JPH10157934A - Paper conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an upper conveying part difficult to float even increasing press contact force in an upper/lower conveying part. SOLUTION: A both side copy part 20 is a device conveying paper in the inside of a copying machine main body, provided with a main body frame 30, lower conveying part 32, upper conveying part 33, stay 1a and a handle 58. The main body frame 30 is mounted on the copying machine main body so as to be drawn out to the outward. The upper/lower conveying part 33, 32 have an upper/lower conveying guide 50, 45 supported by the main body frame 30 with one end rotatably, and an upper/lower conveying roll 51, 46 rotatably supported by the upper/lower conveying guide 50, 45. The stay 1a is provided on the copying machine main body, to serve as a member for positioning in a vertical direction of the upper/lower conveying parts 33, 32. The handle 58 has a grip part 59 for turning upward the upper conveying part 33 in a condition where the main body frame 30 is drawn out, to be positioned by the stay 1a in a condition where the main body frame 30 is stored in the copying machine main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device, and more particularly to a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet inside an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile machine is provided with a paper transporting device for transporting paper. In order to be able to easily take out paper when a paper jam occurs in this type of paper transport device,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a paper transport apparatus in which a frame can be pulled out in front of an image forming apparatus. For example, a copying machine (an example of an image forming apparatus) capable of forming an image on both sides of a sheet includes:
A sheet conveying device for reversing the sheet on which the image is formed and supplying the sheet to the photosensitive drum again is provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the copying machine main body.

[0003] The paper transporting device includes a main body frame that can be pulled out to the front of the copier, an intermediate tray provided in the main body frame for storing the transported paper in an inverted state, and disposed above the intermediate tray. And upper and lower transport units. Each transport section has a transport guide whose one end is rotatably supported by the main body frame, and a transport roller that is rotatably supported by the transport guide. The upper and lower transport rollers are arranged to face each other, and one of them is pressed against the other by a pressing member to press the other rollers.

[0004] In the paper transport apparatus configured as described above,
The sheet is nipped by two transport rollers and transported toward the intermediate tray. In addition, since the upper and lower transport units are rotatably supported by the main body frame, when the main frame is pulled out, the upper and lower transport units are opened and closed. Even if jammed, the jammed paper can be reliably removed.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional paper conveying apparatus, since the conveying rollers are pressed by the pressing member, if the pressing force is strong enough to affect the weight of the upper conveying section, the main body frame is not moved. When mounted in a copier, the upper transport guide may float. If the upper transport guide floats, the upper and lower transport rollers do not come into close contact with each other, which may adversely affect the paper transport.

An object of the present invention is to make it difficult for the upper transport section to float even when the pressing force of the two transport sections is increased.

[0007]

A sheet conveying device according to the present invention is a device for conveying a sheet inside an image forming apparatus, and includes a main body frame, a lower conveying portion, an upper conveying portion, a regulating member, , With a handle. The main body frame is mounted on the image forming apparatus so as to be able to be pulled out to the outside that intersects the paper transport direction. The lower transport section has a lower transport guide whose one end is rotatably supported by the main frame, and a lower transport member that is circulated by the lower transport guide. The upper transport section is disposed above the lower transport section, one end of which is rotatably supported by the main body frame, and the upper transport guide is circulatingly supported by the upper transport guide, and is in pressure contact with the lower transport member to press the lower transport member. And an upper conveying member for conveying the paper. The regulating member is a member provided in the image forming apparatus for positioning the upper transport unit and the lower transport unit in the vertical direction. The handle has a grip for rotating the upper transport unit upward with the main frame pulled out, and is positioned by the regulating member with the main frame stored in the image forming apparatus.

In this paper transport apparatus, when the main body frame is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the handle is positioned by the regulating member, and the upper transport section and the lower transport section are vertically positioned. For this reason, even if the press-contact force between the upper transport section and the lower transport section is increased, the upper transport section becomes floating. Here, the handle may be arranged at the other end of the upper transport guide. In this case, since the upper transport guide is rotatably supported at one end, a small force is required to lift the upper transport section.

The handle may be made of polyacetal resin. In this case, the corners are smoother and easier to hold than the metal handle, and the frictional resistance is reduced even when the handle contacts the regulating member, so that the body frame can be moved smoothly. Further, a positioning member for positioning the upper transport section and the lower transport section in a horizontal plane may be further provided. In this case, since the upper and lower transport sections are positioned in the horizontal plane, the upper and lower transport members are securely pressed against each other, and the transport of the sheet is more reliable.

The upper transport member and the lower transport member may have an upper transport roller and a lower transport roller that are rotatably mounted on the upper transport guide and the lower transport guide, respectively, and that are arranged to face each other. In this case, the paper can be reliably transported with a simple configuration simply by opposing the upper and lower transport rollers so as to be pressed against each other. In addition, one of the upper transport unit and the lower transport unit may further include a pressing member that presses one of the upper transport roller and the lower transport roller against the other. In this case, the two transport rollers can be reliably brought into pressure contact with each other.

Further, the apparatus may further include a paper storage section disposed below the lower transport section and storing the paper transported by the two transport sections. In this case, the paper can be reliably transported to the paper storage unit.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, a copying machine employing an embodiment of the present invention includes a copying machine main body 1.
An original mounting table 2 on which an original is mounted is disposed on an upper surface of the copying machine main body 1. An automatic document feeder 3 for automatically feeding a document to the document table 2 is provided on the upper surface of the document table 2.
Are provided to be freely opened and closed. A paper feed unit 4 is mounted on the bottom of the copying machine body 1. On the left side of the copying machine body 1 in the figure, a paper discharge tray 5 for stacking the discharged paper is mounted. Further to the right,
A paper feed tray 6 for manual paper feed is mounted to be openable and closable.

An original reading device 10 for reading image information of an original on the original placing table 2 is provided inside the copying machine main body 1.
And an image forming unit 11 disposed below the document reading device 10 and a sheet feeding device 12 disposed below the image forming unit 11. Image forming unit 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes a device for forming a toner image on a sheet, and a sheet feeding device 12 is a device for supplying a sheet to the image forming unit 11. A sheet discharging device 13 and a fixing device 14 for fixing a toner image formed on the sheet are provided downstream of the image forming unit 11 in the sheet conveying direction.
And a discharge roller 1 for discharging a sheet to a discharge tray 5
5 are provided in order.

Between the image forming unit 11 and the paper feeding device 12, a double-sided copy unit 20 for reversing the sheet on which the image has been transferred at the time of double-sided copy is arranged. A registration roller 9 that determines the timing for transporting the sheet to the image forming unit 11 is disposed upstream of the image forming unit 11 in the transport direction. The paper feed unit 4 has a pair of paper feed cassettes 4a and 4b arranged vertically, and both the paper feed cassettes 4a and 4b can be pulled out to the near side in FIG.

The image forming unit 11 includes a drum unit 1 including a photosensitive drum 21 on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is formed.
6 and main charging unit 1 including main charger 22
7, a developing unit 18 for developing the electrostatic latent image, and a transfer charger 19 for transferring the developed toner to a sheet. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the double-sided copying unit 20 includes a main body frame 30 that can be pulled out to the near side in FIG.
And an intermediate tray 3 provided inside the main body frame 30.
1 and a lower transport unit 32 disposed above the intermediate tray 31
An upper transport unit 33 disposed above the lower transport unit 32;
Link member 3 for connecting lower transport section 32 and upper transport section 33
4 is provided.

The body frame 30 is supported by two guide rails 35 which extend and contract forward from the copying machine body 1.
It can be pulled out in front of the copying machine main body 1. The intermediate tray 31 includes a document storage unit 40 capable of storing a plurality of sheets of paper on which an image is formed on one side, a width adjusting device 41 for adjusting the width of the stored sheets according to the size, and And an unloading device 42 for sending out the sheets one by one.

The lower transport section 32 includes a lower transport guide 45 and three lower transport rollers 46, 46a rotatably supported by the lower transport guide 45 and arranged at intervals in the transport direction. The lower transport guide 45 swings around the drive shaft 47a of the lower transport roller 46a on the right side of FIG.
0 supported. The lower transport guide 45 is attached to the main body frame 30 by a positioning pin 45a.
It is positioned in the direction.

The two lower conveying rollers 46 on the left side of FIG. 3 have a small diameter, and the lower conveying roller 46a on the right side has a large diameter. The large-diameter lower transport roller 46a is driven by a motor (not shown), and its rotational force is transmitted to the two lower transport rollers 46 on the left side via a chain (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of these transport rollers 46, 46a has a drive shaft 47, which is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
47a, and four roller portions 48 fixed to the drive shafts 47, 47a at intervals based on the sheet size. A sprocket 49 for driving a chain is mounted on the rear side (the left side in FIG. 5) of the drive shaft 47.

The upper transport section 33 has an upper transport guide 50 and three upper transport rollers 51 rotatably supported by the upper transport guide 50. The upper transport guide 50 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 30 at the right of FIG. Further, the sheet is guided in the space between the upper transport guide 50 and the lower transport guide 45, is inverted by the lower transport roller 46 a, and is transported to the intermediate tray 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper transport rollers 51 are
6a, the rotating shaft 52 and the rotating shaft 5
2 and four roller portions 53 fixed at intervals. The roller portion 53 is disposed in pressure contact with the roller portion 48. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation shaft 52 is rotatably supported by brackets 55 disposed at both ends. The bracket 55 is fixed to an L-shaped bracket 56 fixed to the upper conveyance guide 50 via a leaf spring 57. The leaf spring 57 urges the upper transport roller 51 downward, and presses the upper transport roller 51 against the lower transport rollers 46 and 46a.

A handle 58 used to lift the upper transfer section 33 is fitted into the other end of the upper transfer guide 50. The other end of the upper transport guide 50 is positioned in two directions on a horizontal plane by positioning pins 45b (FIG. 3) provided on the lower transport guide 45. Handle 58
Is a U-shaped member made of a synthetic resin such as polyacetal resin or nylon resin, as shown in FIG.
3 has substantially the same length as the length in the depth direction. The handle 58 has a grip portion 59 for putting a fingertip on the lower surface. The upper surface of the handle 58 comes into contact with the stay 1a provided on the copying machine main body 1 when the double-sided copying section 20 is inserted into the copying machine main body 1. When the main body frame 30 is stored in the copying machine main body 1, the stay 1a
And the lower transport unit 32 are vertically positioned. Thus, even if the upper transport roller 51 is urged by the leaf spring 57, the upper and lower transport rollers 46, 51 do not separate from each other, and the sheet is reliably transported between the two transport rollers 46, 51.

As shown in FIG. 7, the link member 34 includes a link body 60, a mounting portion 61 formed at one end of the link body 60, and an L-shaped groove 6 formed at the other end of the link body.
7 and a handle 63 formed by being bent toward the near side on the upper side of FIG. 7 of the link main body 60. The link main body 60 is a fan-shaped plate-like member, and is rotatably supported by the mounting portion 61 on the base end side of the upper conveyance guide 50 of the upper conveyance portion 33. The mounting section 61 is provided with the upper conveyance guide 50.
Are rotatably supported by a pivot pin 65 provided on a side surface on the front side of the front panel. Further, the lower transport guide 4 of the lower transport section 32
5 is provided with a locking pin 70 slightly forward from the support pin 65 so as to protrude forward. The L-shaped groove 62 is locked to the locking pin 70. The L-shaped groove 62 is provided in the link body 6.
A first groove 71 extending in the radial direction of 0 and a second groove 72 extending in the circumferential direction from the end of the first groove 71 are provided. The locking pin 70 is located at the start point of the first groove 71 when the two transport sections 32 and 33 are stored.

Next, a description will be given of the operation of the double-sided copy unit 20 having the above-described configuration when a paper jam occurs. When a paper jam occurs in the double-sided copy unit 20, the fact is displayed on a display unit provided on the upper surface of the copying machine body 1. Then, the operator operates the double doors 1 b, provided on the front of the copier body 1.
Open 1c (FIG. 2). Then, the duplex copy unit 20 is pulled out to the near side. The double-sided copy unit 20 is normally locked in the copying machine main body 1 by a lock mechanism (not shown). Therefore, the lock mechanism must be released before being pulled out. When the double-sided copy unit 20 is pulled out and paper is jammed between the lower transport unit 32 and the upper transport unit 33, first, as shown in FIG. And rotate it. Then, since the first groove 71 of the link member 34 is locked by the locking pin 70, the link member 34 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. When the locking pin 70 reaches the end of the first groove 71 as shown in FIG. 7B, the second groove 72
Is formed in the circumferential direction, the link member 34 further rotates counterclockwise by its own weight, and is arranged at a position as shown in FIG. 7C. As a result, the link member 34 is locked by the locking pin 72, and the two transport guides 45, 50
Is locked. In this state, since the upper conveyance guide 50 does not rotate downward, the paper jammed therebetween can be easily removed with only one hand.

When a sheet is jammed on the intermediate tray 31, the user further holds the handle 58 to hold the upper transport guide 5.
Lift 0. Then, the lower transport guide 45 rotates while being locked with the upper transport guide 50 by the link member 34. As a result, the upper part of the intermediate tray 31 is opened, and the paper jammed thereon can be easily taken out. In order to release the lock, while holding the handle 58 with, for example, the left hand, holding the handle 63 of the link member 34 with the right hand, the link member 34 is rotated clockwise in FIG. May be arranged at the corners of the L-shaped groove 62 as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the main body frame 30 is housed in the copying machine main body 1, the handle 58 comes into contact with the stay 1a, and the upper and lower transport sections 33 and 32 are positioned vertically. For this reason, even if the pressing contact force is increased by the pressing leaf spring 57, the upper transport section 33 becomes floating. Further, since the handle 58 is disposed at the distal end of the upper transport guide 50 whose base end is supported, the force for lifting the upper transport section 33 is small.

Further, since the handle is made of a synthetic resin such as polyacetal resin, the corners are smoother and easier to hold than the metal handle, and the handle 58 is connected to the stay 1a.
Friction with the body frame 30
Can move smoothly. [Other Embodiments] (a) In the above-described embodiment, the mounting portion 61 is formed on the upper transport guide 50 side. However, as shown in FIG. The pins 70 may be arranged on the upper transport guide 50. In this case, FIG.
As shown in (2), when the upper transport guide 50 is disposed on the lower transport guide 45, the link member 60 is disposed in the upper right direction. Then, as shown in FIG.
When the upper conveying guide 50 is lifted with the handle 58 and the locking pin 70 reaches the end of the first groove 71, the second groove 72
Are formed in the circumferential direction, so that the link member 34
And the two transport guides 45 and 50 are locked. In order to release the lock, the link member 34 may be rotated counterclockwise in FIG.

(B) As shown in FIG. 10, the main body frame 30 and the lower conveyance guide 45 may be connected by a link member 34a having the same structure as the link member 34. In this case, when the upper transport guide 50 is further lifted while the upper transport guide 50 and the lower transport guide 45 are locked and the lower transport guide 45 is disposed at a predetermined rotation position, the lower transport guide 45 The main body frame 30 is locked. However, in this case, since the lower transport guide 45 cannot rotate further, it is difficult to open the intermediate tray 31 greatly. In such an embodiment, the main frame 30 and the lower conveyance guide 4
5 is locked, so that the paper can be taken out with one hand.

(C) The transport member is not limited to the transport rollers, but may be a transport belt or a transport roller disposed to face. (D) In the above embodiment, a copying machine has been described as an example, but the image forming apparatus is not limited to a copying machine.
The present invention can be applied to all image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a facsimile that convey other sheets.

(E) In the above-described embodiment, the double-sided copy unit has been described as an example of the paper transporting device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all papers having a configuration for nipping and transporting the paper are described. Applicable to transport devices.

[0029]

According to the present invention, when the main body frame is mounted in the image forming apparatus, the handle is positioned by the regulating member, and the upper and lower transport sections are positioned in the vertical direction. For this reason, even if the press-contact force between the upper transport section and the lower transport section is increased, the upper transport section becomes floating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a copier employing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the double-sided copy unit is pulled out.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a double-sided copy unit.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a transport roller.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the other end of the transport unit.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the other end of the upper transport unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an opening / closing operation.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state where the camera is further opened and closed.

FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 of another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier main body 20 Duplex copy part 30 Main body frame 31 Intermediate tray 32 Lower conveyance part 33 Upper conveyance part 34, 34a Link member 45 Lower conveyance guide 46, 46a Lower conveyance roller 50 Upper conveyance guide 51 Upper conveyance roller 57 Leaf spring 60 Link Main body 61 Mounting part 62 L-shaped groove 70 Locking pin 71 First groove 72 Second groove

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A paper transport device for transporting a paper sheet inside an image forming apparatus, comprising: a main body frame mounted on the image forming apparatus so as to be able to be pulled out in a direction intersecting a paper transport direction; A lower transport guide having one end rotatably supported, and a lower transport member circulatingly supported by the lower transport guide; a lower transport unit disposed above the lower transport unit and one end attached to the main body frame; An upper transport guide rotatably supported by the upper transport guide, and an upper transport member circulatingly supported by the upper transport guide and pressing the lower transport member to transport the sheet together with the lower transport member. A regulating member provided in the image forming apparatus for positioning the upper and lower transport units in a vertical direction; and rotating the upper transport unit upward with the main body frame pulled out. Sheet conveying apparatus provided with a handle that is positioned having the grip portion in a state in which the main frame is accommodated in the image forming apparatus by said regulating member for. 2. The paper transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said handle is disposed at the other end of said upper transport guide. 3. The handle is made of a polyacetal resin.
The sheet transport device according to claim 1. 4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning member that positions the upper conveying unit and the lower conveying unit in a horizontal plane. 5. The upper transport member and the lower transport member have an upper transport roller and a lower transport roller that are rotatably mounted on the upper transport guide and the lower transport guide, respectively, and are opposed to each other. A paper transport device according to any one of the above. 6. The paper transport according to claim 5, wherein one of the upper transport section and the lower transport section further includes a pressing member for pressing one of the upper transport roller and the lower transport roller against the other. apparatus. 7. The paper transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a paper storage section disposed below said lower transport section and storing the paper transported by said two transport sections.