JPH0742025B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording device such as a printer using electrophotography.

[Prior art]

In conventional printers using electrophotographic technology, for example, laser beam printers, liquid crystal printers, LED printers, etc., recording paper is in a face-up state (hereinafter referred to as face-up) with the side on which information is recorded facing up. There were many products that were discharged.

This is against gravity in order to convey the recording paper (cut paper) immediately after the information is printed (transferred) in the face-down state (hereinafter referred to as face-down) with the surface on which the information is printed facing down. This is because it must be supported and conveyed from below, and rubbing and supporting the surface on which information is printed from below before the fixing process causes information fading and dirt. In addition, there is also one in which the recording paper after the information is printed and fixed is reversed (U-turn) and discharged in a face-down state.

[Problems of conventional technology]

In the conventional recording apparatus having the above configuration, the face-up discharge device can be selected only face-up, and the face-down discharge can be selected only face-down.
It was not possible to do both selectively.

Therefore, in the face-up recording device, the order of the pages to be recorded is reversed, and it is necessary to arrange the order again after the printing is completed.

Further, in the face-down discharge device, since the recording paper after fixing is forced to be reversed, there is a disadvantage that thick cardboard such as a postcard is hard to pass through the reversing part, that is, it is easy to pass through.

[Object of the Invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of selectively ejecting recording paper by face-up and face-down according to the stiffness of the recording paper. .

[Main points of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first conveyance path for inverting and conveying an image-formed sheet, and a second conveyance path for conveying an image-formed sheet without inverting it.
In a recording apparatus equipped with a selection unit capable of selecting one of the two conveyance paths to convey a sheet, a detection unit for detecting the rigidity of the sheet is provided in the sheet conveyance path upstream of the selection unit, and the selection unit is The sheet detected to have high rigidity according to the detection result of the detection unit is guided to the second transport path.

Example of Invention

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophotographic printer showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an electrophotographic printer includes a recording unit 2 that forms recording information on a photoconductor 1, and a paper feeding unit that sequentially conveys a recording paper 3 to the recording information formed on the photoconductor 1 at a timing. 4, the recording paper 3 on the first mounting portion 6 and the second
It is composed of a carrying section 8 and the like having a selecting means 7 for selecting the placing section 5 of FIG.

The recording unit 2 is composed of known technical means, and is formed on the photoconductor 1 with a charger 9 for uniformly charging the photoconductor 1, an optical recording head 10 for recording recording information on the photoconductor 1. A developing device 11 for developing the electrostatic latent image, a transfer device 12 for transferring the developed recording information onto the recording paper 3, and residual toner on the photoconductor 1 not transferred in the transfer process using the transfer device 12. The optical recording head 10 in this embodiment uses a liquid crystal optical shutter in which a large number of micro shutters are assembled in the main scanning direction.

The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to an optical recording head using a laser beam or an LED.

The paper feeding unit 4 includes a cassette 14 in which a large number of recording papers 3 which are cut papers are stacked, a paper feeding roller 15 that takes out and conveys the recording papers 3 one by one from the top, and guides the conveyance direction of the recording papers 3. Guide plate 16, a conveying roll 21d that constantly rotates during the recording operation, guide plates 26a and 26b that guide the conveyed recording paper 3 from above and below, a detection lever 27, and a lever shaft 27 described later.
a, a detection unit 25 including a photo switch 28, a timing roll 17 that conveys the recording information on the photoconductor 1 to the transfer unit at a timing, and an external paper feeding device connection port 18 The recording paper 3 is conveyed with the timing matched with the recording information formed on the photoconductor 1 by the signal of the mechanism. Here, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the detection unit 25 is composed of a detection lever 27 rotatable around a lever shaft 27a and a photo switch 28.
Passes through a slit provided in the guide plate 26b and projects into the transport path by its own weight. In this state, the photo switch 28 is not operating. Further, when the detection lever 27 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 (a) against its own weight, a part of the detection lever 27 enters the gap 28a of the photo switch 28 to activate the photo switch.

The external paper feeding device connection port 18 receives recording paper sent from a paper feeding device (not shown) connected to the outside. This is also for using the paper feeding device outside the machine because the number of sheets that can be stored in the cassette 14 inside the machine is limited.

In the above embodiments, the case where the cut paper cut into a predetermined size is fed has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to recording paper in which roll paper is appropriately cut.

The transport unit 8 receives the recording information (image) on the photoconductor 1 in a face-up state on the recording paper 3 transferred by a transfer unit (not shown), and fixes the transferred recording information by heating and pressure. It comprises a fixing roll 20, a selecting means 7, a plurality of conveying roll pairs 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, and the like.

Next, the paper feeding operation of the present invention will be described.

The recording paper 3 sent from the cassette 14 by the paper feed roller 15 and the guide plate 16 or from an external (not shown) paper feed device through the external paper feed device connection port 18 is fed by the transport roll 21.
It is nipped by d and conveyed toward the timing roll 17. At this time, the timing roll 17 is stopped,
The leading end of the recording paper 3 contacts the timing roll 17. The recording paper gradually bends (loop) as the transport roll 21d continues to rotate.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the bending formed by the recording paper 3 is such that the detection lever 27 is rotated against the weight of the detection lever 27 as shown in FIG. 3 (a). It doesn't have rigidity. Therefore, the detection lever 27 does not rotate and the photo switch 28 does not operate. Then, the selection means 7 does not operate, and the recording paper is not transferred to the first loading portion 6 via the transport rolls 21b and 21c.
Is discharged to.

However, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), when the recording paper having a strong rigidity is used, the rigidity is large, so that the deflection is detected by the detection lever.
Since the detection lever 27 is rotated against the own weight of 27, the photo switch 28 operates.

When the photo switch 28 is turned on, the selection mechanism 7 is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) at a predetermined timing (time until the immediately preceding recording paper passes through the selection means 7 and the recording paper detected at the present time arrives). Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), it is discharged straight through the transport roll 21a.
Therefore, the recording paper is discharged face-up to the second mounting portion 5.

It should be noted that, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the radius of curvature of the reversal portion for face down is small and the stiff recording paper is difficult to be conveyed has been described, but the radius of curvature of the reversal portion is sufficiently large to resist gravity. Thus, when the transfer paper is conveyed over a long distance, especially when the distance between the conveyance roll pairs is long, it is difficult to convey the recording paper having a weak stiffness.

Therefore, the self-weight of the detection lever 27 is set lightly, and contrary to the above-described embodiment, the recording paper having a predetermined waist strength or lower is ejected straight, and the recording paper having a predetermined waist strength or higher is face down. It is also possible to set to discharge.

Alternatively, the waist strength of the recording paper is detected in two steps, and the transfer paper having the waist strength within the predetermined area is discharged face down, and the extremely strong recording paper outside the predetermined area is weak. The selecting means 7 may be set so as to eject the recording paper straight.

As described above, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording paper (cut paper) can be selectively discharged to the first placing portion 6 and the second placing portion 5, and the face can be discharged. Up and face down can be selected at the same time.

If an external paper feeding device is used, more recording paper than can be stored in the cassette can be used, and a large number of prints can be continuously performed.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the apparatus automatically detects the characteristics of the paper and selects the discharge state of the recording paper between face-up and face-down, so that the user can switch manually. You don't have to.

Further, it is not necessary to send a face-up or face-down selection signal from the host device.

In addition, when normal recording paper that is used most frequently is used, it is not necessary to rearrange the order of pages, and even if the recording paper is stiff or weak, it is placed in the transport path. You won't get chilled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophotographic printer showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are principal configuration diagrams of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). FIG. 4 is a main part configuration diagram showing a detection unit of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a photoswitch. 1 ... Photoreceptor, 2 ... Recording unit, 3 ... Recording paper (cut paper), 4 ... Paper feeding unit, 5 ... Second mounting unit, 6 ... First mounting unit, 7 …… Selection means, 8 …… Conveyor, 9 …… Charger, 10 …… Optical recording head, 11 …… Developer, 12 …… Transfer, 13 …… Cleaner, 14 …… Cassette, 15 …… Supply Paper roller, 16 …… Guide plate, 17
...... Timing roll, 18 …… External paper feeder connection port, 19…
… Guide plate, 20 …… Fixing roll, 21a to 21d …… Conveying roll, 22,23 …… Guide plate, 24 …… Axis.25 …… Detecting part, 26a, 26b
…… Guide plate, 27 …… Detection lever, 27a …… Lever shaft, 28…
… Photo switch, 28a… Gap.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first conveyance path for reversing and conveying an image-formed sheet, a second conveyance path for conveying an image-formed sheet without reversing, and one of the both conveyance paths is selected. In the recording apparatus provided with the selecting means capable of conveying the sheet, the detecting means for detecting the rigidity of the sheet is provided in the sheet conveying path upstream of the selecting means, and the selecting means responds to the detection result of the detecting means. A recording apparatus, which guides a sheet detected to have high rigidity to the second conveyance path. 2. A first conveyance path for inverting and conveying an image-formed sheet, a second conveyance path for conveying an image-formed sheet without inverting, and one of the two conveyance paths. In the recording apparatus provided with the selecting means capable of conveying the sheet, the detecting means for detecting the rigidity of the sheet is provided in the sheet conveying path upstream of the selecting means, and the selecting means responds to the detection result of the detecting means. And guiding the sheet detected to have low rigidity to the second conveyance path.