JPH07157174A - Discharged paper sheet holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure holding of discharge sheets without requiring a large space for installation, any restriction of the paper quality or sheet format, or bringing about cost-up. CONSTITUTION:A discharge sheet holding device, which holds the edge of a recording sheet P discharged from a recorder device, is equipped with a pedestal 10 to hold from below the trailing edge of the sheet discharged, a feed roller 5 capable of vertical movement and working as a pressing means when recording sheet is transported and pinched, and a pressing member 7 to nip the edge of the discharged sheet and press from above the edge of sheet on the pedestal. The arrangement further includes a discharge sheet sensor 1, which senses that at least the trailing edge of the sheet is discharged, and a a means which transports the discharged sheet while pressing it by sinking the feed roller when discharge of the sheet trailing edge is sensed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a discharge tray for receiving discharged recording paper in a recording apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine and a printer, and more particularly to a catch type for holding the end of the recording paper. The present invention relates to a discharged paper holding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of processing recording paper discharged from a recording apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine or a printer, the most general method is to receive it by a horizontal tray, discharge it on the upper surface of the apparatus or catch tray. Methods and the like have been conventionally known. Although the horizontal tray has a simple shape and is inexpensive, the amount of protrusion from the main body of the device is large and problems often occur in installation space and operability. Although there is almost no increase in the space by the method of discharging on the upper surface of the device, there are many restrictions on implementation such as the operation unit cannot be placed on the upper surface of the device. The catch type tray that holds the discharged recording paper in a hanging state by chucking one end of the discharged recording paper complicates the mechanism a little and increases the cost, and requires some installation space. Although it has various disadvantages such as limited recording paper quality and size, on the other hand, it can save space compared to a horizontal tray, has versatility of installation as an option, and has excellent design and recording. It has advantages such as preventing paper scattering.

FIG. 8 shows such a conventional catch type tray.
It is an example of (paper ejection device). In the figure, 21 is the main body of the recording apparatus, 22 is a paper discharge roller, 23 and 24 are guides for guiding the discharged recording paper downward, 25 is a discharge roller for guiding the discharged recording paper downward, 28 is a recording paper discharged downward. Is a recording paper holder for holding the leading edge of the document, 30 is an original table (a table for image input in the case of a copying machine or a facsimile machine) that projects like an eaves above the discharge section, and 31 is a conveyance roller. , P are discharged recording papers. FIG. 9 shows another conventional example of the catch type tray (discharge sheet holding device), which is different from the above conventional example in the configuration in which a pulley 26 and a discharge belt 27 are added.

In any of the above catch type trays, the recording paper P ejected from the recording apparatus main body 21 by the paper ejection roller 22.
Is guided downward by guides 23 and 24, and is further conveyed downward by discharge roller 25, and the leading end reaches the bottom of recording paper holder 28 via conveying roller 31. After that, the discharged recording paper is held with its rear end hanging down by its own weight as indicated by P2 in FIG. 9, but in the conventional example as shown in FIG. As shown in, it is caught in the upper part and prevents the succeeding discharged recording paper from being discharged normally. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 9, the discharge belt 27 is used to forcibly discharge as shown by the arrow in the figure.

[0005]

As described above, the conventional technique shown in FIG. 8 has a problem that the discharged recording paper is caught on the upper portion depending on the paper quality, humidity and paper size. Although this problem has been solved by the technology, since a discharging belt and a pulley are added, the shape becomes a little larger and the cost increases accordingly. Further, in any of the conventional techniques, when the recording paper is short, there is a problem that the trailing edge of the recording paper stands up depending on the quality and humidity of the recording paper and the succeeding recording paper is prevented from being discharged normally.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the problems of the prior art of the catch type recording paper tray as described above, does not occupy an installation space, has no restriction on paper quality and paper size, and further retains without increasing cost. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a reliable catch type discharged paper holding device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a discharged paper holding apparatus of the present invention is a discharged paper holding apparatus for holding an end portion of a recording paper discharged from a recording apparatus. A pedestal part that holds the rear end of the rear part from below,
A feed roller that can move up and down and acts as a pressing means when the recording sheet is conveyed and when it is sandwiched, a feed roller elevating means that moves the feed roller up and down, and a pedestal that is vertically movable on the upper surface of the pedestal portion. It is provided with a pressing member that presses the trailing edge of the recording sheet ejected when it descends to the pedestal part, and detects that at least the trailing edge of the recording sheet has been ejected from the recording apparatus. And a discharge sensor that controls when the trailing edge of the recording sheet is discharged, the feed roller is lowered onto the pedestal portion, and the discharged recording sheet is rotated while pressing the upper surface of the discharged recording sheet. Means, and a position sensor for detecting the uppermost surface of the recording paper stacked on the pedestal portion in order to stop the feed roller moving downward at an optimum position. Recording by the feed roller at the timing when the trailing edge of the recording sheet conveyed by rotating the roller in contact with the upper surface of the recording sheet on the pedestal aligns with the trailing edge of the preceding recording sheet already held on the pedestal A control unit for stopping the conveyance of the paper; an electromagnetic clutch for individually controlling the operations of the feed roller, the feed roller elevating means, and the pressing member; the pressing member and the upper surface of the pedestal portion. An elastic member is arranged below the pedestal portion so as to press the recording paper sandwiched between the pedestal portion and the pedestal portion side, the pressing member is configured as a pressing claw, and the pressing claw is pedestal. Each of them is characterized by using a torque limiter on the drive rotary shaft for moving the shaft back and forth.

[0008]

Operation: A pedestal portion that holds the rear end of the discharged recording paper from below, a feed roller that can move up and down and that serves as a pressing means when the recording paper is conveyed and caught, and a rear portion of the discharged recording paper. A pressing member that grips the end portion and presses the rear end portion of the recording paper on the pedestal portion from above, a paper ejection sensor that detects that at least the rear end of the recording paper has been ejected, and the rear end of the recording paper. When the discharge of the edge is detected, the feed roller is lowered to convey the discharged recording paper while pressing it.Therefore, the discharged recording paper is held and the recording paper is loaded on the pedestal. At the same time, the newly discharged recording paper can be sandwiched and held together on the loaded recording paper.

Since the position sensor for detecting the uppermost surface of the recording paper loaded on the pedestal portion is provided for stopping the feed roller moving downward, the feed roller moving downward is recorded. It can be stopped at the optimum position according to the paper load. Since there is a means to stop the feeding of recording paper by the feed roller at the timing when the trailing edge of the recording paper being fed is aligned with the trailing edge of the recording paper held on the pedestal, The rear edges of the paper are aligned. Since the electromagnetic clutch for controlling the operation of each component is provided, each component can be driven by one motor. Since the elastic member is provided below the pedestal portion so that the pedestal portion presses the recording paper held on the pedestal portion from below by being pressed by the pressing member to move upward, the recording paper can be reliably held.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main structure of a discharged paper holding apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a concrete structure of an embodiment of the discharged paper holding apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a paper ejection sensor that detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording paper ejected from the recording apparatus main body, and is arranged directly outside the paper ejection roller 22 in FIG. 2 is an electromagnetic clutch for transmitting the driving force of the motor 8 as a driving source to the feed roller 5, and 3 is a link 6 for the driving force of the motor 8.
(Feed roller elevating means) to transmit the link 6 to FIG.
An electromagnetic clutch that rotates from the solid line position to the chain line position
Reference numeral 4 is an electromagnetic clutch for transmitting the driving force of the motor 8 to the pressing claw (pressing member) 7 to rotate the pressing claw 7, and 11 is a pedestal described later for stopping the feed roller 5 moving downward at an optimum position. A position sensor for detecting the uppermost surface of the recording sheets stacked on the set, 9 is a signal from the sheet discharge sensor 1 and the position sensor 11, and the motor 8 and the electromagnetic clutches 2, 3, 4 are turned on,
It is a control unit that controls the off state.

Further, the feed roller 5 rotates on the pedestal in the ejection direction to convey the recording paper ejected from the recording apparatus main body, and at the same time, ejects the recording paper loaded on the pedestal portion. When sandwiching the top surface, the recording paper on the pedestal and the discharged recording paper are pressed from above. The feed roller 5 is rotatably supported at the tip of the link 6 via the electromagnetic clutch 2 and is vertically movable about the base end of the link 6. The pressing claw 7 is a pressing member that holds the end of the recording paper stacked on the pedestal portion from above and presses the recording paper downward.

When a new sheet of recording paper is stacked on the pedestal or the recording paper on the pedestal, the pressing claw is temporarily retracted from the pedestal, as described later, and the feed roller is used only during the retraction. The recording paper on the pedestal including the new recording paper is pressed, and when the trailing end of the new recording paper matches the trailing end of the already stacked recording paper by the rotation of the feed roller, the feed roller is replaced with the pressing paper. The trailing edge of the recording paper is pressed by the nail.

The position sensor 11 is a hook-shaped elastic member whose one end is supported at a proper position of the link 6 and is not in contact with the recording paper or the like when the feed roller 5 is raised. Although it projects downward at an angle, when the feed roller descends onto the recording paper as shown in FIG. 3, it rotates upward around one end supported by the link 6 (or is deformed by its own elastic deformation action). A pressure sensor or a micro switch provided on the lower curved surface of the position sensor 11 detects the position of the recording paper. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 1 is a member located in the discharge path of the recording paper, has its upper end rotatably supported, detects the leading end of the recording paper when pushed up by the discharged recording paper, and returns to the original position. Sometimes it detects the rear edge.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another state of the embodiment of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state change of the main part of the embodiment of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a mechanism operation of the embodiment of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a flow. The operation of the discharged sheet holding device will be described below with reference to FIGS. When the recording paper is ejected from the recording apparatus main body 20, the paper ejection sensor 1 detects the leading edge of the recording paper (see FIG.
S2). Receiving this detection signal (leading edge of sensor-on signal), the control unit 9 turns on the motor 8 and the electromagnetic clutch 2 to idle the feed roller 5 (S3). At this time, the feed roller 5 is in the upper position as shown in FIG. Since the feed roller 5 at this position does not come into close contact with the discharged recording paper, there is no driving force for conveying the recording paper,
When the leading edge of the recording paper does not drip downward and goes straight, the recording paper is flipped downward to prevent the recording paper from adhering. In other words, the ejecting roller in the recording apparatus main body 20 continues to be the driving force for ejecting the recording paper at this point. Note that FIG.
10 is a pedestal for receiving the edge of the recording paper, 12 is the pedestal 10
An elastic member that elastically supports the paper on the housing 14, and a guide plate 13 that guides the recording paper.

When the trailing edge of the recording sheet is discharged and the sheet discharge sensor 1 is turned off (S4), the control section 9 recognizes the trailing edge of the sensor-on signal and turns on the electromagnetic clutch 3 to move the link 6. That is, the link 6 rotates counterclockwise around the right end of the drawing as a rotation axis, and the feed roller 5 supported at the left end of the link lowers (S5). Similarly, when the lower curved surface of the position sensor 11 fixed to the link comes in contact with the uppermost surface of the recording paper P loaded with the end portion held on the pedestal portion 10 (FIG. 3), The position sensor 11 outputs a sensor-on signal to the control unit 9. That is, a pressure sensor, a micro switch, or the like is provided on the curved surface below the position sensor 11, and the pressure sensor, the micro switch, or the like operates by the pressure between the pressure sensor and the recording paper. Also at this time,
The feed roller 5 also contacts the uppermost surface of the recording paper P (FIG. 3). When no recording sheet is held on the pedestal portion 10, the feed roller is lowered until the feed roller and the link reach the position shown by the phantom line in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, at the time of rising, the lower surface of the position sensor 11 projects below the lower surface of the feed roller 5,
Although there is a difference in the timing at which the position sensor 11 and the feed roller 5 come into contact with the uppermost surface of the recording paper P, it is desirable that the position sensor 11 be made of an elastic body to cope with this timing difference. That is, by making the position sensor 11 an elastic body, it is possible to match the operation timing of the pressure sensor or the like provided on the lower surface with the timing when the feed roller contacts the recording paper.

Upon receiving the sensor-on signal from the position sensor 11, the control section 9 turns off the clutch 3 to stop the rotation of the link 6. Along with this, the downward movement of the feed roller 5 also stops at the position where the discharged recording paper is lightly pressed downward. However, since the rotation of the feed roller 5 in the clockwise direction still continues, the recording paper discharged at that time advances forward (left side in the drawing = discharge direction) by a certain amount (S6). The above-mentioned fixed amount is a movement amount required for aligning the trailing edge of the recording paper discharged at that time with the trailing edge of the recording paper P already loaded on the pedestal portion. It may be stored in advance as a control program in the control unit 9.

The motor 8 is composed of a stepping motor or the like, and the control unit 9 can control the operation of the driven object by the motor such as the link 6 and the feed roller 5 by giving a predetermined amount of pulses to the stepping motor. .
During the above-mentioned conveyance by the feed roller 5, the recording paper P on the pedestal portion is firmly pressed by the pressing claw (pressing member) 7. Whether the pressing claw itself has elasticity,
An elastic member 12 is provided below the pedestal portion 10 to push the pedestal portion 10 upward so that the recording paper P is securely held. For example, as shown in the drawing, a tip neck portion 7a having a triangular front shape is rotatably supported at the tip portion of the pressing claw 7.

After applying a predetermined amount of pulses to the motor 8, the control unit 9 turns off the clutch 2 and stops the rotation of the feed roller 5 (S7). Then, the clutch 3 is turned on for a short time, and the recording paper P is pressed from above by the feed roller 5 (see the lower stage of the feed roller position, the dotted feed roller position in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A) (S8). In this manner, the feed roller 5 firmly presses the rear end upper surface of the recording paper (including the recording paper discharged at that time) on the pedestal, and then the motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction and the clutch 4 is turned on. 4 (b), the pressing claw 7 is rotated clockwise to release the pressing (S9). And FIG.
After opening the pressing claw to the state as shown in FIG. 6C (the state in which the rear end of the uppermost recording sheet is separated from the pressing claw 7), the motor 4 is normally rotated and pressed while the clutch 4 is kept on. The claw 7 is rotated counterclockwise, and the uppermost recording sheet discharged at that time is pinched as shown in FIG. 4D and pressed again from above (S10). When the tip of the pressing claw 7 presses the recording sheet P on the pedestal, the tip neck of the pressing claw 7 is rotated so that the surface of the tip of the pressing claw facing the recording sheet is parallel to the paper surface. As the fulcrum, the tip portion is configured to be rotatable or the tip portion is given an elastic force as described above.

After the recording paper P is pinched and held again by the pressing claw 7 and the pedestal portion 10, the control portion 9 turns on the clutch 3 and reversely rotates the motor 8 to return the feed roller 2 to the raised position shown in FIG. (S11), the clutch 3 and the motor 8 are turned off to stop the rotation, and the feed roller 2 is stopped (S12). Less than,
The above operation is repeated each time the recording paper is ejected from the recording apparatus main body. The electromagnetic clutches 2, 3 and 4 are, for example, one-turn clutches, in which the input / output shaft rotates together when turned on, the input shaft idles and the output shaft is fixed when turned off. Alternatively, a general clutch in which the input / output shaft rotates together when turned on and idles with the input / output shaft when turned off may be used, or a torque limiter, spring, or ratchet mechanism may be used to obtain the same effect as the above clutch. It may be configured to be possible. In the above embodiment, one drive motor and three electromagnetic clutches for controlling each element are used, but each element can be driven by an independent drive motor.

Further, by using a torque limiter instead of the clutch 4 as the drive rotation shaft of the pressing claw 7, the recording paper is always kept with a constant force during the forward rotation of the motor (rotation in the pressing direction). The same effect can be obtained even if it is configured to hold down P. Furthermore, as described above, instead of starting the rotation of the feed roller 5 when the discharge sensor 1 detects the front end of the discharged recording paper, the rotation of the feed roller 5 is detected when the rear end of the recording paper is detected. It is also possible to control to start the. Further, it is possible to use pressing members of various other shapes instead of the pressing claws.

FIG. 6 is a reference example of a drive unit gear train. In the drawing, reference numeral 15 is a drive belt, 16 is an idler gear, 17 is a pressing claw drive gear, 18 is a feed roller drive pulley, and 19 is a drive pulley. The driving force from the driving motor 8 is transmitted from the driving pulley 19 directly to the link 6, is transmitted from the driving pulley 19 to the feed roller driving pulley 18 via the belt 15, or is pressed from the driving pulley 19 via the idler gear 16. It is selectively transmitted to the claw drive gears 17, respectively.

FIG. 7 is an external view when it is attached to the main body of the recording apparatus. Since the above mechanism is hidden by the housing 14, it is not exposed to the outside. Then, the recording paper P whose rear end is pinched and held hangs down from the opening of the housing as illustrated. When this is taken out, it is taken out by pulling with a constant force or by operating a pinching release switch or the like.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A pedestal part that holds the trailing edge of the ejected recording paper from below, a feed roller that can move up and down and that serves as a pressing means when the recording paper is conveyed and caught, and a trailing edge of the ejected recording paper. A pressing claw that slides in from above and presses the end of the recording paper on the pedestal from above, a paper ejection sensor that detects at least the trailing edge of the recording paper, and a trailing edge of the recording paper. When discharge is detected, the feed roller is lowered to provide a means for conveying the discharged recording paper while pressing it.
Installed because you can hold the edge of the ejected recording paper and stack the recording paper on the pedestal, and also hold the newly ejected recording paper by sandwiching it on the stacked recording paper together. It is possible to realize a discharged paper holding device that does not take up space and does not increase costs. There is no restriction on paper quality or paper size because the front end is outwardly exposed and the rear end is retained instead of holding the front end and outwardly ejecting the rear end as in the prior art.

Further, when holding the discharged paper, the feed roller moving downward can be stopped at an optimum position according to the amount of recording paper loaded on the pedestal portion. But you can hold it. Further, the recording papers stacked on the pedestal part have their rear ends aligned, the upward movement is suppressed by the pressing claws, and the pedestal part presses the recording papers held on the pedestal part from below. Since the elastic member is provided below, the recording paper can be securely held.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a discharged paper holding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a discharged paper holding device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another state of the embodiment of FIG.

4 (a), (b), (c) and (d) are cross-sectional views showing changes in the state of the essential part of the embodiment of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing a mechanism operation flow of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a drive gear train of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a recording device to which a discharged paper holding device according to the present invention is attached.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharged sheet holding device according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharged paper holding device according to a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Paper discharge sensor, 2, 3, 4 ... Electromagnetic clutch, 5 ... Feed roller, 6 ... Link (feed roller lifting means),
7 ... Pressing claw (pressing member), 8 ... Motor, 9 ... Control unit, 10
... pedestal part, 11 ... position sensor, 12 ... elastic member, 13 ... guide plate, 14 ... housing, 15 ... drive belt, 20 ... recording device body.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A discharge paper holding device for holding an end portion of a recording paper discharged from the recording device, and a pedestal part for holding a rear end portion of the discharged recording paper from below, and a recording paper which is movable up and down. A feed roller that acts as a pressing means at the time of conveyance and when sandwiched, a feed roller elevating means that moves the feed roller up and down, and a feed roller configured to be vertically movable on the upper surface of the pedestal portion and discharged when it descends on the pedestal And a pressing member that presses the rear end of the recording paper between the base and the pedestal to sandwich the recording paper. 2. The paper ejection sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least the trailing edge of the recording sheet is ejected from the recording device, and the feed roller is disposed when the ejection of the trailing edge of the recording sheet is detected. 2. The discharged paper holding device according to claim 1, further comprising control means for lowering the discharged recording paper onto the pedestal portion and rotating the recording paper while pressing the upper surface of the discharged recording paper in the discharging direction. 3. A position sensor for detecting the uppermost surface of the recording paper stacked on the pedestal portion is provided in order to stop the feed roller moving downward at an optimum position. Or the discharged paper holding device described in 2. 4. The preceding recording paper in which the trailing edge of the recording paper being conveyed by contacting the feed roller with the upper surface of the recording paper on the pedestal part and rotating in the discharge direction is already held on the pedestal part. 3. The discharged paper holding device according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit for stopping the conveyance of the recording paper by the feed roller at the timing of aligning with the rear end. 5. An electromagnetic clutch for individually controlling the operations of the feed roller, the feed roller elevating means, and the pressing member, respectively.
The discharged paper holding device described in 3 or 4. 6. An elastic member is arranged below the pedestal so that the recording paper pinched and held between the pressing member and the upper surface of the pedestal is pressed from the pedestal side. The discharged paper holding device according to claim 1. 7. A structure in which the pressing member is a pressing claw,
2. The discharged paper holding device according to claim 1, wherein a torque limiter is used for a drive rotation shaft for moving the pressing claw forward and backward from the pedestal.