JPH02276746A - Paper direction changing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To position a paper at a correct feed-out position without damaging the paper after the direction change of the paper by installing a paper releasing device which sets the paper in free state by separating each revolution roller and auxiliary roller after the direction change of the paper and a paper position correcting device for adjusting the position of the paper in free state to a transport standard line. CONSTITUTION:Each revolution roller 1a, 1b and auxiliary roller 4a, 4b is separated by a paper releasing device 9 after direction change. Therefore, the free state in which paper can shift freely in the transverse direction between each revolution roller and auxiliary roller is generated. The position of the paper set in the free state is adjusted to a transport standard line by a paper position correcting device 10, and the operation of the paper releasing device 9 is released, and the paper is nipped by each revolution roller and the auxiliary roller, and held at a correct feed-out position. When the revolution rollers 1a and 1b are revolved in the same direction, the paper is correctly sent out along the transport standard line.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a paper direction changing device applied to, for example, a copying machine, a printer, etc., and more specifically, the present invention relates to a paper direction changing device that is applied to, for example, a copying machine, a printer, etc. The present invention relates to a sheet direction changing device configured as described above.

[Conventional technology]

14 and 15 show paper direction changing devices applied to conventional copying machines, printers, and the like.

This sheet converting device includes a pair of rotating rollers 1a and 1b coaxially arranged at symmetrical positions across a conveyance center line C, and rollers 1a and 1b arranged on the lower peripheral surface of the pair of rotating rollers 1a and 1b, respectively. It is provided with auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b that are in contact with each other. Also, as a driving device for driving each of the rotating rollers 1a and 1b by switching the other between the same direction and the opposite direction, a pair of motors 2 and 3 that individually drive each of the rotating rollers la and 1b are used. It is equipped with Further, outside the rotation area of the paper P whose direction is to be changed, a transport roller 7 for feeding the paper P to the paper direction changing device, and a transport roller 8 for sending the paper P from the paper direction changing device to the image forming section. is provided.

The motors 2 and 3 rotate the rotary rollers 1a and 1b in the same direction when conveying the paper P, and when changing the direction of the paper P, the motors 2 and 3 rotate one motor 2 and the other motor 2. 3 in the opposite direction, and one rotating roller 1a rotates in the same direction as when conveying, and the other rotating roller 1b rotates in the opposite direction, thereby changing the direction of the paper P. . A leading edge stopper 5 is provided in the paper feeding direction to receive and stop the leading edge of the paper P, and this leading edge stopper 5 is displaced by a motor 6 in accordance with the paper size.

When changing the direction of the paper P using the above-mentioned paper direction changing device, first, the center point of the paper P is set to the re-rotating roller 1a.
・Align the leading edge stopper 5 to the position where the leading edge of the paper P is located when it is located at the center of the paper P, and then rotate again by matching the peripheral surface speed of the rotary rollers 1a and 1b to the conveying speed of the conveying roller 7. Rollers 1a and 1b are rotated in the same direction.

When the leading edge of the paper P sent from the paper feeding device is stopped by the leading edge stopper 5, the rotation of the transport roller 7 and the re-rotating rollers 1a and 1b is stopped to interrupt the transport, and the leading edge stopper 5 is stopped. After retracting it outside the rotation area of P,
The re-rotation rollers 1a and 1b are driven in opposite directions, and when the paper P has rotated 90 degrees, the rotation of the re-rotation rollers 1a and 1b is stopped.

Thereafter, the conveying roller 8 is rotated, and the re-rotating rollers 1a and 1b are rotated in the same direction with the peripheral speed of the rotary rollers 1a and 1b matching the conveying speed of the conveying roller 8, so that the paper P can be imaged. It is sent to the forming section.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

According to the above-described conventional paper direction changing device, the direction of the paper P is determined after the position of the paper P is determined by the leading end stopper 5 before changing the direction, but the conveying roller 7 and the rotating rollers 1a and 1b
If the rotation stop timing of the paper P is shifted, the paper P is still fed into the paper direction changing device with the leading edge of the paper P being stopped by the leading edge stopper 5, and the paper P becomes undulating. As a result, when the leading end stopper 5 is retracted, the leading end of the paper P may be fed out further than the position where it should originally be stopped, or
There is a risk that the feeding of the paper P will be stopped before the leading edge of the paper P is stopped by the leading edge stopper 5, and if the rotation continues as it is, the paper P will be fed to the image forming section with the paper P misaligned. become. In addition, the rotating roller 1a
- If the wear of 1b becomes uneven, the paper P will be rotated around a point where the center of rotation is shifted, and the paper P will be sent to the image forming section with the position and direction shifted. For this reason, there is a risk that the position of the formed image may shift or a paper jam may occur on the feeding side.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet direction changing device that can correct a shift in the feeding position of a sheet whose direction has been changed.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The paper direction changing device of the present invention includes a paper direction converting device that includes a paper direction converting device in a conveyance line between a paper feeding unit that supplies paper and an image forming unit that forms an image on the paper supplied from the paper feeding unit. It is equipped with a pair of rotating rollers arranged in a line symmetrical position with respect to the conveyance center line and a pair of auxiliary rollers that are in rolling contact with each rotating roller, and by rotating the re-rotating rollers in opposite directions to each other. The present invention is based on a configuration in which the direction of the paper sandwiched between the re-rotation roller and the auxiliary roller is changed, and the following measures are taken to achieve the above object.

That is, a paper release device that separates each rotating roller and an auxiliary roller to place the paper in a free state after changing the paper direction, and a paper position correction device that aligns the position of the paper placed in the free state with the conveyance reference line. We are prepared.

[For production]

According to the paper direction changing device of the present invention, each rotating roller and the auxiliary roller are separated from each other by the paper releasing device after the direction is changed, so that the paper can freely move laterally between each rotating roller and the auxiliary roller. It will be in a free state. Then, the position of the paper placed in the free state is aligned with the conveyance reference line by the paper position correction device, and the paper is released by canceling the operation of the paper release device and sandwiching the paper between each rotating roller and the auxiliary roller again. If the paper is held at the correct delivery position and each rotating roller is rotated in the same direction, the paper will be delivered correctly along the conveyance reference line.

In particular, a positional deviation detection device is provided to detect whether or not the paper has deviated from the transport reference line after the paper direction has been changed. If the paper position correction device is configured to operate, it is possible to reliably correct the paper position in the event that the paper is misaligned, and it is also possible to correct the paper position when the paper is not misaligned. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to wait for the next sheet in front of the sheet direction changing device, and sheets can be continuously supplied to shorten the overall processing time.

[Example] An example of the present invention applied to a copying machine is shown in FIGS.
The explanation based on FIG. 3 is as follows.

As shown in FIG. 3, this copying machine includes a copying machine main body 11 and a paper feed cabinet 12 disposed below the main body 11.
Paper P taken out from a paper feed cassette 13 provided in a paper feed cabinet 12 passes through a paper transport section 14 and is sent to an image forming section 15 of the copying machine main body 11. A paper direction changing device 16 is provided at.

Since the other configurations of the copying machine are not directly related to the present invention, their explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper direction converting device 16 is provided with a feed conveyance roller 7 provided in the middle of the paper conveyance section 14 and an appropriate interval in the direction of the destination thereof. It is arranged between the conveyance roller 8 for sending out.

The paper direction changing device 16 is arranged coaxially at a position symmetrical to the transport center line C across the paper rotation center O set on the transport center line C of the paper transport unit 14.
Pair of rotating rollers 1a and 1b and each rotating roller 1a and 1b
a pair of auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b rollingly contacted with the lower peripheral surface of the
Motor 2 individually connected to each rotating roller 1a, 1b
3, a leading end stopper 5 for receiving and stopping the leading end of the fed paper, and a motor 6 for moving the leading end stopper 5 forward and backward in the transport direction.

The paper direction changing device 16 also includes auxiliary rollers 4a and 4.
A paper release bag W9 that separates the rotating rollers 1a and 1b from the auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b by raising and lowering the rollers b to place the paper P in a free state, and a paper release bag W9 that places the paper P in a free state
paper position correction device 10 that aligns the position of with the conveyance reference line;
and the positional deviation detection device 2 shown in FIGS. 11 to 13.
o is provided.

The paper release device 9 separates the rotating rollers 1a and 1b from the auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b to place the paper P in a free state, and separates the rotating rollers 1a and 1b from the auxiliary rollers 4a and
It is sufficient that the paper P and the paper P are connected to each other in rolling contact with each other, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
The lever 9a is pivotably supported by the paper feed cabinet 12, and has auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b rotatably attached to its free ends, and a solenoid 9b that drives the lever 9a.

Further, the paper position correction device 10 may be configured to align the position of the paper P placed in a free state with the transport reference line, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, Endless belt 1 rotating in an elliptical orbit perpendicular to
0a, a pair of alignment plates 10b and 10b connected to the endless belt 10a at equal intervals, and a motor 10c that drives the endless belt 10a.

The positional deviation detection device 20 may be configured to be able to detect the presence or absence of deviation of the center line of the paper P from the conveyance reference line C. For example, the positional deviation detection device 20 may be configured to be able to detect the presence or absence of deviation in the position of the edge of the paper P. It is conceivable to have a switch that switches to a signal and outputs it. This switch may be a contact-driven switch such as a limit switch, but in order to prevent unnecessary external mechanical force from being applied to the paper P that may cause transport failure, for example, a photo sensor, photo interrupter, proximity switch, etc. It is advantageous to use non-contact operated switches such as switches.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, four pairs of photointerrupters 21 to 28 are provided, which are arranged within the paper rotation area within the paper direction conversion device 16. Each pair of photointerrupters 21 to 28 corresponds to each paper size, that is, B5 vertical feed B5R, A4 vertical feed A4R.
, B5 horizontal feed B5, A4 horizontal feed A4 paper P
They are arranged at line-symmetrical positions near the outside of both lateral edges of each sheet size B5R-A4R, B5, and A4 from the sheet rotation center 0 across the conveyance center line C, respectively.

Each photo interrupter 21 to 28 is a photo interrupter 2
1 as an example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, there is a light emitting element 21a arranged above the paper P, a light receiving element 21b arranged below the paper P, and a Surin l-21c that prevents the incidence of miscellaneous light rays
It is equipped with

In addition, the above-mentioned conveyance rollers 7, 8, motors 2, 3, 6, 10
c and solenoid 9b are controlled by a control device (not shown) provided within the copying machine main body 11.

Next, the operation of the sheet direction changing device 16 will be explained based on FIGS. 4 to 10, FIGS. 12 and 13.

First, when the paper P is fed into the paper direction changing device 16, the control device determines whether or not the direction of the paper P needs to be changed.If the paper direction does not need to be changed, as shown in FIG. The paper P is stopped within the paper direction changing device 16 by rotating the transport roller 7, both rotating rollers la and 1b, and the transport roller 8 in the same direction while leaving the leading end stopper 5 retracted outside the paper rotation area. The image is sent to the image forming section 15 without any processing.

When it is necessary to change the direction, the leading end stopper 5 is moved to a position corresponding to the size and direction of the sheet P to be conveyed, as shown in FIG. The paper P fed from the transport roller 7 is received by the rotating rollers 1a and 1b,
Further, the paper P is fed into the paper direction changing device 16 until the leading edge of the paper P is stopped by the leading edge stopper 5. and,
At the timing when the leading edge of the paper P is stopped by the leading edge stopper 5, the conveyance roller 7 and both rotating rollers 1a and 1b are stopped, and the leading edge stopper 5 is moved out of the rotation area of the paper P.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, by operating the motors 2 and 3 in opposite directions, both rotating rollers la and 1b are rotated in opposite directions, and both rotating rollers 1a and 1b are rotated in opposite directions. The paper P held between the rollers 4a and 4b is rotated about the paper rotation center O. Then, when the paper P rotates 90 degrees, both rotating rollers l
Stop a and 1b again.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, both rotating rollers 1a and 1b
interval! Then, on paper P, both rotating rollers la・1
The paper rotation trajectory A drawn by b is a circle with a radius of n/2 centered on the paper rotation center O, and the amount of rotational movement of the rotating rollers la and 1b required to rotate the paper P by 90 degrees on this trajectory A is , π/4·l. On the other hand, each rotating roller 1a/1
If the radius of b is r, the length L'' of its circumference is 2πr as shown in Fig. By rotating the rollers 1a and 1b once, the paper P can be rotated by 90 degrees.Therefore, in this case, the control device uses the motors 2 and 3 to rotate each of the rotating rollers 1a and 1b.
1b are rotated one rotation in opposite directions and then stopped.

When the direction change of the paper P is completed, the positional deviation detection device 20 is activated. Here, all photo ink 97721-2
The apparatus is configured to operate the paper P and determine whether or not the paper P is misaligned based on their on/off states. That is, the control device is configured to determine whether or not the paper P has shifted when it does not match any of the combinations of on/off signals of the photointerrupters 21 to 28 as shown in the following table. Ru.

For example, when the direction of paper P of B5 horizontal feed size B5 is changed, if there is no deviation of the paper P from the position of 85 vertical feed size B5R at the time of feeding, the output of all photo interrupters 21 to 28 will be turned on. However, if the paper P is shifted toward the photointerrupter 21, the optical path of the photointerrupter 21 is blocked by the paper P, as shown in FIG. 13, and its output is turned off. Therefore, the control device determines that the paper P is misaligned since it does not match the table. In the same way, set the paper size to A4.
In the case of vertical feed A4R, photo interrupters 23 and 24
If the feeding paper size is 85 horizontal feeding B5, either one of the photo interrupters 25 and 26, and if the feeding paper size is A4 horizontal feeding A4, the photo interrupter 27 - The presence or absence of misalignment of the paper P is determined depending on whether one of the switches 28 is turned off or both are turned on.

Note that the control circuit determines the paper size B5R/A4R-B5 based on the paper size information given from the outside.
・Only the pair of photo interrupters 21 to 28 corresponding to A4 are operated, and the pair of photo interrupters 21 in operation.
It may be configured such that the presence or absence of misalignment of the paper P is determined by determining whether one or both of the outputs 22 are off or both are on.

For example, if the paper P of B5 width size B5 that was brought in by horizontal feed is changed in direction, 85@
In order to detect the presence or absence of deviation of the paper P from the position of the i feed size B5R, the photointerrupters 21 and 22 are activated.
The presence or absence of misalignment of the paper P is determined depending on whether one of the outputs of the photointerrupters 21 and 22 is turned off or both are turned on. Similarly, when the paper size to be fed is A4 vertical feed A4R, the photointerrupters 23 and 24 are activated, and when the paper size to be fed is 85 and horizontal feed B5, the photointerrupters 25 and 26 are activated. In the case of A4 feed, use photo itarabuta 27/28.
is activated, and it is determined whether or not the paper P is misaligned.

If the paper P is not misaligned, both rotating rollers la and 1b and the conveying roller 8 are rotated in the same direction, and the paper P is sent out from the paper direction changing device 16, as shown in FIG. Next, the conveyance roller 7 moves to both rotating rollers 1a.
1b and the conveying roller 8, and the next sheet P is sent to the sheet direction changing device 16 at an appropriate interval.

If the paper P is misaligned, first, the paper release device 9 is activated to place the paper P in the paper direction changing device 16 in a free state. That is, by operating the solenoid 9b, as shown in FIG.
is lowered to a position away from the rotating rollers 1a and 1b, and the paper P is placed in a free state where it can freely move laterally. Then, the paper position correction device 10 is activated to adjust the alignment plate 1.
The center line of the paper P can be made to coincide with the transport center line C by bringing the paper sheets 0b and 10b closer to each other and moving both side edges of the paper P to equal distances from the transport center line C.

When the alignment is completed, a pair of photointerrupters 21
- 22 is turned on, and the control device detects that the misalignment of the paper P has been resolved. Thereafter, the control device reversely operates the paper position correction device 10 to adjust the alignment plates 10b and 10.
b are moved away from each other and returned to their original positions. After the alignment is completed, the control device further reversely operates the paper position correction device 10, deactivates the paper release device 9, and adjusts the rotation rollers 1a and 1b as shown in FIG. After sandwiching the paper P between the auxiliary rollers 4a and 4b,
Each rotating roller 1a, 1b and the conveyance roller 8 on the sending side
By rotating the paper P in the same direction, the paper P is delivered to the image forming section 15.

As described above, in this embodiment, if it is determined that the direction of the paper P does not need to be changed, the paper P is passed through the paper direction changing device 16 without being stopped. The next sheet P can be continuously supplied without waiting in front of the sheet direction changing device 16, and the overall copy processing time can be shortened.

Furthermore, since the paper P is placed in a free state when changing the direction of the paper P, the direction can be changed without damaging the paper P.

Furthermore, if the paper P is misaligned after changing the direction of the paper P, the paper position correction device 10 corrects the misalignment of the paper P and then feeds out the paper P. If not, skip the alignment and move the paper P.
is sent to the image forming section 15. Therefore, if there is a misalignment of the paper P, the paper P is sent out after the misalignment of the paper P is reliably corrected, thereby making it possible to prevent the image from being misaligned and paper jams from occurring.

Further, when there is no misalignment of the paper P, copying can be performed without wasting the time required for positioning the paper P, and the overall processing time can be shortened.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the paper direction converting device of the present invention includes a paper release device that separates each rotating roller and an auxiliary roller to place the paper in a free state after the paper direction is changed, and a paper release device that places the paper in a free state. Since the present invention includes a paper position correction device that aligns the position of the paper with the conveyance reference line, the paper can be positioned at the correct feeding position without damaging the paper after changing the direction of the paper.

This eliminates the possibility that paper whose delivery position has shifted is sent out to the image forming unit, and it is possible to prevent the position of the formed image from shifting due to the paper shift and the occurrence of a paper jam on the delivery side.

In particular, in the present invention, a positional deviation detection device is provided to detect whether the centerline of the paper deviates from the transport reference line after the direction of the paper is changed, and the positional deviation detection device detects whether the centerline of the paper deviates from the conveyance reference line after the direction of the paper is changed If the paper position correction device is configured to operate when it detects that the paper has deviated from the conveyance reference line, if paper positioning is necessary, ensure that the paper is aligned before image formation. If alignment is not required, the paper is sent to the image forming unit without alignment, so the next sheet is kept waiting in front of the paper direction conversion device for the time required for alignment. This is no longer necessary, and this has the effect of significantly shortening the overall processing time of copying machines, printers, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a paper direction changing device showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the paper direction changing device. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a copying machine equipped with the paper direction changing device. 4 to 7 are perspective views sequentially illustrating the sheet direction changing operation in the same sheet direction changing device. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the paper feeding state when the direction of the paper is not changed. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the interval between rotating rollers and the amount of rotational movement required for paper rotation. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the radius and circumferential length of the rotating roller. FIG. 11 is a layout diagram of the photointerrupter of the positional deviation detection device. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of the photointerrupter. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the state of the photointerrupter when there is paper misalignment. FIG. 14 is a side view of a conventional paper direction changing device. FIG. 15 is a plan view of a conventional paper direction changing device. 1a is a rotating roller, 1b is a rotating roller, 4a is an auxiliary roller, 4b is an auxiliary roller, 9 is a paper release device, 10 is a paper position correction device, 13 is a paper feed cassette, 15 is an image forming section, 14 is a paper transport section , 16 is a paper direction changing device, 20 is a positional deviation detection device, and C is a conveyance center line. Patent applicant Sharp Co., Ltd. Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A position symmetrical to the transport center line in the transport line between the paper feeding section that supplies paper and the image forming section that forms an image on the paper fed from the paper feeding section. It has a pair of rotating rollers arranged at A paper direction changing device that changes the direction of the sandwiched paper, and a paper release device that separates each rotating roller and an auxiliary roller to put the paper in a free state after changing the paper direction; A paper direction conversion device comprising: a paper position correction device that aligns the position of the paper with a conveyance reference line. 2. Equipped with a positional deviation detection device that detects whether or not the center line of the paper deviates from the transport reference line after the paper direction is changed; 2. The paper orientation/conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the paper position correction device is activated when a misalignment is detected.