JPH04251066A - Sheet material discharging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a burden on the driven side, to reduce the generation of noise owing to a conveyance roller, and to provide an increased life for the conveyance roller, in a sheet material discharge device having turn-over discharge passage and a non-turn-over discharge passage. CONSTITUTION:In a sheet material discharge device having a turn-over discharge passage 22 and a non-turn-over discharge passage 21, a conveyance roller 26 located to the turn-over discharge passage 22 and an upper discharge roller 27, located to the turn-over discharge passage 22, are coupled to the drive side through an electromagnetic clutch 31. When a guide member 23 to switch a discharge passage is switched to orientation in which a paper is guided to the non-turn-over passage 21 side, the electromagnetic clutch 31 is turned OFF and the conveyance roller 26 and the upper discharge roller 27 are released from drive.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet material discharging device, and more particularly, the present invention is provided with a reversing discharge path for reversing and discharging a conveyed sheet material, and a non-reversing discharge path for discharging the sheet material without reversing it. The present invention relates to a sheet material discharge device.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In general, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers are equipped with a reversing discharge path that reverses and discharges sheets of paper on which images have been formed in order to discharge the sheets in the order in which images have been formed. provided. On the other hand, in the reversing ejection path, the paper is bent significantly, so when ejecting thick paper, it is recommended to eject the paper through the non-reversing ejection path without inverting it to avoid problems such as jams. I have to. This type of device is, for example, JP-A-62-
This is shown in JP-A No. 235166 and the like.

[0003] In an apparatus equipped with a reversing ejection path and a non-reversing ejection path as described above, the ejection path is switched by a guide member or the like, and the paper guided to the reversing ejection path is The paper is discharged to the paper discharge section by a conveyance roller or the like provided in the discharge path.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional apparatus equipped with the reversing and non-reversing ejection paths as described above, even when the paper is guided to the non-reversing ejection path side, the conveyance rollers of the reversing ejection path are not driven. ing. Therefore, unnecessary load is applied to the drive side during non-reversal ejection, and the life of conveyance rollers and the like in the reversal ejection path is also shortened. Furthermore, since the conveyance rollers and the like are constantly being driven, there is a problem in that the noise is large.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material discharging device that can reduce the load on the driving side during non-reversing discharging, thereby realizing power saving, prolonging the life of the conveying member, and producing less noise. be.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A sheet material discharging device according to the present invention has a reversing discharge path that reverses and discharges the sheet material being conveyed, and a non-reversing discharge path that discharges the sheet material without reversing it. ing. The apparatus also includes a sheet material conveying means, a guide means, and a drive release means.

The sheet material conveying means is provided in the reversing discharge path and is a means for conveying the sheet material within the reversing discharge path. The guide means can selectively assume a first attitude in which the conveyed sheet material is guided to the reversing discharge path, and a second attitude in which the sheet material is guided to the non-reversing discharge path. The drive release means is a means for releasing the drive of the sheet material conveying means when the guide means is in the second attitude.

[0008]

[Operation] In the sheet material discharging device of the present invention, the conveyed sheet material is guided to the reversing discharge path or the non-reversing discharge path by the guide means. When the guide means assumes the first position and the sheet material is guided to the reversal discharge path, the sheet material is discharged to the discharge section by the sheet material conveying means provided in the reversal discharge path. The sheet materials discharged through the reverse discharge path are stacked face down with the image forming surface facing downward.

On the other hand, when the guide means is in the second position and the sheet material is guided to the non-reversing discharge path, the sheet material is not reversed and is discharged to the discharge section in a face-up state with the image forming surface facing upward. be done. At this time, the driving of the sheet material conveying means provided in the reversing discharge path is released.

[0010] As a result, when the sheet material is discharged through the non-reversing discharge path, the number of components to be driven is reduced, the burden on the driving side is reduced, and the noise is reduced. Also,
The life of the members constituting the conveyance means can be extended.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a laser printer device in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. In the figure, the main body 1 of the apparatus is composed of an upper frame 1a and a lower frame 1b, which can be opened and closed by hinges (not shown).

An imaging unit 2 is arranged approximately in the center of the main body 1 of the apparatus. An optical unit 3 is arranged above the imaging unit 2, and a transport mechanism 5 including a fixing device 4 is arranged below. A paper feed cassette 6 is also provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1 below the transport mechanism 5.
is located. At the downstream end of the transport mechanism 5 and on the left side of the apparatus main body 1 in the figure, a paper discharge tray 7 is provided from which paper is discharged in a face-up state. A paper ejection device 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged between the fixing device 4 and the paper ejection tray 7. Further, above the optical unit 3, there is formed a paper stacking section 9 from which paper is ejected in a face-down state.

The imaging unit 2 includes a photosensitive drum 10 , a main charging corona discharger 11 , a developing device 12 , and a cleaning device 13 arranged around the photosensitive drum 10 . Further, below the photosensitive drum 10, a transfer device 14 for transferring the toner image onto paper is provided.
is located. The optical unit 3 includes a rotating polygon mirror for scanning the photosensitive drum 10 with laser light from a laser oscillator (not shown), various lenses, and the like. The transport mechanism 5 includes a paper feed roller 15 and a transport roller 16 arranged above the leading end of the paper feed cassette 6.

The paper ejecting device 8 includes a discharging roller 20 provided on the downstream side of the fixing device 4, a non-reversing ejecting path 21, a reversing ejecting path 22, and a branching portion between the non-reversing ejecting path 21 and the reversing ejecting path 22. It has a guide member 23 arranged at.

The non-reversing discharge path 21 is a paper transport path for discharging the paper from the discharge roller 20 to the paper output tray 7 side, and the reversing discharge path 22 discharges the paper to the paper stacking section 9 side. This is the paper conveyance path for The guide member 23 is a member for switching between guiding the paper to the non-reversing ejection path 21 and the reversing ejection path 22, and is supported by the apparatus main body 1 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, it has a curved guide surface 23a on the side of the discharge roller 20, and in the posture shown by the solid line in the figure, the paper is transferred to the reverse discharge path 22 in the posture shown by the dashed line. Then, the sheets are each guided to the non-reversing discharge path 21. The switching of the posture is performed by a solenoid 24, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reversing discharge path 22 includes:
A discharge conveyance mechanism 25 is provided for conveying the paper upward and discharging it onto the paper stacking section 9. Note that FIG. 2 shows the rear part of the apparatus main body 1, and a transport mechanism 25 is arranged at the rear of the apparatus such as the imaging unit 2.

The discharge conveyance mechanism 25 has a conveyance roller 26 disposed midway through the reversal discharge path 22 and an upper discharge roller 27 disposed at the downstream end of the reverse discharge path 22 . Each roller 26, 27 is driven via a belt 28. The belt 28 is also wrapped around a tension pulley 29 and a drive pulley 30. The drive pulley 30 is connected to a drive gear 32 via an electromagnetic clutch 31. The drive gear 32 is connected to a main drive motor (not shown), and this main motor is
For example, the drive is started in response to a print signal and stopped after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the paper is ejected. The drive gear 32 is also connected to a conveyance pulley 34 via a gear train 33. The conveyance pulley 34 connects to the discharge roller 2 via a belt 35.
It is connected to a pulley 36 for driving 0. The rotation of this pulley 36 is transmitted to the discharge roller 20 via a gear train 37.

Next, the paper ejecting operation will be explained. Reverse discharge mode (face down) as paper discharge mode
When is selected, the solenoid 24 is turned off by a command from a control section (not shown), and the guide member 23 is thereby lowered by its own weight to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2. At the same time, the electromagnetic clutch 31 is turned on by a command from the control section, and the drive gear 32 and the drive pulley 30 are connected.

When the paper is conveyed from the discharge roller 20 in this state, the leading edge of the paper touches the guide surface 23 of the guide member 23.
a, and is guided along this to the reverse discharge path 22 side. The paper guided to this reversal discharge path 22 is conveyed upward by a conveyance roller 26, and then is further conveyed by an upper discharge roller 26.
7, the sheet is discharged face down onto the sheet stacking section 9.

On the other hand, when the non-inverted discharge mode (face-up) is selected, the solenoid 24 is turned on and the guide member 23 rises to the position shown by the dashed line in FIG. At the same time, the electromagnetic clutch 31 is turned off, and the connection between the drive gear 32 and the drive pulley 30 is released. Therefore, in this state, the conveyance roller 26 and the upper discharge roller 27 are not driven.

When the paper is conveyed from the discharge roller 20 in this state, since the guide member 23 is raised, the paper is discharged face-up to the paper discharge tray 7 side.

As described above, in this embodiment, in the non-reversing ejection mode, the conveyance roller 2 provided in the reversing ejection path 22
6 and the upper discharge roller 27 are not driven. Therefore, the load on the main motor is reduced, and power consumption can be reduced. Further, the life of each roller 26, 27 can be extended, and noise caused by each roller 26, 27 can be eliminated.

Furthermore, since the entire guide member 23 is moved up and down so that the leading edge of the paper does not come into contact with a part of the guide member 23 during non-reversal ejection, it is possible to reduce jams during non-reverse ejection. .

[Other Embodiments] (a) FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 of the embodiment. In this embodiment, a conveyance roller 26 and an upper discharge roller 27 are arranged in the reversal discharge path 22, as described above. Each of the rollers 26 and 27 is connected to a driving roller 41 disposed above the discharge roller 20 via a belt 40. Although not shown, the discharge roller 20 is driven by a main motor using a pulley, a gear train, etc. in the same manner as described above. An idler roller 42 is arranged between the discharge roller 20 and the driving roller 41. The idler roller 42 is rotatably attached to the tip of the lever 43. The lever 43 is rotatable around a pin 44 fixed to the frame of the device main body 1, and is always biased clockwise by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown). With this configuration, the idler roller 42 can be placed in a posture in which it contacts both the discharge roller 20 and the driving roller 41 (the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 3), and a posture in which it is separated from both rollers 20 and 41 (the posture shown in the dashed line in FIG. 3). ).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, protrusions 46 are formed on both sides of the distal end of the paper ejection tray 45 at positions that do not interfere with paper conveyance. When the paper output tray 45 is attached, the tip of the protrusion 46 (the right end in the figure) pushes the lower part of the lever 43 toward the inside of the device, and the upper end of the protrusion 46 pushes up the lower surface of the guide member 23. ing.

The shape of the guide member 23 is similar to that of the previous embodiment, but no solenoid is provided on its upper part.

In this embodiment, the discharge mode is switched by attaching and detaching the paper discharge tray 45. That is, when ejecting in the reverse ejection mode, the ejection tray 45 is removed from the apparatus main body 1. As a result, the lever 43 is urged clockwise by a biasing member (not shown), and the idler roller 42 is brought into pressure contact with the discharge roller 20 and the driving roller 41. Therefore, rotational force is transmitted from the discharge roller 20 to the drive roller 41 via the idler roller 42,
The conveyance roller 26 and the upper discharge roller 27 rotate. Furthermore, the guide member 23 is lowered by its own weight to the position shown by the solid line in the figure.

In this state, the paper from the discharge roller 20 is guided toward the reverse discharge path 22 along the guide surface 23a of the guide member 23. The sheet is then conveyed by the conveyance roller 26 and the upper discharge roller 20, and is discharged to the paper stacking section 9 in a face-down state.

On the other hand, when discharging in the non-reversing discharging mode,
Insert the paper discharge tray 45 into the mounting opening of the apparatus main body 1. When the paper discharge tray 45 is inserted, the lower part of the lever 43 is pushed by the tip of the protrusion 46, and the lever 43 rotates counterclockwise against the biasing force of the biasing member. Then, the idler roller 42 separates from the discharge roller 20 and the driving roller 41, and the rotational force from the discharge roller 20 is transferred to the driving roller 41.
will no longer be transmitted. Therefore, the rotation of the transport roller 26 and the upper discharge roller 27 is stopped.

Furthermore, when the paper discharge tray 45 is inserted, the upper end of the protrusion 46 pushes up the lower surface of the guide member 23, and the guide member 23 rises to the position shown by the dashed line in the figure.

In this state, the transported paper passes below the guide member 23 and is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 45 in a face-up state.

[0032] In this embodiment, as in the previous embodiment, it is possible to reduce the load on the motor during reversal and discharge, and it is also possible to extend the life of the conveying member and reduce noise.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ejection mode can be switched simply by attaching and detaching the paper ejection tray 45, and there is no need to give an instruction from the operating section unlike the conventional device, and a means for detecting the ejection mode is provided. There's no need.

(b) FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment. The laser printer device of this embodiment has an imaging unit 51, an optical system 52, and a transport mechanism 53 inside the device main body 50, as described above. The imaging unit 51 includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, and the like, and the optical system 52 includes various lenses and the like. At the right side of the apparatus main body at the end of the transport mechanism 53, removable paper feed cassettes 54 and 55 are arranged. Further, a fixing device 56 is arranged at the downstream end of the transport mechanism 53.

Further downstream of the fixing device 56, a discharge cover 57 that functions as a guide member is attached to the left side of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. The discharge cover 57 is
When in the vertical position (closed state) shown by the solid line in the figure, the device body 1
A reversing discharge path 58 is formed between the left side wall 50a and the left side wall 50a. Further, when in the horizontal position (open state) shown by the dashed line, the attached end constitutes a non-reversible discharge path 59 and acts as a paper discharge tray on which sheets are placed.

Further, the reverse discharge path 58 is provided with an upper discharge roller 60 and a conveyance roller (not shown), and both rollers are connected to the main motor via a gear train and an electromagnetic clutch as in the previous embodiment. . Further, a reflective photosensor 61 for detecting the attitude of the discharge cover 57 is provided on the side wall 50a of the apparatus main body 1.

In this embodiment, the discharge mode is switched by opening and closing the discharge cover 57. In other words, when performing ejection in the reverse ejection mode, the ejection cover 5
7 is placed in a vertical position as shown by the solid line in the figure. Further, the posture of the discharge cover 57 is detected by the photosensor 61,
This turns on the electromagnetic clutch. Therefore, the conveyance rollers and the like provided in the reversal discharge path 58 are driven.

In this state, the conveyed paper is transferred from the fixing device 56 to the reverse discharge path 58 by the discharge cover 57.
The paper sheet is guided to the side, and is ejected face down onto the paper stacking section by the conveyance roller and the upper ejection roller 60.

On the other hand, when ejecting is performed in the non-reversing ejection mode, the ejection cover 57 is placed in a horizontal position as shown by the dashed line in the figure. When the discharge cover 57 is placed in a horizontal position, the detection signal of the photosensor 61 is turned off, thereby turning off the electromagnetic clutch. Therefore, the driving of the conveyance rollers and the like in the reversing discharge path 58 is released.

In this state, the paper from the fixing device 56 is placed face up on the ejection cover 5 as a paper ejection tray.
It is discharged at 7.

(c) In each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a printer device, but it can be similarly applied to other devices such as a copying machine.

[0042]

As described above, in the present invention, the driving of the conveying means of the reversing discharge path is released during non-reversing discharge, so the burden on the drive side and noise during non-reversing discharge are reduced. Ru. Furthermore, the life of the members constituting the conveyance means is extended.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a printer device in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted.

[Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the discharge conveyance device.

[Figure 3]
FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a printer device employing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

21,59 Non-reversing discharge path 22,58 Reverse discharge path 26 Conveyance roller 27, 60 Upper discharge roller 23 Guide member 31 Electromagnetic clutch 57 Ejection cover

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sheet material discharging device comprising a reversing discharge path for reversing and discharging the conveyed sheet material and a non-reversing discharge path for discharging the sheet material without reversing the sheet material, wherein the sheet material discharging device is provided in the reversing discharge path, A sheet material conveying means for conveying the sheet material in the reversing discharge path, and selectively taking a first posture for guiding the conveyed sheet material to the reversing discharge path and a second posture for guiding the sheet material to the non-reversing discharge path. A sheet material discharging device comprising: a guide means for moving the sheet material; and a drive release means for releasing the drive of the sheet material conveying means when the guide means is in a second attitude.