JPH11130314A - Sheet mounting device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet mounting device and an image forming device, which can mount sheets, switching from the right face to the rear face by using simple construction. SOLUTION: A sheet mounting device 4 is roughly constituted of a right face mounting tray 16, which forms a first sheet mounting part that mounts the sheet with its recording surface acing upward, a rear face mounting tray 17, which forms a second sheet mounting part that mounts the sheet with its recording surface facing downward, and a reversing guide 18 as a switching- guide member, which switches from the right face mounting to the rear face mounting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet stacking apparatus for stacking discharged sheets, and is applied to, for example, a scanner or an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and various printers. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of image forming apparatus, for example, there are a copying machine, a facsimile, and various printers.

[0003] Since these devices are well known in the art, their description is omitted. However, all of the image forming apparatuses are provided with a function of forming an image on a sheet. A sheet stacking device for stacking sheets is provided.

Conventionally, when recording sheets (sheets) discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine are stacked as they are on a discharge tray, the arrangement order of the recording sheets is recorded (image formation).
Since the order is reversed, page alignment must be performed after recording, which is complicated.

Therefore, in order to save the trouble, a reversing function for reversing the recording paper and discharging the recording paper in order is often provided.

As an apparatus having such an inversion function (inversion apparatus), there is, for example, an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-119551, which will be briefly described below.

This apparatus is provided with a main roller and two rollers which are respectively pressed against the main roller. The main roller and one of the rollers take in the paper from the image forming section into the reversing device. The sheet is guided to the other roller side, and the sheet is discharged from the rear end side at the time of introduction by the other roller and the main roller.

[0008] Thus, the front and back of the sheet can be reversed.

The sheet sent out of the reversing device by the other roller and the main roller is discharged onto a sheet discharge tray via a discharge roller provided at a downstream end of the sheet conveying path.

[0010]

However, in the case of the above-described prior art, the following problems have occurred.

In the image forming apparatus provided with the above-described conventional reversing device, a plurality of rollers are required in the reversing device, and the paper fed from the reversing device is discharged to the outside of the image forming device main body. A large number of rollers are required in the paper discharge section, such as a discharge roller, and the configuration is complicated.

In order to separate the paper discharged in the inverted state from the paper discharged in the non-reversed state, it is desirable to separately provide trays for receiving the paper in each state. Requires two sets of discharge rollers to discharge paper to each tray,
Further, the structure became complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet stacking apparatus and a sheet stacking apparatus capable of stacking sheets by switching between front and back sides with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide a forming apparatus.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, in a sheet stacking apparatus according to the present invention, a first sheet stacking section for stacking sheets discharged from a sheet discharging section;
A sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit, a second sheet stacking unit that stacks the sheet on the side opposite to the sheet stacked on the first sheet stacking unit, and a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit. A switching guide member for guiding the sheet to the first sheet stacking section or the second sheet stacking section.

Therefore, the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging section is guided to the first sheet stacking section or the second sheet stacking section only by the switching guide member.

The switching guide member is swingably provided, and when placed at a position leading to the second sheet stacking portion, the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion is turned over to reverse the second sheet stacking. It is preferable to provide a reversing guide surface leading to the section.

Accordingly, the sheet is reversed by the reversing guide surface, and is stacked on the second sheet stacking section with the surface opposite to the sheet stacked on the first sheet stacking section facing up.

When the switching guide member is arranged at a position leading to the first sheet stacking section, it may function as a sheet stacking section together with the first sheet stacking section.

When the switching guide member is disposed at a position leading to the first sheet stacking portion, the switching guide member is provided with a stiffness in the traveling direction of the discharged sheet, and the switching guide member is mounted on the second sheet stacking portion. It is preferable to provide a stiffening member that retracts to a position that does not interfere with the transport position of the discharged sheet when it is disposed at the guiding position.

Therefore, when the sheets are stacked on the first sheet stacking section, the sheets are properly stacked with the waist attached by the waist member, and when the sheets are stacked on the second sheet stacking section. In addition, the transport resistance at the time of reversal is reduced, and the transport is properly performed.

It is preferable that the waist member is interlocked with the swing of the switching guide member.

It is preferable to provide a position regulating means for regulating the position of the sheets stacked on the second sheet stacking section at a predetermined position according to the sheet size.

The second sheet stacking section is a sheet stacking tray provided so as to be swingable, and it is preferable that the second sheet stacking section can be fixed to a sheet stacking position for stacking sheets and a sheet picking-out position for picking up stacked sheets. .

[0024] When the sheet stacking tray is fixed at the sheet stacking position, the leading end of the sheet stacking tray may be disposed substantially directly below the switching guide member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit. Transport means for transporting to the apparatus.

[0026]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions of the components described in this embodiment,
The material, shape, relative arrangement, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them unless otherwise specified.

A sheet stacking apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration and the like of the entire image forming apparatus including the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet stacking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This image forming apparatus is roughly composed of an image reading section 1 and a recording paper forming section (image forming section) 2.
In the figure, a sheet stacking device 4 is mounted on a sheet discharge unit 3 provided on the left side of the image forming apparatus.

In the image reading section 1, the original set on the platen glass 5 is scanned by the scanning mechanism 6 for scanning the original image, and the original image is processed by the digital signal by the controller 7 which processes the original image by the digital signal. Then, the image information is transmitted to the recording paper creating unit 2.

The recording paper making section 2 outputs a laser beam according to the input digital signal, and irradiates the laser beam to the photosensitive drum 9a to write an image. An image forming section (image forming means) 9 for converting the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 9a into a visible image (toner image) and transferring the toner image to a sheet, and fixing the transferred toner image to the sheet The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device 10, a feeding unit 11 including a sheet cassette 11a for feeding sheets to the image forming unit 9, and the like.

The sheets accommodated in the sheet cassette 11a are conveyed to the image forming section 9 through a sheet conveying path arranged on the right side of the apparatus main body in the figure, and formed on the photosensitive drum 9a as described above. The transferred toner image is transferred onto the sheet surface.

Next, the sheet is passed through a fixing device 10, where the transferred toner image is fixed on the sheet. After fixing, the sheet is discharged to a sheet discharge section 3 on the left side of the apparatus main body in the figure.

The fixing device 10 according to the present embodiment
Has also a function as a conveying means for conveying the sheet to the sheet stacking device.

The feeding unit 11 can adopt a front loading system in which a sheet cassette is inserted from the front of the apparatus main body.

Next, the sheet stacking apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2A shows a case where sheets are stacked on the surface area stacking tray 16 which is stacked with the recording surface facing upward, and FIG. 2B shows a case where sheets are stacked on the back area stacking tray 17 which is stacked with the recording surface facing down. Is loaded.

The sheet discharge section 3 has a pair of discharge rollers 12, 1
3 and a stiffening roller 14 serving as a stiffening member for stiffening the sheet in the traveling direction of the sheet, and conveys the sheet discharged from the fixing device 10 to the sheet stacking device 4.

The seat is stiffened by a pressing spring 1.
By switching 5 upward, the stiffening roller 14 retreats from the sheet transport position and is released.

The sheet stacking device 4 generally includes a surface area tray 16 that forms a first sheet stacking section for stacking with the recording surface on the upper side, and a second sheet stacking section for stacking with the recording surface on the lower side. It comprises a rear area loading tray 17 to be configured and an inversion guide 18 as a switching guide member for switching between surface area loading and rear area loading.

The surface area loading tray 16 is foldable,
A reversing guide 18 is swingably attached to the hinge 16a.

The reversing guide 18 is swingable, and
It can be fixed to the surface area mounting position or the back area mounting position.

During normal surface mounting, the reversing guide 18 is fixed at the surface mounting position by its own weight (FIG. 2A).
The sheets are stacked with the recording surface of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit 3 facing upward.

At this time, the upper surface 18b of the reversing guide 18 forms a part of the sheet stacking surface.

When the reverse area is mounted, the reversing guide 18 is swung upward, and the metal plate 19 provided at the tip end 18a of the reversing guide 18 is moved to the magnet 2 provided above the sheet discharging portion 3.
It is fixed to 0 (FIG. 2B).

As a result, the reversing guide 18 is fixed at the rear area loading position, and the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging section 3 is reversed along the reversing guide surface 18c to stack the sheets with the recording surface facing down.

At this time, the distal end portion 18a of the reversing guide 18 pushes the pressing spring 15 upward to release the waist, so that the conveyance resistance at the time of reversing is reduced and stable conveyance is enabled.

Further, since the rear area loading tray 17 is disposed such that the front end portion 17a thereof is located substantially directly below the reversing guide 18, the rear area loading can be performed at the same speed as the surface area loading.

Note that a leading end regulating plate 21 as a position regulating means for regulating the leading end of the sheet is attached to the back area loading tray 17, and a positioning hole 22 provided for each sheet size as shown in FIG. The leading end of the sheet can be regulated by inserting the fitting projection 23 of the leading end regulating plate 21.

As a result, a small-sized sheet (A4,
B5 etc.) It is possible to prevent the sheets from getting under the stack.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a sheet position regulating member provided in the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows a case where A4 size sheets are stacked. FIG. 3B shows a case where A3 size sheets are stacked.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, the back area stacking tray 17 is attached clockwise by a spring or the like. It is fixed at the sheet stacking position by the urged hook 24 and the engagement projection 25.

Then, by rotating the hook 24 in the counterclockwise direction, the hook 24 is disengaged from the engagement projection 25, the back area loading tray 17 is opened, and the sheet is fixed at the sheet take-out position (FIG. 4B). Can be.

Therefore, when taking out the stacked sheets, if the rear area stacking tray 17 is fixed at the sheet taking-out position, the sheets can be taken out easily.

[0054]

As described above, according to the sheet stacking apparatus of the present invention, since the switching guide member is provided, the number of rollers and the like for discharging the sheet can be reduced, and the front or rear surface can be formed with a simple structure. And the sheets can be stacked, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

By providing the switching guide member with a reversing guide surface, the sheet is reversed, and the sheet is loaded on the second sheet loading section with the surface opposite to the sheet loaded on the first sheet loading section facing up. can do.

When a sheet is guided to the first sheet stacking section, a stiffening member for stiffening in the sheet traveling direction is retracted to a position where the sheet conveying position is not hindered when the sheet is guided to the second sheet stacking section. With this configuration, when the sheets are stacked on the first sheet stacking section, the seat can be properly stacked and attached, and when the sheets are stacked on the second sheet stacking section, the sheet at the time of reversing can be used. Proper conveyance can be achieved with reduced conveyance resistance.

If a position regulating means for regulating the position to a predetermined position in accordance with the sheet size is provided, it is possible to prevent the sheet from getting into the sheet and the like, and it is possible to carry out the sheet stacking favorably.

If the second sheet stacking section can be fixed as a swingable sheet stacking tray at a sheet stacking position for stacking sheets and at a sheet unloading position for unloading the stacked sheets, operability can be improved. Is improved.

When the sheet stacking tray is fixed at the sheet stacking position, if the leading end of the sheet stacking tray is arranged substantially directly below the switching guide member, a quick sheet stacking operation can be performed.

Further, as described above, the sheet stacking apparatus which has been simplified and reduced in size can be applied to the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet stacking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet position regulating member provided in the sheet stacking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1 Image reading device 2 Recording paper making unit 3 Sheet discharging unit 4 Sheet stacking device 5 Platen glass 6 Scanning mechanism 7 Controller 8 Writing device 9 Image forming unit 10 Fixing device 11 Feeding unit 12, 13 Discharge roller 14 Waisting roller 15 Pressing spring 16 Surface area loading tray 17 Back area loading tray 18 Inversion guide 19 Metal plate 20 Magnet 21 Tip regulation plate 22 Positioning hole 23 Fitting protrusion 24 Hook 25 Engagement protrusion

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI G03G 15/00530 G03G15 / 00530

Claims (9)

[Claims] A first sheet stacking section for stacking the sheets discharged from the sheet discharging section; and a side opposite to the sheet stacked on the first sheet stacking section for the sheets discharged from the sheet discharging section. A second sheet stacking unit that stacks the sheets with the surface of the sheet facing up, and a switching guide member that guides the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging unit to the first sheet stacking unit or the second sheet stacking unit. A sheet stacking device. 2. The switching guide member according to claim 1, wherein the switching guide member is swingably provided, and when the switching guide member is disposed at a position leading to the second sheet stacking portion, the switching guide member reverses the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion to form the second sheet. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1, further comprising a reversing guide surface that leads to the sheet stacking unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching guide member functions as a sheet stacking section together with the first sheet stacking section when the switching guide member is arranged at a position leading to the first sheet stacking section. A sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1. 4. When the switching guide member is arranged at a position leading to the first sheet stacking portion, the switching guide member is provided with a stiffness in a traveling direction of a sheet to be discharged, and the switching guide member is mounted on the second sheet stacking portion. Wherein a waist member is provided for retreating to a position which does not hinder the conveyance position of the discharged sheet when the sheet is disposed at a position leading to the sheet.
4. The sheet stacking device according to 2 or 3. 5. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the waist member is linked to the swing of the switching guide member. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position regulating means for regulating a position of a sheet stacked on said second sheet stacking section at a predetermined position according to a sheet size. The sheet stacking device according to any one of the above. 7. The second sheet stacking section is a swingable sheet stacking tray, which can be fixed to a sheet stacking position for stacking sheets and a sheet pick-up position for picking up stacked sheets. The sheet stacking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: 8. The sheet stacking tray according to claim 1, wherein when the sheet stacking tray is fixed at a sheet stacking position, a leading end of the sheet stacking tray is disposed substantially directly below the switching guide member. The sheet stacking device according to any one of the above. 9. An image forming means for forming an image on a sheet, and a conveying means for conveying the sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming means to the sheet stacking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. An image forming apparatus comprising: