JPH0229578B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a sorter that aligns the pages of copy paper ejected from a copying machine, for example, and in particular, to a sorter that easily removes copy paper that is caught in the distribution unit conveyance device of the sorter. Concerning structure for removal.

[Prior art and problems]

As is well known, in a sorter, when a copy paper is caught in its conveyance path, the conveyance system of the sorter is brought to an emergency stop, and operation is resumed after the current situation is restored. The shorter the time required to resume operation, the better, but visual confirmation of the transport system and “jam”
Due to the time required to remove the jammed copy paper, it takes a considerable amount of time to restart operation. In particular, the distribution unit transport device that distributes the copy paper taken into the sorter to the paper output tray has a long transportation distance and the structure of the distribution gate is relatively complex, making it difficult to check for the presence of copy paper and to remove it. The work is often time-consuming. Furthermore, there are belts, rollers, guide plates, etc. in the copy paper conveyance path, and there is a risk of damaging the fingertips if they are inserted. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 49-25843 is known to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks. The device is a collator that performs collation work, and is configured so that a part of the conveying part can be opened so that even if an accident occurs with the collator, it can be repaired without disassembling the necessary parts. Such a device is convenient for maintenance inspections and repairs, but for example, if a sheet is conveyed defectively and needs to be taken out, the conveyor belt and feeding rollers are integrated. Since the sheet is released by the conveyance section, there is a drawback that the sheet is caught between the conveyance sections and cannot be removed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 51-1058286 also discloses a means for taking out a sheet from the inside when the sheet is improperly fed (jammed). This device is opened from the top by a hinge provided at the bottom of the sheet sorting device so that a part of the sheet sorting device can be opened, but generally when the top is opened, sheets stopped in a part of the conveyance section are opened. There is a risk that the sheet may fall downward and enter the sheet conveyance section at the bottom, making it difficult to remove the sheet and further injuring the fingertips. In this case, the device may be opened wider, but depending on where the device is installed, it may hit a wall or other office equipment, making it impossible to open the device and making it extremely difficult to dispose of the jam. Further, when a hinge is provided at the lower part, a strong stopper means is required at the opening position, and there is also the drawback that care must be taken when opening the opening.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a particularly improved device to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a support frame that extends substantially vertically when a large number of sets of paper discharge trays, deflection means, and driven conveyance means are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and a support frame that is openable and closed with respect to the support frame. Pressure contact with the driven conveyance means to make the driven conveyance means follow,
a dispensing unit conveying device having a mounting plate provided with an active conveying means driven by a drive shaft provided on a support frame and cooperating with a driven conveying means to convey the sheet upward; and a distributing unit conveying device. The device is equipped with a main drive conveyance means and an intake section conveyance device that feeds the sheet to the pressure contact section of the lowermost driven conveyance means, and the distribution section conveyance device transfers the sheets fed by the intake section conveyance device to a large number of paper discharge trays. In a sorter for sequentially distributing materials, the mounting plate has an upper end pivotally supported by the drive shaft of the support frame and can be opened at the bottom, and this configuration achieves the above object.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, details of one embodiment of the sorter of the present invention shown in the drawings will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, the sorter is equipped with a cart 1 that can be moved to any position, and a vertical support frame 2 is erected on the cart 1. , 4 and 5, respectively, are installed.

The intake section transport device 3 includes a flat box-shaped base 6 whose base is supported by the support frame 2 .
Two pairs of pulleys 7 and 8 are built into the base 6, whose inclination angle can be adjusted by an adjustment mechanism (not shown) according to the height of the paper ejection port B of the copying machine A.
An endless conveyor belt 9, a portion of which is exposed on the upper surface of the base 6, is stretched between these pulleys 7 and 8. And on the base 6 whose tip is tilted,
A support frame 11 is positioned that can rotate around a shaft 10 (shown in the first diagram) that is suspended over the base 6. A plurality of rollers 12 are supported at the bottom of the support frame 11 and are rolled into contact with the upper surface of the conveyor belt 9, so that the sheet-like copy paper is removed from the copying machine A taken into the intake section conveyance device 3. , conveyor belt 9 and rollers 12
It is transported while being held between the two. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a paper ejection port B is provided at the distal end of the intake section conveying device 3, the distal end of which is positioned on the paper ejection tray C of the copying machine A.
The copy paper discharged from the intake section transport device 3
Alternatively, a deflection plate 13 for distributing the paper to the paper discharge tray C is provided. The deflection plate 13, which can be tilted about the shaft 14 of the base 6, is operated in response to an interrupt signal from the copying machine A and/or a "jam" (paper jam) in the sorter.
It is sprung to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 2 by a well-known electromagnetic solenoid or other mechanism energized by an emergency stop signal.

The copy paper conveyed by the intake section conveyance device 3 is taken up by a distribution section conveyance device 4 connected to the rear end of the intake section conveyance device 3. That is, the distribution unit conveyance device 4 is mounted on pulleys 17 and 18 located above and below a mounting plate 16 whose lower part can be largely opened, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Endless conveyor belt 1
9, and on the surface of these conveyor belts 19,
Paper discharge rollers 21 supported by horizontal shafts 20 (FIG. 3), which are equally spaced and spanned over the support frame 2 so as to be adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, are rolled into contact with each other. In order to maintain the rolling contact state of these paper ejection rollers 21, auxiliary rollers 22 located inside the conveyor belt 19 are assembled to the mounting plate 16 in correspondence with the paper ejection rollers 21. These auxiliary rollers 22 are connected to shafts 25 that are stretched between grooves 24 of a frame 23 as shown in the third figure.
Each of the shafts 25 is pressed in the direction of the corresponding paper ejection roller 21 by projections 26 of the frame body 23 and tensioned wires 27 alternately applied to each shaft 25.

A paper discharge tray device 5 whose base portion is fixed to the support frame 2 is provided above the intake section conveyance device 3 . The paper discharge tray device 5 includes a plurality of paper discharge trays 28 whose bases are fixed to the support frame 2 in correspondence with the respective paper discharge rollers 21. Gate members 29 (shown in the third figure) are positioned at the entrances of these paper discharge trays 28, respectively. These gate members 29 are fixed to shafts 30 installed on the support frame 2, and can be operated by electromagnetic solenoids 32 coupled to levers 31 provided at the ends of these shafts 30. In other words, when one of these electromagnetic solenoids 32 is energized, the tip of the corresponding gate member 29 is advanced into the copy paper conveyance path consisting of the conveyance belt 19 and paper ejection roller 21, and is conveyed. The copied paper is discharged onto the corresponding paper discharge tray 28.

Note that FIG. 4 shows the drive section of the sorter mentioned above, and the timing belt 35, which is hung around the drive pulley 34 of the drive motor 33 installed at the lower part of the support frame 2, is connected to the shaft of the pulley 8 mentioned above and the horizontal shaft 15. The tension pulley 36
The contact angle to the driven pulley 37 is increased by a.

FIG. 5 shows the characteristic structure of the sorter according to the invention, in which the mounting plate 16 is pivoted on the horizontal shaft 15 at the upper end of the support frame 2, as described above. A fixing rod 39 whose base is pivotally supported by a fulcrum pin 38 is installed inside the support frame 2.
The tip pin 40 of No. 9 is slidably positioned in the long groove 41 on the inner surface of the mounting plate 16. A biasing spring 42 latched to the mounting plate 16 is hooked to the tip of the fixing rod 39 . Therefore, when the mounting plate 16 is manually opened to the position shown, the mounting plate 16 is fixed in this open position by the fixing rod 39.

Further, on the lower outer surface of the mounting plate 16, a handle 44 is swingably supported by a mounting shaft 43.
A spring 4 is provided at the inner end of the handle 44.
The latch pawl 46 biased at 5 is fixed. Therefore, when the mounting plate 16 is placed in the closed position shown by the phantom line, the latch pawl 46 is locked with the locking pin 47 projected on the inner surface of the support frame 2.

〔effect〕

Since the sorter according to the present invention has the above-described structure, when the mounting plate 16 is rotated around the horizontal shaft 15 provided on the upper part of the support frame 2 and opened, the mounting plate 16 is integrally provided. paper ejection roller 2
1 and the conveyor belt 19 are also released at the same time, and the sandwiched copy paper will surely fall under its own weight, eliminating the need to put your fingertips into the device to remove the copy paper.
removed naturally. When the mounting plate 16 is opened near the fully open position, the distribution gate section is exposed to the outside, so the fixing rod 39 keeps the mounting plate 16 in the open position to remove any copy paper caught in the distribution gate section. Can be removed quickly. Also, mounting plate 16
There is no need to use a particularly strong pulling force to open it, and it can be easily opened by pulling the lower part outward with a light force around the horizontal axis 15. In this way, "jammed" copy paper can be visually recognized and removed easily and quickly even in a narrow space.

As described above, the sorter of the present invention has the effect of providing an extremely safe sorter even if a jam occurs at any position between the conveyor belt 19 and the paper ejection roller 21, there is no need to remove the sheet with your hands. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall external view of a sorter according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the sorter, Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the main parts of the sorter, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the drive section of the sorter. , FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the area around the mounting plate of the sorter. 2...Support frame, 4...Distribution unit conveyance device,
15...Horizontal shaft, 16...Mounting plate, 19...Transport belt, 21...Sheet discharge roller, 39...Fixing rod,
46... Latch claw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A support frame that extends in a substantially vertical direction and has a plurality of sets of paper discharge trays, deflection means, and driven conveyance means arranged in parallel in the vertical direction; When the driven conveyance means is pressed, the driven conveyance means is brought into a driven state, and the driven conveyance unit is driven by a drive shaft provided on the support frame and cooperates with the driven conveyance means to send the sheet upward. A distribution section conveyance device having a mounting plate provided with means, and an intake section conveyance device that feeds the sheet to the pressure contact portion of the active conveyance means of the distribution section conveyance device and the driven conveyance means at the lowest stage. In a sorter in which the device sequentially distributes sheets fed by an intake section conveying device to a large number of paper output trays, the mounting plate has an upper end pivotally supported by a drive shaft of the support frame and can be opened at the bottom. A sorter featuring: 2. The sorter according to claim 1, wherein a holding means is provided between the support frame and the mounting plate to maintain the open state when the mounting plate is opened.