JPH08245045A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate adjusting work by disposing a paddle member at a tray to move paper, and curving the rear end of the paper rapidly toward the bottom plate of the tray at the time of accumulating photocopied paper in an uphill type discharge tray. CONSTITUTION: A discharge roller device 10 provided at the end part of the discharge path 3 of an image forming device is constituted as a device that can rotate a pinch roller device 15 in an epicyclic state to a driving roller device 11 so as to be oscillated from a continuous line position into an imaginary line position in the state of nipping the rear end part of paper. A paddle member 5 is disposed at a discharge tray 1. The rear end part of the paper is rapidly curved downward by the discharge roller device 10, and in the state of the rear end of the paper being separated, the nip position of a roller is positioned at the paddle member part to make the paddle member 5 act for adjustment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus in which a sheet aligning means is provided in a discharge tray provided in a sheet discharge section of an image forming apparatus, and in particular, it is constructed so that the leading end portion of the sheet in the traveling direction becomes high. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a means for aligning a trailing end portion of a sheet on a discharge tray with a regulating member provided on the image forming apparatus side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer, a discharge tray is arranged at a copy discharge portion, and a copy sheet made by the image forming apparatus is placed on the discharge tray. It is carried out in this way. In addition, in order to facilitate post-processing of paper, a sorter device may be provided so as to connect the paper to the tray of the sorter in an arbitrary sorting mode. In the discharge tray, a discharge roller device arranged in the discharge portion of the image forming apparatus causes friction between the tray and the paper when the paper is sent toward the discharge tray, and a difference between the previously accumulated paper and the discharged paper. There is a problem that the position where the paper is stopped on the tray is not constant due to friction between the sheets, and the accumulation state is disturbed.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned discharge tray, when the leading end portion of the paper in the discharge direction is inclined downward, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-75467, it is placed on the tray. Arranging the guide member is performed. Then, the paper delivered by the ejection roller device is regulated so as not to jump, and the leading end of the paper in the paper ejection direction is guided toward the vertical plate member provided at the end of the tray to check the paper accumulation state. Means for maintaining good condition are constructed. Further, when the discharge tray is formed substantially horizontally, it is also proposed to arrange a rotating body between the discharge tray and the discharge roller device as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-171763. ing. In the above-mentioned conventional example, the rear end of the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus is advanced while being locked by the rotating body, and the front end of the paper is pressed against the vertical plate arranged at the end of the discharge tray. In this state, the sheets are positioned so that they can be deposited.

In addition to the above-mentioned discharge tray, there is a case where a discharge tray (hereinafter referred to as an uphill type discharge tray) configured so that the leading end portion in the sheet advancing direction becomes high. The uphill type tray is shown in FIG.
The discharge tray 1 provided corresponding to the end of the discharge path 3 of the image forming apparatus has a configuration as shown in FIG. 2 and is provided so that the leading end of the sheet in the discharge direction is inclined. Then, since the front end of the paper P discharged by the discharge roller device 4 is raised along the slope of the tray, when the rear end of the paper is discharged from the discharge roller device 4, the rear end of the paper is It naturally falls and is positioned on the regulation plate 2 of the discharge tray 1. Also, the discharge tray 1
Even if the paper advances due to the inertia of the paper ejected to, it will descend along the inclination of the tray, so
With the trailing edge of the sheet in contact with the regulation plate 2, the action of aligning the sheet in the discharge tray can be easily performed.

[0005]

When the discharge tray as shown in FIG. 20 is used and the sheet conveying speed of the image forming apparatus is relatively low, the sheets accumulated in the discharge tray are greatly disturbed. There is nothing to do. However, in a high-speed machine that produces many copies per unit time, the paper conveyance speed in the paper conveyance path inside the machine is extremely high, and as a result, the conveyance speed of the discharge roller device is also very high. Is formed in. Since the speed of the paper discharged from the discharge roller device toward the discharge tray is high, the paper P discharged to the discharge tray 1 by the discharge roller device 4 is the same as that of the paper as shown in FIG. After the trailing end portion Pe leaves the nip position of the discharge roller device 4, the landing is performed in a state of being largely separated from the regulation plate 2 at the base portion of the paper feed tray 1 due to the inertia at the time of discharging the paper. Therefore, when the paper is placed on the discharge tray, the rear end of the paper is largely separated from the regulation plate 2 of the discharge tray 1 and then slid down along the inclined surface of the discharge tray to be positioned at the alignment position. Will be.

However, in the high-speed machine as described above, as shown in FIG. 21, the paper is ejected far away from the base of the discharge tray, and then, while the paper slides down along the inclination of the tray, Paper is ejected,
It may be placed on the paper being aligned. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus is a high-speed machine, there is a problem that the sheets discharged to the discharge tray are sequentially deposited in a state in which they cannot be accurately positioned with respect to the regulation member provided at the base of the tray, There is an inconvenience that post-processing such as taking out the sheets in a uniform manner cannot be easily performed.

The present invention solves the problem of accumulating paper in the conventional uphill type discharge tray as described above, and the rear end of the paper discharged toward the discharge tray is eliminated. In addition to providing a means for forcibly guiding the sheet toward the tray and a means for conveying the sheet toward the regulation plate on the tray, the action of aligning the sheet discharged at a high speed toward the discharge tray is accurately arranged. It is intended to provide a device that can be performed.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using a discharge tray which is arranged in a sheet discharging section of an image forming apparatus and is configured such that the leading end portion in the sheet advancing direction becomes higher. In the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the discharge roller device for sending the paper toward the discharge tray sends the paper toward the discharge tray while changing the discharge direction of the rear end portion of the paper. Ejecting means and means for conveying the trailing edge of the sheet ejected by the ejecting means toward the regulation position of the tray are provided. Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the discharging means sets a discharging roller member, a rotating mechanism for rotating the discharging roller member to the tray side, and a control for setting an operation timing of the rotating mechanism. It is configured by means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet discharge device for aligning and storing discharged sheets, a discharge tray for receiving the sheets, and a sheet provided at an end of the discharge tray. A regulation member that regulates the position of the end, a discharge unit that discharges the sheet to the discharge tray, and a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet discharged to the discharge tray toward the regulation member along the discharge tray. The ejecting unit may constitute a device for ejecting while sandwiching the sheet together with the conveying unit until the conveying unit applies a conveying force toward the regulating member to the sheet.

In addition, in the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the invention of claim 3, a driving means for discharging a sheet to the discharge tray is constituted by combining a roller member and a paddle member. A roller device, a pinch roller device composed of a roller member that makes a planetary movement with respect to the drive roller device, a discharge roller device configured by combining the drive roller device and the pinch roller device, and a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus. According to the detection information of the rear end of the sheet to be arranged, the pinch roller device is configured to be a planetary moving device with respect to the drive roller device, and the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is regulated along the discharge tray. The transport means for transporting toward the member is configured by a paddle member provided in the drive roller device, and the rear end of the paper is discharged toward the bottom plate of the discharge tray. After the, constitute a device for moving toward the paper at the restricting position by the paddle member provided in the drive roller device.

Further, in the invention described in claim 5,
In addition to the inventions of claims 3 and 4, the discharge roller device for discharging the paper to the discharge tray is swingably supported by the shaft of the drive roller device and is rotated in association with the rotation of the drive shaft. An aligning member provided with a paddle member is provided, and after the rear end of the sheet is ejected toward the bottom plate of the ejection tray, the aligning member moves the sheet toward the regulation position. In the invention described in claim 6 of the present invention, in addition to the invention described in claims 3 to 5, a drive device for planet-moving the pinch roller device is arranged, and the drive device includes a pinch roller. Means are provided for setting the angle of planetary movement of the device.

In the present invention, the means for guiding the rear end of the sheet downward is constituted by an orbit roller device, or means for swinging the end portion of the discharge path and the discharge roller device, Alternatively, it can be configured by arranging a swinging tongue member. Then, by operating the guide means provided at the end of the discharge path based on the detection information of the trailing edge of the sheet, the trailing edge of the sheet does not jump out to a position greatly separated from the regulation plate, It becomes possible to easily perform the matching action by the paddle. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily perform the aligning action on the paper discharged to the discharge tray, which causes a problem that the operator is burdened with the post-processing of the paper. Can be prevented.

In the present invention, when the paddle member is arranged on the drive roller device of the discharge roller device, a paddle member provided on the drive shaft of the discharge roller device is used instead of a separate paddle, and the discharge tray is provided. The sheet can be moved inside, and the configuration of the sheet aligning unit can be simplified. Further, in addition to the means for arranging the paddle member on the drive roller device, if the aligning member provided with the paddle is arranged separately, the paper aligning means can be easily constructed for a large capacity discharge tray or the like. It becomes possible to do. Furthermore, by configuring the angle at which the pinch roller device is planetarily moved with respect to the drive roller device, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the angle so that the paper accumulation state can be maintained in a good manner in accordance with the type of paper, the shape of the discharge tray, etc. A device can be configured.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the discharge roller device 10 is arranged at the end of the discharge path 3 of the image forming apparatus, and the pinch roller device 15 is provided to the drive roller device 11 of the discharge roller device 10. It constitutes the orbit roller mechanism that moves the planets. Further, as shown in the figure, the discharge tray 1 configured as an uphill type tray is provided with the leading end portion in the sheet feeding direction inclined upward, and serves as a regulation plate 2 at the base portion on the image forming apparatus side. The vertical plate is arranged, and the rear end of the discharged paper P is aligned with the regulation plate in a state of being pressed. Further, a paddle member 5 is arranged on the discharge tray 1, and by rotating the paddle member 5 in a clockwise direction via a support shaft, the rear end portion of the paper discharged to the discharge tray is regulated by a regulating plate. To be able to convey to 2. The paddle member used in the present invention is formed by radially arranging thin blade members made of rubber or plastic around the shaft member, like a paddle generally used in electrophotographic copying machines and the like. The blade member is curved and slides on the surface of the sheet, so that the sheet can be conveyed.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, a sensor S for detecting the trailing edge of the sheet is provided at a predetermined position of the discharge path 3 of the image forming apparatus, and a discharge roller arranged at the end of the discharge path. The device 10 is configured as an orbit roller device. Then, the pinch roller device 1 is pressed against the drive roller device 11 of the discharge roller device 10 and the rear end portion of the sheet is nipped between the two rollers.
The rear end of the paper is guided toward the bottom plate of the tray by planetary rotation of 5 around the drive roller device 11 in the clockwise direction. Therefore, the trailing edge of the sheet discharged at high speed by the discharging roller device is prevented from being skipped to the middle of the tray, and the trailing edge of the sheet is positioned close to the paddle member 5. It is made possible to drop it and move it in a direction corresponding to the control plate 2 of the discharge tray by rotating the paddle member.

When the image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 is constructed, a control program as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2 can be constructed. When the edge is detected, the timer of the control device is set to xms in step a-2.
The set time x is set as a sufficient time for guiding the trailing edge of the sheet toward the bottom plate of the tray before the trailing edge of the sheet exits from the nip position of the discharge roller device. Then, in step a-3, the pinch roller device 15 is rotated around the drive roller device 11 in a planetary state while the sheet is nipped between the rollers of the discharge roller device,
The sheet is moved from the solid line position to the imaginary line position, and the rear end of the sheet is abruptly bent and guided.

After that, the trailing edge of the sheet comes out of the nip position of the discharge roller device and is deposited on the discharge tray. After the operation of step a-3, the timer is set to the time of yms in step a-4. Set that time y
Is passed, the pinch roller device 1 is operated at step a-5.
5 is rotated in the reverse direction to return the discharge roller device to the original position so that the next sheet can be accommodated. That is, in the flow chart of FIG. 2, after a certain period of time has passed since the information for detecting the trailing edge of the sheet was input, the pinch was performed while the trailing edge of the sheet was held at the nip position of the discharge roller device. An operation of rotating the roller device by a predetermined angle with respect to the periphery of the drive roller device is performed so that the rear end of the paper is ejected toward a position corresponding to the paddle member. Therefore, the sheet discharged to the discharge tray as described above is easily moved toward the regulation plate and aligned by the rotation of the paddle member, so that the sheet is not disturbed on the discharge tray.

In order to operate the discharge roller device shown in FIG. 1 according to the flow chart of FIG. 2, the discharge roller device of the present invention can be constructed as a device shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the drive roller device 11 that constitutes the discharge roller device 10 is used.
The drive shaft 12 is rotatably supported by a bearing member (not shown), and a pulley 13 is provided at the end of the shaft 12.
And is driven at a predetermined speed via the timing belt 14. In addition, the pinch roller device 1 is provided in a state where the drive shaft of the drive roller device 11 is allowed to freely rotate.
A support arm member 17 for supporting both end portions of the shaft 16 of 5,
17a is arranged and the support arm member 17 is attached to the drive shaft 12
The pinch roller device 15 can be moved around the drive roller device 11 in a planetary manner by rotating the planetary gears around.

Further, the support arm members 17, 17a
Drive gear devices 18 and 18a are arranged for transmitting the rotation of the motor 20 to the torque limiter 22 via the drive gear device 21. Further, in order to drive the support arm members arranged on both sides of the pinch roller device in conjunction with each other, a transmission shaft 23 is provided from the drive gear device 21 via the torque limiter 22, and the drive gear device is provided from both ends of the torque limiter 22. A drive mechanism for the support arm members 17, 17a is configured via 18, 18a. Further, a stopper member 24 is arranged on the transmission shaft 23, and a rotation position regulating member (not shown) is provided for the stopper member 24 to regulate the rotation angle of the support arm member, thereby ejecting the discharging roller. The device guides the rear end of the paper toward the discharge tray while nipping the rear end of the paper so that the rear end of the paper is discharged to a position where it can be guided toward the paddle member.

In the present invention, it is possible to set a flow chart for discharging a sheet as shown in FIG. 2 with respect to the discharge roller device 10 shown in FIG. 3, and the sheet is discharged by the discharge roller device. The operation of discharging toward the discharge tray can be performed by the operation shown in each of FIGS. 4 to 9. When ejecting the paper toward the ejection tray 1, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the paper P is sent out from the ejection path 3 of the image forming apparatus through the ejection roller device 10, and the leading end portion of the paper is ejected. Is guided while sliding on the uphill type bottom plate of the discharge tray 1. When the paper is discharged toward the discharge tray, the paddle member 5 is rotated in synchronization with the discharge roller device.
While the sheet is being discharged toward the discharge tray as shown in FIG. 4, the sensor S detects the trailing edge portion Pe of the sheet as shown in FIG. After a lapse of a predetermined time after the trailing edge of the sheet is detected, as shown in FIG. 6, the pinch roller device 15 is driven while the trailing edge Pe of the sheet is nipped between the rollers of the discharge roller device. Roller device 11
The operation of moving the planet along the circumference of is performed.

Further, by moving the pinch roller device 15 around the driving roller device 11, the paper P being discharged to the discharge tray is largely curved along the bottom plate of the tray. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the trailing edge of the sheet leaves the nip position of the discharge roller device, the trailing edge of the sheet abruptly drops toward the paddle member 5 due to the reaction force of the curved sheet. It becomes a state. After that, as shown in FIG. 8, the rear end of the sheet ejected from the ejection roller device is conveyed toward the regulation plate 2 by the paddle member 5, and as shown in FIG. Is conveyed to the regulation position by the rotation of the paddle member 5. As described above, while performing the operation of aligning the paper inside the discharge tray, the pinch roller device 15 of the discharge roller device 10 is moved counterclockwise by looking at the timing when the next paper is guided to the discharge path. The discharge roller device to wait at the initial position for discharging the paper.

Therefore, as shown in each of FIGS. 4 to 9, in the apparatus for discharging the sheet from the image forming apparatus toward the discharge tray at a high speed by operating the movement of the discharge roller apparatus. The function of accumulating paper inside the discharge tray can be performed in a good state. The steps shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2 are described in correspondence with the operations of ejecting and aligning the sheets shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, and the timing of performing the operation of moving the pinch roller device, etc. It can be set arbitrarily according to the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. Further, the timing of returning the pinch roller device to the original position from the state of FIG. 8 as shown in FIG. 9 can be set in correspondence with the sheet conveyance interval,
It is set by information such as the sheet conveyance interval obtained from the control device of the image forming apparatus.

[0023]

Embodiment 1 As shown in the present invention, in addition to configuring the discharge roller device as an orbit roller mechanism for planetarily moving the pinch roller device with respect to the drive roller device, in the present invention, A device as shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 can be constructed. In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10, a swing discharge path 30 is provided at the end of the discharge path 3, and a discharge roller device 32 is provided at the tip of the swing discharge path 30. The swing discharge path 30 is configured such that the upper and lower guide plates that form the paper transport path are integrated and can swing via a support shaft 31.
The drive roller device of No. 2 is driven and transmitted by using an interlocking mechanism (not shown), and the rocking discharge path 30 is rocked in a state where the paper is nipped between the pinch roller device.

In the swinging discharge path 30, when the sensor S provided in the discharge path 3 detects the leading edge of the sheet, the above-mentioned FIG.
In the same manner as in the above case, a time corresponding to the timing of swinging the swing discharge path is set, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the leading edge of the paper was detected by the sensor, the swing discharge path 30 is supported by the support shaft 31. Swing through. Then, by swinging the discharge roller device 32 along with the discharge path, the sheet discharged toward the discharge tray is given a function of curving largely downward, and in that state, the sheet is discharged after the sheet is discharged. The end portion is discharged toward the paddle member 5. After that,
The rear end portion of the sheet is conveyed by the paddle member 5 toward the regulation plate 2 of the discharge tray so that the sheet is aligned in the tray. Further, after the paper is discharged, the swing discharge path 30 is returned to the original discharge position, but within a predetermined time after the leading edge of the next paper is detected by the sensor S, Corresponding to the operation of discharging the paper, the timing for moving the discharge roller device 32 to the standby position can be set and performed.

Apart from the example shown in FIG. 10, in the present invention, a sheet guide means as shown in FIG. 11 can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the discharge roller device 35 is arranged at the end of the discharge path 3, and the conveying roller 6 is arranged at the upstream part thereof. Further, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is sent toward the discharge roller device 35 via the conveying roller 6, and the sensor S is provided in the middle of the conveyance. Further, a swing arm 36 is arranged on the shaft of the roller above the discharge roller device 35, and a mechanism for swinging the swing arm 36 by using a driving means (not shown) is configured. The swing arm 36 has a position shown by a solid line in the figure,
It is provided so that it can swing between the positions indicated by imaginary lines.
Immediately before the trailing edge of the sheet is ejected from the ejection roller device 35, the swing arm 36 is swung to bend the sheet downward, and the trailing edge of the ejected sheet is moved relative to the paddle member 5. Be able to hand over.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 11, at the timing shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the swinging arm 36 is interposed via the shaft immediately before the trailing edge of the paper leaves the nip position of the discharge roller device. And swing it clockwise.
Then, the sheet P discharged onto the discharge tray 1 is subjected to an action of largely curving downward,
The paper is separated from the nip position of the discharge roller device. Therefore, the trailing edge of the paper leaving the nip position of the discharge roller device is lowered to a position along the bottom plate of the tray due to the stiffness of the paper, and is conveyed toward the regulation plate 2 by the rotation of the paddle member. And the matching action is performed.
Further, as described above, the swing arm 36, which has pushed down the trailing edge of the sheet, swings counterclockwise via the shaft, looking at the timing when the next sheet is detected by the sensor,
Try to deal with the operation to eject the next sheet. In the case of configuring the device shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the driving timing for each rocking member can be set in the order shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 and set in the control device. The swing member can be driven according to the program.

[0027]

Second Embodiment In addition to the discharge roller device 10 shown in FIG. 3, the discharge roller device 40 as shown in FIG. 12 can be constructed in the present invention. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the drive shaft 42 of the drive roller device 41 constituting the discharge roller device 40 is provided with a pulley 46 at the end of the shaft and is driven at a predetermined speed via a timing belt 47. Further, the pinch roller device 5 is provided in a state where the drive shaft 42 of the drive roller device 41 is allowed to freely rotate.
Support arm members 53, 53 for supporting both end portions of the 0 axis
By disposing a and rotating the support arm member around the drive shaft 42, the pinch roller device 50 can be moved around the drive roller device 41.

Further, the support arm members 53, 53a
Drive gear devices 65 and 65a are arranged for transmitting the rotation of the motor 60 to the torque limiter 62 via the drive gear device 61. Further, in order to drive the support arm members arranged on both sides of the pinch roller device in conjunction with each other, a transmission shaft 63 is provided from the drive gear device 61 via the torque limiter 62, and the transmission gear device is provided from both ends of the torque limiter 62. A drive mechanism for the support arm members 53, 53a is configured via 65, 65a. A stopper member 64 is disposed on the transmission shaft 63, and a rotation position regulating member (not shown) is provided for the stopper member 64 to regulate the rotation angle of the support arm member, and the discharging roller device is used. The operation of guiding the sheet toward the discharge tray while nipping the trailing edge of the sheet is controlled.

Also in the apparatus shown in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 1, the signal detected by the sensor at the rear end of the paper is input to the control device, and the pinch roller device is rotated by a planet to be ejected. When performing the operation, the stepping motor 60 is rotated in one direction by a predetermined pulse to move the pinch roller device to the drive roller device through the gear device as a planet. Furthermore, after the paper is discharged, the pinch roller device can be returned to the initial standby position by rotating the motor in the reverse direction by a predetermined pulse.

In the present embodiment, the drive roller device 41 constituting the discharge roller device 40 has roller members arranged at a predetermined interval with respect to the drive shaft 42. The roller members are paddles on both sides of the roller. The members 44 and 45 are integrally provided. As the roller, a rubber or plastic roller used for general paper feeding can be used, and the paddle members 44 and 45 are flexible with respect to the shaft support member attached to the shaft like the paddle used for paper feeding. The paddle member formed of an elastic body such as rubber or plastic is used. Then, as a roller member that constitutes the drive roller device 41, the paper is nipped and conveyed between the roller 43 in which the paddle members 44 and 45 are integrally provided on both sides and the long roller 52 of the pinch roller device 50.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the upper guide plate 55 and the lower guide plate 58 are arranged to face each other to form the discharge passage 3. A base portion of the upper guide plate 55 is supported by a support shaft 56, and a tip portion of the discharge roller device side is provided to be vertically movable by a spring 57. Further, the transmission shaft 63 has a pressing spring 6 against the upper guide plate 55.
6 are arranged, and the pressing spring 66 is provided on the upper guide plate 55.
In the state of pressing, the space between the upper and lower guide plates 55, 58 is regulated to be constant. On the other hand, when the trailing end of the sheet is nipped by the discharge roller device 40 and the pinch roller device 50 is planetarily rotated to bend the trailing end of the sheet toward the discharge tray for discharge, Since the transmission shaft 63 rotates, the pressing action of the pressing spring 66 on the upper guide plate is released. Then, the upper guide plate is swung by the spring 57 via the support shaft 56 and is separated from the lower guide plate, so that the upper guide plate regulates the sheet that is largely curved by the discharge roller device 40. Is eliminated, the sheet can be largely curved, and the sheet can be prevented from being bent at the curved portion. In the operation in which the trailing edge of the paper is moved out of the nip position of the discharge roller device and the pinch roller device as the planetary roller is returned to its original position, the conductive shaft 63 is rotated in the opposite direction, so the upper guide plate is rotated. The pressing spring presses the sheet against the upper and lower guide plates 55 and 5 to guide the sheet passing through the discharge path 3.
It regulates between 8 and guides to the nip position of the discharge roller device 40.

The discharge roller device 40 configured as described above is arranged on the discharge tray 1 as shown in FIG. 13, and is different from the above-described embodiments in that the paper is discharged to the discharge tray 1. An apparatus for aligning sheets is configured by using a paddle member provided together with a roller in a drive roller device without separately providing a paddle member for alignment.
In the example shown in FIG. 13, the discharge roller device 40 of the discharge path.
Until the rear end of the paper P is detected by the sensor arranged in the upstream part of the above, the operation of driving the drive shaft to discharge the paper is continued while the pinch roller device is stopped at the discharge position. Then, when the timing at which the trailing edge of the sheet reaches the predetermined position is observed, the motor 60 shown in FIG. 12 is rotated to start the operation of rotating the pinch roller device 50 with respect to the drive roller device 41 as a planet.

From the state shown in FIG. 13, the pinch roller device 50 is caused to rotate planetarily with respect to the drive roller device 41, so that the rear end portion Pe of the paper P as shown in FIG.
The pinch roller device 50 is swung from the position shown by the chain line in the figure to the position shown by the solid line in the state where the roller is nipped between the rollers. Then, the leading edge of the sheet moves forward while sliding on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the discharge tray 1. However, since the trailing edge of the sheet remains nipping between the rollers, The paper is greatly curved along the circumference of the pinch roller device 50.

After the state shown in FIG. 14 and the state in which the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the nip position between the rollers of the discharge roller device, as shown in FIG.
e is in a state of dropping rapidly toward the bottom plate of the tray. At the same time, the trailing edge of the sheet is moved toward the side opposite to the ejection direction while being pressed against the tray bottom plate by the blades of the paddle member 44 of the drive roller device 41, and is moved to the regulating plate 2 of the ejection tray 1. The paper is aligned by stopping with the end pressed. When the paper is completely discharged, the motor of the pinch roller device 50 is driven in the reverse direction so that the pinch roller device 50 is returned from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 15 to the position shown by the chain line. As shown in FIG. The roller device 50 is stopped and held above the drive roller device 41, and stopped at a standby position corresponding to the next paper discharge operation.

As described above, when the discharge roller device 40 shown in FIG. 12 is arranged on the discharge tray in the state shown in FIG. 13, the discharge roller device 40 is discharged by using the paddle member arranged in the drive roller device. Since it is possible to perform the aligning action of the paper inside the tray, it is not necessary to dispose the paddle member separately from the discharge roller device unlike the device shown in FIG. Also in the device shown in FIG. 12, the operation of planetary rotation of the pinch roller device with respect to the drive roller device can be set at an arbitrary angle, and the length and elasticity of the blade member provided on the paddle member, elasticity, Other conditions,
It can be set arbitrarily according to the nature of the paper used in the image forming apparatus.

[0036]

[Third Embodiment] As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 17 and the front view of FIG. 18, a paddle member for aligning sheets is added to the discharge roller device shown in FIG. It is also possible to configure a device that performs a sheet alignment operation inside the discharge tray. In the example shown in FIG. 17, similar to the device shown in FIG. 12, the paddle members 44 and 45 integrally provided on both sides of the roller 43 are provided on the shaft 42 at a predetermined interval so that the drive roller device 41 is provided. A discharge roller device is configured to nip a sheet between the drive roller device 41 and a long roller 52 of the pinch roller device to perform a conveying operation. The discharge roller device drives the pinch roller device. It constitutes a device for planetary movement with respect to the roller device. Further, an alignment member 70 is arranged with respect to the drive roller device 41 via a gear transmission device 77,
The alignment member 7 is interlocked with the rotation of the drive shaft of the drive roller device.
A device is configured in which the paddle of 0 is rotated and the paper discharged from the discharge roller device to the discharge tray is aligned with the regulation plate of the tray by the alignment member 70.

The aligning member 70 is the driving roller device 41.
With respect to the drive shaft 42 of the two support arm members 75, 7
A shaft 74 is supported via 6 and a gear transmission 77, which is a combination of gears 77a, 77b and 77c, is arranged between the two shafts 42 and 74. Then, by setting the rotation directions of the drive shaft 42 and the shaft 74 of the aligning member to be the same, the rear end of the sheet discharged from the discharge roller device is directed toward the regulating plate of the discharge tray by the paddle member of the aligning member. Causes it to move. In the aligning member 70, a rotating member in which one roller 71 and paddle members 72 and 73 are integrally formed is arranged on the shaft 74.
As the rotating member, for example, a member similar to the driving roller device in which a roller and a paddle are integrally combined can be provided, or only the paddle member can be arranged. Then, a supporting arm member 75 capable of freely swinging the aligning member 70 with respect to the drive shaft 42 of the drive roller device,
19, the alignment member 70 is supported according to the amount of the paper P accumulated inside the discharge tray, as shown in FIG.
The supporting height of the sheet is changed so that the upper portion of the sheets accumulated on the tray can be conveyed by the paddle member (moving the sheet toward the regulation plate).

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the pinch roller device 50 is configured to rotate the drive roller device 41 constituting the discharge roller device around the drive shaft 42 at an arbitrary angle. However, for example, when the paper is used only for the purpose of simply depositing the paper, the roller 52 of the pinch roller device is swung to the position indicated by the reference numeral 52a to eject the paper. After that, the rear end of the sheet is delivered to the aligning member 70 and moved toward the regulating plate 2 of the discharge tray 1 so that the aligning action of the sheet is performed. Further, when the post-processing mode of the sheet is specially set, the roller 52 is set to the reference numeral 5.
It is possible to make a large planetary movement to the position shown in 2c.
When the rollers are largely moved by the planets, the trailing edge of the sheet discharged from the nip position between the roller 52 and the driving roller device 41 is immediately delivered to the aligning member 70. It is possible to efficiently perform the matching action inside.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the regulation plate 2 of the discharge tray 1 can be constructed so as to be capable of reciprocating in the sheet conveying direction. It is possible to perform a regulation and matching operation for the rear end portion. An upper guide plate 78 and a weight member 79 are arranged above the discharge tray, and the weight member 79 presses and holds the aligned sheets while being pressed by the regulation plate 2. To maintain the alignment of the paper in the tray. Further, the upper guide plate 78 arranged on the upper portion of the discharge tray 1 can be used even when the paper is curled.
It is possible to eliminate the state where the sheet jumps up and maintain the sheet accumulation state.

The shaft 74 of the aligning member 70 can be held so as to be swingable with respect to the drive shaft via the support arm members 75 and 76. It is also possible to configure the means for holding in the fixed position above. In addition, the shaft 74 of the alignment member 70
A drive means such as a solenoid, or drive means of any other configuration is arranged in the position, and when the alignment by the paddle of the alignment member is not required in the discharge tray, the alignment member is fixed to the inoperative position. It can also be held. Further, the aligning member 70 descends to the operating position only when the paper is discharged to the discharge tray, and performs other states, for example, when the paper is taken out from the discharge tray and works on the other paper. At times, it is possible to provide a means for holding the sheet at a position where it does not interfere with the processing of discharging the sheet.

Alignment member 70 shown in FIGS.
In the above, the blade members of the paddle members 72 and 73 can be configured under arbitrary conditions, and the length of the blade member of the paddle member can be freely set according to the number of sheets to be accumulated in the discharge tray. it can. For example, when the maximum number of sheets of paper that can be stored in the discharge tray is about 100, the thickness of the sheets is about 10 mm. Therefore, the protruding length of the blade member of the paddle member is 10 mm with respect to the thickness of the sheets. Look at the margin and form it to a length of 15 to 20 mm. Further, as the material of the blade member, any rubber or plastic material can be used as long as it can favorably perform the matching action with respect to the paper, and the conditions such as the thickness and width of the blade member can also be used.
It can be set arbitrarily. Further, as the driving means for the paddle member of the alignment member, a belt transmission means such as an O-ring can be used in addition to the gear transmission mechanism.

[0042]

Since the image forming apparatus of the present invention is constructed as described above, the paper stored in the original tray is rotated by rotating the paddle member provided inside the uphill type discharge tray. The rear end of the rear end can be conveyed toward the regulation plate to perform the matching action. Further, a means for guiding the rear end portion of the paper downward is provided for the discharge roller device that feeds the paper toward the discharge tray,
Based on the information that detected the trailing edge of the paper by the detection means provided in the ejection path, the trailing edge of the paper is ejected in a state of being greatly lowered toward the ejection tray, and the trailing edge of the paper is quickly ejected. Guide them to be placed on the output tray. Therefore, even when the paper is discharged at a high speed, the rear end of the paper is largely rocked toward the tray to guide the rear end of the paper so that the rear end of the paper is not largely skipped and landed on the tray. After that, since it is moved toward the regulation plate by the paddle member, the aligning action can be easily performed.

In the present invention, the means for guiding the rear end of the sheet downward is constituted by an orbit roller device, or means for swinging the end portion of the discharge path and the discharge roller device, Alternatively, it can be configured by arranging a swinging tongue member. Then, by operating the guide means provided at the end of the discharge path based on the detection information of the trailing edge of the sheet, the trailing edge of the sheet does not jump out to a position greatly separated from the regulation plate, It becomes possible to easily perform the matching action by the paddle member. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily perform the aligning action on the paper discharged to the discharge tray, which causes a problem that the operator is burdened with the post-processing of the paper. Can be prevented.

In the present invention, when the paddle member is arranged with respect to the drive roller device of the discharge roller device, a paddle member provided on the drive shaft of the discharge roller device is used without using a separate paddle. The sheet can be moved inside, and the configuration of the sheet aligning unit can be simplified. Further, in addition to the means for disposing the paddle member on the drive roller device, if the aligning member provided with the paddle member is disposed as a separate body, the paper aligning means can be easily provided for a large-capacity discharge tray or the like. It becomes possible to configure.
Further, the angle at which the pinch roller device is planetarily moved with respect to the drive roller device is configured to be adjustable, so that the type of paper, the shape of the discharge tray, etc. can be accommodated.
It is possible to configure an apparatus that keeps the piled state of the sheets in a good condition.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a drive control operation of the discharge roller device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a discharge roller device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an initial state of the operation of discharging the paper toward the tray by the discharge roller device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the rear edge of the sheet is detected by a sensor.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the discharge roller device is rotated to change the feeding direction of the trailing edge of the sheet.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the trailing edge of the sheet is separated from the nip position of the discharge roller.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the trailing edge of the sheet is fed by a paddle member.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of returning the discharge roller device to the original position when the next sheet is detected.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of a sheet trailing edge direction changing device used in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a third embodiment of the sheet trailing edge direction changing device used in the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the discharge roller device of the present invention.

13 is an explanatory diagram of an initial state of a paper discharge operation by the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the rear edge of the sheet is detected by a sensor.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the discharge roller device is rotated to change the feeding direction of the trailing edge of the sheet.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a sheet is ejected and is on standby for the next sheet.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the configuration of another embodiment of the discharge roller device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of depositing sheets by the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional discharging device.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the trailing edge of the sheet in the apparatus of FIG. 20.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 discharge tray, 2 regulation plate, 3 discharge path,
4 discharge roller device, 5 paddle member, 10
Discharge roller device, 11 Drive roller device, 15
Pinch roller device, 17 Support arm member, 18
Drive gear device, 20 motor, 22 torque limiter, 23 transmission shaft, 30 swing discharge path,
36 swinging arm, 40 discharge roller device, 4
1 drive roller device, 43 rollers, 44/45
Paddle member, 50 Pinch roller device, 52
Roller, 65 transmission gear device, 70 alignment member, 72/73 paddle member, 75/76 support arm member, 77 gear transmission device.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A discharge tray arranged in a discharge section of an image forming apparatus, and a discharge roller device for sending a sheet toward the discharge tray, the discharge tray being arranged on the discharge tray while changing the discharge direction of the rear end of the sheet. An image forming apparatus comprising: an ejecting unit that ejects a sheet toward the ejecting unit; and a unit that conveys the trailing edge of the sheet ejected by the ejecting unit toward a regulation position of a tray. 2. The discharging means comprises a discharging roller member, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the discharging roller member to the tray side.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a control unit that sets a timing of an operation of the rotating mechanism. 3. A paper ejection device for aligning and accommodating ejected paper, an ejection tray for receiving the paper, a regulating member provided at an end of the ejection tray for regulating the position of the paper edge, and the ejection. A discharge unit configured to discharge the sheet to the tray; and a transport unit configured to transport the sheet discharged to the discharge tray toward the regulation member along the discharge tray. The image forming apparatus, wherein the ejecting unit ejects the sheet while sandwiching the sheet together with the conveying unit until a directed conveying force is applied to the sheet. 4. A sheet discharging device for aligning and storing discharged sheets, comprising: a driving roller device configured to combine a roller member and a paddle member as discharging means for discharging sheets to the discharge tray; A pinch roller device composed of a roller member that makes a planetary movement with respect to the roller device, a discharge roller device configured by combining the drive roller device and the pinch roller device, and a paper rear end portion arranged in the paper discharge portion of the image forming apparatus The pinch roller device according to the detection information of the drive device for planetary movement with respect to the drive roller device, and conveys the paper discharged to the discharge tray toward the regulation member along the discharge tray. The conveying means is composed of a paddle member provided in the drive roller device, and after the rear end of the paper is ejected toward the bottom plate of the ejection tray, The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that moving towards the restricting position paper by the paddle member provided on the moving roller device. 5. An aligning member provided with a paddle member, which is swingably supported by a shaft of a drive roller device and is rotated in association with the rotation of the drive shaft, in the discharge roller device for discharging the paper to the discharge tray. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet is moved toward the regulation position by the aligning member after the rear end of the sheet is discharged toward the bottom plate of the discharge tray. 6. A driving device for moving the pinch roller device into a planet is arranged, and the driving device is provided with means for setting an angle of planet movement of the pinch roller device. 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 5 to 5.