JPH05216307A - Copying paper feeding mechanism for copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To generate paper feeding pressure to copying paper to be housed in an intermediate tray without any time delay from a command to feed paper. CONSTITUTION:A press plate 151 is moved between an evaded position where proceeding of the copying paper is not obstructed when the copying paper CP is contained to the intermediate tray 52 and a position of pressurized contact where the pressure to feed paper is generated when the copying paper is fed. When the command to feed paper from the copying paper CP on the intermediate tray 52 is put out, the copying paper CP is pressed downward in the intermediate tray by lowering the press plate 151 to a position of pressurized contact, the paper feeding pressure is generated between it and a paper feeding roll 19 and the copying paper CP is fed. When the paper feeding is finished, the press plate 151 is moved to an intermediate position between the evaded position and the position of pressurized contact. The response can be carried out without any delay in position or time against the next command to feed the paper by shortening the distance of movement of the press plate 151.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying paper feeding mechanism for a copying machine, and more particularly to a copying paper feeding mechanism suitable for a copying machine capable of double-sided copying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First of all, a copying machine capable of double-sided copying is the first.
Document is copied on the first side (front side) of the copy paper fed from the paper feed tray, then is temporarily stored in the intermediate tray, and then the second document is copied on the copy paper fed from the intermediate tray. Is configured to perform double-sided copying by copying on the second surface (rear surface).

When performing double-sided copying as described above, the copy sheets copied on one side are once stored in the intermediate tray and then re-fed. At this time, the sheets are stored and accumulated in the intermediate tray. A paper feeding method called "draft paper feeding" in which paper is fed from the bottom of the copy paper is common.

In the paper feeding method using the bottom paper feeding, the paper feeding roll is used.
The paper is fed by the frictional force between the la and the bottom of the accumulated copy paper. Therefore, when the number of copy papers on the paper feed roller is small, sufficient frictional force for paper feed cannot be obtained.
A pressing member such as a spring is pressed against the copy paper to feed the paper.
A necessary frictional force is generated by applying a pressure between the copy paper and the copy paper. On the other hand, when the copy paper is stored in the intermediate tray, the pressing member provided on the copy paper is retracted to remove the copy paper. It is necessary to secure a transportation route. Therefore, the pressing member provided on the copy paper is configured to move between the retracted position and the pressure contact position.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional paper feeding mechanism, the holding member is configured to move between the retracted position and the pressure contact position. However, if the moving distance of the holding member is large, the holding member moves. The delay of the response time cannot be ignored, and there is the inconvenience that noise is generated because the copying paper is hit when the pressing member descends to the pressing position. Further, if the pressing member remains in the pressure contact position during the paper feeding process, the accumulated copy paper is displaced in the paper feeding direction due to the frictional force between the fed copy paper and the accumulated copy paper. In some cases, a loop may be generated at the tip, and it is necessary to eliminate this loop in order to smoothly feed the paper. The present invention is intended to solve the above problems.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve the above problems and provides a copy paper feeding mechanism of a copying machine provided with a copy paper storing section for storing and feeding copy paper. A copy paper storage unit for storing paper, a paper feeding unit arranged close to a lower end of the copy paper storage unit in the re-feeding direction, and a retracted position suitable for storing copy paper in the copy paper storage unit, A pressing means for moving between a press contact position for generating a paper feeding pressure suitable for feeding the copy paper and a control means for controlling the pressing means are provided, and the control means holds the pressing means when the copy paper is stored. Is set to the retracted position, and when the paper is fed, the pressing means is operated to hold the copy paper in the copy paper storage section below the copy paper storage section to generate a paper feed pressure between the paper feeding means and the copy paper. And press the pressing means at the middle of the retracted position and the pressure contact position when the feeding is completed. It is characterized in that the controls to move the.

[0007]

When the copy sheet is stored, the pressing means is set at the retracted position above the copy sheet storage section, so that it does not interfere with the entry of the copy sheet conveyed to the copy sheet storage section. Further, during paper feeding, the pressing means moves to the pressure contact position, presses the copy paper under the copy paper storage unit, and generates a paper feed pressure between the paper feeding means and the copy paper to feed the paper. When the operation is completed, the pressing means moves to a position intermediate between the retracted position and the pressure contact position. At the time of paper feeding, the pressing means only moves between the pressure contact position and the intermediate position, and since the movement distance is short, there is no delay in the response time to the paper feed command, and even when the pressing means moves to the pressure contact position, copying is performed. No noise is generated because the paper is not hit hard. Further, when the feeding is completed, the copying paper is moved to the intermediate position to release the press contact, so that the loop generated at the leading end of the accumulated copying paper in the feeding direction can be eliminated.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
First, the structure of a copying machine provided with an intermediate tray suitable for carrying out the present invention will be described.

[A. Outline of Configuration] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a copying machine provided with an intermediate tray. The copying machine has an exposure scanning section A arranged in an upper stage, an image forming section B arranged in a middle stage,
Paper feeding unit C including the intermediate tray unit T arranged in the lower stage
Composed of.

The exposure scanning unit A includes a document glass 16, a light source 10 disposed below the document glass 16, movable mirrors 11a and 11b,
The scanning optical system 1 including a projection lens 12c, a projection lens 12 and a fixed mirror 11d is provided, and an image of a document placed on the document glass 16 is formed on the photoconductor drum 2 of the image forming section B. .. Since the structure is a known structure used in a conventional copying machine, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The image forming section B is provided with a photosensitive drum 2 which rotates in the direction of arrow a, around which a charging charger 3, a developing device 4, a transfer charger 5, a separation charger 6 and a cleaner are provided. −
There is a training device 7 and an eraser lamp 8, and a conveyor belt 9 and a fixing roller 10 are arranged on the right side of the device. A transport roller 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 are arranged downstream of the fixing roller 10, and the transport roller 14 and the paper discharge roller 1 are provided.
A switching lever 41 for switching the copy sheet between the transport path toward the discharge tray 36 and the transport path toward the intermediate tray unit T is provided between the switch lever 41 and the switch 5. A transport roller 35 and a paper feed section C are provided in the transport path toward the intermediate tray unit T.
A transport roller 37 is arranged inside.

The image forming unit B is a scanning optical system 1 of the exposure scanning unit A.
As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 is developed by a toner, transferred onto the copy paper supplied from the paper feeding section C, and fixed. Since the structure is a known structure used in a conventional copying machine, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The sheet feeding section C comprises an intermediate tray unit T, a vertically moving type copy sheet storage section 42, and a cassette type copy sheet storage section 43, which will be described in detail later. The intermediate tray unit T has a rail 44. , 45, and also
Copy paper storage sections 42 and 43 are provided with rails 46 and 4, respectively.
7 and rails 48 and 49, both of which are constructed so that they can be pulled out from the main body of the copying machine to the front side (toward this side in FIG. 1), and maintenance can be easily carried out. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the intermediate tray unit T is pulled out from the main body of the copying machine.

In FIG. 1, transport rollers 24 to 2 are provided on the left side of the intermediate tray unit T and the copy sheet storage sections 42 and 43.
A transport path D including 6, 27, 28, 29 to 31, and 32 to 34 is formed, and the leading end of the transport path D is connected to the timing roller 13 of the image forming unit B.

The copy paper in the copy paper storage unit 42 is fed by a paper feed roller.
The sheets are fed by a la 18 and separated one by one by the separating rollers 20 and 21 and sent to the conveyance path D, and the copy sheet storage unit 4 is provided.
The copy sheets in the sheet 3 are fed by the sheet feeding roller 19, separated one by one by the separating rollers 22, 23, fed to the conveying path D, and fed to the image forming section B.

Although the details of the intermediate tray unit T will be described later, the copy paper which is copied on one side is conveyed to the intermediate tray unit T by the conveying rollers 35 and 37. The copy sheet transported to the intermediate tray unit T is further transported onto the intermediate tray 52 by the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51, and is aligned with the copy surface facing down by the aligning mechanism described later. Then, the re-feed roller 53 and the transport roller 54 are rotated clockwise to re-feed one sheet at a time. The re-fed copy paper is inverted again by the reverse conveyance roller 55 and the reverse guide plate 58, and sent to the conveyance path D by the conveyance roller 60,
The paper is re-fed to the image forming unit B.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the intermediate tray unit T. The intermediate tray unit T includes a storage section T1, an intermediate tray section T2, a re-feeding section T3, a reversing section T4, and a transport section T5.

The storage section T1 is a transport roller assembly 50,5.
1, guide plates 171, 172, presser plate 151, leaf spring 16
1, 162, etc. When the intermediate tray unit T is pulled out from the copying machine, the storage section T1 is shown in FIG.
As shown by the chain double-dashed line at the right end of the above, it is releasable to the upper right, facilitating the processing when a paper jam occurs. The configuration and operation of the storage section T1 will be described later in detail.

The intermediate tray portion T2 includes an intermediate tray 52, slide rails 72 and 77, slide members 73 and 78, an upper guide plate 207, side regulating plates 62 and 63, and a rear end regulating plate 6.
4 and the leading edge regulation plate 65 (see FIG. 9), which aligns the copy paper conveyed to the intermediate tray 52.
When the intermediate tray unit T is pulled out, the upper guide plate 207 is releasable to the upper left as shown by the chain double-dashed line. The configuration and operation of the intermediate tray section T2 will be described in detail later.

The re-feeding section T3 is provided with a sorting guide plate 88, a re-feeding roller 53, a sorting roller 54, a front sorting plate 40, and a sorting pad 67, and the copy sheet on the intermediate tray 52 is placed on the lower side. The paper is separated one by one and re-fed. The configuration and operation of the re-feed unit T3 will be described in detail later.

The reversing section T4 is composed of a reversing conveyance roller 55, conveyance rollers 56 and 57, a reversal guide plate 58, and the like, and reverses the copy sheet re-fed from the re-feeding section T3. It is sent to the transport section T5. The configuration and operation of the inverting unit T4 will be described in detail later.

The transport section T5 comprises an upper guide plate 59a, a lower guide plate 59b, and a transport roller 60, and sends the copy paper fed from the reversing section T4 to the transport path D. When the intermediate tray unit T is pulled out, the lower guide plate 5
9b is configured to be releasable downward as indicated by a chain double-dashed line, facilitating processing when a paper jam occurs.

[B. Configuration of storage section] a. Outline of Configuration of Storage Unit FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing details of the configuration of the storage unit T1. In the figure, the copy paper CP transported from the direction indicated by the arrow f has guide plates 171, 172, and a transport roller assembly 5.
0, 51 are transported to the storage section T1. Reference numeral 173 is a static elimination brush for removing charges from the copy paper CP passing through the guide plate 172, and PS1 is a finger PS1a and a detection element PS.
A paper sensor composed of 1b detects a copy sheet conveyed to the storage section T1. PS2 is finger-PS2a
A paper sensor composed of the detection element PS2b and the detection element PS2b detects the copy paper CP stored in the intermediate tray 52. 15
Reference numeral 1 is a holding plate, 151a is a photosensor operating light-shielding plate attached to the holding plate 151, and 151b is a photosensor for detecting the position of the holding plate 151. Photo sensor 151b
Is used to detect a jam of copy paper stored in the intermediate tray. This will be described in detail in the jam detecting mechanism.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, as is apparent from FIG. 6, the shaft 1 is provided above the holding plate 151.
The leaf springs 161 and 162 attached to 63 are arranged, and push down the holding plate 151 as described later.

Further, in FIG. 4, the re-feed roller 53,
The separating roller 54, the front separating plate 40, the rear end regulating plate 64, the front end regulating plate 65, the separating guide plate 88, the separating pad 67, etc., constitute a re-feeding unit, which will be described in detail later.

B. Conveyor Roller Assembly 50, 51 FIG. 5 is a front view showing the structure of the conveyor roller assemblies 50, 51. The conveyor roller assembly 50 comprises a conveyor roller 50a having a shaft 50c and a diameter d1. , And the transport rollers 50b having a diameter D1 (greater than the diameter d1) are assembled alternately.
The roller assembly 51 includes a carrier roller 51 having a shaft 51b and a diameter d2.
a is a carrier roller 5 having a diameter d1 of the carrier roller assembly 50.
It is assembled at a position facing 0a. The diameter d2 of the transport roller 51a on the shaft 51b may be any size. The transport roller 50b has a large number of grooves formed in the lateral direction on the surface of the roller, and the rear end of the copy paper CP is engaged with this groove and pushed out to transfer the copy paper CP to the intermediate tray 52. Assist the pushing operation.

When the copy roller CP is transferred by the transfer roller assemblies 50 and 51, the transfer roller 50b has a larger diameter than the transfer roller 50a. The CP is bent and conveyed in a wavy shape. As a result, the stiffness of the copy sheet with respect to the transport direction becomes stronger, and the copy sheet transported to the intermediate tray 52 does not bend during transport even if the copy sheet has a large size.

C. Swing Mechanism of Holding Plate 151 and Leaf Spring 120 FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the swing mechanism of the holding plate 151 and leaf spring 161. As shown in the figure, the holding plate 151 is a support shaft 1 attached to a frame (not shown) in the storage portion T1.
The return spring 155 is configured to be swingable about 54 as a fulcrum.
Is urged to rotate upward.

On the other hand, the leaf spring 161 is attached, together with the leaf spring 162, to a drive shaft 163 attached to a frame (not shown) in the storage portion T1. The leaf spring 162 is configured such that its tip portion abuts on the upper surface of the holding plate 151. When the leaf spring 161 and the leaf spring 162 rotate downward by the drive shaft 163, the holding plate 151 moves the leaf spring 161.
It is pushed downward by the leaf spring 162 and pivots downward around the support shaft 154. As will be described later in detail, the holding plate 151
Of the above, a notch 151 is formed in a portion where the leaf spring 161 abuts.
c is formed, and the leaf spring 161 directly presses the copy sheet at the time of re-feeding.

The end of the drive shaft 163 extended to the outside of the front frame of the storage portion T1 is connected to the lever-171 via a return spring 165 that biases the drive shaft 163 counterclockwise. The leaf springs 161 and 162 attached to the drive shaft 163 are urged in a direction away from the holding plate 151.

The arm unit 175 is the lever-171.
And an arm 177 configured to be swingable about a support shaft 176, a return spring 178 for biasing the arm 177 in a counterclockwise direction, and an extension below the arm 177. The adjustment plate 180 is
171 is in contact with the tip portion 177a of the arm 177. A cam plate 18 to be described later is provided at the tip of the adjusting plate 180.
A cam follower 181 that contacts 2 is provided.

A cam plate 182 is mounted on the shaft of the reversing conveyance roller 55 (see FIG. 3) via a clutch mechanism CL1. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the structure of the clutch mechanism CL1. In the figure, the drive shaft 1 of the reverse conveyance roller 55 is shown.
A sleeve 187 is fixed to 85, and a kick spring 188 is wound around the boss portion of the cam plate 182 and the boss portion of the sleeve 187, and a ratchet wheel 190 having a step portion 190a is attached to the outside thereof. Has been done. Kick spring 1
One end of 88 is engaged with the ratchet wheel 190, and the other end thereof is the cam plate 182.
To form the clutch mechanism CL1. With this configuration, when the kick spring 188 is in a free state, the boss portion of the cam plate 182 and the boss portion of the sleeve 187 are coupled by the tightening force of the kick spring 188, and the rotation of the shaft 185 passes through the sleeve 187. Cam plate 182 and ratchet 1
90 is transmitted. In addition, Lever-193 described below
When the rotation of the ratchet wheel 190 is blocked by this, the kick spring 188 is rewound, and the rotation of the reverse conveyance roller 55 is not transmitted to the cam plate 182.

The clutch mechanism CL1 is a solenoid 1
92, and an operating mechanism including a lever-193 having claws 193a and 193b. The operation will be clarified in the description of the upper and middle positions adopted by the leaf springs 161, 162 and the pressing plate 151 described later.

D. The upper position of the leaf spring and the holding plate,
Middle Position Next, the upper and middle positions of the leaf springs 161 and 162 and the holding plate 151 by the operation of the clutch mechanism CL1 and the arm 177 will be described.

FIG. 8 shows the clutch mechanism CL of the swinging mechanism of the holding plate 151 and the leaf springs 161 and 162 shown in FIG.
2 is a side view for explaining the operation of the first and the arm 177, and the leaf springs 161 and 162. FIG.

In the figure, when the solenoid 192 is in the non-excited state, the lever-193 is in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. The ratchet wheel 190 rotates in the direction of arrow d, and the lever-1
When the claw portion 193a of 93 engages with the stepped portion 190a of the ratchet wheel 190, the rotation of the ratchet wheel 190 is blocked, and the reverse conveying roller 5
The rotation of 5 is not transmitted to the cam plate 182. Then, the cam follower 181 at the tip of the adjusting plate 180 and the arm 177.
Are held at the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. Lever
The tip end of 171 is pushed back to the arm 177 by the return spring 165 and swings downward with the support shaft 163 as a fulcrum, and the leaf springs 161 and 162 occupy the upper position shown by the solid line in FIG. Further, the pressing plate 151 biased upward by the return spring 155 has the supporting shaft 154 as a fulcrum.
Rocks upward until the upper surface of 1 contacts the leaf spring 162,
It is held at the upper position shown by the solid line in FIG.

During copying of the copy paper CP from the storage portion T1 onto the intermediate tray 52 during double-sided copying, the period during which the copy paper CP is held by the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51 is:
The leaf springs 161, 162 and the holding plate 151 take the upper position shown by the solid line in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the leaf springs 161, 162 and the holding plate 151 are in the upper position in the storage block T1.

Next, when the solenoid 192 is excited,
The lever-193 moves to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8, and the claw portion 193a of the lever-193 and the step portion 190a of the ratchet wheel 190 are moved.
Is disengaged, and the boss portion of the cam plate 182 and the boss portion of the sleeve 187 are coupled by the tightening force of the kick spring 188, and the sleeve 187, the cam plate 182, and the ratchet wheel 190 are all indicated by arrows. Rotate in the d direction. And Leva-1
When the claw portion 193b of 93 comes into contact with the step portion 190a of the ratchet wheel 190, the sleeve 187 and the cam plate 182 are prevented from rotating.

That is, the ratchet wheel 190 and the cam plate 182 are shown in FIG.
At the position indicated by the solid line in the direction from the position indicated by the dashed line to the position indicated by the dashed line.

The rotation of the cam plate 182 causes the adjusting plate 180 to rotate.
8 swings to the left in FIG. 8, and the arm 177 also moves with it, and is held at the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Lever
171 is rotated clockwise about the support shaft 163 as a fulcrum by the upward movement of the arm 177 of the pushing-up portion 177a, and the leaf springs 161 and 162 occupy the middle position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Further, the pressing plate 151 biased upward by the return spring 155 has the upper surface of the pressing plate 151 pressed downward by the plate spring 162 with the support shaft 154 as a fulcrum, and the middle position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Occupy

When the solenoid 192 is continuously excited, the leaf springs 161, 162 and the holding plate 151 continue to take the middle position, but when the solenoid 192 is in the upper position, one pulse (40 ms in this embodiment) is supplied to the solenoid 192. Lever
The engagement between the claw portion 193a of 193 and the stepped portion 190a of the ratchet wheel 190 is released. However, the step portion 190a of the ratchet wheel 190
The solenoid 192 is turned off by the time when reaches the claw portion 193b of the lever-193, the leaf springs 161, 16
2, and the pressing plate 151 passes through the middle position and then takes the upper position again. That is, the leaf springs 161, 162 and the pressing plate 151 move in the order of the upper stage position, the middle stage position, and the upper stage position during one rotation of the ratchet wheel 190.

As described above, the leaf springs 161, 162 and the holding plate 151 are moved to the middle position to copy the paper CP.
In order to reliably drop the copy paper onto the intermediate tray 52 after the trailing edge of the copy paper leaves the nip portion of the transport roller assemblies 50, 51 in the process of being fed from the storage block T1 to the intermediate tray 52. When the copy sheets aligned on the intermediate tray 52 are re-fed, if the leading edge of the copy sheet is curled upward, the leading edge directly hits the front separating plate 40 and a jam occurs. This is to prevent

In this embodiment, the height of the middle position is such that a maximum of 50 copy sheets are stacked on the intermediate tray 52.
The distance between the separation guide plate 88 and the pressing plate 151 at the leading end of the intermediate tray 52 in the re-feeding direction is set to 7 mm, but when the number of copy sheets to be stored exceeds this, or when using thick copy sheets. If there is a shortage in the set interval, such as when copy paper is stored for more than the set interval due to the leaf springs 161, 1
Due to the bending of 62, the shortage can be absorbed.

[C. Configuration of Intermediate Tray Unit] a. The leading edge regulating plate, the trailing edge regulating plate, and the side regulating plate (FIGS. 3A and 3B) are perspective views showing essential parts of the configuration of the intermediate tray portion T2. In the figure, the arrow f indicates the direction in which the copy paper CP is fed to the intermediate tray 52, and the arrow k indicates the direction in which it is re-fed from the intermediate tray 52. The intermediate tray 52 is a copy paper CP
A front end regulating plate 65 for regulating the front side position of the re-feeding direction, a rear end regulating plate 64 for regulating the rear side position of the copy paper,
A side regulating plate 62 and a side regulating plate 63 that regulate the left and right positions of the copy paper are provided.

The tip regulation plate 65 is constructed so as to be swingable about a support shaft 94 as a fulcrum, and is usually a key not shown.
The solenoid is energized and set to the solid line position in FIG. As will be apparent from FIG. 4, in this position, the tip regulation plate 65 is positioned perpendicular to the separation guide plate 88, and the guide portion 40 of the front separation plate 40 is also located.
b, and the nip portions of the transport rollers 50 and 51 are arranged on substantially the same vertical plane. When re-feeding,
The excitation of a cape solenoid (not shown) is cut off, the tip regulation plate 65 is swung around the support shaft 94, and is retracted to the position of the alternate long and short dash line (see FIGS. 4 and 9) outside the paper passage path. Feeding is possible.

The rear end regulating plate 64 is installed on a slide member 78 which runs on the slide rail 77. The slide member 78 is configured to be movable in the directions indicated by arrows g1 and g2 by a pulley 90 driven by a stepping motor 87 and a belt 89, and the amount of movement thereof is a stepping motor.
This is performed by controlling the number of pulses supplied to the data 87. To control the position of the rear end regulating plate 64, the projection 78 a of the slide member 78 traveling on the slide rail 77 is moved to the photo sensor 11
It is performed by detecting at 8.

FIG. 10 shows the intermediate tray 52 and the side regulating plate 6.
2 and the side regulating plate 63, and FIG.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view seen from the direction of arrow g1 in FIG. It should be noted that in this embodiment, a description will be given on the premise of a copying machine that employs one-side reference sheet passing with one side of the copy sheet as a reference position in the copy sheet conveying direction.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the side regulating plate 62
The side regulating plate 63 will be described. The side regulating plate 62 is configured to be swingable around the support shaft 61 as a fulcrum, and is connected with a solenoid 92, and is also provided with a coil spring 91 arranged outside the regulating plate 62. Normally, the solenoid 92 is not biased, and the side regulating plate 62 is brought into contact with a position regulating plate (not shown) by the biasing force of the coil spring 91 and is set to the solid line position X1 in FIGS. Copy paper C
When P is stored in the intermediate tray 58, the solenoid 9
2 is urged, and the side regulating plate 62 is retracted to the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 9 and 10 against the urging of the coil spring 91. The side portion regulating plate 62 has an upper portion bent to the copy sheet side so that even if the side portion of the conveyed copy sheet curls upward due to fixing heat, the side portion is pressed down and correctly aligned. 62a is provided.

The side regulating plate 63 is installed on the slide member 73 which runs on the slide rail 72. The slide member 73 is configured to be movable in the directions indicated by arrows h1 and h2 by a rack and pinion mechanism driven by the stepping motor 86, and the amount of movement is performed by controlling the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor 86. .. When the copy paper CP is stored in the intermediate tray, as shown in FIG.
The side regulating plate 63 is set at a position X3 which is outside the reference position X2 by L4, and is set to the reference position X when aligning the copy sheets and re-feeding.
Moved to 2. Further, the side regulation plate 63 also curls upward due to the fixing heat on the side of the conveyed copy paper.
The upper portion is provided with an ear portion 63a that is folded toward the copy sheet so that the sheet can be pressed and correctly aligned.

Next, the structure of the portion where the slide member 73 and the side regulating plate 63 are attached to the intermediate tray 52 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the intermediate tray 52, and FIG.
Is an enlarged perspective view of the opening of the intermediate tray 52, and FIG.
1 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
It is sectional drawing which followed the line.

A slide member 73 is arranged on the lower surface of the intermediate tray 52 (see FIG. 9), and the side regulating plate 6 is provided.
The leg portion of No. 3 extends downward from the opening portion 52 c of the intermediate tray 52 and is attached to the slide member 73. The opening 52c of the intermediate tray 52 is a rear portion with respect to the direction f in which the copy paper CP enters, the rear end portion 52a is a vertical surface, and
The front end portion 52b extending in the direction f is formed as a slope.
The slide member 73 is provided with a guide portion 73b which is lower than the rear end portion 52a of the intermediate tray 52 and higher than the front end portion 52b, and the guide portion 73b is formed with an inclined surface 73c in the moving direction h1. .. With this configuration, when the copy paper CP enters the intermediate tray 52, there is no risk of scooping up the end of the copy paper CP and getting caught in the opening 52c.

Further, during removal work such as when the conveyed copy paper is jammed, it may be accidentally touched by the side regulation plate 63 and may be displaced from the normal position. When setting to X2, the operation of returning to the home position X0 shown in FIG. 14 and then setting to the position X2 is performed. At this time, the inclined surface 73c provided on the guide portion 73b of the slide member 73 scoops up the end portion of the copy paper, so that there is no possibility of being caught by the slide member 73. The detection of reaching the home position X0 of the side regulating plate 63 is performed by detecting the projection 73a provided on the slide member 73 by the photo sensor 119.

B. The upper guide plate The copy paper CP transported to the intermediate tray 52 is in the transport direction f due to the error of the transport roller in the transport path and the deformation (curl) due to the heat received through the fixing device. , It shifts to the left or right and tilts. For this reason, alignment in the width direction is deteriorated particularly in the intermediate tray 52. Therefore, the upper guide plate 207 is installed above the intermediate tray 52 to improve the alignment in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate tray 52 is provided with an upper guide plate 207 above the tray. Figure 10
As is apparent from the above, a plurality of ribs 207a extending downward are provided on the lower surface of the upper guide plate 207, and press the copy paper CP stacked on the intermediate tray 52 from above.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view showing the side surface of the upper guide plate 207, showing the dimensions of the plurality of downwardly extending ribs 207a provided on the upper guide plate 207. That is, the rib 207a includes an area A1 having the shortest distance w1 between the rib lower surface and the intermediate tray 52, an area A2 adjacent to the right side and an area A3 adjacent to the left side in FIG.
Composed of. The interval w1 is set with an allowance for the maximum number of copies to be stored in the intermediate tray 52. In this embodiment, it is set to 11 mm.

In the area A1 of the interval w1, a part of the rib 207a overlaps the area where the side regulating plates 62 and 63 are installed, and the copy paper CP is moved upward with respect to the widthwise alignment operation of the copy paper CP. Surely press down. Further, in the area A2, the rib 207a has the tip of the upper guide plate 207 at the storage portion T.
The first guide plate 130 is arranged at a position higher than the lower surface of the guide plate 130 so that the front end of the conveyed copy paper does not hit. Further, in the area A3, the rib 207a is spaced from the intermediate tray 52 by a distance w toward the inner side in the conveyance direction of the copy paper.
Is gradually widened.

With the above configuration, the copy paper CP
Even if the tip of the upper is curled upward, the upper guide plate 2
The resistance against 07 is reduced, and the copy paper does not fold and jam in the middle.

[D. Configuration of Refeeding Section] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a main part of the configuration of the refeeding section T3, and FIG. 17 is a CL in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the clutch mechanism portion shown as 2. In the figure, the re-feeding roller 53 and the separating roller 54 are attached to drive shafts 226 and 229 supported by bearings (not shown), respectively, and known ones are provided in the respective rollers. Due to the direction clutch, it is rotationally driven only in the direction indicated by the arrow.

210 is the main drive shaft, 211 is the main drive shaft 21.
The gear 219 fixed to 0 is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 220, and the gear 196 meshes with the gear 211. The sleeve 196 is fixed to the drive shaft 220. The boss of the gear 219 and the sleeve 196. A kick spring 215 is wound around the outer circumference of the and, and a ratchet wheel 195 having a step portion 195a is attached to the outside thereof. Kick spring 215
One end of the clutch is engaged with the ratchet wheel 195, and the other end thereof is engaged with the sleeve 196 to form the clutch mechanism CL2.

The operation of the clutch mechanism CL2 will be described below.
First, in a state where the solenoid 212 is not energized, the plunger 213 and the lever-214 connected to the plunger 213 are
At the position shown in FIG. 16, the claw 2 at the tip of the lever-214
14a is the claw portion 195 of the ratchet wheel 195 of the clutch mechanism CL2.
The kick spring 215 is unwound, and the main drive shaft 210 and the drive shaft 220 are disconnected from each other. When the solenoid 212 is excited, the plunger 213 and the lever-214 connected thereto move, and the claw 214a at the tip of the lever-214 and the claw portion 195a of the ratchet 195 are disengaged, and the kick spring is released. 215
Is in a free state, the gear 212 and the sleeve 196 are coupled by the tightening force of the kick spring 215, and the main drive shaft 210 rotates through the gears 211 and 219.
20 is transmitted.

The rotation of the drive shaft 220 is transmitted to the cam plate 169, the pulley 221, the belt 222, the pulley 223, the gear 224 coaxial with the pulley 223, and the gears 225, 228 meshing with the gear 224. It is transmitted to the re-feed roller 53 and the separation roller 54 via the drive shafts 226 and 229. Further, as apparent from FIG. 6, the rotation of the cam plate 169 provided on the drive shaft 220 pushes up the lever-177 via the cam follower 167 that contacts the cam plate 169. The operation will be described later.

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining the structure of the separating section of the re-feeding section T3, which includes a holding plate 151 and leaf springs 161 and 16.
2 shows a state in which the copy paper CP is held down.

The separating section includes the front separating plate 40 and the separating roller 5.
4 and a separating pad 67 which is pressed against the separating roller 54. The lower part of the front separating plate 40 has a copy paper CP.
The guide plate 88 supporting the lower surface of the sheet is set at an angle α from the vertical position toward the sheet re-feeding direction. The separating pad 67 is pressed against the separating roller 54 by a coil spring 68. A synthetic resin film 40a such as a polyester film is attached to the back surface of the front separating plate 40,
A gap is formed between the separating roller 54 and two or three copy sheets can pass therethrough. In this embodiment, the gap is 0.
5 mm, and the pressing force of the separating pad 67 is 770 gf
Is set to.

In the re-feeding unit T3, when re-feeding the copy paper, the re-feeding paper is re-feeded while being pressed by the holding plate 151 and the leaf springs 161 and 162 described in the configuration of the storage unit T1. The configuration and operation will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8, 18, and 19.

In the refeed standby state, the solenoid 192 is excited, so the arm 177, the leaf spring 161, the leaf spring 162, and the holding plate 151 are in the middle position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. When the arm 177 is in the middle position described above, the cam follower 167 attached to the arm 177 by the member 179 is the engagement portion 169a of the cam plate 169.
The cam plate 169 can freely rotate when the solenoid 212 is excited. The cam plate 169 is provided with the engaging portion 169a for preventing the solenoid 212 from being excited and re-fed while the solenoid 192 is not excited or the clutch CL1 is not operated. Is.

When the refeed is instructed, the solenoid 212
Is supplied with a 1-pulse signal and is excited for a predetermined short time,
Claw 214a at the end of lever-214 and claw portion 19 of claw wheel 195
5a is disengaged and the clutch CL2 is actuated, the main drive shaft 210 and the drive shaft 220 are coupled to drive the cam plate 169. Since the solenoid 212 is turned off after a predetermined time, the claw 214a at the tip of the lever-214 and the claw portion 195a of the claw wheel 195 are re-engaged, and the clutch mechanism CL2 is actuated so that the drive shaft 210 and the drive shaft 220 are separated from each other. After being separated, the cam plate 169, the re-feed roller 53, and the separating roller 54 rotate once and then stop (see FIG. 19).

The rotation of the cam plate 169 causes the cam follower 1 to move.
67 is pushed up, and the arm 177 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 176 by a certain angle to push up the lever-171.
By rotating the lever-171 at a constant angle around the shaft 163,
The leaf spring 161 presses the copy paper CP on the re-feed roller 53 from above, and applies a pressure contact force p due to the bending of the leaf spring 161.
At this time, the re-feed roller 53 is rotating and the copy paper C
The copy paper CP is conveyed toward the cutting roller 54 by the frictional force generated by the pressure contact force p between the sheet P and the re-feed roller 53.

Further, the leaf spring 162 presses the pressing plate 151 from above and presses it even if the leading edge of the copy paper curls and floats up, so that the copy paper CP passes through the front separating plate 40. , It is possible to enter the sorting pad 67 (Fig. 1
8).

The pressure contact force p changes according to the number of copy sheets accumulated on the intermediate tray 52. That is, the flexure of the leaf spring 161 changes depending on the number of copy sheets. When the number of copy sheets is small, the flexure is small and the pressure contact force p is small, and when the number is large, the flexure is large and the press contact force p is large. In this embodiment, the pressure contact force k is set to 100 gf when the number of copy sheets is 1, and the pressure contact force k is set to 700 gf when the number of copy sheets is 50. The same applies to the pressing force with which the plate spring 124 presses the pressing plate 151.

Cam follower 16 by rotation of cam plate 169
The upward movement of 7 causes the arm 177 to rotate clockwise about the support shaft 176 by a certain angle, so that the contact between the cam plate 182 and the cam follower 181 is temporarily separated (see FIG. 19). When the cam plate 169 rotates and the cam follower 167 comes to the inclined portion 169b of the cam plate 169, the arm 177 is formed.
Rotates counterclockwise until the cam plate 182 and the cam follower 181 contact again, and returns to the middle position. As a result, the lever-177 also rotates counterclockwise, and the pressing of the copy paper CP by the plate spring 161 and the pressing of the pressing plate 151 by the plate spring 162 are released.

As described above, the reason why the pressure contact force p of the leaf spring 161 is released in the latter half of the re-feeding operation is as follows. That is, when the number of copy papers CP on the intermediate tray 52 decreases, the frictional force between the copy papers “feeds” the copy papers above it as the lower copy papers are conveyed. The copy paper is a front separating plate 40 or a separating pad 67.
Since the progress is blocked by, the loop LP is formed between the front separating plate 40 and the separating pad 67 as shown in FIG. Since such a loop LP causes a jam at the next re-feeding, the press contact of the copy paper CP by the plate spring 161 and the pressing of the holding plate 151 by the plate spring 162 are released, and the loop LP is released. This is to eliminate the problem.

When the leaf spring 162 and the pressing plate 151 are in the middle position, the loop can be similarly eliminated even when they are in slight contact with the copy paper CP.

[E. Copying Operation] Next, the copying operation will be described focusing on the aligning operation of the copy paper CP on the intermediate tray 52.

(A) First, a copy paper of a desired size is selected from the copy papers stored in the copy paper storages 42 and 43,
Set the copy mode to double-sided copy mode. Switching lever
41 (see FIG. 1) is switched to the solid line position.

(B) side regulating plate 63, rear end regulating plate 64,
The tip regulation plate 65 moves to the standby position shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 and enters the standby state. Rear end regulating plate 64 and front end regulating plate 65
Is approximately the size L of the selected copy paper in the length direction.
It is set to 1 (see Figure 4). This is the intermediate tray 52
This is because, when the copy paper CP is stored in, the end faces of the copy paper in the transport direction k at the time of storing and re-feeding the copy paper CP are matched to prevent the loosening trouble at the time of re-feeding.

As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10, the side regulating plate 63 has a position X slightly outside the reference transfer position X2 of the copy paper, which is equal to the widthwise size L2 of the selected copy paper.
Set to 3. This is because when the transport path of the copy paper is long, the copy paper may be slightly skewed and transported due to a slight difference in outer diameter of the left and right transport rollers.
This is for storing such copy paper. The side regulating plate 62 located at a position facing the side regulating plate 63 is set to the position shown by the solid line in FIGS. 9 and 10 by the excitation of the solenoid 92 and stands by. On the other hand, the pressing plate 151 is set at the upper position shown in FIG. 4 so as not to interfere with the conveyance of the copy paper by the conveyance roller assemblies 50 and 51.

(C) The number of copies is input from the operation panel (not shown), and the print key is turned on. The copy sheet fed from the copy sheet storage section 42 or 43 has the original image copied on one side thereof, and is then conveyed to the storage block T1 from the direction of the arrow f with the copy surface down and stored in the intermediate tray 52. (See FIG. 4). At this time, the paper sensor PS1 arranged near the entrance of the storage block T1 is turned on by the passage of the copy paper.

The solenoid 92 (see FIG. 9) is turned on immediately before the leading edge of the copy sheet reaches the intermediate tray 52 by the delay timer which operates based on the ON signal of the paper sensor PS1.
Thus, the side regulating plate 62 swings outward from the reference position X1 in FIG. 10 and takes the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line. This is to cope with the copy sheet that is conveyed in a skewed manner as described above.

(D) When the trailing edge of the copy paper CP passes through the nip portion of the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51, a signal of one pulse is immediately input to the solenoid 192, which corresponds to one rotation of the cam plate 182. The pressing plate 151 returns from the upper position to the upper position through the middle position (see FIG. 6).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
b is provided with a large number of grooves along its outer periphery, and the distance between the nip portions of the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51 and the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is the size L1 of the copy paper CP in the transport direction.
Since the rear end of the copy paper CP in the transport direction passes through the nip portion of the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51, the front end of the copy paper CP in the transport direction hits the trailing edge regulation plate 64 and stops. To do. Then, the trailing edge of the copy paper CP is conveyed by the transport roll.
It is caught in a groove on the outer periphery of the la 50b, pushed out toward the intermediate tray 52 and fed downward, and the leading end of the copy paper CP surely contacts the trailing end regulating plate 64. FIG. 4 shows this state.

At the same time, the copy paper CP is pushed down by the pressing plate 151, and the copy paper CP is transferred to the intermediate tray 52.
Aligned and stacked on top. When the trailing edge of the copy paper CP is caught in the groove on the outer periphery of the transport roller 50b and pushed out toward the intermediate tray 52, the copy paper CP may buckle, but it is pushed down by the pressing plate 151. The front and rear ends of the copy paper CP are regulated and aligned by the front end regulation plate 65 and the rear end regulation plate 64.

(E) The side regulating plate 63 is a stepping motor.
The operation of the switch 86 causes the transport reference position X shown by the solid line in FIG.
2 and the solenoid 92 of the side regulating plate 62 is turned off.
Then, it moves to the reference transport position X1 shown by the solid line in FIG. Since the distance between the side regulating plate 62 and the side regulating plate 63 is set to the width direction size L2 of the copy sheet CP, the copy sheet on the intermediate tray 52 is also moved in the width direction by the movement of the regulating plate. Be aligned.

(F) The alignment operation of the copy sheets on the intermediate tray 52 by the side regulating plates 62, 63, the front end regulating plate 65, and the rear end regulating plate 64 described above is performed every time one copy sheet CP is conveyed. It is executed and repeated until the set number of copy sheets have been conveyed.

(G) Next, the solenoid 192 is continuously turned on to set the pressing plate 151 to the middle position, and a not-shown cape solenoid is turned on in order to secure a conveyance path for refeeding copy paper. As a result, the tip regulation plate 65 is rotated downward around the support shaft 94 to separate the tip regulation plate 65 from the guide plate 8.
Retreat to the bottom of 8. FIG. 18 shows this state.

As shown in FIG. 20, the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is moved in the direction of the front separating plate 40 by a distance L3 (direction of arrow g1 in FIG. 9) to move the copy paper CP on the intermediate tray 52 to the front separating plate. Abut 40. The distance L3 corresponds to the distance between the tip regulating plate 65 and the tip of the front separating plate 40 as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, the front separating plate 40 has an angle α from the vertical position with respect to the separating guide plate 88.
Since the sheets stacked on the intermediate tray 52 are slanted, the sheets stacked on the intermediate tray 52 are displaced to the left in FIG. 20 and come into contact with the front separating plate 40. As a result, when the copy paper is re-fed, the copy paper at the bottom is fed to the separation unit, and is not "fed".

The rear end regulating plate 64 is moved by a distance L3 in the direction of the front separating plate 40 (direction of arrow g1 in FIG. 9), and then the arrow g
It moves in the direction g2 opposite to 1 (see FIG. 9), the projection 78a of the slide member 78 temporarily returns to the home position where the photo sensor 118 is turned on, and then moves again in the direction g1 to move the size of the copy paper CP. It is set at the position corresponding to L1 (see FIG. 20).

In this way, the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is temporarily returned to the home position when the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is moved by the distance L3 in the direction of the arrow g1 and the weight of the copy paper loaded is too heavy. Alternatively, the stapling motor 87 that drives the trailing edge regulating plate 64 may be out of order due to the stiffness of the copy paper and the loop not being generated, and the trailing edge regulating plate 64 may be moved to a predetermined position. This is to prevent that it cannot be set.

When the above operation is completed, double-sided copying becomes possible, a double-sided copying possible display is displayed on the operation unit panel, and the copy paper CP image-formed by the image forming section B is conveyed to the discharge tray 36. To form the path, the switching lever 41 is switched to the position shown in phantom in FIG.

(H) The print switch is turned on. The solenoid 212 (see FIG. 16) is turned on, the drive shaft 220 is driven via the clutch mechanism CL2, and the pulley 2
21, belt 222, pulley 223, gears 224, 22
5, 228, re-feed roller 53, separation roller 54
Is driven to rotate. Since the coefficient of friction between the re-feed roller 53 and the copy paper CP is higher than the coefficient of friction between the copy papers, only the lowermost one copy paper is re-fed, and the separation roller 5
4. One by one is handled by the handling pad 67. Copy paper CP
Is conveyed to the timing roller 13 through the reversing block T4, the conveying block T5, and the conveying path D. Then, the next original image is copied on the back surface (the surface on which the image is not formed) of the copy paper CP, is fixed by the fixing roller 9, and then is conveyed in the paper discharge direction by the switching lever 41 to be discharged. The paper is discharged to the paper tray 36.

[F. Jam Detection Mechanism] A jam detection mechanism for detecting the occurrence of a jam of the copy sheet conveyed to the intermediate tray will be described. As is apparent with reference to FIG. 3, the pressing plate 151 is provided with a photosensor operating light-shielding plate 151a, and the light-shielding plate 151a is provided with a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion of the photosensor 151b arranged on the side wall of the storage block T1. The copy paper CP is inserted in and out of the intermediate tray 52.
From the lower limit position of the holding plate 151 not stored above to the upper limit position of the holding plate 151 that has been stored up to a predetermined maximum number of sheets and further pushed up by the curled copy paper CP, The photo sensor 151b is configured to be turned on in the normal movement range.

21 and 22, the state of the copy paper accumulated on the intermediate tray and the photo sensor 151 for the light shielding plate 151a.
It is a figure explaining the situation which operates b. When the copy paper CP is normally conveyed to the intermediate tray 52, the light shielding plate 151a moves between the upper position shown by the one-dot chain line and the middle position shown by the solid line in FIG. ..

Even if the leading edge of the copy sheet conveyed on the intermediate tray 52 is blocked for some reason, the rear portion of the copy sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller assemblies 50 and 51 and is forced into it. The copy paper is irregularly folded on the intermediate tray 52, and a jam occurs. Under this condition, even if the solenoid 192 is turned on for the alignment operation of the copy sheets and the holding plate 151 starts to move down, the holding plate 151 cannot move down to the middle position because of the copy paper jammed on the intermediate tray 52. The light shielding plate 151a does not enter between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the photo sensor 151b, and the photo sensor 151a
b is not turned on. FIG. 22 shows this state.

That is, the pressing plate 1 is used for the copy paper aligning operation.
At the time when 51 moves from the upper position to the middle position, the photo sensor 151b must be turned on.
If the photo sensor 151b is not ON at this timing, it is determined that the copy paper CP is jammed on the intermediate tray 52.

FIG. 23 is a time chart for explaining the jam detecting operation. The sensor PS1 is located at the rear end of the copy paper CP.
After passing through and turning it off, the solenoid 192 is turned on after a lapse of a predetermined time t2 by the delay timer.
At time t2, after the trailing edge of the copy paper CP passes the sensor PS1,
The time required for the tip to reach the transport roller assemblies 50 and 51. When the solenoid 192 is turned on, the holding plate 151 starts descending from the upper position to the middle position after a certain time delay td until the plunger 192a starts moving. Presser plate 15 with 2/3 rotation of cam plate 182
1 reaches the middle position, and further returns to the upper position by 1/3 rotation. The reason why the descent time of the pressing plate 151 is set longer than the ascending time is to reduce noise generated by striking the copy paper CP when the pressing plate 151 descends.

The lowering of the holding plate 151 causes the light shielding plate 151a to move.
Is below the upper limit position, the photo sensor 151b turns on.
Becomes In the normal carrying state, the pressing plate 151 reaches the middle position after the solenoid 192 is turned on.
Since it is three hours later, at time t3, the photo sensor 151b
If is ON, it is judged that there is no jam, and ON
If not, it is determined that the jam has occurred on the intermediate tray 52, and the jam flag is set to 1. When the jam flag is 1, the control device of the copying machine, which will be described later, stops the copy operation after a predetermined process is completed.

FIG. 24 is a time chart for explaining the abnormality detecting operation. Solenoid 1 during normal transport
When 92 is turned on, the presser plate 151 must be in the upper position, and the output of the photo sensor 151b must be off. Therefore, when the output of the photo sensor 151b is not OFF when the solenoid 192 is turned ON, it is determined that some abnormality has occurred, and the trouble flag is set to 1. When the trouble flag is 1, the control device of the copying machine, which will be described later, stops the copy operation after a predetermined process is completed.

[G. Control Operation] First, the outline of the control circuit will be described with reference to the circuit block diagram shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 400 is a CPU that executes overall control, and paper sensors PS1, PS2 and photo sensors 118, 119, 151b are connected to the input port thereof. In addition, solenoids 92, 192, 212, and
Clutch CL1, CL2, stepping motor 86, 8
7 is connected. Further, an optical system drive mechanism OSD for driving the scanning optical system 1, a charging charger 3, a transfer charger.
Jar 5, separation charger 6, eraser lamp 8, developing device driving mechanism DPD for driving the developing device 4, fixing roller heater
A fixing heater control mechanism FXD for controlling the copying machine, a solenoid TRS for switching the copy sheet conveying path, various indicator lights DSS for displaying information set in the copying machine and the like, a main motor M
M, a paper feed clutch PCS for feeding copy paper from the copy paper storage units 42 and 43, etc. are connected.

Next, the control operation executed by the CPU 400 will be described.

FIG. 26 is a main routine flow chart. When the control program is started by turning on the power switch, first, the memory is cleared, the registers are initialized, and various devices are initialized to the initial mode (step S1). The internal timer is set and clocking is started (step S2). Next, the switches S3 to S10 for executing switch input / output processing, display processing, copy processing, copy paper storage processing, copy paper alignment processing, refeed processing, abnormality detection, and trouble processing are executed, and an internal timer is executed. Waiting for the end of the time measurement of step S2 and returning to step S2.

Here, switch input / output processing, display processing,
Regarding each sub-routine for copy processing and trouble processing,
The description is omitted because it is not directly related to the subject matter of the present invention, and each sub-routine for storing the copy paper, aligning, re-feeding, and detecting an abnormality will be described below.

27 to 28 are routines for storing copy paper.
Chin's flow chart. First, copy state C
Check ST (steps S21, S22, S23, S2
4). The copy state CST has five values of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

If the copy state CST is 0, the copy
The sensor PS1 is judged, and if it is ON, the copy state CST is set to 1 to return to the main routine, and if it is not ON, the main routine is immediately returned (step S2).
5, S26).

If the copy state CST is 1, the copy
If the pa sensor PS1 is judged and if it is OFF, the timer T2, which measures the time required from the time when the trailing edge of the copy paper passes the paper sensor PS1 to the time when the trailing edge of the copy paper passes the conveyance roller assemblies 50 and 51, is started. Then, the copy state CST is set to 2 and the main routine is returned to (steps S29, S
30, S31). If the paper sensor PS1 is not OFF, the process immediately returns to the main routine.

If the copy state CST is 2, it is determined that the timer T2 has finished measuring time (step S33), and if it is the time measuring end, the photo sensor 151b is determined (step S34). When the photo sensor 151b is ON, the solenoid T192 is turned ON, and the timer T4 for measuring the time required to turn ON the solenoid 192 for one pulse,
Also, the timer T3, which measures the time required for the presser plate 151 to descend from the upper position to the middle position, is started, the copy state CST is set to 3, and the process returns to the main routine (steps S36, S37). , S38, S39). If the photo sensor 151b is not ON in the determination in step S34, it indicates that a copy paper conveyance abnormality or other abnormality has occurred. Therefore, the trouble flag TD1 is set to 1 (step S35), and the process returns to the main routine.

If the copy state CST is 3, it is determined that the timer T4 has timed (step S41). When the time is finished, the solenoid 192 is turned off and the copy state CST is set to 4. And returns to the main routine (steps S42 and S43).

When the copy state CST is not 0 to 3, it is 4 and the process proceeds to step S45 and the subsequent steps. It is determined whether or not the timer T3 has timed (step S4
5) When the time measurement ends, the photo sensor 151b is determined (step S46). If the photo sensor 151b is ON, the copy state CST is set to 0 and the main routine is returned (step S47). If it is not ON,
The jam flag JD1 is set to 1 because it indicates that the pressing plate 151 could not be lowered to the middle position by the jammed copy paper.
Set (step S48) and return to the main routine.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of the copy paper alignment processing routine. First, the copy state SST is checked (steps S51, S52, S53, S54). The copy state SST has five values of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

If the copy state SST is 0, the copy
The sensor 92 is judged and if it is ON, the solenoid 92
Is turned on, copy state SST is set to 1, and the main routine is returned to (steps S56, S57, S5
8).

If the copy state SST is 1, the copy
If the pasensor PS1 is determined and is OFF, the timer T5, which measures the time required from the time when the trailing edge of the copy paper passes the paper sensor PS1 to the time when the trailing edge of the copy paper is pressed by the pressing plate 151 to the intermediate tray, is started, Copy state SS
Set T to 2 and return to main routine (steps S61, S62, S63).

If the copy state SST is 2, it is determined whether the timer T5 has finished counting (step S65). When the timing has finished, a command is issued to move the side regulating plate 63 to the position X2. The timer T6, which measures the time required for the regulating plate 63 to move to the position X2, is started, and the copy stop
Set SST to 3 and return to main routine (steps S66, S67, S68).

If the copy state SST is 3, it is judged that the timer T6 has finished counting time (step S71). When the timing has finished, the solenoid 92 is turned off and the side regulating plate 6
2 and 63, the timer T7, which measures the time required to settle the vibration when the copy paper is tapped off, is started, the copy state SST is set to 4, and the process returns to the main routine. S72, S73, S74).

When the copy state SST is not 0 to 3, the value is 4, and the process proceeds to step S76 and the subsequent steps. It is determined whether the timer T7 has finished counting (step S7).
6) At the end of the time measurement, the movement of the side regulating plate 63 to the retracted position is instructed, the copy state SST is set to 0, and the process returns to the main routine (steps S77, S7).
8).

30 to 32 are flow charts of the re-feeding processing routine of copy paper. First, it is determined whether or not the double-sided copy flag, which is set in the copy processing routine (step S5 in FIG. 26) and instructing to feed the copy paper from the intermediate tray, is 1 (step S101). If it is not 1, return to main routine immediately.

The copy state FST is checked (steps S101, S102, S103, S104, S10).
5). Copy state FST is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4,
There are 6 values of 5.

If the copy state FST is 0, the solenoid 192 is turned on, the curl pressing plate 151 is set to the middle stage, and the stored copy paper is regulated from above (step S111). The leading edge regulating plate 65 is swung downward to open the sheet passing path for re-feeding, and the side regulating plate 63 is moved to the position X2 (steps S112 and S113). In this state, since the solenoid 92 is OFF, the side regulating plate 62 is at the position X1 and the copy paper CP is regulated on both side surfaces by the two side regulating plates and is conveyed obliquely during re-feeding. It is prevented (see FIG. 10). The trailing edge regulating plate 64 is moved in the g1 direction (see FIG. 9), the copy paper CP on the intermediate tray is pressed against the front separating plate 40, and the reset flag RES1 for reconfirming the position of the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is set to 1. Then, the copy state FST is set to 1 (steps S114, S115, S116), and the process proceeds to step S171.

If the copy state FST is 1, the solenoid 212 is turned on for one pulse (step S1).
21), the re-fed copy paper CP is the reverse conveyance roller 55.
The timer T8 that counts the longest limit time required for the normal conveyance up to and the claw wheel 195 of the clutch mechanism CL2 set to 1
The timer T9 for measuring the time required for rotation is started, the copy state FST is set to 2 (steps S122, S123, S124), and step S171.
Move on to.

If the copy state FST is 2, it is determined whether the timer T8 has timed (step S131), and when the timer has ended, the state of the paper sensor PS1 is determined (step S132). If the paper sensor PS1 is ON, the copy state FST is set to 5 (step S13).
3), and then proceeds to step S171. If it is not ON, it indicates that the re-feeding is not normally performed. Therefore, the copy-state FST is set to 3 to execute the re-feeding operation again (step S134), and the process proceeds to step S171. ..
Immediately when the timer T8 has not finished counting, step S1
Move to 71.

If the copy state FST is 3, it is determined that the timer T9 has timed (step S141). When the timer has ended, the solenoid 212 is turned on for one pulse (step S142), and the timer T8 starts. Start timing,
Set copy state FST to 4 (step S1
43, S144) and the process proceeds to step S171. Timer T
If the time counting of 9 is not completed, the process immediately proceeds to step S171.

If the copy state FST is 4, it is determined that the timer T8 has timed (step S151), and if the timer has ended, the paper sensor PS1 is determined (step S151).
152), if it is ON, the copy state FST is set to 5 (step S153), and the process proceeds to step S171. If the paper sensor PS1 is not ON, the jam flag DJ2 is set to 1 (step S154), and the process proceeds to step S171. If the timer T8 has not finished counting, the process immediately proceeds to step S171.

If the copy state FST is not 0 to 4, it means 5, so that the process proceeds to step S161. The paper sensor PS2 is judged (step S16
1) If it is ON, it means that there is copy paper on the intermediate tray. Therefore, the copy paper that was previously fed to prepare for re-feeding has passed the rear end of the paper sensor PS1 (OFF). Is determined (step S162), if it is OFF, the copy state FST is set to 1 (step S163),
The process moves to step S171.

Paper sensor 7 in step S161
If it is not ON in the judgment of 5, it means that all the copy sheets on the intermediate tray have been fed, so the double-sided copy completion flag E
ND is set to 1 (step S164), the solenoid 192 is turned off to set the pressing plate 151 to the upper position, swing the tip regulating plate 65 upward to the regulating position, and retract the side regulating plate 63. Move to the position X3 and set the copy state FST to 0 (steps S165, S165).
(166, S167, S168), and the process proceeds to step S171.

Steps S171 to S179 show the movement processing of the trailing edge regulating plate 64. First, the reset flag RES1 is judged (step S171). If the flag is 1, the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is moved to the home position (step S172). Whether or not the movement of the trailing edge regulating plate 64 to the home position has been completed is determined by turning on the photo sensor 118 (step S173). If it is on, it means that the movement has been completed. Therefore, the reset flag RES1 is set to 0. To reset the trailing edge regulation plate 64 to the position L1 (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the size of the copy paper CP (see FIG. 7), and reset the reset flag RES2 to 1 (steps S174, S17).
5) and then proceeds to step S176. If the reset flag RES1 is not 1 in the determination in step S171, and if the photo sensor 118 is not ON in the determination in step S173, the process proceeds to step S176.

The reset flag RES2 is judged (step S176). If the flag is 1, the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is moved to the position L1 corresponding to the size of the copy paper CP (step S177). Whether the trailing edge regulating plate 64 has moved to the position L1 is judged by the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor (step S178), and if the movement is completed, the reset flag RES2 is reset to 0 (step S1).
179), return to the main routine. When the reset flag RES2 is not 1 in the determination in step S176, and when the movement of the trailing edge regulating plate 64 is not completed in the determination in step S178, the process returns to the main routine.

FIGS. 33 to 34 are flowcharts of the abnormality detection routine at the time of refeeding copy paper. This Sable
Chin determines whether or not the operations of the holding plate 151 and the leaf springs 161 and 162 are normal, and is executed each time the main motor is turned on when the power of the copying machine is turned on and when the copying machine is restarted after the jam processing. To be done.

First, it is determined whether or not the main motor is turned on by the ON edge of the main motor start signal (step S201). When it is not ON, the abnormality detection routine is not executed and the main routine is immediately returned to. If it is ON, the copy state TST is checked (step S20).
2, S203, S204, S205). The copy state TST has five values of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

If the copy state TST is 0, a main clutch (not shown) for transmitting power to the double-sided copy unit is turned on, and a timer for measuring the time required for the main motor to reach a constant speed after starting. Timing of T10 is started, the copy state TST is set to 1 (steps S211, S212, S213), and the process returns to the main routine.

If the copy state TST is 1, it is determined whether the timer T10 has finished counting (step S215). When the timer has finished, the solenoid 192 is turned on and the timer T10 is turned on.
4. Start timer T3 and timer T11, and copy
Set the state TST to 2 (step S216,
S217, S218, S219, S220), and returns to the main routine. At step S215, the timer T1 is determined.
If the timing of 0 has not ended, return to the main routine. The timer T11 is the ratchet wheel 1 of the clutch mechanism CL1.
It is a timer that measures the time required for the 92 to make one rotation.

If the copy state TST is 2, it is judged that the timer T4 has finished counting time (step S221). When the timing is finished, the solenoid 192 is turned off and the copy state TST is set to 3. (Steps S222, S
223), return to the main routine.

If the copy state TST is 3, it is determined whether the timer T3 has finished measuring time (step S231). If the time counting has been completed, the state of the photosensor 151b is determined (step S232). -State TST
Is set to 4, and if it is not ON, it indicates that the jammed paper remains and the pressing plate 151 has not descended, so the jammed paper residual flag JD3 is set to 1 (steps S233, S).
234), return to the main routine.

If the copy state TST is not 0 to 3, it means 4, so that the process proceeds to step S235. It is determined whether the timer T11 has finished measuring time (step S23
5) When the timing is finished, the state of the photo sensor 151b is judged (step S236), and if it is OFF, the copy state TST is set to 0 (step S237). O
If it is not FF, it indicates that the presser plate 151 has not returned to the upper position within the predetermined time. Therefore, it is determined that some abnormality has occurred, and the trouble flag TD2 is set to 1 (step S238). Return to main routine.

As is clear from the above description, the holding plate 1
Reference numeral 51 moves the upper stage position and the middle stage position at a predetermined timing each time the copy sheet is conveyed to the intermediate tray. Therefore, when the sensor detects a state different from the predetermined timing movement, the copy sheet is conveyed. It can be judged as abnormal,
It is also possible to detect conveyance abnormalities other than the occurrence of jams.

[0133]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when the copy paper is stored, the pressing means is set to the retracted position, so that the entrance of the copy paper conveyed to the copy paper storage portion is obstructed. Never. Further, at the time of paper feeding, the pressing means moves to the pressure contact position, presses the copy paper below the copy paper storage unit, generates a paper feeding pressure between the paper and the paper feeding means, and feeds the paper. Since it moves between the retracted position and the pressure contact position, there is no time delay in the response to the paper feed command because the movement distance is short. Further, even when the pressing means is moved to the pressure contact position, the copy paper is not strongly hit, so that noise is less generated. Further, since the pressing means moves to the intermediate position and separates from the copy paper when the paper feeding is completed, it is possible to eliminate the loop generated at the leading end of the accumulated copy paper in the paper feeding direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a copying machine suitable for carrying out the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where an intermediate tray unit is pulled out from the copying machine main body.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of an intermediate tray unit.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a storage section.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a transport roller assembly.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing configurations of a holding plate and a leaf spring swinging mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the clutch mechanism CL1.

FIG. 8 is a side view for explaining the operation of the holding plate and the leaf spring swinging mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an intermediate tray portion with one part cut away.

FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the operation of the side regulating plate of the intermediate tray section.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the intermediate tray.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the opening of the intermediate tray.

13 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate tray shown in FIG. 11 taken along the line AA.

14 is a sectional view of the intermediate tray shown in FIG. 12 taken along the line BB.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of an upper guide plate.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a re-feeding unit with one part cut away.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the clutch mechanism CL2.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing the configuration of the separation unit of the re-feed unit.

FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating the operation of the re-feed unit.

FIG. 20 is a side view illustrating a state of copy paper in a separation unit when re-feeding paper.

FIG. 21 is an operation explanatory diagram of a copy sheet jam detection mechanism.

FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory diagram of a copy sheet jam detection mechanism.

FIG. 23 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the copy paper jam detection mechanism.

FIG. 24 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the abnormality detection mechanism of the copying machine.

FIG. 25 is a circuit block diagram showing an outline of a control circuit.

FIG. 26: Main routine flow chart.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart (No. 1) of the copy paper storage processing routine.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of copy paper storage processing routine (Part 2).

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a copy paper alignment processing routine.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of the re-feeding processing routine (No. 1).

FIG. 31 is a flowchart (No. 2) of the refeed processing routine.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart (No. 3) of the refeed processing routine.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart (part 1) of the abnormality detection routine.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of the abnormality detection routine (part 2).

[Explanation of symbols]

 50, 51: Conveyor roller assembly 52: Intermediate tray 53: Refeed roller 54: Separation roller 55: Reverse roller 62: Side regulation plate 63: Side regulation plate 64: Rear end Regulation plate 65: Tip regulation plate 67: Separation pad 151: Pressing plate 151a: Photosensor operation light-shielding plate 151b: Photosensor CP: Copy paper T: Intermediate tray unit T1: Storage section T2: Intermediate tray section T3: Refeed section T4 : Reversing unit T5: Conveying unit PS1, PS2: Paper sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A copy paper feeding mechanism of a copying machine, which comprises a copy paper storage unit for storing and feeding copy paper, comprising: a copy paper storage unit for storing copy paper; and a copy paper storage unit for storing the copy paper. A paper feeding unit arranged near the lower end of the re-feeding direction, a retracted position suitable for storing copy paper in the copy paper storage unit,
A pressing unit that moves between a press contact position that generates a sheet feeding pressure suitable for feeding the copy sheet and a control unit that controls the pressing unit are provided, and the control unit holds the copy sheet when the copy sheet is stored. Is set to the retreat position, and when the paper is fed, the pressing means is operated to press the copy paper in the copy paper storage section below the copy paper storage section,
A copying machine characterized in that a paper feeding pressure is generated between the paper feeding means and the copy paper to feed the paper, and when the paper feeding is completed, the pressing means is moved to an intermediate position between the retracted position and the pressure contact position. Copy paper feeding mechanism.