JPH04235846A - Paper direction change device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a paper direction change device which can be applied to the central standard transfer system or other transfer system and does not cause wrinkles, scratch, or folding even when thin paper is used. CONSTITUTION:A direction change device 14 for paper which changes direction of a paper sheet by about 90 degrees is provided with an abutting means 27 which contacts a front edge of the paper sheet on a paper rotation transfer path, a side guide means 24 which contacts side edge of a paper sheet after rotation, first and second paper feed means 25, 26 which are provided along a paper transfer path across the abutting means 27, and a rotation travel means 28 which guides the paper sheet into the side guide means 24 side while rotating and traveling the paper sheet.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a paper conveying device used in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, etc., and in particular, the present invention relates to a paper conveying device used in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, printers, etc. The present invention relates to a paper direction changing device.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a copying machine, even if the paper is of the same size, the paper may be fed vertically or horizontally, and special cassettes are prepared for each case, and the paper is placed in the cassette for vertical feeding. It was stored according to the cross-feeding arrangement.

[0003] Therefore, two dedicated cassettes are required for the same size paper, and the space in the paper feed section becomes large, making handling of the paper complicated. In order to eliminate this drawback, conventionally, a means was provided in the paper transport path to rotate the paper 90 degrees horizontally to change the direction of the paper from vertical to horizontal, and from horizontal to vertical. Techniques for reducing the number of cassettes are disclosed in, for example, Utility Model Application No. 59-80331, Utility Model Application No. 63-119560,
Utility Model Application No. 64-9945, Utility Model Application No. 64-32552,
This method has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-43405.

Among these conventional techniques, Utility Model Application No. 59-803
The technical means of the sheet direction changing device disclosed in No. 31, which rotates the sheet 90 degrees around the blocking member by means of a feeding means, has a simple configuration when compared with other direction changing devices.
It is widely used because it allows the paper to rotate without stopping, and because it is cost-effective and space-saving.

[0005]

However, in the above conventional paper direction changing device, the blocking member that prevents the movement of the paper edge and applies a rotational moment to the paper, and the side fence that guides the paper after rotation are fixed. Since it is based on a formula, it has the disadvantage that it cannot be applied to a central reference conveyance system.

[0006] Furthermore, when paper is rotated and conveyed in the blocking member and side fence section, if thin paper is used, it is easy to cause wrinkles, scratches, and rise up to the side fence, and it is difficult to maintain a good quality. The drawback was that consistency could not be achieved.

The present invention has been devised to eliminate such drawbacks, and its purpose is to provide a system in which the paper is rotated approximately 90 degrees around the blocking member by the feeding means, It can be applied not only to the edge-based transport method but also to the center-based transport method, and even when using thin paper.
To provide a paper direction changing device that does not cause wrinkles, scratches, or folds.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper direction changing device which changes the direction of paper carried in by a carrying means by approximately 90 degrees and carries it out by a conveying means. , an abutment means for receiving the front edge of the paper to be carried on the paper rotation conveyance path between the carrying-in means and the carrying-out means, and an abutment means extending parallel to the paper carrying direction and bringing the side edges of the rotated paper into contact with each other. A side guide means, a first sheet feeding means provided upstream of the conveying path from the abutting means, and a second sheet feeding means provided downstream of the conveying path from the abutting means, and the abutting means The first means is provided with a rotary moving means that is located near the means and rotates while being in pressure contact with the paper to guide the paper to the side guide means.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a configuration in which the abutting means in the first means can be freely retracted from and retracted from the paper rotation conveyance path, and the abutting means is arranged in parallel with the abutting means. A second means is provided with a fixed abutment.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention also includes a third means in which the fixed abutting portion of the second means is formed at or near the rotation shaft of the rotary moving means.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first means for moving the rotary moving means in the first means so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction integrally with the side guide means. 4 means are provided.

0012

[Function] In the first means, since a rotary movement means for guiding the paper to the side guide means is provided near the colliding means, buckling, wrinkles, folds, etc. will not occur even when thin paper is used. It can be prevented.

In the second, third, and fourth means, after the leading edge of the incoming paper is accurately positioned by the fixed abutment portion and the abutment means configured to be freely retractable into and out of the paper rotation conveyance path, The direction of the paper is accurately changed by the rotational movement means, and furthermore, the sides of the paper are aligned by the side guide means movable in the width direction according to the paper size and the rotational movement means, and then the paper is carried out by the delivery means. Ru.

[0014]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment in which a paper direction changing device of the present invention is applied to a copying machine.

In the figure, 1 is the copying machine main body, 2 is the loading machine stand of the copying machine main body 1, 3 is a stack of paper stored in a cassette in the paper storage section of the copying machine main body 1, and 4 to 6 are the machine stands. Paper stacks 7 to 10 stored in the cassette in the paper storage section 2
11 is an image forming unit that transfers a predetermined image onto the paper; 12 is a fixing device that fixes the image; and 13 is a paper sheet. 14 is a paper direction changing device for changing the direction of paper by 90 degrees, which is provided on the machine base 2;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a vertical paper conveyance path provided to communicate between the copying machine main body 1 and the machine stand 2. A plurality of paper storage sections are arranged on one side of the vertical conveyance path 15, and paper storage sections are arranged on the other side. A direction change device 14 is arranged.

In the above configuration, in the copying machine main body 1, the sheets of the sheet bundle 3 fed to the vertical conveyance path 15 by the sheet feeding roller 7 are supplied to the image forming section 11, and the required number of sheets are printed on the sheets. The image is transferred, then processed by the fixing device 12, and discharged onto a paper discharge tray 13. Also, in the machine stand 2, among the sheets of the paper bundles 4 and 5 fed to the first conveyance path A of the vertical conveyance path 15 by the respective sheet feed rollers 8 and 9, the direction is changed by 90 degrees. Unnecessary sheets and sheets of the paper bundle 6 fed to the vertical conveyance path 15 by the paper feed roller 10 are directly fed to the image forming section 11, where a desired image is transferred onto the sheets. Next, the fixing device 12
The image is processed and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 13.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged configuration diagram of the component of the paper feed roller 9 among the components extending from the paper feed rollers 8 and 9 to the vertical conveyance path 15.

In FIG. 2, 16 and 17 are approximately wedge-shaped conveyance path switching claws that can be switched to take two positions, a solid line and a dotted line, and 18 and 19 are arranged in the first conveyance path A of the vertical conveyance path 15. This is a conveying roller that can rotate in both the solid line and dotted line directions.

Now, when the paper fed from the paper feed roller 9 does not require a 90 degree change in direction, the transport path switching claws 16 and 17 are switched to the solid line position, and the transport roller is switched to the solid line position. - Since the rollers 18 and 19 are rotated in the direction shown by the solid line, the paper advances along the upper surface of the conveyance path switching claw 16, and is then transmitted upward to the vertical conveyance path 15 by the conveyance roller 18, and is The image is supplied to the image forming unit 11 and subjected to necessary processing.

On the other hand, when it is necessary to change the direction of the paper fed from the paper feed roller 9 by 90 degrees, the transport path switching claws 16 and 17 are switched to the dotted line position, and the transport roller 18 , 19 are rotated in the direction shown by the dotted line, the paper advances along the lower surface of the conveyance path switching claw 16, and is then transmitted downward to the vertical conveyance path 15 by the conveyance roller 19, and is shown in FIG. It is guided to the entrance of the direction changing device 14 through the second conveyance path B shown. It should be noted that, although the above description concerns the constituent parts of the paper feed roller 9, the other constituent parts of the paper feed roller 8 have similar configurations and perform similar operations.

By the way, in the direction changing device 14, 90
As shown in FIG.
After being merged and transmitted to the image forming section 11, as described above, the image is supplied to the image forming section 11, where necessary processing is performed.

Generally, the direction changing device 14 may be provided in any part of the machine base 2, but it is preferably provided in a space opposite to the paper storage section with respect to the vertical conveyance path 15.
In this case, the machine base 2 is formed compactly, and even in the event of a paper jam, it becomes easy to remove the jammed paper.

FIG. 3 shows a paper direction changing device 1 according to the present invention.
4 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 3, FIGS. 5 and 6 are a plan view and a side view of the upper guide plate used in FIG. 3, and FIG. A cross-sectional view taken along the Y-Y line of
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the rotary vane used in FIG. 5.

In these figures, 21 is a carry-in roller (carry-in means) for carrying the paper from the second conveyance path B to the direction changing device 14, 22 is a guide stand, and 23 is an upper part disposed facing the guide stand 22. A guide plate, 24 a side fence (side guide means) waiting at a position determined for each paper size, 25 a feed roller (first paper feed means) for feeding the paper in the transport direction, 26 a rotating roller. Paper side fence 2
4 side shifting roller (second paper feeding means), 27
28 is a rotary blade (rotary moving means) that rotates the paper around the rotating shaft 28a; 29 is a side fence 24 and a rotating member; A stepping motor moves the blade 28 to a predetermined position, 30 is a home sensor that determines the home position of the side fence 24, and 31 is a carry-out roller that carries the paper from the direction changing device 14 to the third conveyance path C. It is la.

[0026] The side fence 24 and the rotating blade 28 are
Normally, it is at the home position determined by the home sensor 30, but before paper is introduced, it is driven by the stepping motor 29 and moves to a predetermined alignment position depending on the paper size. In the case of center-based conveyance, the alignment position of the side fence 24 is a distance d from the center line A of the guide table 22, where d=a/2 (where a is the widthwise dimension of the paper). ). The side fence 24 has a configuration extending in the paper conveyance direction, and serves to define an alignment surface when the paper is rotated and to guide the rotated paper in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side fence 24 is provided with a guide portion 24a that restricts movement of the paper in the vertical direction on the alignment surface. Note that instead of providing this guide portion 24a, other means such as an elastic film or a wire leaf spring may be used.

The rotating blade 28 is installed on the upstream side of the paper conveyance path with respect to the side fence 24 and on the downstream side of the paper conveyance path with respect to the feed roller 25. The abutting portion 28a is arranged approximately on an extension of the alignment reference plane of the side fence 24. Four radially extending arms 28b are attached to the rotating shaft 28a, and each arm
A presser blade 28c having appropriate frictional force and elasticity is attached to the arm 28b. The rotating blade 28 is connected to an arm 28b.
and rotates in the direction of the arrow together with the presser blade 28c. When the rotary blade 28 rotates, when the presser blade 28c is within the notch 23a provided in the upper guide plate 23, the presser blade 28c presses the paper on the paper conveyance path,
The paper is rotated approximately 90 degrees about the rotation shaft 28a, and the leading edge of the paper is brought into contact with the alignment surface of the guide portion 24a of the side fence 24. After this collision is performed, the presser blade 2
8c slides on the paper and moves to the side of the paper conveyance path. Here, the circumferential speed of the presser blade 28c is vA, and the feed roller 2
If the feed speed of 5 is vB, then vA = (1/c
)·rvB (where r is the radius of rotation of the presser blade 28c, and c is the distance between the feed roller 25 and the rotating shaft 28a in the direction orthogonal to the paper conveyance direction).

Furthermore, the notch portion 2 of the upper guide plate 23
A blade lifting portion 23b is provided near the blade 3a, and this blade lifting portion 23b functions to lift the presser blade 28c, which is in contact with the paper conveyance path, onto the upper guide plate 23 again during rotation. For the presser blades 28c, it is preferable to use a rubber elastic body such as soft urethane rubber or soft foamed urethane rubber, or an elastic film with a suitable friction member attached or coated. After the paper collides with the aligning surface of the guide portion 24a of the side fence 24, a friction force of such a magnitude that the paper does not buckle or wrinkle due to the rotation of the presser blade 28c is selected.

In the above configuration, when the paper is carried into the direction changing device 14 by the carry-in roller 21, the paper is received by the feed roller 25 before the trailing edge of the paper passes the carry-in roller 21. It is passed over and feeding in the direction of center line A is continued. On the downstream side of the conveyance path of the feed roller 25, there is a rotating shaft 28a.
Since the stoppers 27, which can be turned upside down, are arranged in parallel so as to be perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction, the front edge of the paper carried in is aligned with the rotating shaft 28a and the stoppers 27, and the paper is positioned. While the paper is in contact with the stopper 27, it is preferable to install a torque limiter on the driving side or to make the driven side spherical so that the feed roller 25 can idle against the frictional force with the paper. .

When the stopper 27 falls down and becomes open after a predetermined period of time has passed after the leading edge of the paper is in the alignment state,
A rotational moment about the rotating shaft 28a is applied to the paper by the drive of the feed roller 25, and at the same time, the pressing blade 28c comes into pressure contact with the paper, so that the paper is rotated around the rotating shaft 28a.
The material rotates from state P1 to state P2 in FIG. The rotation operation ends when the longitudinal side edge of the paper is aligned with the alignment surface of the guide portion 24a of the side fence 24, P3. After that, the paper is moved to the gathering roller 26
It moves in the direction of the center line A while being in the state P3 aligned with the alignment surface by the drive of
and is delivered to the third conveyance path C from the direction changing device 14.

Further, in FIG. 5, the paper is moved to the stopper 27.
When the paper is once stopped at , the presser blade 28c presses the paper, and the stopper 27 is immediately opened to allow the paper to rotate.A more effective rotational operation can be achieved. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, a paper detection sensor 32 is arranged in the paper conveyance path, and the pressing blade 28c is intermittently rotated by the stepping motor 29, so that the pressing blade 28c is adjusted in relation to the position of the paper. All you have to do is control the rotation. That is, the presser blade 28c is retracted onto the upper guide plate 23 until the paper contacts the stopper 27, and when the paper contacts the stopper 27, the presser blade 28c is rotated and pressed against the paper. At the same time, the stopper 27 is opened to rotate the paper 90 degrees.

Note that the number of presser blades 28c attached to the rotary blade 28 may be one or more.
The shape of 8c is not limited to that shown, and any shape can be used. Further, it is preferable that the driving direction angle Θ of the shifting roller 26 with respect to the direction of the center line A is selected from 5 degrees to 30 degrees.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotating blade 28 is connected to the side fence 24 by the connecting member 24b.
Since it is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction, it can be moved to a position suitable for sheets of various sizes.

Further, in this example, the rotating blade 28 is rotated after the paper is temporarily stopped by the stopper 27, but the stopper 27 is omitted and the rotating blade 28 is rotated without temporarily stopping the paper. It can also be configured to rotate.

Furthermore, when the leading edge of the paper is brought into contact with the rotating shaft 28a, the paper may shift laterally. A stopper (fixed abutment) may be provided separately.

[0035]

According to the invention as claimed in claim 1, since the rotary vane (rotary moving means) 28 for rotationally entraining the paper is provided near the stopper (colliding means) 27, when thin paper is used, However, occurrence of buckling, wrinkles, folding, etc. can be prevented, and a highly reliable paper direction changing device can be obtained.

Further, according to the invention described in claims 2 to 4, the front edge of the paper to be carried in is accurately positioned by using the fixed abutment portion 28a and the abutment means 27 configured to be able to move in and out of the paper rotation conveyance path. After that, the direction of the paper is changed by 90 degrees by a rotary blade (rotary movement means) 28, and a side fence (side guide means) 24 that can be moved in the width direction according to the size of the paper and a rotary blade (rotation movement means) 28, the sides of the paper are aligned, and then the delivery roller (delivery means)
31, troubles in transportation control can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment in which a paper direction changing device of the present invention is applied to a copying machine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing a paper conveyance path switching portion.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a paper direction converting means.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the upper guide plate.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the upper guide plate.

7 is a sectional view taken along the line Y-Y in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a rotating blade.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Copy machine body 2 Machine stand 3, 4, 5, 6 Paper stack 7, 8, 9, 10 Paper feed roller 11 Imaging section 12 Fixing device 13 Paper output tray 14 Direction change device 15 Vertical conveyance path 16, 17 Conveyance path switching claw 18, 19 Conveyance roller 21 Carrying roller 22 Information desk 23 Upper guide plate 23a Notch part 23b Blade lifting part 24 Side fence 24a Guide part 24b Connecting member 25 Feed roller 26 Shifting roller 27 Stopper 28 Rotating vane 28a Rotation axis 28b Arm 28c Presser blade 29 Stepping motor 30 Home sensor 31 Unloading roller 32 Paper detection sensor A First conveyance path B Second conveyance path C Third conveyance path

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1. A paper direction changing device that changes the orientation of paper carried in by a carrying means by approximately 90 degrees and carrying it out by a carrying out means, on a paper rotation conveyance path between the carrying means and the carrying out means. , an abutment means for receiving the front edge of the sheet to be carried in, a side guide means extending parallel to the paper conveyance direction and bringing the side edge of the rotated sheet into contact, and a side guide means provided upstream of the abutment means on the conveyance path. a first sheet feeding means, and a second sheet feeding means provided downstream of the abutting means in the conveyance path, and the first sheet feeding means is provided in the vicinity of the abutting means and rotates while being in pressure contact with the paper. A paper direction changing device characterized in that a rotational movement means is provided for guiding the paper to the side guide means. 2. The abutting means according to claim 1, wherein the abutting means is configured to be able to move in and out of the paper rotation conveyance path, and a fixed abutting portion is provided in parallel with the abutting means. Paper orientation changing device. 3. The sheet direction changing device according to claim 2, wherein the fixed abutting portion is formed at or near a rotating shaft portion of the rotationally moving means. 4. The paper direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotational movement means is configured to be movable integrally with the side guide means in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper.