JPH05116835A - Sheet feeding and discharging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a sheet feeding and discharging device which has functions of a sorter and a sheet feeder and, in addition, compactness. CONSTITUTION:A body 70 in which plural discharged sheet receivers 75 for discharging the sheets printed by image forming device 1 and 2 are arranged vertically is provided. Plural sheet storage parts 76 which stores the sheets are arranged in the body 70 at the lower or upper part of the discharged sheet receivers 75. It is intended to reduce the width of the body 70 an its floor space by providing a sheet feeding roller 82, which feed the sheets stored in the respective sheet storage parts 76 to the image forming devices 1 and 2, in a sheet feeding passage 81 provided along the inside of the body 70.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding / discharging device used in an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 101 and a plurality of paper discharge trays 102 are vertically arranged on both sides of an image forming apparatus 100, and are arbitrarily selected according to size. The paper in the paper feeding cassette 101 is supplied to the image forming apparatus 100 by the paper feeding roller 103, and the paper printed by the image forming apparatus 100 is discharged to one of the discharge trays 102 by the discharge roller 104. There is something I did. For the same purpose, as shown in FIG. 8, a paper feed cassette 101 and a paper discharge tray 102, which are vertically arranged, are arranged below the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be close to each other. I have something

[0003]

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, since the paper feed cassette 101 and the paper discharge tray 102 are located outside both sides of the image forming apparatus 100, the overall width dimension becomes large and the space is small. Can not be installed in. FIG. 8 shows a paper feed cassette 101 and a paper discharge tray 10.
Since 2 and 2 are close to each other, the overall width can be made smaller than that shown in FIG. 7, but since the paper feed cassette 101 and the paper discharge tray 102 are arranged side by side in the same plane, There is a limit to how small the width dimension can be, and it cannot be installed in a narrow space.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a plurality of paper discharge trays are arranged in the main body in which the image forming apparatus is placed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the paper discharge tray of the image forming apparatus is arranged. A paper discharge path whose upper part is connected to the paper path is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the paper discharge paths, and the paper discharge path of the main body and the ends of the individual paper discharge trays are branched and discharged. A plurality of paper storage units, which are connected by a paper path and store paper, are disposed inside the main body so as to face the upper or lower portion of the paper receiving tray, and the upper portion is connected to the paper feeding path of the image forming apparatus. A sheet feeding path is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the sheet storage section, and a plurality of sheet feeding rollers located at the leading ends of the sheet storage sections are rotatably provided in the sheet feeding path of the main body. ..

[0005]

The paper in the selected paper storage unit is supplied from the paper feed path of the main body to the paper feed path of the image forming apparatus by the paper feed roller.
The paper printed by the image forming apparatus is discharged from the paper discharge path of the image forming apparatus to the paper discharge path of the main body, and further discharged to an arbitrary paper discharge tray through the selected branch paper discharge path. , A plurality of paper storage units and a plurality of paper ejection receivers are vertically arranged with only one of the paper storage unit or the paper ejection receivers arranged in the same plane, so that the installation space is greatly increased. Can be made smaller.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A plurality of image forming apparatuses 1 and 2 are stacked and provided on the upper portion of the sheet storage device 3. The main body 4 of the upper image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a substantially horizontal sheet conveying path 5, and a plurality of image forming units 6, 7 are provided along the sheet conveying path 5.
, One fixing unit 8, a transport roller 9, and a transport belt 1
0 and are provided. Further, the image forming units 6 and 7 in this embodiment include the photoconductor 11, the exposure unit 13 and the control circuit 14 held by the support 12 provided inside the photoconductor 11, and the photoconductor 11. A developing unit 16 having a developing roller 15 facing the exposure unit 13 on the outer periphery and a transfer unit 17 facing the photoconductor 11 with the sheet conveying path 5 in between. The exposure section 13 is formed by arranging a large number of LEDs along the longitudinal direction of the photoconductor 11, and the operation is controlled by the control circuit 14.

Although not shown, the photoconductor 11 is composed of a transparent cylinder, a transparent electrode and a photoconductive layer formed on the outer circumference thereof. The developing roller 15 is composed of an electromagnetic roller and a sleeve rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of the electromagnetic roller. By rotating the sleeve, a magnetic brush is formed and the toner in the developing device 16 is raised. A developing bias is applied between the sleeve of the developing roller 15 and the transparent electrode of the photoconductor 11, and an optical signal corresponding to a print signal is emitted from the inside of the photoconductor 11 by the exposure unit 13, but The electric potential of the low-resistance toner in the magnetic brush becomes almost equal to the developing bias in any part. Surface of photoconductor 11 (photoconductive layer)
Since the electric potential of is low before it contacts the magnetic brush,
A strong electric field is generated between the magnetic brush and the photoconductor 11, and in that state, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is rubbed by the conductive toner layer to improve the electrical contact property and easily perform the charge injection. The injected charges are captured by the traps and the surface of the photoconductor 11 is charged. When the photoconductor 11 is charged to substantially the same potential as the toner layer, the toner does not adhere to that portion. Here, when an optical signal is emitted from the exposure unit 13 to the inner surface of the photoconductor 11, the potential of the exposed portion is lowered, and toner adheres to the exposed portion on the principle of reversal development. And
Due to the rotation of the photoconductor 11, the toner adhering to the exposed portion quickly separates from the toner on the sleeve of the developing roller 15, so that the developed toner remains on the photoconductor 11 without being disturbed and is transferred to a sheet by the transfer device 17. To be done. After the transfer, the residual toner on the photoconductor 11 comes into contact with the toner layer on the developing roller 15 again due to the rotation of the photoconductor 11, and the outer peripheral portion of the photoconductor 11 at this contact portion is injected with electric charge through the residual toner and the potential is changed. It goes up and the toner floats. The floating toner is scraped off by the blade of the developing device 16 and attracted by the magnetic force of the developing roller 15. That is, the image forming units 6 and 7 in this embodiment perform the processes of cleaning, charging, exposing and developing the photoconductor 11 substantially at the same time.

Further, a paper feed cassette 18 is provided at the bottom of the main body 4, and a paper feed path for guiding the paper in the paper feed cassette 18 into a U-shape and guiding the paper to the entrance side of the paper feed path 5. 19 is provided, and a paper feed roller 20 driven counterclockwise is provided in the paper feed path 19. Further, a manual tray 21 and a tractor 22 driven counterclockwise are rotatably attached to the entrance side of the paper transport path 5. Further, the exit side of the sheet conveying path 7 is connected to a sheet discharging path 23 that curves upward and a sheet discharging path 24 that curves downward, and the upper sheet discharging path 23 is formed on the upper surface of the main body 4. It is connected to the paper receiver 25. Paper discharge path 23, 2
A direction switching lever 26 that is rotated by a drive unit (not shown) is provided in the branch path of No. 4, and a paper detection lever 28 that is displaced in the paper feed cassette 18 depending on the presence or absence of paper inside.
Is rotatably attached.

Therefore, an operation control unit 27 is provided between the paper feed path 5 and the paper feed cassette 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation controller 27 is fixed to a circuit board 29, a conductive case 30 having a lower surface opening which is a support member accommodating the circuit board 29, and a front surface of the case 30. The operation panel 31 is included. The operation panel 31 is provided with various operation switches 32, a large-sized display section 33 made up of a liquid crystal panel, and a display section 33a such as an LED that lights up according to the operating state of each section.
A display unit 34 having the same function as the display unit 34 is provided on the upper surface of the case 30. On the front surface of the main body 1, there is formed a storage portion 35 into which the paper feed cassette 18 and the operation control portion 27 can be inserted so as to be drawn out.

As shown in FIG. 4, a frame 37 is fixed to the side plate 36 provided on the main body 4, and a motor 38, a control circuit 39, and a connector 40 are fixed to the frame 37, and the side plate 36 is fixed. The connection portion 41 is fixed to the. The control circuit 39 and the connector 40 are connected. The connecting portion 41 includes the motor 38 and the power cord 42.
In addition to the connection, the cable 44 and the connector 40, which are connected to a print data input device such as a personal computer, are connected. Further, the circuit board 29 is fixed to a plurality of bosses 45 formed on the ceiling surface of the case 30 by means such as screwing, and the operation of the circuit element 46 and the paper detection lever 28 is detected on the circuit board 29. A photo sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of paper is connected. The operation switch 32 and the display units 33, 3
3a is connected to the circuit board 29 by a short line.
A part of the back surface of the case 30 is the connector 4
It is opened facing 0. Further, grips 47 and 48 are formed on the front surface of the paper feed cassette 18 and the front surface of the case 30 from below, and recesses 49 are formed in the upper portion of the grip 47 to allow the fingers to be caught on the grip 48 to escape. Has been done. The shape of the recess 49 is also shown in FIGS.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the fixing unit 8
Is composed of a heat roller 51 having a built-in heater 50 and a press roller 52 pressed against the heat roller 51. On the outer peripheral surface of the heat roller 51, a temperature control element 53 such as a thermistor or a thermostat, and the paper transport path 5 are provided.
Peeling claw 54 for peeling the sheet passing through from the heat roller 51
And a cleaning pad 55 are provided in contact with each other. The cleaning pad 55 is inserted in a cover 56 that covers the upper portion of the heat roller 51.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 56 is formed with an opening 57 into which the cleaning pad 55 is inserted and drain grooves 58 located on both sides. Both ends of these grooves 58 are closed by plugs 59, and are connected to the outside of the main body 4 by pipes 60.

Next, the structure of the image forming apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. A main body 61 of the image forming apparatus 2 is provided with a substantially horizontal sheet conveying path 62, and along the sheet conveying path 62, a plurality of image forming units 6 and 7, a fixing unit 8, and a plurality of conveying belts 10. Is provided. The image forming units 6 and 7 and the fixing unit 8 have the same structure as that of the image forming apparatus 1. On the left side of the main body 61, there is a sheet discharge path 63 that is connected to the sheet discharge path 24 of the image forming apparatus 1 and goes straight down, and a sheet discharge path 63 that is branched from the sheet discharge path 63 and connected to the left end of the sheet conveyance path 62. A sheet feeding path 64 is formed, and a direction switching lever 26 for changing the conveyance direction of the sheet is provided in a branch path between the sheet discharging path 63 and the sheet feeding path 64, and the sheet discharging path 63 is switched in direction. A transport roller 68 located above the lever 26 is provided. Further, on the right side of the main body 61, paper discharge paths 65 and 66 connected to the right end of the paper transport path 62 and a paper feed path 19 of the upper image forming apparatus 1 intersecting the paper transport path 62 are connected. A paper feed path 67 is formed. The paper discharge path 65 is directed to the right side of the main body 61, and the paper discharge path 66 is curved downward of the main body 61. A direction switching lever 26 is provided on a branch path of the paper discharge paths 65 and 66. Further, on the right side of the main body 61, a paper discharge tray 69 that receives the paper discharged from the paper discharge path 65 is rotatably provided.

Next, the structure of the paper storage device 3 is shown in FIG.
It will be explained based on. On both sides of the main body 70 of the paper storage device 3, a paper discharge path 71 connected to the paper discharge path 63 of the image forming apparatus 2 and a paper discharge path 7 connected to the paper discharge path 66.
2 is provided so as to extend directly below in parallel with each other, and a plurality of branch discharge paths 73 and 74 that are curved inward are branched to these discharge paths 71 and 72, respectively. Branch path between discharge path 71 and branch discharge path 73 and discharge path 72 and branch discharge path 74
A direction switching lever 26 is provided on the branch path between and.
Further, in the main body 70 of the paper storage device 3, six paper discharge trays 75 having upper openings for receiving paper discharged from the branch paper discharge paths 73 and 74, and paper discharge trays from the top to the fourth Receiving 7
Four paper feed cassettes 76, which are paper storage portions located below 5, are arranged. The depth of the paper discharge receivers 75 located in the uppermost and next stages is set to a value deeper than the depth of the paper discharge receivers 75 in the third and subsequent stages. Further, the paper discharge path 7
A conveyance roller 77 is provided on the upper part of the sheet discharge path 1
A transport roller 78 is provided on the upper part of 2, a discharge roller 79 is provided in each of the branch discharge paths 73, and a discharge roller 80 is provided in each of the branch discharge paths 74.

Further, a paper feed path 81 connected to the paper feed path 67 of the image forming apparatus 2 is provided on the right side of the main body 70 of the paper storage device 3 in parallel with the paper discharge path 72, A plurality of paper feed rollers 82 for feeding the paper in the paper feed cassette 76 are arranged in the paper feed path 81.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the front surface of the main body 70 of the paper storage device 3, there is formed a storage portion 83 for storing the paper discharge tray 75 and the paper feed cassette 76 in a retractable manner. A recessed portion 84 is provided in the center of the lower portion of the opening surface of the storage portion 83 to facilitate the pulling out of the paper feed cassette 76.
Are formed.

A description will be given of a usage mode in which single-sided printing is performed only by the upper image forming apparatus 1 in such a configuration.
As described above, a developed image is formed on the photoconductor 11, but if the paper in the paper feed cassette 18 is fed by the paper feed roller 20 in synchronization with this developing operation, the developed image on the photoconductor 11 is transferred. It is transferred to the sheet by the device 17. The sheet is conveyed by the conveying roller 9 and the conveying belt 10, and the transfer image is fixed by the fixing unit 8. Here, in the case of monochrome printing, only one image forming unit 6 is used, and in the case of printing with a plurality of colors, both image forming units 6 and 7 are used. In this case, the colors of the toners supplied to the developing units 16 of the image forming units 6 and 7 are different.

As described above, as for the paper feeding method, generally, the paper is fed from the paper feeding cassette 18 incorporated in the image forming apparatus 1. However, when the size of the paper to be used is different, it is provided in the paper storage device 3. The paper is fed by the paper feed roller 82 from the arbitrary paper feed cassette 76 provided, and the paper feed paths 81, 6
It is supplied to the image forming units 6 and 7 through 7 and 19. Further, a method of opening the manual tray 21 and feeding from the right side of the main body 4, or a method of moving the tractor 22 in the horizontal direction as shown by an imaginary line and supplying continuous paper from the right side of the main body 4 by the tractor 22. You can also select.

There are two methods of paper ejection. First is the paper discharge path 2
The second method is to discharge the sheet to the sheet receiving tray 25 on the upper surface of the main body 4 through the third sheet feeding method. Is. The second method is to use it as a sorter. The switching of the discharge direction is performed by rotating the direction switching lever 26 in an arbitrary direction.

At the time of use as a sorter, the number of paper discharge trays 75 is required to some extent depending on the number of printed copies issued.
In recent years, in order to save resources, it is often the case that the number of print issuances is limited to one copy, and one copy is printed as a copy so that a total of two copies are printed. In this embodiment, six paper discharge trays 75 are provided in consideration of the case where the number of copies is large. However, the height of the main body 70 can be increased by reducing the depth of the paper discharge trays 75 in the third stage and below. Is set to 700 mm, which is almost equivalent to the height of the desk that is the easiest to use.
In addition, by increasing the depth of the uppermost and the next-staged paper ejection receivers 75, in the case of the most two-part printing, the printed papers are stored in the deepest uppermost and the next paper ejection receivers 75 with a margin. be able to. As a result, it becomes easy to put a hand into the front opening of the discharged paper receiver 75, and the operability of taking out the printed matter can be improved. In this case, since the discharge tray 75, which is frequently used, is located at the upper part, the operator is not forced to take an unnatural posture in which he or she leans deeply when taking out the printed matter. Although the number of paper feed cassettes 76 is smaller than the number of paper discharge receivers 75, four is sufficient to support the size of paper.

When only one-sided printing is performed in this way,
Only the upper image forming apparatus 1 can be installed and used on the table. This is the most prevalent type of use. Further, when the sizes of the sheets used are various, a plurality of sheet feeding cassettes 76 are used without using the image forming apparatus 2 in the next stage.
The image forming apparatus 1 can be directly installed on the sheet storage device 3 having the. At this time, since the upper end of the paper feed path 81 of the paper storage device 3 coincides with the lower end of the tractor 22, the paper supplied up to the upper end of the paper feed path 81 is fed to the tractor 22.
Thus, it can be conveyed to the image forming units 6 and 7. Further, since the paper discharge path 24 of the image forming apparatus 1 is connected to the upper part of the paper discharge path 71 of the paper storage device 3, the printed paper can be discharged to an arbitrary paper discharge tray 75.

Since the angle at which the paper feed path 62 intersects with the paper feed path 67 and the angle at which the paper feed path 81 intersects with the branch paper discharge path 74 are set to angles close to right angles, the paper is aimed at. It is not warped from the direction of. Although not shown, the paths of the respective sheets are formed by facing the guide plates at a predetermined interval, and the sheets are passed through the guide plates at the intersections with other paths. The slit for this is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a discharge port 25a located at an end portion of the discharge receiver 25 is opened in the upper portion of the main body 4 and is positioned substantially above the fixing portion 8, so that the main body is opened. When a drink such as coffee or tea or water in a vase is spilled on the upper surface of 4, the liquid may flow near the fixing unit 8. However, the liquid does not cover the cover 5 as shown in FIGS.
It can be received by 6 and flow into the groove 58, and can be led out of the main body 4 by the pipe 60. As a result, it is possible to avoid abnormalities such as a state in which the liquid is applied to the heat roller 51 that emits high heat to generate steam, a state in which the liquid adheres to the electric wiring portion, and a short circuit occurs.

Next, an explanation will be given of a usage mode in which double-sided printing is performed using the two image forming apparatuses 1 and 2. Since the principle of printing by the image forming apparatus 2 is the same as the principle of printing by the image forming apparatus 1, the description thereof will be omitted. As described above, the paper feeding method is performed from the paper feeding cassette 18 included in the image forming apparatus 1, from the paper feeding cassette 76 included in the paper storing apparatus 3, and from the manual feed tray 21. , Paper feeding from the right side of the main body 4 by the tractor 22 is selected. The sheet printed by the image forming apparatus 1 is inverted into a U-shape by the sheet discharge path 24, the sheet discharge path 63, and the sheet discharge path 64, and is conveyed through the sheet conveying path 62 of the image forming apparatus 2 at the next stage to form an image. Printed by device 2. Also in double-sided printing, only the image forming unit 6 is operated in the case of monochrome printing, and both image forming units 6 and 7 are used in the case of printing in a plurality of colors.

The paper discharge method in double-sided printing is as follows. Open the paper discharge tray 69 on the right side of the image forming apparatus 2 in the next stage in the horizontal direction.
There is a method of discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray 69. Further, there is a method in which the sheet is conveyed from the sheet conveyance path 62 to the upper portion of the sheet discharge path 72 of the sheet storage device 3 via the sheet discharge path 66, and is discharged from the right side to an arbitrary sheet discharge tray 75 by the branched sheet discharge path 74.

As described above, only one of the paper feed cassette 76 and the paper discharge receiver 75 is arranged in the same plane, and the plurality of paper feed cassettes 76 and the plurality of paper discharge receivers 75 are vertically arranged. By doing so, the width dimension of the main body 70 can be reduced, and the installation space can be significantly reduced. Further, since the paper feed cassette 76 for storing the printing paper can be housed in the main body 70 having the plurality of paper ejection receivers 75 built therein, the main body for the large paper feeder can be omitted.

[0027]

According to the present invention, a plurality of paper discharge trays are arranged in the main body in which the image forming apparatus is placed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the paper discharge path of the image forming apparatus is provided above. Is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the paper discharge paths, and the paper discharge paths of the main body and the ends of the individual paper receiving trays are connected by branch paper discharge paths, respectively. Then, a plurality of sheet storage units for storing sheets are disposed inside the main body so as to face the upper or lower portion of the sheet discharge tray, and the upper portion is connected to the sheet feeding path of the image forming apparatus. Is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the paper storage unit, and a plurality of paper feed rollers located at the leading ends of the paper storage units are rotatably provided in the paper feed path of the main body. The paper in the paper storage section is fed from the paper feed path of the main body to the paper feed path of the image forming device by the paper feed roller Paper that has been fed and printed by the image forming apparatus is discharged from the paper discharge path of the image forming apparatus to the paper discharge path of the main body, and further discharged to an arbitrary paper discharge tray via the selected branch paper discharge path. However, a plurality of paper storage units and a plurality of paper ejection receivers are arranged in the vertical direction with only one of the paper storage unit or the paper ejection receivers being arranged in the same plane, so This has the effect of significantly reducing the space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a mounted state of an operation control unit and a paper feed cassette.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a fixing unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cover of a fixing unit.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 image forming apparatus 19 sheet feeding path of image forming apparatus 24, 63 sheet discharging path of image forming apparatus 67 sheet feeding path of image forming apparatus 70 main body 71, 72 sheet discharging path 73, 74 branch sheet discharging path 75 sheet discharging Receiver 76 Paper storage unit 81 Paper feed path 82 Paper feed roller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of paper discharge trays are arranged at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction inside a main body in which the image forming apparatus is placed, and an upper portion is connected to a paper discharge path of the image forming apparatus. A paper discharge path is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the paper discharge path,
The paper discharge path of the main body and the ends of the individual paper discharge receivers are respectively connected by branch paper discharge paths, and a plurality of paper storage units for storing paper are made to face the upper or lower portion of the paper discharge receiver. A paper feed path, which is disposed inside the main body and whose upper part is connected to the paper feed path of the image forming apparatus, is provided in the main body along the arrangement direction of the paper storage unit. A sheet feeding / discharging device, wherein a plurality of sheet feeding rollers respectively located at the front ends of the sheet storage sections are rotatably provided.