JPH10120281A - Paper assorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assort paper surely by a simple configuration and judge many papers easily by providing a stopper which comes into contact with a paper sheet more in the upstream in the direction of discharge of the paper sheet than an end plate with which a tip of the paper sheet which is printed comes into contact and can turn between the initial position and an operation position. SOLUTION: A paper sheet 25 which is printed between a block barrel 1 and a press roller 15 is peeled from the block barrel 1 by a peeling claw 14, is discharged on a paper discharge tray 19, comes into contact with an end plate 29a, and is loaded. The set number of printing paper sheet 25 are loaded on the paper discharge tray 19. When the printing of one set of printing paper sheets is completed, a stopper motor 22 rotates forward, and a stopper 21 starts its descent from the initial position. When a sensor provided at a tip of the stopper 21 detects a position of an uppermost paper sheet 25, the descent of the stopper 21 is stopped, and the printing of the second set of printing paper sheets is started. Since the paper sheet 25 which is discharged at this time comes into contact with the stopper 21 and lowers, the second set of paper sheet are loaded by leaving a loading region of the first set of paper sheets 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus for a printing apparatus that sorts printed sheets while stacking them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art One of printing apparatuses is a thermal digital stencil printing apparatus. This type of printing apparatus is composed of a thermoplastic resin film and a porous support made of Washi fiber or synthetic fiber, or Washi paper, on a rotatable plate cylinder having a multi-layer winding of a resin or metal mesh mesh screen. A stencil master with a laminated structure consisting of laminated fibers
The perforated plate is made in contact with the heating element of the thermal head and wound, and ink is supplied by an ink supply member provided inside the plate cylinder. The paper is continuously pressed by a press roller or the like, and the opening of the plate cylinder is opened. Then, printing is performed by oozing out the ink from the master perforated portion.

Generally, stencil printing apparatuses are mainly used in the market for obtaining a large amount of printed matter at high speed and at low cost, and the operation for performing printing can be performed by a very simple operation. I have. As one of post-processes of the printed matter discharged to and stacked on the paper discharge tray, there is a sorting operation for sorting a predetermined number of sheets according to the required number of copies. Conventionally, an operator sets a set number of sheets on a counter for each number of sheets to be sorted, and after printing the set number of sheets, sets the number of sheets to be printed again to set the next number of sheets. There was a method of counting and sorting themselves.

However, these methods have a problem in that the operator needs to be attached to the printing apparatus until the printing is completed, or an operation such as counting and separating printed materials is required. Therefore, a method has been adopted in which the printing apparatus is provided with a memory function, and a sorting mode is performed by an input method called a class mode or a memory mode in which the number of sheets to be sorted is input by using a ten-key pad on the operation panel.
The work of the operator has been reduced.

[0005] As a method of determining the front and rear boundaries for each sort of printed paper, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 1-166668, a tape cutter is used as a mark between stacked papers. A method such as a tape marker for cutting and inserting a tape is used. In the method using a tape marker, the tape that has been cut and becomes a mark cannot be reused and is wasted, and the tape placed on the previous sheet comes into contact with the sheet to be discharged. When the printed paper loaded on the paper output tray is moved from the paper output tray, the discrimination may not be possible due to the detached tape, and the operator will need to recount. There are problems such as occurrence.

There is also a method in which printing is temporarily stopped instead of a tape and then a blank sheet is conveyed to be used as a boundary mark. In this method, it is relatively easy to determine the inserted blank when the printed matter has a large solid print, but it is difficult to determine when there is only a few printed portions, and When a problem called multi-sheet printing, in which a plurality of sheets are passed at one time, occurs, blank paper is supplied in addition to the boundary, and there is a problem that the boundary cannot be recognized.

When collated after printing, blank paper is mixed into the collated printed matter, and it is necessary to remove blank paper from a large number of printed matter. If a tape or the like is inserted for determination, there is a problem in that the tape used as a marker is wastefully consumed.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-42410, an end plate that makes the printed paper abut on the paper discharge tray, and the paper is moved in the vertical direction that comes into contact with the paper upstream of the end plate in the paper discharge direction. A stopper is provided, and the stopper is lowered only when the last sheet of one sort is ejected, and the sheet is shifted by the thickness of the stopper so as to mark a boundary with another sort.

In a printing apparatus, there is an unavoidable problem of so-called multi-sheet feeding in which a plurality of sheets are fed at one time. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-301655, when a large number of sheets are detected, the sheet is detected. This problem is solved by inserting a tape as a marker in the portion where the is discharged.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-4
In the configuration described in JP-A-2410, there is a problem that the configuration is complicated because the stopper is moved up and down. In the configuration described in JP-A-5-301655, the tape as described above is used. Problems arise.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a paper sorting apparatus capable of reliably sorting with a simple configuration and capable of easily discriminating a large number of sheets.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In a printing apparatus having control means for controlling the number of printed sheets and a discharge tray having an end plate for abutting the leading end of printed paper and loading the paper, the paper is discharged more than the end plate. A sheet sorting apparatus for a printing apparatus, further comprising a stopper that is rotatable between an initial position and an operating position, the stopper being in contact with the sheet on the upstream side in the direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the printing apparatus has detecting means for detecting that a plurality of sheets have been fed at once, and the detecting means for detecting that a plurality of sheets have been fed at once. 2. The paper sorting apparatus for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stopper is rotated when a is detected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first or second aspect.
2. The paper sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper includes at least two stoppers that come into contact with the paper at different positions in the paper discharge direction.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stopper rotates each time the paper is sorted, and the paper discharged with the stopper lowered is dropped along the stopper, and discharged when the stopper is at the initial position. The stacked sheets are stacked on the upstream side in the discharge direction by being shifted by the thickness of the stopper, and the sheets are alternately stacked for each sorting.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the occurrence of a large number of sheets is detected, the stopper is rotated, and the plurality of sheets are shifted from the stacking position of sheets in the sorting by the thickness of the stopper. Sheets of paper are loaded.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sheets are stacked at different positions during normal sorting and during multi-sheet passing.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a printing apparatus to which a paper sorting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. Master 8
Is wound around a roll core 8b rotatably supported by holder means (not shown). A platen roller 9 rotatably supported by a side plate (not shown) is driven to rotate by a stepping motor (not shown). The thermal head 10 having a large number of heating elements in the main scanning direction is pressed against the platen roller 9 by a spring (not shown).

Reference numeral 11 denotes a pair of conveying rollers rotatably supported by the side plates in a state of being pressed against each other. The rotation speed of the pair of conveying rollers 11 is set slightly higher than the rotation speed of the platen roller 9. I have. Reference numerals 12 and 13 respectively denote upper and lower blade (guillotine type) cutters for cutting the master 8 fed from the master roll 8a to a predetermined length, and a master guide plate fixed to the side plate and guiding the master 8. . The cutter 12 may be of a rotary blade moving type. A plate making section is constituted by the roll core 8b, the master roll 8a, the platen roller 9, the thermal head 10, the transport roller pair 11, the cutter 12, and the master guide plate 13.

In the vicinity of the lower part of the cutter 12 (lower right in the figure),
A plate cylinder 1 configured by winding a plurality of layers of a porous support cylinder and a resin mesh screen (not shown) covering the outer periphery thereof is disposed. The mesh screen may be formed of a metal net. The plate cylinder 1 is fixed to a flange (not shown) rotatably supported by the ink pipe 5 as a support shaft, and a driving force is transmitted by drive transmission means (not shown) composed of gears and the like, and the timepiece shown in the figure is rotated. It is driven to rotate around.

Inside the plate cylinder 1, an ink roller 2 whose shaft is rotatably supported by a side plate fixed to an ink pipe 5 is connected to the plate cylinder 1 by drive transmission means including gears, belts and the like. The plate is rotated in the same direction as the plate cylinder 1 in synchronization. A doctor roller 3 is provided with a slight gap from the outer peripheral surface of the ink roller 2, and ink is supplied from a supply hole of an ink pipe 5 to a wedge-shaped space formed by the ink roller 2 and the doctor roller 3 to form an ink reservoir 4. .

The ink in the ink reservoir 4 is regulated by the doctor roller 3, and the ink roller 2 and the doctor roller 3
The ink that has passed through the gap becomes a thin film on the outer surface of the ink roller 2. The ink in the ink pack outside the plate cylinder 1 is supplied to the ink pipe 5 by an ink supply device.

A stage 6 made of a magnetic material is provided on the surface of the non-opening portion of the plate cylinder 1 along the generatrix of the plate cylinder 1. A clamper shaft is rotatably supported in parallel with the stage 6 (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure), and a clamper 7 is fixedly provided integrally with the stage 6. The clamper shaft is rotated by an opening / closing device (not shown), and the clamper 7 is opened and closed at a predetermined position. The plate cylinder 1 is detachable integrally with an ink pack or the like in its axial direction. Reference numeral 14 denotes a separation claw that separates the printed paper 25 from the plate cylinder 1.

Below the plate cylinder 1, an arm shaft 16a is rotatably supported by a side plate. The press roller arm pair 16 fixed to the arm shaft 16a supports the press roller 15 rotatably. The press roller arm pair 16 is swung by a cam (not shown), and the press roller 15 is moved toward and away from the plate cylinder accordingly. The press roller 15 is urged toward the plate cylinder by a spring member (not shown), but is held at a position separated by locking means (not shown) in the figure.

On the right side of the press roller in the drawing, a paper feed tray (not shown), a separation paper feeder (not shown) for separating and feeding the sheets 25 stacked on the paper tray one by one, A registration roller 17 is provided to convey the sheet 25 between the plate cylinder 1 and the press roller 15 in a timely manner. On the downstream side of the registration roller 17 in the sheet conveyance direction,
A sensor is provided as a detecting means including a light emitting unit 23 and a light receiving unit 24 for detecting passage of the sheet 25 and detecting whether or not only one sheet 25 has passed.

This sensor stores the amount of light received by the light receiving section 24 when only one sheet of paper 25 passes, as a voltage generated by the light receiving section 24, and stores the amount of light received by the light receiving section 24 when the sheet 25 actually passes. By comparing the voltage generated according to the amount of received light, which varies according to the amount of received light, with the voltage, it is detected whether the number of sheets 25 passed through is one or more.

A discharge tray 19 on which printed and discharged sheets 25 are stacked is provided below the separation claw 14 on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper output tray 19 has an end plate 19 a movably supported in the paper transport direction on the downstream side in the paper transport direction, and a paper 2.
Plates 20a and 20b, which are movable in the sheet width direction and are in contact with the side edges of the sheet 5 and align the sheet 25, are provided.

A stopper motor 22 using a stepping motor is fixed to a surface of the end plate 19a on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction.
a penetrates the end plate 19a. Motor shaft 2
A columnar stopper 21 is fixed to a shaft end of the end plate 19a protruding upstream of the end plate 19a in the sheet transport direction. The stopper 21 rotates clockwise and counterclockwise by rotation of the stopper motor 22. Is done. Stopper 21
During standby, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, is held at an initial position that does not affect the stacking of the discharged sheets,
At the time of sorting, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, the counterclockwise rotation from the initial position is maintained at a predetermined operating position.

At the tip of the stopper 21, a contact type paper position detecting sensor 21a is provided. Sensor 21a
The main body is provided at the distal end of the stopper 21 and sends a signal to control means to be described later, and the base end is pivotally supported by the main body so as to swing freely, and the portion other than the base end is located on the outer side of the stopper 21 on the paper contact side. It consists of a small switch made of an elastic material.
When the stopper 21 is at the initial position, the switch does not receive the interference of the sheet, but when the stopper 21 rotates counterclockwise and descends in FIG.
5, the switch of the sensor 21a contacts the upper surface of the uppermost one, and the switch is pressed against the side surface of the stopper 21, and in this state, the main body of the sensor 21a detects the position of the uppermost sheet 25, that is, the operating position. Then, a signal is sent to the control means so that the rotation of the stopper motor 22 is stopped.

The operation of the paper sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. A document is set on a document reading unit (not shown), and the number of sorts (the number of sheets, the number of sets, and the like) is input and stored in a control unit using ten keys on an operation panel (not shown). When the start button is pressed and a start signal is issued, the plate cylinder 1 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), and the used master is peeled off from the surface of the plate cylinder 1 by a plate discharging device (not shown). Discarded.

The plate cylinder 1 rotates and stops until the clamper 7 is at a position substantially right above. When the plate cylinder 1 stops, the clamper shaft is rotated by an opening / closing device (not shown), the clamper 7 is opened, and a plate feeding standby state is set. A document is sent to a document reading unit, converted into an electric signal by a CCD, passed through an A / D converter, a plate-making control device, and the like, and energized in a pulse-like manner to a heating element of the thermal head 10 in accordance with image information to perform main scanning. Operate in the direction.

The master 8 is fed from the master roll 8a in the sub-scanning direction by the rotation of the platen roller 9, and is transported by the transport roller pair 11. The rotation speed of the transport roller pair 11 is higher than the rotation speed of the platen roller 9. So
The master 8 slides between the conveying roller pair 11 and is conveyed with an appropriate tension. The heat-sensitive film of the master 8 is heat-perforated by the heat-generating element to perform plate making.

The leading end of the master 8 is guided between the stage 6 and the clamper 7 by the master guide plate 13, and when it is determined from the number of steps of the stepping motor that the leading end of the master 8 has reached the clamper 7, the clamper 7 is moved. The master 8 is closed and the tip of the master 8 is sucked and clamped. When the clamper 7 is closed, the plate cylinder 1 resumes rotation at substantially the same speed as the master conveyance speed, and the master 8 having been made is wound.

When it is determined from the number of steps of the stepping motor that plate making and conveyance of a certain amount of master have been completed, the cutter 12 operates and the master 8 is cut. When the cutting is performed, the rotation of the platen roller 9 and the conveying roller pair 11 is stopped, and the rear end of the cut master 8 is pulled out by the rotation of the plate cylinder 1 to complete the winding on the plate cylinder 1.

When the winding of the master 8 around the plate cylinder 1 is completed,
The printing paper 25 stacked on the paper feed tray is separated and fed one by one by the separation paper feeding device, and is conveyed toward the space between the plate cylinder 1 and the press roller 15 at a timing by the registration roller 17. . When the passage of the paper 25 is detected by a sensor including the light emitting unit 23 and the light receiving unit 24,
The locking means is released, and the press roller 15 continuously presses the paper 25 against the plate cylinder 1 by the biasing spring, thereby performing printing.

At this time, a voltage generated in the light receiving section 24 according to the amount of received light is detected.

Paper 25 printed by being pressed against plate cylinder 1
Is released from the plate cylinder by the release claw 14, and the discharge tray 1
Then, the sheet is discharged to the end plate 9, comes into contact with the end plate 19 a, descends, and is stacked. The press roller 15 returns to the initial position and enters a printing standby state.

As shown in FIG. 3 showing the control by the control means, when the printing is started and the set number of print sheets are discharged and stacked on the discharge tray, the printing of the first set is completed. When printing is further performed, the stopper motor 22 rotates forward (FIG. 2).
, The stopper 21 starts descending from the initial position. When the stopper 21 descends to the position of the uppermost sheet 25, that is, the stacking height, a sensor 21a provided at the tip of the stopper 21 detects this, and the descending of the stopper 21 is stopped. After the stopper 21 stops, printing of the second set is started.

As shown in FIG. 4, the paper 25 discharged at this time comes into contact with the stopper 21 and descends, so that the loading area of the first set of paper 25 corresponds to the thickness of the stopper 21, The sheets are stacked while being shifted to the upstream side in the sheet discharging direction. When the printing of the set number is completed, the printing of the second set is completed, the stopper motor 22 rotates in the reverse direction, and the stopper 21 returns to the initial position. In FIG. 4, the illustration of the plate 20 a on the front side of the paper 25 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

When printing the third set, the stopper 21
Is printed in a state where is in the initial position. Such an operation is repeated, and the even-numbered print sheets are stacked with the thickness of the stopper 21 being shifted to the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction from the odd-numbered print sheets.

In the light receiving section, a voltage generated according to the amount of light received at the time of sheet feeding is detected. This voltage is compared with a preset numerical value to determine whether or not a large number of sheets have passed. You. If it is determined that a large number of sheets have passed, the feeding of the next sheet 25 is temporarily stopped and the plate cylinder 1 is stopped.
Is reduced, the stopper 21 is lowered to the stacking height when printing an odd-numbered set, and returns to the initial position when printing an even-numbered set.

By the movement of the stopper 21, a large number of passed papers 25 are stacked off the stacking position of other sheets in the set. After a certain period of time, it is determined that the stacking is completed, the stopper 21 returns to the original position, and printing is resumed. FIG. 5 shows the subsequent sheet stacking state when a large number of sheets pass in the first set (odd-numbered set). In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, paper 25
The illustration of the plate 20a on the front side of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a paper sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the first layers having different thicknesses from each other are used.
The stopper 26 and the second stopper 27 are provided, and a stopper motor 28, a sensor 26a, and stopper motors 29 and 27a are provided respectively. Symbols 28a, 29a
Denotes motor shafts of the stopper motors 28 and 29, respectively. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted with reference to the reference numerals.

The first stopper 26 is connected to the second stopper 2
7, the second stopper 27 is set so as to come into contact with the sheet 25 upstream of the first stopper 26 in the sheet discharging direction. The first stopper 26 and the second stopper 27 are respectively lowered by rotating counterclockwise and clockwise in FIG. 6, and the rotation is stopped by the sensors 26a and 27a, and is maintained at the operating position.

In this embodiment, the first stopper 26 is
In the same manner as in the embodiment, only the odd-numbered printing papers and the even-numbered printing papers are sorted, and the paper 25 passed through a large number is not sorted. As shown in FIG. 7, the second stopper 27 descends when the sensor detects a large number of sheets passing, and sorts the many sheets 25 passed by the same operation as in the first embodiment. . 7, the illustration of the plate 20a on the front side of the paper 25 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

The position where a large number of passed sheets are stacked is
Regardless of whether the sheet is an odd-numbered sheet or an even-numbered sheet, it is always located upstream of the end plate by the thickness of the second stopper 27 in the sheet discharging direction. Is different from that of the first embodiment only in this point. This means that a large number of passed sheets are always loaded at a fixed position different from a normal passed sheet.

The shape of the stopper is not limited to a columnar shape, but may be a fan shape as indicated by reference numeral 30 in FIG. With such a shape, the contact area with the discharged paper 25 can be increased, and the paper can be stacked with good alignment. Reference numeral 30a denotes a sensor provided on the stopper 30.

In order to contact the sheet at different positions in the sheet discharging direction, it is not necessary to make the thickness of the stopper different, and the number of stoppers may be three or more.
It is possible to freely set which stopper is used to sort the odd-numbered group or the even-numbered group, and which stopper is used to perform the normal sorting or the multi-sheet sorting.

[0049]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stopper is rotated every time the paper is sorted, and the paper discharged in the state where the stopper is lowered falls along the stopper, and when the stopper is at the initial position. The paper ejected to the printer is stacked on the upstream side in the ejection direction with a shift of the thickness of the stopper, and the paper is alternately stacked for each sorting, so that a special configuration for inserting the tape as a marker and waste of the tape are eliminated. This can be omitted, and the sorting can be reliably performed with a simple configuration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the occurrence of a large number of paper passages is detected, the stopper is rotated, and the plurality of papers are shifted from the paper stacking position in the sorting by the thickness of the stopper. Is stacked, and in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and surely determine whether a large number of sheets have passed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sheets are stacked at different positions during normal sorting and when a large number of sheets are passed. In addition, it is possible to confirm at a glance how many sheets have passed, and after printing is completed, it is easy to handle the many sheets that have passed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing apparatus to which a paper sorting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the paper sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operation of the paper sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a mode of stacking normally sorted sheets in the sheet sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which a large number of passed sheets are stacked in the sheet sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a paper sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state of stacking of normally sorted sheets and a large number of passed sheets in the sheet sorting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a sheet sorting apparatus showing another form of the stopper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 19 Discharge tray 19a End plate 21, 26, 27, 30 Stopper 23, 24 Detecting means 25 Paper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus comprising: a control unit for controlling the number of printed sheets; and an output plate provided with an end plate for abutting the leading end of printed paper and loading said paper. And a stopper rotatable between an initial position and an operating position, the stopper being in contact with the sheet on the upstream side in the sheet discharging direction. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting that a plurality of sheets have been fed at one time, wherein the detecting means detects that a plurality of sheets have been fed at once. 2. The paper sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is rotated. 3. A sheet sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stopper comprises at least two stoppers which come into contact with said sheet at different positions in a sheet discharging direction. Sorting device.