet contact portion described in the claims) is arranged between the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller in the ejection direction, and is the connecting portion of the holder 85. It is arranged at a position farther from the driving roller 82 than. That is, the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is positioned below the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and positioned horizontally with respect to the dashed line H2. FIG. 10B shows a state in which the sheet S is being conveyed, and the trailing edge of the sheet S is in contact with the upper edge A1 of the first pinch roller 83. FIG. 10C shows the state immediately after the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the nip position N1 between the first pinch roller 83 and the drive roller 82. FIG.

When the sheet S is conveyed, since the stiffness of the sheet S is weak, the first pinch roller 83 does not move to the separated position and is kept in the contact position. Therefore, when the sheet S is conveyed, first, the leading edge of the sheet S passes through the nip position N1 and is conveyed downstream in the discharge direction by the drive roller 82 and the first pinch roller 83 . After that, the leading edge of the sheet S contacts the upper end 85G of the holder 85, passes through the nip position N2, and is conveyed downstream in the discharge direction by the driving roller 82 and the second pinch roller 84. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10C, the trailing edge of the sheet S contacts the upper edge 85G of the holder 85 immediately after passing through the nip position N1. There is a vertical step between the vertical line H1, which is the position of the upper end A1 of the first pinch roller 83, and the dashed line H2, which is the position of the upper end 85G of the holder 85. , the rear end portion of the sheet S collides with the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85, and the impact noise is small.

Next, the transport of a stiff sheet S such as thick paper will be described. FIG. 11(a) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first guide portion 87A is not provided as a comparative example, and FIGS. 11(b) and 11(c) are views in which the first guide portion 87A is provided. It is a figure explaining.

In FIG. 11A, the rear end of the stiff sheet S such as thick paper is in contact with the upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83, and the stiffness of the first pinch roller 83 causes the drive roller 82 to move. is separated from Let A2 be the highest upper end on the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83 in the separated state, and let A2 be a line perpendicular to a line connecting the upper end A2 and the shaft portion 83A and passing through the upper end A2. A vertical line is H3, and the distance from the upper end 85G of the holder 85 to the vertical line H3 is α1. The upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 is lowered from the position of the vertical line H1 in 10(a) to the position of the upper end A2 in FIG. 11(a). This lowering amount is a separation amount H4, and in this embodiment, when a stiff sheet S such as thick paper is conveyed, the first pinch roller 83 is moved downward by the separation amount H4. That is, the position where the upper end of the first pinch roller 83 can be separated from the driving roller 82 to the maximum is the position of the vertical line H3.

FIG. 11(b) is a diagram in which the first guide portion 87A is provided in FIG. 11(a). This is an example showing a state in which a portion of the upper end portion 87A1 of the guide portion 87A is located above the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85. FIG. That is, the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is arranged at a position closer to the drive roller 82 than the connecting portion of the holder 85 is. Here, α2 is the distance from the vertical line H3 to the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A.

In FIG. 11A, when the sheet S such as thick paper is conveyed, the trailing edge of the sheet S first passes through the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and is further discharged from the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83. When positioned on the downstream side in the direction, it abuts on the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 . At this time, since there is a step (α1) between the upper end 85G of the holder 85 and the vertical line H3, the trailing edge of the sheet falls from the upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and the upper end of the holder 85 It collides with 85G, and a collision sound is generated.

When the sheet S is conveyed in FIG. 11B, the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and is downstream of the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83 in the discharge direction. When positioned, it contacts the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A. At this time, since there is a step (α2) between the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A and the vertical line H3, the rear end portion of the sheet falls from the upper end portion A2 of the first pinch roller 83, causing a collision noise. occurs. However, when the first guide portion 87A is arranged, the step is smaller than when the first guide portion 87A is not arranged. In other words, the relationship between α1 and α2 is α1>α2, so the presence of the guide member 87 reduces the impact noise compared to the case without the guide member 87.

FIG. 11C shows an example in which the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is arranged at the same position as the vertical line H3 in the vertical direction. The trailing edge of the sheet S in FIG. 11C passes through the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and is further conveyed downstream of the upper edge A2 of the first pinch roller 83 in the ejection direction. are also guided while contacting the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A. Since there is no distance (step) between the upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and the upper end 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, the rear end of the sheet S is smoothly guided without bouncing. As a result, the rear end portion of the sheet S collides with the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 or the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, thereby reducing the collision noise.

FIG. 12A shows an example in which the upper end 87A1 of the first guide member 87A is positioned above the vertical line H3 and above the upper end 85G of the holder 85. FIG. Specifically, the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide member 87A is arranged along the vertical line H5 between the broken line H2 and the vertical line H3 in the vertical direction.

In FIG. 12(a), A3, which is the highest upper end on the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83, descends downward from position A1 in FIG. 10(a) to position A3 in FIG. 12(a). there is This lowering amount is defined as the separation amount H6. The maximum separation amount due to the stiffness of the sheet S such as thick paper is H4, and the upper end A3 of the first pinch roller 83 should be able to move up to the position of the vertical line H3, but in FIG. Since the upper end portion 87A1 of the portion 87A is positioned on the vertical line H5, it moves up to the vertical line H5 which is above the vertical line H3. Since the separation amount H6 is smaller than the maximum separation amount H4, in FIG. 12A as well as in FIG. It is smoothly guided along the portion 87A1. As a result, the collision noise of the trailing edge of the sheet S is reduced.

Further, since the separation amount H6 of the first pinch roller 83 shown in FIG. 12A is smaller than the separation amount H4 shown in FIG. The collision noise that collides with the roller 82 can also be reduced.

FIG. 12(b) is a diagram illustrating a range in which the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is arranged. The upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 in FIG. 12(b) is moved downward by the maximum distance H4 due to the stiffness of the sheet S such as thick paper, as in FIG. 11(a).

The range in which the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is arranged is the range J1 surrounded by the upper end portion A2, the intersection point C2, the intersection point D2, the intersection point D1, and the intersection point C1. The intersection point C1 indicates the intersection point between the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the outer peripheral surface (arc surface) of the first pinch roller 83 when the upper end portion A1 of the first pinch roller 83 is positioned at the position of the vertical line H1. ing. The intersection point D1 indicates the intersection point between the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the outer peripheral surface of the second pinch roller 84 when the upper end portion A1 of the first pinch roller 83 is positioned at the position of the vertical line H1. . A line connecting the intersection point C1 and the intersection point D1 is defined as a first line segment. Further, the intersection point C2 is the intersection point between the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the outer peripheral surface (arc surface) of the first pinch roller 83 when the upper end portion A2 of the first pinch roller 83 is arranged at the position of the vertical line H3. is shown. The intersection point D2 indicates the intersection point between the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 and the outer peripheral surface of the second pinch roller 84 when the upper end portion A2 of the first pinch roller 83 is positioned at the position of the vertical line H3. . A line connecting the intersection point C2 and the intersection point D2 is defined as a second line segment. A line connecting the upper end A2 and the intersection point C2 is a line along the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83 . A line connecting the intersection point C2 and the intersection point D2 is a line along the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, and a line connecting the intersection point D2 and the intersection point D1 is a line along the outer peripheral surface of the second pinch roller 84. is. A line connecting the intersection point C1 and the upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 is defined as a third line segment.

FIG. 13(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is arranged to be inclined. indicates that the The upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is inclined downward from the first pinch roller 83 toward the second pinch roller 84 . Here, α3 is the distance from the vertical line H3 to the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A. Since there is a step α3 in FIG. 13(a), a collision sound is generated as in FIG. 11(b). However, when there is the first guide portion 87A, the step is smaller than when there is no first guide portion 87A, and the collision noise is reduced.

FIG. 13B shows a state in which the upper end 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A and the upper end A2 of the first pinch roller 83 are arranged at the same position. In FIG. 13(b), similarly to FIG. 11(c), the trailing edge of the sheet S is smoothly guided while coming into contact with the upper edge 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A. Since there is no distance (step) between the upper end portion A2 of the first pinch roller 83 and the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, the rear end portion of the sheet S is smoothly guided without bouncing. This reduces the collision noise of the rear end of the sheet S colliding with the first guide portion 87A.

In addition, the drive roller 82, the first pinch roller 83, the second pinch roller 84, and the first guide portion 87A are more inclined when the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is not inclined than when the upper end portion 87A1 is not inclined. The space surrounded by the upper end portion 87A1 of is widened. By inclining the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, a wide space for bending the sheet S can be secured, and the deformation range in which the sheet S is bent can be increased.

Next, FIG. 14 will be described. 10 to 13, the shaft portion 84A of the second pinch roller 84 is rotatably supported by the housing 2 around the first axis line R1, but FIG. is not supported by the housing 2 but is rotatably supported by the holder 85. FIG.

In FIG. 14, the trailing edge of the sheet S such as thick paper is in contact with the upper edge A4 of the first pinch roller 83, and the first pinch roller 83 is separated from the drive roller 82 by the stiffness of the sheet S. be. Let A4 be the highest upper end on the outer peripheral surface of the first pinch roller 83, and let H7 be a line perpendicular to a line connecting the upper end A4 and the shaft portion 83A and passing through the upper end A4.

In FIG. 14, the upper end portion 87A1 and the upper end portion A4 of the first guide portion 87A are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. Even when the trailing edge of the sheet S in FIG. 14 passes through the upper edge A4 of the first pinch roller 83 and is positioned further downstream than the upper edge A4 of the first pinch roller 83 in the discharge direction, the trailing edge of the sheet S is still the first pinch roller 83. It is guided while being in contact with the upper end portion 87A1 of the 1 guide portion 87A. Since there is no distance (step) between the upper end portion A4 and the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, the trailing end portion of the sheet S is smoothly guided without bouncing. As a result, the rear end portion of the sheet S collides with the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 or the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, thereby reducing the collision noise.

Note that the discharge mechanism 81 can also be arranged upside down. In other words, when the curl direction of the sheet S conveyed to the discharge mechanism 81 is upside down from that in the above embodiment, the discharge mechanism 81 may also be arranged upside down.

In this embodiment, the first pinch roller 83 is held by the holder 85, and the biasing means 86 biases the holder 85. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A portion may be provided and biasing means 86 may be arranged between the bearing portion and the holder to press against the bearing portion. In this case, the holder 85 may be attached to the shaft portion 83A of the first pinch roller 83 and the shaft portion 84A of the second pinch roller 84, respectively.

In this embodiment, there is one biasing means, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, two or more biasing means may be provided.

In the present embodiment, the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 are driven by the drive roller 82 to rotate, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a driving roller.

In the present embodiment, the discharge unit 8, which is an example of the sheet discharge device, is provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1, but may be provided in other types of image forming apparatuses such as an inkjet type image forming apparatus. . Further, the ejection unit 8 may be provided in an image reading apparatus for performing image processing other than the image forming of the image forming apparatus 1, for example, reading an image of a document to be read, which is a sheet.

In this embodiment, the upper ends 85G and 85H of the holder 85 are arranged above the line connecting the shaft portion 83A of the first pinch roller 83 and the shaft portion 84A of the second pinch roller 84, that is, at a position close to the drive roller 82. However, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the holder 85 may have a shape that protrudes downward, such as a U-shape. is arranged below the line connecting the shaft portion 84A.

[Effects of Embodiment]
A housing 2, a driving roller 82 that discharges the sheet along the discharge direction in the housing 2, and a first pinch roller 83 that is arranged at a position facing the driving roller 82 and rotates in contact with the driving roller 82. , a second pinch roller disposed at a position facing the driving roller 82 downstream of the first pinch roller 83 in the discharge direction and rotating in contact with the driving roller 82; A holder 85 having a connecting portion that connects and holds a first pinch roller 83 between a contact position where the first pinch roller 83 contacts the drive roller 82 and a separated position where the first pinch roller 83 separates from the drive roller 82 . A holder 85 that movably holds the first pinch roller 83, a biasing means 86 that biases the first pinch roller 83 toward the drive roller 82, and the first pinch roller 83 to the second pinch roller in the discharge direction. The guide member 87 is arranged at a predetermined position of the first pinch roller 83. The predetermined position is a position farther from the drive roller 82 than the connecting portion of the holder 85 when the first pinch roller 83 is positioned at the contact position. and a guide member 87 that is closer to the driving roller 82 than the connecting portion of the holder 85 when the pinch roller 83 is positioned at the separated position against the biasing means 86 .

According to this configuration, when conveying a stiff sheet S such as thick paper, the first pinch roller 83 is separated from the drive roller 82 by the stiffness of the sheet S, and the sheet S is separated from the first pinch roller 83 or the first pinch roller 83 . 1 guide portion 87A. At this time, the step between the separated upper end of the first pinch roller 83 and the first guide portion 87A is the difference between the upper end of the first pinch roller 83 and the upper end portion 85G of the holder 85 without the first guide portion 87A. , 85H. Since the sheet S is conveyed to the guide member 87 with a small step, the collision noise at the trailing edge of the sheet S is reduced. Further, since the bounce of the trailing edge of the sheet S is reduced, the transportation of the trailing edge of the sheet S can be stabilized.

The guide member 87 has a sheet contact portion 87A1 capable of contacting the edge of the sheet discharged by the driving roller 82. It is a position where the first pinch roller 83 protrudes from the contact portion 87A1 and comes into contact with the drive roller 82, and the separation position is a position where the first pinch roller 83 is separated from the drive roller 82 to the position where the sheet contact portion 87A1 of the guide member 87 is arranged.

According to this configuration, the first pinch roller 83 is pressed by the stiff sheet S and displaced to the spaced position, so that the trailing edge of the sheet S moves from the upper edge of the first pinch roller 83 to the guide member 87 without a step. Since the sheet S is conveyed to the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, it is possible to reduce the bouncing of the rear end portion of the sheet S, thereby further reducing collision noise.

The holder 85 holds the first pinch roller 83 so that the first pinch roller 83 is separated from the drive roller 82 to the maximum separation position H3. is positioned closer to the drive roller 82 than the portion A2 closest to the drive roller 82 on the outer periphery of the first pinch roller 83 when the is separated to the maximum separation position H3.

According to this configuration, the separation amount of the first pinch roller 83 can be reduced, so that it is possible to reduce the collision noise that the first pinch roller 83 collides with the drive roller 82 when returning from the separation position to the contact position. .

The second pinch roller 84 is held by the housing 2 and rotates about the first axis R1, and the first pinch roller 83 swings about the first axis R1.

According to this configuration, the second pinch roller 84 does not separate from the driving roller 82, so that when returning from the separated position to the contact position, the distance between the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 is reduced compared to the case where both the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 84 are separated. Collision noise of the first pinch roller 83 colliding with the drive roller 82 can be reduced. Further, since the second pinch roller 84 does not separate from the drive roller 82, the ejection direction of the sheet S can be stabilized.

The guide member 87 is inclined in the discharge direction from the first pinch roller 83 toward the second pinch roller and away from the drive roller 82 when the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 83 are in contact with the drive roller 82 . do.

According to this configuration, the driving roller 82, the first pinch roller 83, the second pinch roller 84 and the first pinch roller 84 are more inclined when the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A is not inclined than when the upper end portion 87A1 is not inclined. The space surrounded by the upper end portion 87A1 of the guide portion 87A is widened. By inclining the upper end portion 87A1 of the first guide portion 87A, it is possible to secure a wide space for bending the sheet S in order to correct the curl, and to increase the deformation range in which the sheet S is bent. .

The guide members 87 are arranged on both sides of the first pinch roller 83 in the rotation axis direction of the first pinch roller 83 .

According to this configuration, since the sheet S can be guided by both sides of the first pinch roller 83, the sheet S can be guided stably.

When the first pinch roller 83 and the second pinch roller 82 are in contact with the driving roller 82, the connecting portion of the holder 85 contacts the leading edge of the sheet discharged by the driving roller 82 to push the leading edge of the sheet to the second pinch roller. Guide toward the pinch roller.

According to this configuration, since the leading edge of the sheet S is conveyed along the connection portion of the holder 85, it is suppressed from colliding with other members and is conveyed smoothly.

The diameter of the first pinch roller 83 is set smaller than the diameter of the second pinch roller.

According to this configuration, the range of movement of the first pinch roller can be reduced, resulting in miniaturization.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image forming apparatus 2 housing 82 drive roller 83 first pinch roller 84 second pinch roller 85 holder 86 urging means 87 guide member 87A first guide portion R1 first axis S sheet

Claims (12)

a housing;
a driving roller that discharges the sheet along the discharge direction in the housing;
a first pinch roller disposed at a position facing the driving roller and rotating in contact with the driving roller;
a second pinch roller arranged at a position facing the drive roller downstream of the first pinch roller in the discharge direction and rotating in contact with the drive roller;
A holder having a connecting portion for connecting and holding the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller, wherein the contact position where the first pinch roller contacts the drive roller and the first pinch roller the holder movably holding the first pinch roller between a spaced position spaced apart from the driving roller;
biasing means for biasing the first pinch roller in a direction toward the driving roller;
A guide member arranged at a predetermined position from the first pinch roller to the second pinch roller in the discharge direction, the predetermined position being the holder when the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position. and a position closer to the driving roller than the connecting portion of the holder when the first pinch roller is positioned at the separated position against the biasing means. and the guide member. the guide member has a sheet contact portion capable of contacting an end portion of the sheet discharged by the driving roller;
The contact position is a position where the first pinch roller protrudes from the sheet contact portion of the guide member in a direction approaching the driving roller and contacts the driving roller,
2. The sheet ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the separated position is a position where the first pinch roller is separated from the driving roller up to the arrangement position of the sheet contact portion of the guide member. The holder holds the first pinch roller so that the first pinch roller is separated from the drive roller to a maximum separation position, and
The sheet contact portion of the guide member is arranged at a position closer to the drive roller than a portion closest to the drive roller on the outer periphery of the first pinch roller when the first pinch roller is separated to the maximum separation position. 3. The sheet ejection device according to claim 2. The second pinch roller is held by the housing and rotates about a first axis,
4. The sheet discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the first pinch roller swings about the first axis. The guide member moves from the first pinch roller toward the second pinch roller in the ejection direction in a state in which the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are in contact with the drive roller, and separates from the drive roller. 5. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet ejection device inclines in a direction. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the guide members are arranged on both sides of the first pinch roller in the rotation axis direction of the first pinch roller. In a state in which the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are in contact with the driving roller, the connecting portion of the holder contacts the leading edge of the sheet discharged by the driving roller and pushes the leading edge of the sheet. 7. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet is guided toward the second pinch roller. a housing;
a driving roller that discharges the sheet along the discharge direction in the housing;
a first pinch roller disposed at a position facing the driving roller and rotating in contact with the driving roller;
a second pinch roller arranged at a position facing the drive roller downstream of the first pinch roller in the discharge direction and rotating in contact with the drive roller;
A contact position where the first pinch roller contacts the driving roller, and a contact position where the first pinch roller contacts the driving roller. a holder movably holding the first pinch roller between a spaced position spaced apart from the roller;
biasing means for biasing the first pinch roller in a direction toward the driving roller;
When the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position, the sheet is arranged at a predetermined position away from the sheet discharged by the drive roller, and when the first pinch roller is positioned at the separated position, the sheet is discharged by the drive roller. a guide member for guiding the sheet in contact with the sheet to be applied,
The predetermined position is defined by the arc surface defining the outer circumference of the first pinch roller and the outer circumference of the second pinch roller facing each other in a state in which the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are in contact with the driving roller. defined within the space formed by the defining arc surface and
The predetermined position is a position apart from the drive roller than the connection portion of the holder when the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position, and the first pinch roller resists the biasing means. a position closer to the drive roller than the connecting portion of the holder when the holder is positioned at the spaced position. The predetermined position is
In a state in which the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position, an arc that defines the outer circumference of the first pinch roller facing each other, an arc that defines the outer circumference of the second pinch roller, and the arc that is closer to the drive roller. a first line segment connecting two points of intersection with lines defining edges of the connecting portion of the holder;
In a state in which the first pinch roller is positioned at the spaced position, an arc that defines the outer circumference of the first pinch roller facing each other, an arc that defines the outer circumference of the second pinch roller, and an arc that defines the outer circumference of the second pinch roller. a second line segment connecting two points of intersection with lines defining edges of the connecting portion of the holder;
A circular arc defining the outer circumference of the first pinch roller facing each other and a circular arc defining the outer circumference of the second pinch roller in a state where the first pinch roller is located at the spaced position;
In a state where the first pinch roller is located at the spaced position, a line passing through the center of rotation of the first pinch roller and perpendicular to the first line segment and a circle defining the outer circumference of the first pinch roller are formed. Surrounded by a third line segment that connects a specific intersection point near the driving roller and an intersection point on an arc that defines the outer periphery of the first pinch roller that defines the first line segment, among two intersection points that intersect. 9. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sheet ejection device is defined within an area defined by the area. a housing;
a driving roller that discharges the sheet along the discharge direction in the housing;
a first pinch roller disposed at a position facing the driving roller and rotating in contact with the driving roller;
a second pinch roller arranged at a position facing the drive roller downstream of the first pinch roller in the discharge direction and rotating in contact with the drive roller;
A contact position where the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are connected, the first pinch roller contacting the drive roller, and a separation position where the first pinch roller is separated from the drive roller. a holder movably holding the first pinch roller between
biasing means for biasing the first pinch roller in a direction toward the driving roller;
When the first pinch roller is positioned at the contact position, the sheet is arranged at a predetermined position away from the sheet discharged by the drive roller, and when the first pinch roller is positioned at the separated position, the sheet is discharged by the drive roller. a guide member for guiding the sheet in contact with the sheet to be applied,
The predetermined position is defined by an arc surface defining an outer periphery of the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller facing each other in the ejection direction when the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller are in contact with the driving roller. A space defined by an arcuate surface that defines the outer periphery of the roller, and the position of the line connecting the rotation center of the first pinch roller and the rotation center of the second pinch roller, or the driving from the line connecting the lines. A sheet ejection device defined in a space near the rollers. The sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the diameter of the first pinch roller is set smaller than the diameter of the second pinch roller. a sheet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
an image processing unit disposed on the upstream side of the sheet discharge device in the discharge direction and configured to perform image processing on the sheet;
An image processing device comprising:

Images