JPH0624637A - Tray shifting mechanism of sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smoothly perform the engagement and the disengagement of an engaging member by rotating an eccentric member thereby engaging the engaging member on one end side with the recess, and disengaging the engaging member on the other end side from the recess when stopping the recesses of a rotating member in the specified positions on both ends sides. CONSTITUTION:When paper is sent from a copy machine 1 into a sorter 3, the paper is distributed into the tray 5 on the uppermost stage in the supporting slit 8 of a frame 7 When a prime moving wheel 15 and a following Geneva gear 18 rotate, the locking member 6 right above a rotating member 11 engages with the recess at one end of the rotating member 11. Moreover, the rotating member 11 and an eccentric member 14 rotates 180 deg. in a body, and shifts the engaging member 6 to the other end side. Furthermore, after the rotating member 11 stops, the eccentric member 14 rotates and engages the succeeding engaging member 6 with the recess at the other end of the rotating member 1, and also disengages the engaging member 6 on the other end side from the recess at one end of the rotating member 11. By such operation, the trays 5 on one side are shifted to the paper receiving positions on the other end side in order.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tray moving mechanism of a sorter for sequentially distributing sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine to a plurality of trays.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sorter sequentially distributes paper discharged from a copying machine or the like to each of a plurality of trays.

In order to reduce the size of this sorter, the vertical interval between the plurality of trays is made small, and a predetermined tray is moved when the paper is fed from the paper guiding means to the tray so as to enlarge the space above the paper receiving tray. There is something I did.

Conventionally, as a tray moving mechanism for expanding the space above the paper receiving tray, engaging members projecting from the tray are provided at both end portions on the front end side of the tray, and one of the engaging members is recessed. A rotating member having two is provided. Then, as the rotating member rotates, a predetermined engaging member is engaged with the concave portion on one end side, then moved to the other end side, and the engaging member is disengaged on the other end side.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional tray moving mechanism, the diameter of the rotating member is made considerably larger than the moving pitch of the engaging member, and the recess of the rotating member of the engaging member of the tray is engaged.・ Positioning is not good when separated.

Therefore, there is a problem that the engagement and disengagement of the engaging member with respect to the concave portion cannot be performed smoothly and the diameter of the rotating member is much larger than the moving pitch of the engaging member, resulting in an increase in size of the apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tray moving mechanism for moving a tray by engaging / moving / releasing an engaging member provided on a tray with a rotating member so that the engaging member can be smoothly engaged / disengaged with respect to the rotating member. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tray moving mechanism for a sorter in which the diameter of the rotating member is made substantially the same as the moving pitch of the engaging member to reduce the size of the apparatus.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an engaging member which is provided at both end portions on the front end side of the tray so as to project from the tray, and one of the engaging members is provided at one end side. To the other end side, the rotating member having at least two concave portions into which the engaging members enter, the first radius portion having a length at least greater than the radius of the rotating member, and the concave portion are provided. An eccentric member provided coaxially with the rotating member so that the first portion and the second portion are located in the recess at the same time. When the recess is stopped at predetermined positions on the one end side and the other end side, the eccentric member is rotationally driven to engage the engagement member on the one end side with the recessed portion, and the engagement member on the other end side is It is configured to be separated from the recess.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when the concave portion of the rotary member is stopped at the predetermined positions on the one end side and the other end side, the engaging member on the one end side is engaged with the concave portion and the other end side is driven by rotationally driving the eccentric member. The engaging member of is released from the recess.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Structure> In FIG. 1, 1 is a main body of the image forming apparatus, for example, a copying machine, 2 is a mounting table thereof, and 3 is a sorter connected to the copying machine 1.

Reference numeral 4 is an entrance roller for carrying the paper discharged from the copying machine 1 into the sorter 3. A plurality of trays 5 are arranged on the sorter 3 with a close spacing therebetween.

A tray 5 is provided at both end portions of the front end portion of each sorter 3.
The engaging member 6 is provided so as to project further, is engaged and supported by the support slits 8a and 8b formed vertically in the frame 7, and is movable between the support slits 8 formed in the vertical direction.

The engaging member 6 of the lowermost tray 5 is a rope 9
It is connected to the take-up roller 10 via and is biased upward. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a rotating member 11 for moving the engaging member 6 from one end side to the other end side along the support slit 8 is interposed. A concave portion 12 that engages the engaging member 6 at one end side and disengages the engaging member 6 at the other end side is provided at a 180 ° opposite position on the outer periphery of the rotating member 11.
a and 12b are provided.

An eccentric member 14 is provided on the same shaft 13 as the rotating member 11. The eccentric member 14 includes a first radius portion 14a having a length equal to or larger than the radius of the rotating member 11 and a second portion 14b having a length equal to or smaller than half the radius of the rotating member. The portion 14a and the second portion 14b simultaneously form the concave portion 12a of the rotating member 11,
It can be located at 12b.

The drive unit 15 for transmitting the drive force to the rotary member 11 and the eccentric member 14 has two convex arc-shaped engaging portions 15a and two driving pins 15b. And a driven wheel 16 which engages with the convex arcuate engagement portion 15a of the driving wheel 15 and is intermittently driven twice with respect to one rotation of the driving wheel 15, and a wrapping connecting the driven wheel 16 and the eccentric member 14. The member 17, the driven Geneva gear 18 that engages with the engagement pin 15b of the motor wheel 15 and is driven one time intermittently for one rotation of the motor wheel 15, the driven Geneva gear 18, and the rotating member 1
It is composed of a wrapping member 19 for connecting 1 and 1.

The rotations of the driven wheel 16 and the driven Geneva gear 18 are transmitted to the rotating member 11 and the eccentric member 14 at a speed doubled.

The drive control described so far is based on the CP
This is performed by control means (not shown) such as U.

<Operation> The apparatus configured as described above is
It works as follows.

The copied sheets are continuously sent from the copying machine 1 toward the sorter 3. Paper is distributed to the uppermost tray 5 of the support slit 8b. The space above the paper receiving tray 5 is enlarged by almost the diameter of the rotating member 11 (see FIG. 1).

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the driving wheel 15 and the driven Geneva gear 18 move. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, first, the engaging member 6 immediately above the rotating member 11 is rotated.
It engages with the recess 12 a of No. 1.

Next, the rotary member 11 and the eccentric member 14 are
The engaging member 6 is moved to the other end side by rotating integrally with 0 degree. Next, the rotating member 11 stops in that state,
The eccentric member 14 is driven to engage the next engaging member 6 on the one end side with the recess 12b of the rotating member 11 and disengage the engaging member 6 on the other end side from the recess 12a of the rotating member 11.

By this operation, the tray on the one end side is sequentially moved to the sheet receiving position on the other end side.

<Effects of the Embodiment> According to the above embodiment, the following effects are obtained. The engaging member 6 and the recesses 12a, 1 when the engaging member 6 is engaged / disengaged with the recesses 12a, 12b of the rotating member 11
The positional relationship of 2b is good, and engagement / disengagement can be smoothly performed. Further, since the diameter of the rotating member 11 is substantially the same as the moving pitch of the tray 5, the device can be downsized.

[0025]

The present invention described above has the following effects. It is possible to smoothly engage and disengage the engaging member with respect to the concave portion of the rotating member. Further, since the engaging member can be engaged and disengaged smoothly, the diameter of the rotating member can be made substantially equal to the moving pitch of the tray, and the device can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a part of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a working state diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an operation state diagram of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier 3 Sorter 5 Tray 6 Engagement member 11 Rotating member 12a Recessed portion 12a Recessed portion 12b Recessed portion 14 Eccentric member 14a First portion 14b Second portion 15 Driven wheel 15a Convex arc-shaped engaged portion 15b Engagement pin 16 Driven vehicle 17 Winding Member 18 Driven Geneva gear 19 Wrapping member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of trays for accommodating sheets discharged from a main body of an image forming apparatus, an engaging member provided at both end portions on the front end side of the tray so as to project from the tray, and the engaging member. One of which is to be moved from one end side to the other end side, the rotating member having at least two recesses into which the engaging member enters the outer periphery, and a first member having at least a radius of the rotating member A radius portion and a second radius portion having a length less than or equal to a radius of the rotating member provided with the recess, the first portion and the second portion being located in the recess at the same time. An eccentric member provided coaxially with the rotating member is provided, and when the recess is stopped at predetermined positions on one end side and the other end side, the eccentric member is rotationally driven to move the engaging member on the one end side. Engage in the recess and separate the other end of the engaging member from the recess A tray moving device for a sorter, which is characterized by: