JPH08113393A - Paper sheet carrying direction changeover device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate the guiding a paper sheet by forming a loop in the sheet at an upstream part of a discharge roller member in disposing the discharge roller member at an end part of a carrying passage, and performing sheet inverting and discharging action. CONSTITUTION: In a discharge device connected to an image forming device to perform a post-process to paper sheets, a mode to feed the sheets straight from an end part of a carrying passage, and a mode to invert and discharge the sheet to a lower tray member at a lower part by planetary rotation of a pinch roller member 15 of a discharge roller member 10 are selected. A means to oscillate an upper guide plate 6 on the carrying passage is provided corresponding to the discharge roller member, and a space for forming a loop Pr at an upstream part of the discharge roller member 10 at the time of inverting the sheet is set, thereby curvature guide to thick paper or the like can be easily performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ejecting device for reversing and ejecting a sheet by using an ejecting roller member configured as a planetary roller, and particularly, when a sheet is reversed and ejected by the ejecting roller member, a large loop is formed on the sheet. The present invention relates to a sheet conveying direction switching device that can reversely discharge thick paper, weak paper, and the like by forming the sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For connecting a sheet to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer to bind sheets, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-13949.
It is known to use a binding device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5 or JP-A-2-219601. In an example in which the binding device is used by being connected to the image forming device, sheets of paper ejected from the image forming device are accumulated on a tray member of the binding device, the sheets are aligned, and then the stapler mechanism is operated. They are then bound and then ejected as a bound product. Further, in addition to the above-mentioned conventional example, in a device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-36496, a device made as a bookbinding product is guided to a folding device so that it can be discharged as a booklet product folded in two. I am configuring.

However, in each of the above-mentioned conventional examples, since the sheets to be discharged from the image forming apparatus are sequentially stacked on the tray of the binding apparatus and the like, the means for performing the binding operation as they are is used. The page order,
Depending on the orientation of the image surface, it may not be possible to perform the binding work as it is. Therefore, in order to deal with the above-mentioned problems, a sheet reversing mechanism is arranged in the sheet discharging section of the image forming apparatus, and pre-processing of bookbinding such as processing the pages of the sheet corresponding to the bookbinding is performed. Things are also being done. Further, in the case where the reversal discharge mechanism is not provided for the sheet conveying path of the image forming apparatus, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 56325, etc., it is also one method to provide a discharging device with means for reversing and discharging a sheet by using a planetary roller device. In the above-mentioned conventional example, when a discharge roller member configured as a planetary roller device is arranged at an end of a conveying path with respect to a discharge device connected to an image forming apparatus, and a sheet is accommodated in a lower tray member where a stapler is arranged. In the above, the pinch roller member is rotated around the drive roller member of the discharge roller member in a planetary state in a state where the leading end portion of the sheet is nipped by the discharge roller member.

In the sheet reversing and discharging apparatus using the discharging roller member of the conventional example, as shown in FIG. 20, the discharging roller member 10 is provided at the end of the conveying path 3a defined by the upper and lower guide plates 5a and 6a. The drive roller member 11 is arranged and the discharge roller member 10 is provided at a fixed position, and the pinch roller member 15 planetarily rotates around the drive roller member. Then, with the leading end of the paper P nipped between the drive roller member 11 and the pinch roller member 15, the pinch roller member 15 is rotated around the drive roller member 11 in a planetary manner as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet can be reversed and ejected to the lower tray or the like while the pinch roller member 15 is located below the drive roller member 11. When the means for rotating the pinch roller member as described above is configured as a planet, the operation of reversing and accommodating discharged sheets can be easily performed without providing a triroll device or a reversing conveyance path in the main body of the copying machine or the like. As a result, the mechanism of post-processing such as binding of sheets can be simplified.

[0005]

In the reversing device using the discharge roller member as described above, the drive roller member 11 is formed corresponding to the type of paper that is often used for making copies such as plain paper. Often Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23, the operation of bending the plain paper or the papers having a weaker stiffness along the drive roller member is performed as shown in FIG.
It can be done relatively easily. However, when trying to turn over a relatively thick paper or the like, if a drive roller member having a small diameter is used, the action of bending the paper around the small diameter drive roller member is not performed well. In addition, the operation of reversing the sheet may be hindered. Therefore, in the case of targeting the thick paper as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 24, the driving roller member 11a is configured to have a large diameter, and the thick paper or the particularly strong paper is ejected. It is also conceivable to construct a reversing device using a roller member. However, when the drive roller member 11a is configured to have a large diameter, the structure of the discharge roller member and the accommodation space become large, which becomes an obstacle when the discharge device is made small.

In addition to the reversing device as described above, a mechanism for reversing the sheet using the discharging roller member 10 and discharging it to the lower tray member 20 in which the stapler is arranged is shown in FIG.
It is also possible to configure as shown in FIG. However,
When the paper is stiff, the loop Pr of the paper is set to a constant size while the paper is being reversed while being nipped by the discharge roller member, but the trailing end of the paper is the discharge roller member. In the state where the nip position is deviated, as shown in FIG. 26, there is a problem that the trailing edge portion Pe of the paper greatly jumps to the rear side. When it is assumed that the trailing edge of the sheet jumps to the rear side, it is not possible to arrange other devices around the discharge roller member. Also has a big impact on.
Further, in a binding device configured by arranging a stapler or the like on a lower tray member, the lower tray member is formed small in order to make the entire device small. In the tray member, the rear end of the large size sheet is largely exposed from the tray. Therefore, if the trailing edge of the paper jumps at the final stage of paper ejection, problems such as contact of the paper with other peripheral devices may occur. In addition, when designing or manufacturing the device, inconveniences such as presenting many extra problems occur.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problem of the conventional discharging device using the discharging roller member. Even when the driving roller member has a small diameter, the upper guide plate of the conveying path is shaken. A first object of the present invention is to provide a device in which a large loop of a sheet is formed by moving the sheet to easily perform a reversing operation of the sheet, and a means capable of suppressing the state where the trailing edge of the sheet bounces is provided. A second object is to do so, and a third object is to provide an apparatus capable of accurately performing the reversing and discharging operation for papers having weak stiffness.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a discharge roller member having a planetary function is arranged at a sheet discharge end of a conveying path,
The present invention relates to a device in which a pinch roller member planetarily rotates around a drive roller member arranged on the discharge roller member in a state where the leading end portion of the paper is nipped by the discharge roller member and the paper is reversed and discharged toward a tray. In the present invention, the conveying speed of the discharging roller member is set to be lower than the conveying speed of the conveying roller device arranged in the upstream portion of the conveying path, and the pinch roller member of the discharging roller member is arranged around the driving roller member. Further, means for swinging the upper guide plate is provided in association with the operation of planetary rotation. Further, in the present invention, the discharge roller member for planetarily rotating the pinch roller member around the drive roller member and the upper guide plate swinging in conjunction with the operation for planetally rotating the pinch roller member around the drive roller member. And a discharge tray that discharges the sheet without reversing the sheet, and the sheet passing between the discharge roller member and the discharge tray is contacted. Place the paddle member near the discharge roller member at a position not
It is also possible to configure a means for defining the size of the loop of the sheet to be reversed and discharged by the discharge roller member.

Further, according to the present invention, an upper guide plate arranged on the conveying path is configured by curving the conveying roller device arranged upstream of the conveying path and the conveying path arranged between the discharge roller members. Is provided, the conveyance speed of the conveyance roller device and the conveyance speed of the discharge roller member are set to be the same, and the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member is interlocked with the operation of planetary rotation around the drive roller member. Thus, means for swinging the upper guide plate can be provided. Further, in the present invention, the drive roller member and the pinch roller member that constitute the discharge roller member are configured as a device that imparts corrugation in the width direction of the paper, and the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member is used. It is also possible to dispose a guide member that moves integrally and to configure a unit that guides the sheet toward the lower tray member by the guide member with respect to the sheet that is inverted with the leading end portion nipped by the discharge roller member. .

[0010]

In the discharging apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the mode in which the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is directly discharged to the discharging tray and the mode in which the sheet is reversed and stored in the lower tray member are arbitrarily selected. can do. Then, when the sheet is guided toward the lower tray member by using the discharge roller member, the upper guide plate of the upstream portion of the discharge roller member is swung corresponding to the loop formed on the sheet, so that the sheet is strong. It is possible to perform the reversing guide operation with respect to sheets and the like in a good state, and it is possible to easily perform the reversing operation even when the diameter of the drive roller member forming the upper guide plate is small. Further, when the paddle member is arranged corresponding to the discharge roller member of the present invention, when the rear end of the paper leaves the nip position of the discharge roller member, it bounces back and hits a peripheral member. Therefore, it is possible to guide the paper in a good condition.

Further, in the present invention, the conveyance path formed between the conveyance roller device and the discharge roller member is curved so that the sheet is longer than the linear distance between the rollers. When the leading end of the sheet is bent by the planetary action of the discharge roller member to be conveyed and the upper guide plate is swung, the sheet naturally forms a loop toward the upper margin space. Even if the driving speed is set to be the same for the two roller devices, the loop of the paper can be formed in a good state. Further, in the present invention, when the discharge roller member is configured as a corrugation roller, it is possible to prevent the paper from bending in the middle when guiding the relatively weak paper toward the discharge tray. When reversing using the discharge roller member,
The action of guiding toward the lower tray member can be accurately performed. Therefore, in the discharge device of the present invention, it is possible to favorably exert the action of reversing and conveying the sheet toward the lower tray member or the like by using the discharge roller member configured by combining the drive roller member and the pinch roller member. Thus, the paper guide device can be configured without complicating the structure of the device.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sheet conveying direction switching device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the ejection device 1 of the present invention is connected to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer, and ejects papers ejected as recording paper directly to an ejection tray 25. Alternatively, a mechanism for reversing and discharging the lower tray member 20 is configured. In the ejection device 1, the paper ejected from the image forming device is conveyed from the insertion port 2 using the conveyance roller devices 4 and 4a provided in the conveyance path 3 and is ejected using the ejection roller member 10. To The discharge roller member 10 is configured to have a planetary function, and has a pinch roller member 15 with respect to the drive roller member 11.
Is set to a fixed position to feed the paper and a state in which the pinch roller member 15 is planetarily rotated around the driving roller member 11 is used to set the discharge roller member 1
It is possible to arbitrarily select and perform the operation of ejecting two trays through 0.

In the conveying path arranged between the conveying roller device 4 and the discharging roller member 10, a lower guide plate 5 provided at a fixed position and an upper guide plate 6 swingably provided via a support shaft 7. It is composed by. Then, when the sheet is reversed and discharged toward the lower tray member by the discharging roller member, the upper space of the upper path is set to be large by opening the upper guide plate 6 of the conveying path, and a margin corresponding to a loop formed on the sheet is provided. I am trying to create a space. A sensor S for detecting the passage of the paper is arranged in the transport path 3, and the discharge roller member 10 detects the front end of the paper according to the information obtained by detecting the front end of the paper by the sensor S. The pinch roller member of the discharge roller member is caused to perform a planetary movement operation by observing the timing of nipping. Further, in response to the operation of reversing the sheet by the discharge roller member, the operation of swinging the upper guide plate 6 is performed, and the sheet is discharged from the discharge roller member by the detection information of the rear end portion of the sheet. And the operation of returning the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member to the original position,
The operation of returning the upper guide plate 6 is performed.

In the discharge device 1, when the paper is directly discharged straight without activating the planetary function of the discharge roller member 10, the discharge roller device 26 is used to guide the paper between the discharge tray 25 and the discharge tray 25. In the discharge roller device 26, the pinch roller 28 is arranged with respect to the drive roller 27. Then, the pinch roller 28 is held via an elastic support arm member 28a such as a leaf spring, and the base of the elastic support arm member 28a is supported by a support shaft 28b.
Further, the pinch roller 28 can be swung via a support shaft by using a driving means (not shown), and when the sheet is reversed and discharged toward the lower tray member 20, the pinch roller 28 is rotated. The roller 28 is swung to the position shown by the chain line in the figure.

A stapler 24 is arranged on the lower tray member 20 for receiving the sheet reversed and discharged by the discharge roller member 10, and a stopper 22 is provided in correspondence with the tip end portion of the lower tray member 20 which is inclined and arranged. It is provided, and the leading ends of the sheets stored in the tray are aligned in a state of being locked by the stopper. Then, the stapler 24 in which the clincher and the stitcher are separately arranged is positioned so as to correspond to the upper and lower portions of the sheets aligned on the lower tray member 20, and the binding operation for the sheets is performed. The position to be inserted can be set arbitrarily, and it can be performed by selecting an arbitrary mode such as one-point binding at the end portion, two-point binding, or binding at the central portion. Further, the document created by binding the sheets accommodated in the lower tray member to the transport roller device 21,
The discharge roller device 23 is operated so that the discharge roller device 23 sends the discharge roller device 23 toward the discharge tray or the like arranged below.

In the conveying path between the discharging roller member 10 of the discharging device 1 and the conveying roller device 4, as described above, the lower guide plate 5 provided at the fixed position and the supporting shaft 7 are swingable. It is configured by combining the upper guide plate 6 provided,
In association with the operation of rotating the pinch roller member 15 of the discharge roller member 10 around the drive roller member 11 in a planetary manner,
The upper guide plate 6 is configured to swing. When the sheet is reversed and discharged by the discharge roller member of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet P guided to the transport path passes through the transport roller device 4 and is discharged.
In the state of being nipped by the drive roller member 11 and the pinch roller member 15, the operation of planet-moving the pinch roller member 15 around the drive roller member 11 is started.

When the discharge roller member 10 guides the sheet toward the lower tray member, as shown in FIG. 3, the pinch roller member 15 is moved around the driving roller member 11 in a planetary manner, and at the same time, as shown in FIG. The upper guide plate 6 and the support shaft 7
To swing through. Then, when the sheet P is curved by the discharge roller member 10 and the loop Pr of the sheet is formed at the upstream portion of the discharge roller member, the upper guide plate does not interfere with the formation of the loop Pr. Allows you to set a spare space. Further, as described above, when the sheet is reversed and conveyed, the conveying speed by the conveying roller device 4 is set to be higher than the conveying speed of the discharge roller 10, and the route of the sheet is increased between both rollers. By carrying out the action of carrying, it is possible to easily perform an operation of reversing a strong sheet such as thick paper.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper and lower guide plates 5 and 6 for restricting the conveying path are shown to be linear, but in the present invention, it is also shown in FIG. As described above, the transport path is slightly curved. Therefore, when the transport path 3 is configured as a curved path as shown in FIG. 1, the upper and lower guide plates 5 and 6 are curved in accordance with the curved state of the transport path as shown in FIG. The two guide plates are arranged at a predetermined interval so that they can guide the paper. Also in the example shown in FIG. 4, the upper guide plate 6
Is provided so as to be swingable through the support shaft 7, and when the upper guide plate 6 is swung through the support shaft 7,
As shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to form an extra space corresponding to the loop Pr of the sheet. Then, with respect to the drive roller member 11 of the discharge roller member 10, the pinch roller member 15 is planetarily rotated from the position indicated by the chain line to the position indicated by the solid line, and the operation for forming the loop Pr of the sheet is sufficiently performed. Be tolerable.

In order to perform the reverse discharge of the sheet as shown in FIG. 5, in the present invention, a device for planetary movement of the pinch roller member and swing of the upper guide plate 6 as shown in FIG. Can be configured. The example shown in FIG. 6 shows a configuration for causing the discharge roller member 10 and the upper guide plate 6 to perform the above-described operation, and is provided so as to be swingable via a support shaft 7. On the upper guide plate 6, a spring 8 and a pressing mechanism by a guide rocking device 30 are arranged. Further, in the discharge roller member 10, a drive transmission device 17 is arranged to move the pinch roller member 15 around the drive roller member 11 as a planet, and in the drive transmission device 17, the stepping motor 1 is used.
8 and the gear train 19 are arranged. In the discharge roller member 10, means for transmitting drive from the drive device of the main body of the device via a conduction system using a belt 14 for driving the drive roller member 11 is provided on the shaft 12 of the drive roller member. It is driven via the pulley 13.

In the discharge roller member 10, the pinch roller member 15 is pressed against the drive roller member 11 so that the sheet is nipped between the two rollers to perform the conveying operation. . When the sheet is reversed and discharged by the discharge roller member 10, the motor 18 of the drive transmission device 17 is driven, and the shaft 15a of the pinch roller member 15 is driven via the gear device 19. Then, the support arms 16 and 16a that support both end portions of the shaft 15a of the pinch roller member 15 are arranged so as to allow free rotation with respect to the shaft of the drive roller member 11 via the bearing member. Performing an operation of rotating the member 15 around the shaft 12 of the drive roller member, and planetarily moving the pinch roller member 15 around the drive roller member via the end gear 19a provided integrally with the support arm 16. To be able to In addition, the discharge roller member 1
At 0, when the paper is completely discharged in the reversed state,
By driving the motor 18 in the reverse direction, the pinch roller member 15 is moved toward the upper part of the drive roller member 11,
An operation is performed such that the paper is returned to the position where it is newly nipped.

A shaft 32 is arranged via a torque limiter 31 with respect to a drive transmission device 17 for the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member and one of gear devices 19 of the drive transmission system. A pressing member 33, 33a such as a leaf spring is provided on the upper part of the upper guide plate 6 to form a means for pressing the upper guide plate 6. The pressing means by the pressing members 33 and 33a constitutes a guide swinging device 30 for moving the upper guide plate 6 up and down in cooperation with the spring 8 arranged with respect to the upper guide plate 6. The upper guide plate 6 is caused to swing by combining the action of swinging via the support shaft 7 by means of 8 with the action of pressing by the pressing members 33, 33a provided on the shaft 32. Also,
A stopper arm 34 is integrally provided at the end of the shaft 32 provided with the pressing member.
The rotation angle of the shaft 32 can be regulated by providing a stop member (not shown) for the swing range of 4.

When the drive transmission device 17 is driven by rotating the motor 18 in one direction, the shaft 32 provided with a pressing member via the torque limiter 31 of the guide rocking device 30.
By rotating the pressing members 33 and 33a from the position shown by the chain line to the position shown by the solid line in the figure, the upper guide plate 6 can be pulled up by the force of the spring 8 via the support shaft 7. Let it be done. Further, even when the drive transmission device 17 is continuously driven in a state where the upper guide plate 6 is swung upward, the shaft 32 provided with the pressing member is locked by the stopper arm 34 and torque is applied. Since the drive is not transmitted due to the limiter 31 sliding, the upper guide plate can be held in the raised position.
Further, when the motor 18 is rotated in the reverse direction after the paper is completely discharged from the discharge roller member, the drive roller member 1
1, the pinch roller member 15 is moved toward the upper part, and the shaft 32 supporting the pressing member is driven in the reverse direction to oppose the force of the spring 8 to swing the upper guide plate 6 downward. Let it do the action.

In the reversing discharge device of the present invention constructed as described above, according to the order shown in FIGS.
The sheet can be reversed and ejected toward the lower tray member by operating the respective devices. First, as shown in FIG. 7, when the sensor S arranged corresponding to the transport roller device 4 detects the leading edge of the paper P, the leading edge of the paper is detected by the roller of the discharge roller member based on the detection information. The pinch roller member 15 is rotated in a planetary manner and the operation of swinging the upper guide plate 6 is started by observing the timing of nipping between them. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the pinch roller member 15 of the discharge roller member is connected to the drive roller member 1.
In parallel with the planetary rotation around 1, the upper guide plate 6 is oscillated through the support shaft 7,
A loop Pr can be formed on the paper at the upstream portion of the portion where the paper P is nipped by the discharge roller member.

While the loop is formed on the sheet as described above, the driving roller member 11 and the conveying roller device 4 are driven while the tangent line of the nip position of the discharge roller member 10 is directed to the lower tray member, and the sheet is removed. Reverse and eject toward the lower tray member. The transport roller device 4 and the discharge roller member 10 arranged in the transport path are configured by curving the transport path as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. Since the paper is longer than the linear distance between the roller devices 4 and 10, the discharge roller 1
When the upper guide plate is rocked in synchronism with the planetary action at 0, an upward loop is generated in the paper due to the stiffness of the paper and the planetary rotation of the discharge roller. Therefore, as described above, when the conveyance path is arranged in a curved manner, even if the conveyance speeds of the rollers are set to be the same between the front and rear roller devices 4, 10, the sheet is reversed and ejected. A natural loop will be formed upstream of the roller. Also in the above-described embodiment, the conveyance roller device 4 and the discharge roller member 10 arranged on the conveyance path set the conveyance speed of the conveyance roller device to a large value to form a loop on the sheet between the front and rear roller devices. By performing the above, it is possible to easily perform the reverse discharge operation for the thick paper or the like.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the sheet is discharged toward the lower tray member, the rear end of the sheet is detected by the sensor S.
When a predetermined time elapses after the detection signal is received, the operation of reversely driving the drive transmission device is performed by observing the timing at which the trailing edge of the sheet comes out of the nip position of the transport roller device 4. To do so. And in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, even if the operation of returning the pinch roller member to the original position and the operation of lowering the upper guide plate 6 are performed before the trailing edge of the paper leaves the nip position of the discharge roller member, Since the trailing edge portion is free from the binding roller device and is in a free state, the loop portion formed at the trailing edge portion of the paper is not bent even if an operation for reducing the loop of the paper is performed. Absent. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, even if the leading end of the paper P contacts the stopper 22 provided on the lower tray member, the operation of returning the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member to the original position is particularly large. It will have no effect.

[0026]

[Embodiment 2] In addition to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, in the present invention, a reversing discharge device as shown in FIG. 10 can be constructed. A mechanism for swinging the upper guide plate 6 corresponding to the discharge roller member 10 is provided. Further, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 10, a paddle member 35 is provided so as to correspond to a sheet discharging portion from the discharging roller member 10, and the paddle member 35 is provided outside the sheet discharged from the discharging roller member 10. Promotes the action of forming the loop Pp and
To regulate the shape of. Then, the operation of pressing the sheet from above by the paddle member is performed so that the rear end of the sheet discharged from the discharge roller member can be prevented from bouncing. The paddle member 35 is supported by the shaft 36,
The driving means (not shown) is driven at a speed higher than the rotation speed of the driving roller member so that the pressing operation on the paper can be performed.

As described above, in addition to the additional arrangement of the paddle member, the driving roller member 11 which constitutes the discharging roller member 10 in the discharging portion shown in FIG.
And the mechanism of the pinch roller member 15 and the pinch roller member 1
A mechanism and the like for rotating the planetary gear 5 with respect to the drive roller member 11 is similarly configured, and a mechanism and the like for swinging the upper guide plate 6 between the discharge roller member 10 and the transport roller device arranged upstream thereof are also the same. To configure. In the discharge device shown in FIG. 10, as shown in FIG. 11, when the paper P is directly discharged from the discharge roller member 10 toward the discharge tray, the paddle member 35 contacts the paper. It is provided at a position not provided, and a gap s is set between the passage path of the sheet P and the paddle member 35. The paddle member 35 does not contact the sheet P discharged from the discharge roller member 10 toward the discharge tray, and the paddle member does not act on the sheet discharged to the discharge tray. It

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the rear end portion of the sheet has finished passing through the portion of the transport roller device arranged upstream of the discharge roller member 10, and the pinch roller member 15 of the discharge roller member 10 is moved to its original position. 9A and 9B, when the operation of discharging the trailing edge of the sheet is continued, the leading edge of the sheet engages with the stopper of the lower tray member or the like to form a loop Pp on the sheet. Then, when the sheet is sent out in a state of forming a loop Pp between the discharge roller member 10 and a stopper of a lower tray member (not shown), the action of pressing the loop of the sheet by the paddle member is performed. It is designed to prevent the edges from bouncing.

As described above, when the leading end of the sheet is locked by the stopper or the like, the discharge roller member 10
By the action of feeding the paper from the
Although the state becomes p1, the loop Pp2 becomes larger successively, and when the trailing edge of the sheet leaves the nip position of the discharge roller member, the upper portion of the loop of the sheet contacts the paddle member 35. It becomes a state. Further, when a conveyance action is applied to the loop Pp2 of the sheet by the paddle member 35, the rear end portion of the sheet gradually moves to move out of the regulation position by the paddle member and from the state of Pp3.
It will be deposited straight on the tray side. At this time, the relatively small loop is bounced, so that the trailing edge of the sheet does not hit the tray or the like strongly.

Further, in the case of using the reversing paper discharging device shown in FIG. 10, the action of reversing and discharging the paper by the discharging device and the state of the loop formed on the paper will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16. To do. The example shown in FIG. 13 shows a state in which the leading end portion of the sheet is nipped by the discharge roller member 10, and the sheet is nipped by the respective rollers of the transport roller device 4 and the discharge roller member 10. The pinch roller member 15 of the member 10 is rotated by a planet. Then, in parallel with the operation of planetary rotation of the pinch roller member, as shown in FIG. 14, the operation of swinging the upper guide plate 6 upward through the support shaft is performed, and the conveyance roller device 4 and the discharge roller member are caused. An extra space for forming the loop Pr of the sheet is formed in the conveying path in correspondence with the difference in the sheet conveying speed due to.

As shown in FIG. 14, the rear end of the sheet is detected by the sensor while the sheet is being sent out toward the lower tray member by the discharge roller member 10 while forming a loop. Then, after the detection information of the sensor is input, the trailing edge of the sheet comes out of the nip position of the transport roller device after a predetermined time elapses. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the pinch roller member 15 of the discharge roller member is removed. An operation of returning to the original position and an operation of lowering the upper guide plate 6 are performed. Further, since the leading end portion of the sheet sent toward the lower tray member is locked by the stopper 22, a loop Pr is formed on the sheet sent by the discharge roller member 10, and the loop Pr of the sheet is gradually increased. Becomes
After that, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper portion of the loop Pr of the sheet comes into contact with the paddle member 35. Therefore, when the sheet loop becomes large in the state shown in FIG. 16, the action of guiding the rear end of the sheet by the paddle member is performed as shown in FIG. 12, and the sheet is conveyed to the lower tray member. Then, the operation of reversing and discharging is performed.

[0032]

[Third Embodiment] In addition to the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, the roller member of the discharge roller member is configured as a corrugation device so that the discharge operation can be performed in a good state on weak-paper sheets. You can also In the example shown in FIG. 17, the driving roller member arranged on the discharge roller member 10a is constituted by the roll 40 with the flange, and the flange member 42 is arranged so as to project on both sides of the main body portion 41. Then, the main body 41 of the flanged roll 40
With the pinch roller member 15 positioned in the center of
By inserting the paper P between both rollers, corrugation that forms unevenness in the width direction of the paper is imparted, the rigidity in the length direction of the paper is strengthened, and the paper fed by the discharge roller member 10a is reinforced. Make your waist stronger and let it drain. In the discharge roller member using the corrugation device, all of the rollers provided as the driving roller member can be configured as a flanged roll, but in addition, the roller members located on both sides of the sheet are flanged rolls. It is also possible to use means such as the above.

Further, the discharge roller member 10a shown in FIG.
In addition to the above, as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to arrange a guide member 45 that moves integrally with the guide member 45 so as to guide the paper. In addition, a fixed guide member 46 is arranged on the lower tray member corresponding to the guide member 45, and when the paper is guided to the lower tray member by using the discharge roller member 10a, the paper is placed between the two guide plates. Is configured to pass through. An upstream side portion of the guide member 45 in the sheet conveying direction is formed so as to be connected to an end portion of the upper guide plate 6, and an extension portion of the downstream portion can be set to an arbitrary length. is there. When the sheet is ejected straight from the ejection roller member 10a toward the ejection tray, the sheet may be buckled in the middle even if the fed sheet is thin and weak. Will be sent as if there is no. When the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member 10a is rotated in a planetary state and sent out in a state of being inverted toward the lower tray member, the pinch roller member 15 is moved to the lower position as shown in FIG. When a sheet is accommodated in the lower tray member, a gap t can be set between the fixed guide member 46 arranged corresponding to the lower tray member and the guide member 45, and the very narrow gap t can be set. Allow the leading edge of the paper to be guided through.

As shown in FIG. 19, when the paper is guided from the discharge roller member toward the lower tray member, the stiffness of the paper is strengthened while corrugation is applied to the paper, and It is possible to insert the leading end of the sheet that is projected straight from the nip position between the two guide members 45 and 46. Therefore, in the case of using the paper guide system as described above, when the relatively thin paper or the like is reversed and discharged by using the discharge roller member, the paper does not curl up and is placed on the lower tray member. Can be accurately deposited. Further, the discharge roller member to which the corrugation device of the present invention is applied can be used by incorporating it into the device as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. The performance can be exhibited well.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the paper path arranged in the discharge device, the number of the transfer roller devices provided in the paper path, the arrangement interval, and the like are set arbitrarily. Further, the arrangement position of the lower tray member incorporated in the discharging device, the configuration of the binding device arranged in the lower tray member, and the like can also be applied to any conventionally used device. Furthermore, the conditions such as the structure of the driving roller member and the pinch roller member that configure the discharge roller member and the planet rotation angle of the pinch roller member depend on the conditions such as the distance between the transport path of the discharge device and the lower tray member. It can be set, and the swing angle with respect to the upper guide plate of the transport path, the setting conditions of the swing operation timing, and the like can be configured to correspond to the paper that is often used in the image forming apparatus. it can.

[0036]

Since the sheet conveying direction switching device of the present invention is configured as described above, in the discharging device of the present invention, the mode in which the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is directly discharged to the discharge tray. Then, it is possible to arbitrarily select the mode of reversing and storing in the lower tray member for discharging. Then, when the sheet is guided toward the lower tray member by using the discharge roller member, the upper guide plate of the upstream portion of the discharge roller member is swung corresponding to the loop formed on the sheet, so that the sheet is strong. It is possible to perform the reversing guide operation with respect to sheets and the like in a good state, and it is possible to easily perform the reversing operation even when the diameter of the drive roller member forming the upper guide plate is small. Further, when the paddle member is arranged in correspondence with the discharge roller member of the present invention, when the rear end of the paper comes out of the nip position of the discharge roller member, there is a problem that it bounces and hits the surrounding members. Therefore, it is possible to guide the paper in a good condition.

Further, in the present invention, the conveying path formed between the conveying roller device and the discharge roller member is curved so that the paper is longer than the linear distance between both rollers. When the leading end of the sheet is bent by the planetary action of the discharge roller member to be conveyed and the upper guide plate is swung, the sheet naturally forms a loop toward the upper margin space. Even if the driving speed is set to be the same for the two roller devices, the loop of the paper can be formed in a good state. Further, in the present invention, when the discharge roller member is configured as a corrugation roller, it is possible to prevent the paper from curling in the middle when guiding relatively weak papers toward the discharge tray. When reversing using the discharge roller member,
The action of guiding toward the lower tray member can be accurately performed. Therefore, in the discharge device of the present invention, it is possible to favorably exert the action of reversing and conveying the sheet toward the lower tray member or the like by using the discharge roller member configured by combining the drive roller member and the pinch roller member. Thus, the paper guide device can be configured without complicating the structure of the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a discharging device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus that linearly configures a conveyance path.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a discharge roller member reversely discharges a sheet to a lower tray.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example in which a conveyance path is configured as a curved path.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a sheet is reversed and discharged.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a reversal discharge section including a discharge roller member.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state where a sheet is conveyed by the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a pinch roller member of a discharge roller member is planetarily rotated to guide a sheet to a lower sheet feeding tray.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the trailing edge of the sheet has come out of the transport roller device.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an example in which a paddle member is arranged corresponding to a discharge roller member.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a sheet is discharged toward a discharge tray.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a guide state by a paddle member when a sheet is discharged to a lower tray.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a state where a sheet is conveyed using the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a sheet is being guided in the reverse direction by a discharge roller member.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the discharge roller member is returned to the original position.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the sheet is completely discharged from the discharge roller member.

FIG. 17 is a front view of an example in which the discharge roller member is configured as a corrugation device.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a sheet is discharged to a discharge tray by a discharge roller member provided with a corrugation device function.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a sheet is discharged to a lower tray by a discharge roller member having a corrugation device function.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a sheet is guided by a conventional discharge roller member.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member is planetarily rotated.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of guiding a sheet to a lower tray by a discharge roller member.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the driving roller is a roller having a small diameter.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of an example in which the driving roller member is configured by a large diameter roller.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member different from that in FIG. 21 is planetarily rotated.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the trailing edge of the sheet when the sheet is guided to the lower tray by the apparatus of FIG. 25.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 discharge device, 3 conveyance path, 4 conveyance roller device, 5 lower guide plate, 6 upper guide plate, 7
Support shaft, 10 discharge roller member, 11 drive roller member, 15 pinch roller member, 16 support arm, 17 drive transmission device, 18 motor, 2
0 lower tray member, 22 stopper, 23
Discharge roller device, 25 discharge tray, 26 discharge roller device, 30 guide swinging device, 31 torque limiter, 33 leaf spring, 35 paddle member, 40 roll with flange, 45 guide member, 46 fixed guide member.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A discharge roller member provided with a planetary function is disposed at a sheet discharge end portion of a transport path, and a drive roller member arranged at the discharge roller member in a state where a leading end portion of the sheet is nipped with the discharge roller member. In a device in which a pinch roller member rotates around its periphery in a planetary manner and reversely ejects a sheet toward a tray, the conveying speed of the ejecting roller member is set to be lower than the conveying speed of the conveying roller device arranged in the upstream portion of the conveying path. A sheet conveyance direction switching device, which is provided with means for swinging the upper guide plate in association with the operation of the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member rotating around the drive roller member while setting. 2. A discharge roller member for planetarily rotating a pinch roller member around a drive roller member, and means for rocking an upper guide plate in association with an operation of planetally rotating the pinch roller member around the drive roller member. In a discharge device provided with a lower tray member for inverting and discharging the paper and a discharge tray for discharging the paper without inverting, a position where the paper passing between the discharge roller member and the discharge tray is not in contact 2. The sheet conveying direction according to claim 1, wherein the paddle member is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge roller member, and means for defining the size of a loop of the sheet to be reversed and discharged by the discharge roller member is configured. Switching device. 3. A discharge roller member provided with a planetary function is disposed at a sheet discharge end portion of a conveyance path, and a drive roller member arranged at the discharge roller member in a state where a leading end portion of the sheet is nipped with the discharge roller member. In a device in which a pinch roller member rotates around its periphery in a planetary manner and reversely ejects a sheet toward a tray, a conveyance roller device disposed upstream of the conveyance path and a conveyance path disposed between the ejection roller members are curved. Configure and
A means for oscillating the upper guide plate arranged in the transport path is provided, the transport speed of the transport roller device and the transport speed of the discharge roller member are set to be the same, and the pinch roller member of the discharge roller member is the drive roller member. A paper conveyance direction switching device, characterized in that a means for swinging the upper guide plate is provided in association with the operation of planetary rotation around the sheet. 4. A discharge roller member for planetarily rotating a pinch roller member around a drive roller member, and an upper guide plate for rocking in conjunction with an operation for planetarily rotating the pinch roller member around the drive roller member. In the discharging device having the means, the driving roller member and the pinch roller member that configure the discharging roller member are configured as a device that applies corrugation in the width direction of the sheet, and A guide member that moves integrally with each other is provided, and a means for guiding the paper toward the lower tray member by the guide member with respect to the paper that is inverted with the leading end being nipped by the discharge roller member is configured. Characteristic paper transport direction switching device.