JPH0516768U - Sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a device provided with two sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 4, 5, the sheet material is taken over from the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 5 to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 4. After that, the sheet material whose front end is sandwiched by the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 4 is prevented from entering the moving region side of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 5. A guide member 83 is provided which is stretched in the vertical direction of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 5 and which can be expanded and contracted as the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 5 moves up and down.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a sorter for distributing sheets discharged one by one from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printing apparatus, a printing apparatus or other sheet material output apparatus to a plurality of bins.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Generally, the sorter is roughly classified into a moving bottle type and a fixed bottle type.

The bin moving type moves the entire bin row to the sheet discharge port of the sheet material output device, and sequentially distributes the sheets to each bin.

In the fixed bin type, the entire bin row is immovable, and the sheets discharged from the sheet discharge port of the sheet material output device are sequentially distributed to the respective bins.

As one type of the fixed-bin type, there is a type in which a movable sheet material conveying means is provided between the sheet discharge port of the sheet material output device and each bin.

Conventionally, as a device having this sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, an apparatus provided with one sheet material sandwiching and conveying means is known. In this known device, the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means receives the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port of the sheet material output device. Next, the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means moves to a position facing the sheet material inlet portion of the predetermined bin and stops, and the sheet is discharged to the bin. After the discharging operation is completed, the sheet material holding and conveying means returns to the sheet discharging port. This operation cycle is repeated.

However, in this known device, until the rear end of the sheet distributed from the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means to the bin is completely removed from the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means reaches the sheet discharge port. Cannot start the return movement of. Therefore, there is a problem that the processing speed is reduced.

[0008] Therefore, an apparatus for increasing the processing speed is disclosed in JP-A-63-262373 and JP-A-63-262371.

The devices of both publications are provided with two sheet material holding and conveying means. That is, this device is capable of nipping and conveying sheet material, and is vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the sheet material inlet portions of a plurality of bins, and the first sheet material nipping device for discharging the sheet material to the bin. The sheet material can be sandwiched and transported by the transport means, and is vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the plurality of bins. The sheet material discharged from the sheet material output device is received to sandwich the first sheet material. A second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for delivering to the conveying means is provided.

[0010]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the apparatus described in the above publication, the sheet material is delivered from the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, and the sheet material whose front end is sandwiched by the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means is There is a possibility that the sheet material may be damaged or deformed by getting into the moving area side of the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means 2.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus provided with two sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, wherein the sheet material is taken over from the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, and the first sheet Another object of the present invention is to provide a sorter which prevents a sheet material whose front end is sandwiched by the material sandwiching and conveying means from entering the moving area side of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means.

[0012]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a guide member is provided which is stretched in the up-down direction of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means and which can be expanded and contracted as the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means moves up and down. There is.

[0013]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a copying machine 1 exemplified as a sheet material output device and a sorter 2 mounted on the sheet discharge side of the copying machine 1.

In the copying machine 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a pair of discharge rollers as a discharging unit that discharges a copied sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sheet).

The sorter 2 is vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the bins B1 to 21 for accommodating the sheets arranged in a plurality of stages (21 stages in this example) in the vertical direction and the arrangement of the sheet inlet portion of the bin B. The first delivery unit 4 as the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for discharging the sheet to each bin B, and the second delivery unit 4 which is vertically movable in the arrangement direction of the bin B and delivers the sheet to the first delivery unit 4. A second delivery unit 5 as sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, and a carry-in means for carrying in the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 3 and delivering the sheet to the second delivery unit 5 at the exits (two places in this example) 6 and 6.

The uppermost bin B1 is dedicated to the non-sort mode.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first delivery unit 4 includes a conveyance path 8 including a pair of upper and lower guide members 7 a and 7 b, and two drive rollers 9 a and 9 b provided on the conveyance path 8. The drive rollers 9a and 9b are provided with pinch rollers 11a and 11b which are pressed against each other via biasing springs 10a and 10b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second delivery unit 5 includes a conveyance path 13 including a pair of upper and lower guide members 12 a and 12 b, a drive roller 14 provided in the conveyance path 13, and a drive roller. 14 is provided with a pinch roller 16 that is pressed against a roller 14 via a biasing spring 15, and a pair of driven rollers 17a and 17b that are freely rotatably arranged on the outlet side in a state of being separated from each other.

The reason why the pair of driven rollers 17a and 17b are provided on the outlet side of the second delivery unit 5 is as follows. After the front end side of the sheet discharged from the second delivery unit 5 is sandwiched by the first delivery unit 4 at the delivery position where the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. , When the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 move relatively vertically apart from each other, the sheet between the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 is driven by a roller. In order to guide along the curved surfaces of 17a and 17b, and to minimize the load generated between the guide surface and the sheet by the rotatable driven rollers 17a and 17b, and to prevent the sheet from being damaged or deformed. Is. At the delivery position where the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 are arranged side by side, the leading edge side of the sheet carried out from the second delivery unit 5 is nipped by the first delivery unit 4, and then the second delivery unit 5 is inserted. When the delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 relatively move apart in the vertical direction, a tensile force acts on the sheet between the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 5, It is necessary to prevent the sheet from coming off the first delivery unit 5. Therefore, the spring constant k1 of the biasing springs 10a and 10b that presses the pinch rollers 11a and 11b of the first delivery unit 5 against the drive rollers 9a and 9b is calculated from the spring constant k2 of the biasing spring 15 of the second delivery unit 5. Is also set large.

The carry-in means 6 introduces a sheet discharged by the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1, a first conveying path 19 and a second conveying path 20 that branch vertically from the introducing path 18. , A gate 21 as a gate means (switching means) for switching the first transport path 19 and the second transport path 20, and transport rollers 22, 23 provided in both transport paths 19, 20 respectively. The pinch rollers 24 and 25 are provided.

The outlet 19a of the first transport path 19 is located at substantially the same height as the sheet inlet of the uppermost bin B1. In this example, the outlet 20a of the second delivery path 20 is located at substantially the same height as the sheet inlet of the 14th bin B14.

A conveying length from the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1 to the rollers 14 and 16 of the second delivery unit 5 via the first conveying path 19 is a predetermined sheet, for example, a sheet discharged sideways according to A4 standard. It is set longer than the length in the conveyance direction. As a result, when the leading edge of the A4 horizontal sheet discharged from the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1 is nipped by the upstream rollers 14 and 16 of the second delivery unit 5, the trailing edge of the sheet is discharged. You are out of Roller 3. Therefore, after the sheet is nipped by the second delivery unit 5, the second delivery unit 5 can be moved up or down at the moving speed V1 that exceeds the transport speed V0 of the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1. it can.

On the other hand, the transport length from the discharge roller 3 to the rollers 14 and 16 of the second delivery unit 5 via the second transport path 20 is set to be longer than the lateral length of A4 (for example, A 3 Set the length longer than the length of the sheet in the conveyance direction). As a result, similarly to the case of the first transport path 19 described above, the moving speed V1 of the second delivery unit 5 can be set to be large regardless of the transport speed V0 of the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first conveying path 19 can be opened to remove the jammed sheet. Further, the second conveyance path 20 can be divided and opened in order to remove the jam sheet in the conveyance path 20, and at the same time, in order to remove the jam sheets on the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 side. It is possible to open to the whole.

The conveying rollers 22 and 23 of the first and second conveying paths 19 and 20, the driving roller 14 and the pinch roller 16 of the second delivery unit 5 are one-way units that allow free rotation in the conveying direction. A clutch (not shown) is attached. By the action of the one-way clutch, when the sheet received from the first and second conveying paths 19 and 20 is sandwiched by the second delivery unit 5, the conveying speed of the first and second conveying paths 19 and 20 is exceeded. It is possible to convey or move up and down at a speed that can be obtained. Similarly, after the sheets delivered from the second delivery unit 5 are sandwiched by the first delivery unit 4, the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 move relatively away from each other. In doing so, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being pulled out of the first delivery unit 4 by the sheet being pulled by the second delivery unit 5.

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 8, a carry-in means 6 and a transport drive mechanism for driving the drive rollers 9 a, 9 b, 14 of the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5, respectively. explain.

A single motor M1 is used to drive the drive rollers 9a and 9b of the first delivery unit 4, the drive roller 14 of the second delivery unit 5 and the transport rollers 22 and 23 of the carry-in means 6. Has been done. Further, the transport speed of the first delivery unit 4 can be switched to V1, and the transport speed of the second delivery unit 5 can be switched to V1 or V2 (approximately twice the V1).

When the belt 26 is rotated by the drive of the motor M1, the conveyance roller 23 of the second conveyance path 20 passes the conveyance speed V0 (the ejection of the copying machine 1 through the gear 27 with pulleys, the gear 28, and the belt 29. The roller 3 is driven at substantially the same speed as the roller 3.

The rotation of the belt 26 causes the belt 31 to rotate via the pulley 30. Then, the transport roller 22 of the first transport path 19 is driven at the transport speed V0 (approximately the same as the speed of the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1) via the pulleys 22a with gears and the gear 22b. Is becoming

When the belt 31 is rotated, the rotary shaft 36 is rotated through the pulley gear 32, the gear pulley 33, the belt 34, the pulley bevel gear 35, and the bevel gear 37 fixed to the rotary shaft 36. Is rotated. By the rotation of the rotary shaft 36, the first delivery is performed via the bevel gear 38 slidably attached to the rotary shaft 36, the gear 39 with the bevel gear, and the gear 40 fixedly mounted on the shaft 41 of the drive rollers 9a and 9b. The drive rollers 9a and 9b of the unit 4 are driven at the V1 speed.

When the belt 31 is rotated, one of the two power transmission paths is selected and connected to the second delivery unit 5.

When the same transmission mechanism as in the case of the above-described first delivery unit 4 which is one power transmission path is connected, the drive roller 14 of the second delivery unit 5 causes the driving roller 14 of the conveyance speed V1 (first delivery). It is driven at substantially the same speed as the unit 4. That is, the transmission mechanism includes a gear 42 with a pulley, a pulley 43 with a gear, a belt 44, a bevel gear 45 with a pulley, a bevel gear 47 fixed to a rotating shaft 46, a rotating shaft 46, and a rotating shaft 46. It comprises a bevel gear 48 movably mounted, a gear 49 with a bevel gear, and a gear 50 fixed to a shaft 51 of the drive roller 14.

When the other power transmission path is selected, the rotation is transmitted to the bevel gear 45 through the gear with pulley 52, the pulley with gear 53, and the belt 53a. In this case, the drive roller 14 of the second delivery unit 5 is driven at the transport speed V 2 of (V1 × 2 + α) (approximately double the speed of the first delivery unit 4).

A clutch CL1 for turning on / off the drive force transmission to the drive rollers 9a, 9b of the first delivery unit 4 via the rotary shaft 36 of the first delivery unit 4 is provided. When the clutch CL1 is ON, the first delivery unit 4 conveys the sheet at the speed V1.

Clutch CL2, CL3 for turning ON / OFF the drive transmission to the drive roller 14 of the second delivery unit 5 via the rotary shaft 46 of the second delivery unit 5 are provided.

When the clutch CL1 is turned on, the second delivery unit 5 conveys the sheet at the speed V1. When the clutch CL2 is turned on, the second delivery unit 5 conveys the sheet at the speed V2.

A break BL1 is provided which immediately stops the first delivery unit 4 when the clutch CL1 is turned off. Further, a brake BL2 that immediately stops the second delivery unit 5 when the clutches CL2 and CL3 are turned off is provided. When the belt 31 is rotated, the conveyor roller 22 fixed to the pulley 54 of the first conveyor path 19 is driven. The vertical drive mechanism of the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

As described above, the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 have the rotating shaft 36, via the bevel gears 39, 49 having the left and right side ends meshed with each other. It is supported by 46. Further, the guide portions 55 and 56 formed at the other left and right side ends are engaged with the guide rails 57 and 58.

A belt 59 is connected to the left and right sides of the first delivery unit 4, the belt 59 is stretched between a pair of upper and lower pulleys 60 and 61, and one pulley 61 is connected to the motor M 2 via a belt 62. Drive-coupled.

Similarly, the second delivery unit 5 is also drivingly connected to the motor M3 via belts 65 and 66 stretched between the pulleys 63 and 64.

The first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 are vertically moved by the forward and reverse rotations of the motors M2 and M3. At this time, the bevel gears 37 and 48 meshing with the bevel gears 39 and 49 of the units 4 and 5 follow the vertical movement of the units 4 and 5 and slide up and down along the rotation axis. The guide portions 55 and 56 of the units 4 and 5 slide up and down along the guide rails 57 and 58.

As shown in FIG. 8, pulse generating means 67, 68 for controlling the positioning of the vertically moving units 5, 4 form radial slits attached to the shafts of the motors M2, M3. The encoders 69 and 70 and the photosensors S4 to S7 that count the light passing through the slits of the encoders 69 and 70 as pulses are provided.

The encoder 69 is provided with two photosensors S4 and S5 whose phases are shifted by two. Similarly, the encoder 70 is provided with two photosensors S6 and S7, which are out of phase with each other. Therefore, it is possible to improve the positioning accuracy when the units 4 and 5 are moved up and down to the predetermined bin.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 are cantilevered by the rotation shafts 36 and 46. When each unit 4, 5 tilts downward to its unsupported side, lift the unsupported side of each unit 4, 5 to correct the levelness. However, due to the modification, the positional relationship between the rotary shafts 36 and 46 and the bearings of the units 4 and 5 coupled to the rotary shafts 36 and 46 is deviated, and the units 4 and 5 move to the rotary shafts 36 and 46. There is a risk that it will not be able to slide up and down smoothly. In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 7, the sliding bodies 73 and 74 are slidably fitted to the rotary shafts 36 and 46, and the sliding bodies 73 and 74 are held so as to be vertically rotatable on the curved outer surfaces thereof. The bodies 75 and 76 are combined and fixed to the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 sides, and thus aligning bearings 77 and 78 are formed.

Changes in the posture of the delivery units 4, 5 with respect to the rotary shafts 36, 46 are absorbed as relative displacement between the holding bodies 75, 76 and the sliding bodies 73, 74. Therefore, even if the delivery units 4 and 5 are inclined, the delivery units 4 and 5 can smoothly move up and down along the rotation axes 36 and 46.

Both of the delivery units 4 and 5 are cantilevered at one end side in the width direction of the sheet inlet of the bin B. Therefore, the delivery units 4 and 5 have the same inclination direction. Therefore, even if the delivery units 4 and 5 are tilted due to aging or the like, it is possible to reduce the occurrence rate of jam when the sheets are taken over from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, a plurality of reels 81 and 82 are provided on the shafts 79 and 80 of the vertical pulleys 60 and 61 of the vertical movement mechanism of the second delivery unit 5, respectively. ing. A guide ribbon 83 is stretched between the upper and lower reels 81 and 82 as a guide member. The guide ribbons 83 extending from the reels 81 and 82 are connected to the upper and lower parts of the second delivery unit 5. The reels 81 and 82 are provided with tension springs (not shown) that apply tension to the guide ribbon 83. In this guide ribbon 83, after the sheets are delivered from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4, the first delivery unit 4 and the second delivery unit 5 are vertically separated from each other. When this is done, the sheet whose front end is sandwiched by the second delivery unit 5 is prevented from entering the movement area side of the first delivery unit 4.

Sheets are delivered from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 at a delivery position preset for each bin B. In this example, the delivery units 4 and 5 are controlled to move according to Table 1 below. In Table 1, the number of bin columns is the number of bins to be distributed, and the number of columns for the second delivery unit and the first delivery unit is the range of bins to be moved by each unit (the underline is the delivery position). The number in the quantity column indicates the number of bins moved for each unit.

Table 1 Movement pattern of second and first delivery units Bin Second unit Movement amount First unit Movement amount 2 1 0 1 → 2 1 3 1 → 2 → 1 2 2 → 3 → 2 2 4 1 → 2 → 1 2 2 → 4 → 3 3 5 1 → 3 → 1 4 3 → 5 → 4 3 6 1 → 4 → 1 6 4 → 6 → 5 3 7 1 → 5 → 1 8 5 → 7 → 6 3 8 1 → 6 → 1 10 6 → 8 → 7 3 9 1 → 7 → 1 12 7 → 9 → 10 3 10 1 → 10 → 14 14 10 → 11 1 11 14 → 11 → 14 6 11 → 12 1 12 14 → 12 → 14 4 12 → 13 0 13 14 → 13 → 14 2 13 → 14 1 14 14 0 14 0 15 14 0 14 → 15 1 16 14 → 15 → 14 2 15 → 16 1 17 14 → 16 → 14 4 16 → 17 1 18 14 → 17 → 14 6 17 → 18 1 19 14 → 18 → 14 6 18 → 19 1 20 14 → 19 → 14 10 19 → 20 1 21 14 → 20 → 14 12 20 → 21 1 Thus, in this example, in the sort mode, the second delivery unit 5 moves back and forth between the exit of the first transport path 19 and the delivery position to reach the sheets of 2 bins to 10 bins and 11 to 21 bins. Sheet of the second transport path 2 The back and forth movement between the outlet and the delivery position.

The movement amount of the second delivery unit 5 may be set to be larger than the movement amount of the first delivery unit 4. The second delivery unit 5 holds the leading edge of the sheet discharged from the copying machine 1 or transfers the sheet from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 so that the first delivery unit 4 receives it. It can be moved immediately when the front edge of the seat is clamped. On the other hand, the first delivery unit 4 cannot move until the rear end of the sheet is completely removed when the sheet is discharged to the bin B. That is, as compared with the second delivery unit 5, the first delivery unit 4 has a longer stop time for sheet transfer. Therefore, it is more efficient to set the movement amount of the second delivery unit 5 to be large, the distribution processing time can be shortened, and a large number of sheets can be distributed within a predetermined time.

Further, the second delivery unit 5 that receives a sheet from the sheet output device is set with the following two home positions, first and second. When the sheets are sent to the bins B2 to B10 (first group of bins), the opposing position of the bin B1 is the first home position. When the sheets are sent to the bins B11 to B21 (bins of the second group), the facing position of the bin B14 is the second home position. Then, the first transport path 19 guides the sheet to the first home position. The second transport path 20 guides the sheet to the second home position.

In bins B4 to B9, the sheet passing position is a position where the bins sequentially move away from the first home position for each bin between the first home position and the sheet ejection position, and from the immediately preceding sheet ejection position. It is set on the first home position side. Then, the second delivery unit 5 clamps the sheet at the first home position and then moves downward to the sheet delivery position. The first delivery unit 4 moves downward from the immediately preceding sheet discharge position to the delivery position.

In the bins B16 to B21, the sheet transfer position is a position between the second home position and the sheet discharge position, which is sequentially away from the second home position for each bin, and the immediately preceding position It is set to the sheet ejection position. Then, the second delivery unit 5 clamps the sheet at the second home position and then moves downward to the sheet delivery position. The first delivery unit 4 stands by at the immediately preceding sheet ejection position.

In the bin B2, the sheet is delivered from the second delivery unit 5 standing by at the first home position to the first delivery unit 4 standing by at the first home position, and the first delivery unit holding the sheet therebetween. 4 moves to the sheet discharge position (bin B2). Similarly, in the bin B15, the sheet is delivered from the second delivery unit 5 waiting at the second home position to the first delivery unit 4 waiting at the second home position, and the first delivery with the sheet sandwiched therebetween. The unit 4 moves to the sheet discharge position (bin B15).

In the bin B10 immediately before switching from the first transport path 19 to the second transport path 20, or in the bin B11 immediately before switching to the opposite, the sheet transfer position and the sheet discharge position are the same (bins B10 and B11). Has become.

A sensor for detecting a sheet will be described with reference to FIG.

The sensor S1 is an entrance sensor which is provided in the introduction path 18 and detects that the sheet has entered the sorter.

When the sensor S1 is turned ON (when the leading edge of the sheet is detected), the conveying rollers 22 and 23 of the carry-in means 6 and the rollers of the units 4 and 5 start driving. A sheet counter (not shown) counts the number of sheets by turning off the sensor S2 (detecting that the trailing edge of the sheet has passed).

The sensor S 2 is composed of a pair of light emitting / receiving elements provided above and below the vertical movement region of the second delivery unit 5. The sensor S2 detects by ON / OFF that the sheet has arrived at the second delivery unit 5 and that the sheet has come out of the second delivery unit 5.

The sensor S 3 is composed of a pair of light emitting / receiving elements provided above and below the vertically moving region of the first delivery unit 4. The sensor S3 detects by ON / OFF that the sheet has arrived at the first delivery unit 4 and that the sheet has come out of the first delivery unit 4.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sensors 4 and 5 are photosensors of the pulse generating means 67 for positioning the vertical movement mechanism of the second delivery unit 5, as described above.

The sensors 6 and 7 are photosensors of the pulse generating means 68 for positioning the vertical movement mechanism of the first delivery unit 4.

Drive control of this device is performed by a control means such as a CPU (not shown). That is, the signal of the sheet conveyance state detected by the sensors S1 to 7 is input to the CPU, the control signal is output after the calculation, and the motors M1 to 3, the clutches CL1 to 3, and the brakes BL 1 and 2 are drive-controlled. ..

The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 and Table 1 together with the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 and the operation state diagrams of FIGS. (1) When A4 landscape sheets are processed in sort mode Place the original document (A4 landscape in this example) on the platen glass (not shown) of the copier 1 or on the automatic document feeder (not shown), Enter the desired sort mode conditions from the operation surface (not shown).

Both the first home position of the second delivery unit 5 and the first home position of the first delivery unit 4 are set to the position opposite to the sheet inlet portion of the bin B1 as shown by the solid line position in FIG. When the start key (not shown) of the copying machine 1 is pressed and the units 4 and 5 are out of the first home position, they are moved up or down to the first home position substantially the same as the bin B1. Be moved. In the carry-in means 6, the gate 21 is switched so that it can be conveyed from the introduction path 18 to the first carry-in path 19.

When the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 4 stop at the first home position, the copying machine 1 starts the copying operation. Feeding of the first sheet to the bin B2 (see FIG. 11 ) From the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1, the first copied sheet enters the introduction path 18 of the sorter 2. Then, the motor M1 starts driving, and the driving rollers 14, 9a, 9b of the second delivery unit 5 and the first delivery unit 5 start driving to prepare for sheet conveyance.

The first sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 is transferred from the second delivery unit 5 in the first home position to the first delivery unit 4 in the first home position.

When the sheet front end side reaches the first delivery unit 4, the rollers 9a and 9b of the first delivery unit 4 stop driving, and the sheet front end side is pinched (FIGS. 11a and 11b).

The first delivery unit 4 holding the sheet moves downward from its home position to a position (sheet discharging position) facing the sheet inlet of the bin B 2 and stops (FIG. 11c). During the downward movement of the first delivery unit 4, the roller 14 of the second delivery unit 5 is driven at the transport speed of V1.

When the delivery units 4 and 5 relatively move away from each other, the sheet delivered from the second delivery unit 5 follows the curved shape of the driven rollers 17a and 17b of the second delivery unit 5. In addition to the guide, the load can be minimized between the guide surface and the sheet by the rotatable driven rollers 17a and 17b to prevent the sheet from being damaged or deformed.

Further, when the units 4 and 5 are separated from each other in the vertical direction, the rear end side of the sheet whose front end side is sandwiched by the second delivery unit 5 is stretched in the vertical direction of the second delivery unit 5. The guide ribbon 83 is guided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet from entering the moving area side of the first delivery unit 4 and being damaged or deformed. Further, since the sheet does not enter the moving area side of the first delivery unit 4, the malfunction of the sensor S2 for detecting the sheet of the second delivery unit 5 can be prevented.

The rollers 14 and 16 of the second delivery unit 5 follow the movement of the sheet by the action of the one-way clutch. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet from coming off the first delivery unit 4 due to the pulling force on the sheet between the units 4 and 5 which are relatively separated from each other.

Then, the rollers 9a and 9b of the first delivery unit 4 are driven to discharge the first sheet onto the bin B2 (FIG. 11d).

After the sheet is discharged, the first delivery unit 4 stops at this position and prepares for the next sheet delivery (FIG. 11e). Feeding the second sheet to the bin B3 (see FIG. 12 ) The front end side of the second sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 is held by the second delivery unit 5 in the first home position. (Fig. 12a).

Next, the second delivery unit 5 is moved downward from the home position to the delivery position corresponding to the sheet inlet of the bin B2 with the sheet front end side being sandwiched between the first delivery unit 4 and the first delivery unit 4. Line up horizontally (Fig. 12b).

Here, when the second delivery unit 5 holds the leading edge of the sheet, the trailing edge of the sheet is separated from the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1. Therefore, as soon as the second delivery unit 5 clamps the sheet front end portion, the second delivery unit 5 can move at a speed V1 exceeding the transport speed V0 of the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1. At this time, the transport roller 22 follows the sheet by the action of the one-way clutch.

Subsequently, the sheet is conveyed from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 and is delivered. The first delivery unit 4 holds the leading edge of the sheet (FIG. 12c).

Next, the first delivery unit 4 holding the leading edge of the sheet moves downward to the position facing the sheet entrance of the bin B3. At the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves upward from the sheet inlet facing position of the bin B2 to the first home position and returns (FIG. 12d).

Here, the first delivery unit 4 holding the sheet moves downward from the delivery position to the sheet ejection position, and at the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves upward from the delivery position to the home position. When 5 is separated, the second delivery unit 5 conveys the sheet at V2 (about twice the V1). Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet from coming off the first delivery unit 4 due to the sheet pulling force between the units 4 and 5.

Subsequently, the sheet is discharged from the first delivery unit 4 onto the bin B3 (FIG. 12e). Sending the third sheet to the bin B4 (see FIG. 13 ) The front end side of the second sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 is nipped by the second delivery unit 5 in the first home position. (Fig. 13a, b). Next, the second delivery unit 5 moves downward from the first home position to the position facing the sheet inlet of the bin B2 with the sheet front end side being sandwiched. At the same time, the first delivery unit 4 moves upward to the bin B2. As a result, the units 4 and 5 are lined up at the delivery position (Fig. 13c). Then, the sheet is conveyed from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 and delivered. The first delivery unit 4 holds the leading edge of the sheet (FIG. 13d).

Next, the first delivery unit 4 holding the leading edge of the sheet moves downward to a position facing the sheet entrance of the bin B4. At the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves upward from the sheet inlet facing position of the bin B2 to the first home position and returns (FIG. 13e).

Subsequently, the sheet is discharged from the first delivery unit 4 onto the bin B4 (FIG. 13f). Feeding the fourth sheet to bin B5 (see Fig. 14 ) The second delivery unit 5 in the first home position holds the leading edge side of the second sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 . (FIGS. 14a and 14b). Next, the second delivery unit 5 moves downward from the first home position to the position facing the sheet inlet portion of the bin B3 with the sheet front end side being sandwiched. At the same time, the first delivery unit 4 moves up to the bin B3. As a result, the units 4 and 5 are arranged in the delivery position (FIG. 14c).

Subsequently, the sheet is conveyed from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 and is delivered. The first delivery unit 4 holds the leading edge of the sheet (FIG. 14d).

Next, the first delivery unit 4 holding the leading edge of the sheet moves downward to a position facing the sheet entrance of the bin B5. At the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves upward to the first home position and returns (Fig. 14e).

Subsequently, the sheet is discharged from the first delivery unit 4 onto the bin B5 (FIG. 14f).

Subsequently, the fifth to eighth sheets are distributed to the bins B6 to B9 according to the operation shown in Table 1. Feeding of 9th sheet to bin B10 (see FIG. 15 ) The leading end side of the 9th sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 is sandwiched by the second delivery unit 5 in the first home position. (FIGS. 15a, b). Next, the second delivery unit 5 moves downward from the home position to the position facing the sheet inlet portion of the bin B10 while holding the sheet front end side. At the same time, the first delivery unit 4 moves down from bin B9 to bin B10. This causes the units 4, 5 to line up at the delivery position in front of the bin 10 (Fig. 15c).

Subsequently, the sheet is conveyed from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 and is delivered. The first delivery unit 4 holds the leading edge of the sheet (FIG. 15d).

Subsequently, the sheet is discharged from the first delivery unit 10 onto the bin B10. At the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves downward to the first home position facing the bin B14 (FIGS. 14e, f).

The gate 21 is switched from 10 sheets or later (sending to the bin B11), the second delivery unit 5 receives the sheet from the exit of the second delivery path 20, and the sheet is distributed according to the operation pattern shown in Table 1. Perform an action. In particular, the feeding of the 16th sheet will be described below. Sending the 16th sheet to the bin B17 (see FIG. 16 ) The leading end side of the 16th sheet carried into the sorter from the copying machine 1 is delivered to the second home position in the second home position in front of the bin B14. It is clamped by the unit 5 (FIGS. 16a and 16b).

Next, the second delivery unit 5 moves downward from the second home position to the position facing the sheet inlet portion of the 16th-stage bin B16 while holding the sheet front end side. As a result, the units 4 and 5 are lined up at the position opposite to the bin B16 (FIG. 16c).

Subsequently, the sheet is conveyed from the second delivery unit 5 to the first delivery unit 4 and is delivered. The first delivery unit 4 holds the leading edge of the sheet (FIG. 16d).

Subsequently, the first delivery unit 4 moves down in front of the bin B17. At the same time, the second delivery unit 5 moves upward to the second home position (Fig. 16e).

The sheet is discharged from the first delivery unit 4 onto the bin B17.

As described above, the second delivery unit 5 receives the discharged sheet from the copying machine 1 at the receiving position of the bins B2 to B10 at the exit of the first transport path 19 and at the bins B11 to B21 at the second position. It switches to the exit of delivery route 20. Therefore, the distribution efficiency is good and the distribution processing time can be shortened.

It is assumed that four copies of three originals are copied and then sorted. First, 14 copy sheets of the first original are distributed to the bins B2 to B15 one by one. Next, 14 copy sheets of the second original are distributed one by one in the order of bins B15 to B2. Then, 15 copy sheets of the third original are distributed one by one in the order of bins B2 to B15, and the process is completed. (2) When processing A3 horizontal sheets in the sort mode Even in the case of A3 horizontal sheets, the distribution processing is performed according to the operation pattern of Table 1 as in the case of A4 horizontal sheets in (1) above.

However, if the sheet is an A3 horizontal sheet, the discharge roller 3 of the copying machine 1 is not removed only by the sheet guided through the first transport path 19 reaching the second delivery unit 5. Therefore, when the entrance sensor S1 detects that the trailing edge of the sheet is separated from the copying machine main body 1, the second delivery unit 5 is moved at the speed V1. (3) Case of group mode For example, assume that 14 copies of three originals are made and processed in the group mode.

First, with the units 4 and 5 positioned at the height of the sheet entrance of the bin B2 (the height of the exit of the first transport path 19), 14 copy sheets of the first original are continuously fed. And store in bin B2.

Next, the second delivery unit 5 is left at the exit position of the first transport path 19, and the first delivery unit 4 reciprocates 14 times between the second delivery unit 5 and the bin B3. It moves and discharges 14 copy sheets of the second original to the bin B3. Next, after the second delivery unit 5 receives the sheet from the exit of the first transport path 19, the sheet is delivered to the first delivery unit 4 at the height of the bin B4, and then the first delivery unit 4 The operation of ejecting the sheet to the bin B4 is repeated, and 14 copy sheets of the third original are stored in the bin B4 to complete the process. (4) Non-sort mode processing With the units 4 and 5 being positioned at the height of the sheet entrance of the uppermost bin B1 (the height of the exit of the first transport path 19), all the sheets are continuous. Then store it in bottle B1 and finish. (5) Random access mode processing It is assumed that the first sheet is stored in the fifth-stage bin B5 and the second sheet is stored in the sixteenth-stage bin B16. To do.

First, for the first sheet, the second delivery unit 5 receives the sheet from the exit of the first transport path 19, and then the first delivery unit 4 receives the sheet at the position opposite to the bin B3. The sheet is delivered and subsequently the first delivery unit 4 discharges the sheet into the bin B5.

For the second sheet, the second delivery unit 5 receives it from the exit of the second transport path 20, and then the first delivery unit 4 takes over the sheet at the position of the height of the bin B15. , The first delivery unit 4 discharges the sheet into the bin B16.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be implemented.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the guide member 83 may be formed of a bellows material instead of the ribbon. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to providing the guide member 83a of the second delivery unit 5, a guide member 83b may be stretched on the first delivery unit 4. In this case, the sheet sandwiched by the first delivery unit 4 will be guided from both sides thereof.

[0104]

[Effect of the device]

 In this invention, in the sorter provided with the first and second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, the sheeter is stretched in the vertical direction of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, and the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means moves up and down. Since the guide member which can be expanded and contracted is provided, after the sheet material is handed over from the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, the sheet material is sandwiched and conveyed by the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means. It is possible to prevent the device from entering the moving region side and causing damage or deformation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an overall outline of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a partially opened state.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a drive system of a transport unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a drive system for vertically moving a second delivery / first delivery unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a drive system for moving the unit.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a drive system for moving the unit.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the second delivery / first delivery unit.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of a drive system for moving the unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (1) showing the operation of the apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart (2) showing the operation of the apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an operation state diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an operation state diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 13 is an operation state diagram of the device.

FIG. 14 is an operation state diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 15 is an operation state diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 16 is an operation state diagram of the apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing another embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier (sheet material output device) 2 Sorter 4 First delivery unit (first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means) 5 Second delivery unit (second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means) 81 Reel (winding member) 82 reel (winding member) 83 guide ribbon (guide member) 83a guide ribbon (guide member) 83b guide ribbon (guide member) B1 to 21 bottle

Claims (6)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. Arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction,
A plurality of bins for accommodating the sheet material, and a sheet material that can be sandwiched and conveyed, and provided so as to be vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the sheet material inlets of the plurality of bins,
First sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for discharging the sheet material to the bin, and sheet material capable of sandwiching and transporting the sheet material, vertically movable in the arrangement direction of the plurality of bins, and discharged from the sheet material output device. In a sorter including a second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for receiving a sheet material and delivering it to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, the sorter is stretched in a vertical direction of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, 2. A sorter characterized by comprising a guide member which is capable of expanding and contracting with the vertical movement of the sheet material sandwiching and conveying means (2). 2. The guide member comprises a ribbon stretched so as to be able to be wound by a winding member provided above and below the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, respectively. The sorter according to Item 1. 3. The sorter according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a bellows type. 4. The sorter according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the guide member is connected to the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means. 5. Arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction,
A plurality of bins for accommodating the sheet material, and a sheet material that can be sandwiched and conveyed, and provided so as to be vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the sheet material inlets of the plurality of bins,
First sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for discharging the sheet material into the bin, and sheet material which can sandwich and convey the sheet material and are vertically movable along the arrangement direction of the plurality of bins, and are discharged from the sheet material output device. In a sorter having a second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means for receiving the formed sheet material and delivering it to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, the sorter is stretched in a vertical direction of the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, A guide member that is capable of expanding and contracting as the second sheet material sandwiching and conveying means moves up and down, and a guide member that is stretched in the vertical direction of the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means, A second guide member which is capable of expanding and contracting with movement, and a sorter. 6. The sorter according to claim 5, wherein the second guide member is connected to the first sheet material sandwiching and conveying means.