JPH0749481Y2 - Transfer paper width aligning device in image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an image of a copying machine or the like for double-sided image formation or multicolor composite image formation by feeding the transferred transfer paper back to the paper feed side again. The present invention relates to a transfer paper width adjusting device in a forming device.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, in addition to normal image formation, a function of performing double-sided image formation for forming images on both sides of transfer paper, multicolor composite image formation for forming images of two or more colors on the same surface of transfer paper, etc. An image forming apparatus including the above is provided. This image forming apparatus feeds the transferred transfer paper back to the paper feed side, and an intermediate tray for temporarily stocking the transferred transfer paper, and a stock on the intermediate tray. A pair of width-shifting members that shift the width of the transfer paper are provided.
These width-shifting members generally have side plates that come into contact with the side surfaces of the transfer paper, and move the transfer paper in the direction orthogonal to the transfer-paper transport direction to shift the width of the transfer paper.

By the way, in such an image forming apparatus, when a transfer sheet jam occurs on the intermediate tray, the transfer sheet on the intermediate tray must be taken out. Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the transfer sheet can be taken out by opening the upper portion of the apparatus main body upward and opening the lid provided on the front side of the lower portion of the apparatus main body toward the front. There is.

However, since the side plates are located on both sides of the transfer sheet as described above, the transfer sheet must be taken out from above the intermediate tray, and moreover, directly above the intermediate tray, there is generally a device such as a process unit. Since it is arranged, it is difficult to say that the transfer paper can be easily taken out only by providing the lid as described above. On the other hand, if a space is secured above the intermediate tray for such take-out, there is a problem that the device becomes large.

From such a background, in JP-A-59-228668, the width-shifting member (in the publication, "reference plate") is made rotatable about a horizontal axis with respect to the main body of the apparatus, and by the rotation, directly. Alternatively, it is disclosed that a cue space for collectively taking out the stacked transfer sheets is formed via a link mechanism that operates in the vertical direction. With such a structure, the transfer paper on the intermediate tray can be taken out by the movement of the width-shifting member.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

In the case of the above structure, the transfer paper is lifted in conjunction with the movement of the width-shifting member. Therefore, in order to achieve the effect, the rotation space of the width-shifting member or the space below the intermediate tray is required. A space for installing a link mechanism that moves in the vertical direction is required, which causes a problem of increasing the size of the device. Also, for the structure that directly lifts the transfer paper by rotating the width-adjusting member, the space is reduced by setting the position of the center axis of rotation to a position closer to the front side (front side as seen from the user). Can be
When the central axis is set at such a position, a large force is required to lift the transfer paper, and the rotating operation becomes difficult as the number of stocked transfer papers increases.

Further, in the above structure, since the transfer sheets are collectively lifted in the front direction as the width-shifting member moves, the piles of the stocked transfer sheets tend to collapse, and in particular, a large number of transfer sheets are stocked. In some cases, the lifted transfer paper may flow down to the front. Therefore, it may be necessary to realign all the transfer sheets at once when reusing them.
Inconvenience occurs in the work after taking out the transfer paper.

Further, in the above structure, since it is necessary to attach the rotating shaft of the width-shifting member on one side to the main body side, the width-shifting member cannot be moved with respect to the main body. Therefore, this structure is
It cannot be applied to a device that moves both width-adjusting members in opposite directions to each other, and the range of applicable structure is limited.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention can make a transfer sheet easily removable by moving a width-shifting member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, and further, requires a special space for the above-mentioned movement. An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer paper width aligning device that does not need to be secured and is easy to process after taking out.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The present invention includes a reverse feeding mechanism that reversely feeds the transferred transfer paper to the paper feed side, an intermediate tray that is provided in the reverse feeding mechanism, and temporarily stocks the reverse transfer paper. Image formation provided with a pair of width-shifting members that are arranged on both sides of the transfer sheet to be fed in reverse and move relative to each other in a direction orthogonal to the transfer-sheet transport direction to shift the width of the transfer sheet on the intermediate tray. In the apparatus, a pair of bases in which both width-shift members are driven in opposite directions along a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction, and side plates rotatably attached to each base about a vertical axis And a connecting member for connecting the both side plates so as to rotate in conjunction with each other while permitting relative movement of the both side plates in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveying direction. The basic position parallel to the transfer paper transport direction. The transfer sheet on the intermediate tray is exposed to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body by the rotation of the both side plates from the basic position to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body, and at the same time the horizontal side plate is provided by the rear side plate. Both side plates are arranged so as to be extruded toward the front side of the image forming apparatus main body along the direction. More specifically, one end of the connecting member is rotatably connected to a side plate of one of the width-shifting members, and the other end of the connecting member is relatively rotatable to the side plate of the other width-shifting member. It is preferable to use one that is connected so as to be relatively movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction.

[Action]

In the above-mentioned configuration, by rotating the side plate of the width-adjusting member on the front side of the image forming apparatus main body to the front side (front side),
The transfer paper is exposed to the front side, and further, the side plate of the width-shifting member on the back side is also rotated to the front side in conjunction with the side plate, so that the transfer paper is kept in a good stock state by this side plate. It is pushed forward along the horizontal direction. In this state, the transfer paper in the stock state can be easily taken out. Further, in a normal state, the side plate is held at a basic position parallel to the transfer paper conveyance direction by the holding means, and is relatively rotated in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction even if connected by a connecting member. Therefore, by moving the entire width-shifting members in opposite directions in this state, it is possible to shift the width of the transfer paper in the same manner as the conventional width-shifting member.

More specifically, one end of the connecting member is rotatably connected to the side plate of one of the width-shifting members, and the other end is relatively rotatable to the side plate of the other width-shifting member and is in the transfer paper transport direction. In the device connected so as to be relatively movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to each other, when the side plate on the front side as viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus main body is rotated, the rear side connected to this side plate through the connecting member is used. The side plate of also rotates together. On the other hand, in a state where both side plates are held at the basic position by the holding means, the side plates of the other width-shifting member are relatively movable with respect to the connecting member in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction. The both width-shifting members can move in the opposite directions along the horizontal direction without any problem (performing the width-shifting operation).

〔Example〕

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the main body 1 of the copying machine (image forming apparatus) in one embodiment of the present invention. A contact glass 2 on which an original is placed and an original pressing plate 5 are provided on the upper surface of the main body 1, and one side of the main body 1 includes transfer paper cassettes 3a, 3a and 3
b, and the paper feed tray 4 for manual feeding are attached,
On the other side, a paper discharge tray (not shown) for discharging the transfer paper after the image forming (copying) operation is mounted. This copying machine, as will be described later, is a two-sided copy in which an image is formed on both sides of one sheet of transfer paper, and a multi-color composite in which images of two colors are formed on the same side of one sheet of transfer paper. It is possible to copy.

Inside the main body 1, the photosensitive drum 6 and its peripheral devices are sequentially arranged as a main charging device 7, a blank lamp 8, a sub developing device 9, a main developing device 10, a transfer device 11, and a separating device.
12 and the cleaning device 13 are provided,
An optical system 15 for irradiating the photoconductor drum 6 with an original image.
Further, a fixing device 16 for fixing the toner image after transfer is provided, and the main developing device 10 and the sub-developing device 9 store developers of different colors.
The optical system 15 includes an exposure lamp 21, mirrors 22a to 22f, and a lens 23, and the reciprocating movement of the exposure lamp 21 and the like causes an exposure scan of an original image.

As the transfer paper transport mechanism of this copying machine, the photosensitive drum 6 is used.
Paper feed mechanism 27, a conveyor belt 28 to the fixing device 16, and a reversal switching mechanism 29 for switching the transfer paper transport passage between the paper discharge side and the reverse reversal side on the downstream side of the fixing device 16; On the downstream side, the non-reversal switching mechanism 30 that switches the transfer paper conveyance path between the discharge side and the non-reversal reverse feeding side, and the reverse reversal mechanism that reversely feeds the transfer paper from the reversal switching mechanism 29 and the non-reversal switching mechanism 30 A feeding mechanism 31 is provided.

The paper feed mechanism 27 includes paper feed rollers 32a to 3 which feed the transfer papers from the transfer paper cassettes 3a and 3b and the paper feed tray 4, respectively.
2c, a pair of registration rollers 33, and the like, and is configured to feed paper at a predetermined timing after the optical system 15 starts operating.

The reversal switching mechanism 29 is disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device 16, and includes a passage switching plate 37 and a pair of conveying rollers 36 disposed on the downstream side of the passage switching plate 37. The path switching plate 37 is rotated about the shaft 38, so that the transfer sheet discharged from the fixing device 16 is conveyed to the discharge side (the position shown in FIG. 4) and is discharged from the fixing device 16. The transfer paper is switched to the position where it is guided to the reverse feeding mechanism 31 in the inverted state.

The non-reversal switching mechanism 30 includes a path switching plate 40, a roller 41 that comes into contact with and separates from the upper roller of the paper discharge roller pair 39, and a reverse feed roller that rotates in synchronization with the lower roller 36a of the conveyance roller pair 36. It consists of 43. The path switching plate 40 rotates about a shaft 44 to guide the transfer sheet conveyed from the conveying roller pair 36 to the sheet discharging roller pair 39 side (the position in FIG. 4) and the upper side. The transfer paper is switched to a position for guiding to the roller 41 side located at, and the transfer paper guided to the roller 41 side is carried out again by this reversing roller 41,
The reverse feed roller 43 conveys it to the reverse feed mechanism 31 in a non-reversed state.

The reverse feeding mechanism 31 forms a return path from the reverse switching mechanism 29 and the non-reverse switching mechanism 30 to the paper feed side, and an intermediate tray for temporarily stocking the reversely transferred transfer paper at an intermediate portion thereof. 45 are provided. This intermediate tray 45
Re-feeding rollers 47 to 50 and a pair of re-feeding registration rollers 51 are provided on the upper side, and a pair of width aligning plates 52 and 53 (described later in detail) shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are provided. It is provided. In such a structure, the transfer sheet fed back onto the intermediate tray 45 is conveyed to the registration roller pair 51 by the sheet re-feed rollers 47 to 50, and further, the sheet feeding mechanism 27 by the registration roller pair 51. Transport to side (refeed)
To be done.

On the other hand, the main body 1 of the copying machine is provided with a control device (not shown) including a CPU and the like, and the control device is provided on a limit switch provided on each mechanism or on the outer surface of the main body 1. Receiving a signal from the operation unit or the like, it controls each operation for copying.

In such a structure, when a normal copying operation is performed, the copied transfer paper is located at the position of the path switching plate at the position shown in FIG.
Guided by 37 and 40, they are directly conveyed to the paper discharge roller pair 39. On the other hand, when performing double-sided copying, only the path switching plate 40 is switched from the position shown in the figure, and the transfer paper discharged from the fixing device 16 is not reversed by the non-reversed switching mechanism 30 and the reverse feeding mechanism is used. The transfer paper is fed back by 31 and a predetermined number of transfer sheets are stocked in the intermediate tray 45. In addition, this intermediate tray
The transfer sheet re-fed from 45 is reversed and re-fed to the tourist drum 6.

Further, when performing multicolor composite copying, the above-mentioned passage switching plate 37
4 is switched from the position shown in FIG. 4, whereby the transfer paper discharged from the fixing device 16 is stocked in the intermediate tray 45 in the inverted state, and is transferred from the intermediate tray 45 to the photosensitive drum 6 in the inverted state again. It will be re-fed. Therefore, since the transfer sheets are superposed on the same surface of the transfer sheet, for example, the main developing device 10 is used for copying at the first sheet feeding, and the sub developing device 9 is used for re-feeding. By performing copying on the same surface of the same transfer paper, multi-color composite copying is performed on the same surface.

Next, the structure of the width-shifting plates 52 and 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. Both width-shifting plates 52, 53 are horizontal plates (base parts) 54, 55 placed on the intermediate tray 45,
It is composed of side plates 56, 57 arranged on both sides of the transfer sheet fed in the reverse direction, and the horizontal plates 54, 55 and the side plates 56, 57 are separately formed. Further, both width-shifting plates 52, 53 are movable in a direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction, and are driven in a direction in which they come in contact with and separate from each other by a driving means described later.

First, the width adjusting member 52 on the front side (left side in FIG. 1) of the copying machine body 1 will be described. The horizontal plate 54 of this width-shifting member 52
A projecting plate 54a is integrally formed on the projecting plate 54a, and a vertical shaft 54b extending in the vertical direction is formed on the projecting plate 54a.
Is erected. On the other hand, the side plate 56 also has a similar protruding plate 56a.
Are formed integrally with each other, and the vertical shaft 54b penetrates through the protruding plate 56a, whereby the side plate 56 is rotatable with respect to the horizontal plate 54 around the vertical shaft 54b.

Further, a coil spring 58 (holding means) is provided around the vertical shaft 54b, and the coil spring 58 causes the side plate
56 is biased in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, and normally, the inner side surface of the side plate 56 is in contact with the side surface of the horizontal plate 54,
That is, the side plate is placed in a state (closed state) parallel to the transfer paper conveyance direction.
56 is retained (see solid line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3). Further, a handle portion 56b for an operator to grip when rotating is formed at an end portion of the side plate 56.

On the other hand, also in the width-shifting member 53, the horizontal plate 55 and the side plate 57 are integrally formed with the same protruding plates 55a and 57a as described above so as to protrude to the inner side of the copying machine main body 1.
A pin 59 penetrates through these protruding plates 55a and 57a, and a retaining member 59a is fixed to the lower end portion of the pin 59 while the pin 59 penetrates through a long hole 45a provided in the intermediate tray 45. Has been done. As a result, the side plate 57 is also rotatable about the pin 59 with respect to the horizontal plate 55.

Further, the side plate 56 of the width-shifting member 52 has an extending portion 56c extending from a lower portion thereof to a position lower than the intermediate tray 45.
The side plate 57 of the width-shifting member 53 is provided with a pin 57b protruding downward from the lower surface thereof. The pin 57b has a substantially quadrangular through hole 45b provided in the intermediate tray 45 and an arcuate long hole 55b provided in the horizontal plate 55.
Through the hole 45b, 55b and is rotatable integrally with the side plate 57 in the holes 45b, 55b. ) Are connected by. Specifically, one end of the link 60 is rotatably connected to the extending portion 56c by a pin 61, and a long hole 60a is provided at the other end of the link 60. A retaining member 57c is fixed to the lower end of the pin 57b with the pin 57b passing through. And by connecting this link 60 both side plates
56 and 57 rotate in conjunction with each other and are relatively movable in the left-right direction.

A contact portion 55c extending upward is formed on the outer edge portion of the horizontal plate 55 of the width-shifting member 53, and the width-shifting member 52
The outer surface of the side plate 57 comes into contact with the abutting portion 55c in a state where the side plate 56 comes into contact with the outer edge portion of the horizontal plate 54.

Next, a drive structure for the width-shifting members 52, 53 will be described. Below the intermediate tray 45, the stepping motor 62 is located outside (on the right side in FIG. 1) of the width-shifting member 53.
Pulley 63 is located on the outer side (left side in the figure) of the width-shifting member 52.
Are arranged respectively. The stepping motor 62 is
The drive shaft 62a is connected to the control device and rotates based on an output signal of the control device, and is fixed to the copying machine main body 1 side. The pulley 63 is rotatably supported on the main body 1 side, and an endless wire 64 is stretched between the pulley 63 and the drive shaft 62a.

On the other hand, the lower surfaces of the horizontal plates 54, 55 of the width-shifting members 52, 53 are provided with protruding portions 54d, 55d protruding downward, respectively, and these protruding portions 54d, 55d are formed on the intermediate tray 45. Long hole 4
Each of the wires 64 is penetrated through each of 5c and 45d to project below the intermediate tray 45, and a part of the wire 64 is fixed to the projecting portion.

Therefore, the drive shaft 62a of the stepping motor 62 is the first
By rotating in the clockwise direction, both width-shifting members
52 and 53 are interlocked with each other in a direction in which they are separated from each other, and when the drive shaft 62a is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, both width-shift members 52 and 53 are interlocked with each other in a direction in which they approach each other. The rotation direction of the drive shaft 62a is controlled by the control device.

Further, the main body 1 of this copying machine is configured such that the upper portion thereof can be opened and closed with respect to the lower portion thereof, and further, an openable and closable lid is also provided on the front surface of the lower portion of the main body 1, and by opening the lid, The intermediate tray 45 is exposed to the front side.

Next, the operation of this structure will be described. In the double-sided copy mode or the multicolor composite copy mode, the stepping motor is operated until the transfer paper discharged from the fixing device 16 is fed back from the reversing switching mechanism 29 or the non-reversing switching mechanism 30 to the intermediate tray 45. Both width-shifting members 52,5 by the operation of 62
3 are kept apart from each other, and the distance between the side plate 56 of the width-shifting plate 52 and the side plate 57 of the width-shifting plate 53 is larger than the width dimension of the transfer sheet fed in the reverse direction.

When the transfer sheet is conveyed onto the intermediate tray 45 from such a state, the stepping motor receives the control signal from the control device.
The drive shaft 62a of 62 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and the width-shifting members 52, 53 move toward each other. Then, the side plates 56, 57 of the both width-shifting members 52, 53 are brought into contact with both side edge portions of the transfer sheet, whereby the transfer sheet is width-shifted. By repeating such contacting / separating operation of the width-shifting plates 52, 53, a predetermined number of transfer sheets are stocked on the intermediate tray 45. Since the side plate 56 is held in the closed state by the coil spring 58, the width of the transfer paper can be adjusted without any inconvenience as in the conventional structure.

When it is necessary to take out the transfer paper on the intermediate tray 45 due to a transfer paper jam or the like during the stock operation of the transfer paper, the lid provided on the front of the copying machine body 1 is opened, Further, the handle portion 56b formed on the side plate 56 may be grasped and pulled out to the front. This causes the side plate 56 to rotate, so that the transfer sheet on the intermediate tray 45 is exposed to the front side (left direction in FIG. 1), and further, the side plate 57 rotates in conjunction with the side plate 56. By (dashed line in FIG. 1), the side plate 57 pushes the transfer paper to the front side,
The copying machine body 1 can be easily taken out from the front position.

As described above, in this structure, the transfer paper on the intermediate tray 45 can be pushed out in the front direction (front direction) by a simple operation of rotating the side plate 56 of the width-shifting member 52 forward.
In this state, the transfer paper can be easily taken out. Further, the side plate 56 is configured to rotate about the vertical axis 54b, and the side plate 57 is configured to rotate toward the front side about the pin 59, and the main body 1 has a structure in which the front lid is opened when the transfer sheet is taken out. Therefore, the both side plates 56, 57 are rotated toward the external space opened to the front side of the main body 1, and the link that moves horizontally below the intermediate tray 45.
Since there is enough space for 60, both side plates 5
No special space is required to rotate the 6,57. Therefore, the above effect can be obtained without increasing the size of the device.

Further, in the case of the conventional structure in which the transfer paper is lifted upward, the piles of the formed transfer paper are easily collapsed, and in particular, when the number of stocked transfer papers is large, inconvenience occurs after taking out. However, according to this structure, since the transfer paper only slides in the front direction, the ridges are unlikely to collapse, and the transfer paper returns to the state before being taken out only by returning the side plates 56 and 57 to the original positions. Therefore, the processing after taking out the transfer paper is also easy.

Further, in the case of the present invention, as shown in this embodiment, since both width-shifting members 52, 53 can be structured to interlock with each other in a direction in which they approach and separate from each other, only one side-shifting member can be moved. The applicable range is wider than the conventional structure that could not be achieved. In particular, in the case of a structure in which both width-shifting members are interlocked, the position of the transfer paper on the intermediate tray is
Since the center can always be adjusted regardless of the size, the movement control of the lens 23 and the like in the optical system 15 is advantageous.

In the present invention, the driving means for the width-shifting member does not matter,
For example, the width-shifting member may be connected to a solenoid or the like via a link mechanism and operated by switching the solenoid.

[Effect of device]

As described above, according to the present invention, the side plates of the pair of width-shifting members are interlocked with each other so as to rotate about the vertical axis, so that the transfer paper on the intermediate tray is horizontally oriented along the front surface of the image forming apparatus main body. Since it is configured to be pushed out to the side, the transfer paper on the intermediate tray can be easily taken out without providing a special space for the both side plates to rotate, and at the same time, the transfer paper can be taken out. As compared with the structure in which the transfer paper is lifted from below, there is an effect that the transfer paper can be pushed forward in a stable state. Further, as described above, it is possible to move the entire width-shifting members in opposite directions along the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction while connecting the side plates so as to rotate in association with each other. Therefore, as a result, it is possible to perform a satisfactory width-shifting operation as in the conventional device in which the side plate does not rotate. More specifically, one end of the connecting member is rotatably connected to a side plate of one width-adjusting member, and the other end of the connecting member is relatively rotatable to a side plate of the other width-adjusting member. According to the structure that is connected so as to be relatively movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction, it is possible to realize both the interlocking rotation of the side plate and the width-adjusting operation of both width-adjusting members with a simple structure. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a plan view of a width-shifting member and the like provided in a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the width-shifting member and the like, and FIG. 3 is a line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the overall structure of the copying machine. 1 ... Copier (image forming apparatus) main body, 31 ... Reverse feed mechanism,
45 …… Intermediate tray, 52,53 …… Width adjusting member, 56,57 ……
Side plate, 58 ... Coil spring (holding means), 60 ... Link (connecting member).

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A reverse feeding mechanism for feeding the transferred transfer paper back to the paper feed side, and an intermediate tray provided in the reverse feeding mechanism for temporarily stocking the reverse-transferred transfer paper. An image provided with a pair of width-shift members arranged on both sides of the transfer sheet to be fed in reverse and moving the transfer sheets relative to each other in a direction orthogonal to the transfer-sheet transport direction to shift the width of the transfer sheets on the intermediate tray. In the forming apparatus, both width-shifting members are attached to a pair of bases that are driven in opposite directions along a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction, and rotatably attached to each base about a vertical axis. A side plate and a connecting member for connecting both side plates so that the both side plates interlock with each other while allowing relative movement of the side plates in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveyance direction. Basically, the plate is parallel to the transfer paper transport direction And a holding means for holding the same in place, the transfer sheet on the intermediate tray is exposed to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body by the rotation of both side plates from the basic position to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body, A transfer paper width aligning device in an image forming apparatus, wherein both side plates are arranged so as to be pushed out to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body along the horizontal direction. 2. A transfer paper width adjusting device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end of the connecting member is connected to a side plate of one width adjusting member so as to be relatively rotatable.
The other end of the connecting member is connected to the side plate of the other width-shifting member so as to be relatively rotatable and relatively movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transfer paper conveying direction. Width adjustment device.