JPH11130334A - Sheet storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet storage device free to mount and demount capable of realizing classification of sheets discharged from a picture image formation device by one sheet discharge tray without selecting the picture image formation device. SOLUTION: This sheet storage device 4 is furnished with a sheet discharge tray 6 free to move in the discharge direction and the vertical direction of sheets discharged from a picture image formation device main body 1, a moving means 8 to move the sheet discharge tray, a sheet discharge detection sensor 9 to detect the sheets discharged on the sheet discharge tray from the picture image formation device main body and a control means 10 to move the sheet discharge tray by the moving means after specified time passes after the sheets are detected by the sheet discharge detection sensor, the sheet discharge tray, the moving means, the sheet discharge detection means and the control means are unitized and provided separately from the picture image formation device main body, this unit is devised to be mounted to and demounted from the picture image formation device main body freely and it is constituted capable of classifying the discharged sheets without carrying out electrical connection with the picture image formation device 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 accommodating apparatus which is attached to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine and accommodates a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a sheet storage device which is mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine and stores sheets (prints, copies) discharged from the image forming apparatus main body, the discharged sheets are usually stacked and stored. Discharge tray is used. Also, in the case of an image forming apparatus that forms a large number of images, a post-processing function is provided that includes a plurality of output trays and automatically sorts and sorts sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body. A sheet accommodating device called a sorter or a finisher having the following is used. The sorter, finisher, and the like are usually electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body, and perform post-processing operations such as collating and sorting by a signal from a control unit of the image forming apparatus main body. An off-line sorter that is separated and independent from the forming apparatus in terms of signal has also been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-13571).

Further, as a means capable of sorting sheets discharged onto a paper discharge tray with a simple configuration at a low cost and not as large as a sorter or a finisher, a paper discharge tray provided in an image forming apparatus is used. A moving means for moving the sheet in the lateral direction with respect to the sheet discharging direction (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-19553), or a sheet discharging means (discharge roller pair or the like) of the image forming apparatus main body in the sheet conveying direction. A moving means for moving in a direction orthogonal to
There is known an apparatus in which a sheet is shifted to at least two places and discharged to a paper discharge tray to sort the sheet (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-61672).

[0004]

A conventional sorter or finisher has a plurality of paper discharge trays, a mechanism for moving the paper discharge trays, a mechanism for transporting sheets to each paper discharge tray, and the like. It was expensive and was not suitable for equipping printers and small copiers. Also, in order to match the operation timing and transport speed with the image forming apparatus main body side,
An electrical connection with the image forming apparatus main body was required, and it could not be mounted unless a sorter or finisher provided exclusively for each image forming apparatus was optional. Also,
An off-line sorter is known as a sorter that does not require electrical connection, but also in this case, the configuration and mechanism are complicated, the price is high, and it is unsuitable for mounting on a printer, a small-sized copying machine, or the like. Furthermore, the sorter and finisher are attached to the side or top surface of the image forming apparatus.However, the apparatus itself is large because it has a plurality of paper output trays and complicated mechanisms, and requires an installation space on the side of the image forming apparatus. There are problems such as occupying a space above the forming apparatus main body.

[0005] As means for sorting the sheets discharged onto the sheet discharge tray with a simple and low-cost structure that is not as large as a sorter or a finisher, as described above, an image forming apparatus is used. An attached paper ejection tray is provided so as to be movable in the lateral direction with respect to the paper ejection direction, and a moving means is provided for moving a sheet ejection means (e.g., a pair of ejection rollers) of the image forming apparatus main body in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. According to these measures,
This is an effective method for a printer, a small-sized copying machine, or the like because sorting can be easily performed on a sheet discharge tray and no installation space is required. However, in these methods, the image forming apparatus is provided with a mechanism for moving a paper discharge tray and a sheet discharging unit, and the control unit is also a control unit of the image forming apparatus, and is therefore dedicated to the image forming apparatus. However, it cannot be used as an independent sheet storage device attached to another image forming apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and eliminates an electrical connection between an image forming apparatus and a sheet storage apparatus, eliminates a sheet conveyance path in the sheet storage apparatus, and provides a single sheet discharge tray. By providing the moving means and the control means on the paper discharge tray side,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable sheet accommodating device that can sort sheets ejected from an image forming apparatus with a single sheet ejection tray without selecting an image forming apparatus main body at a lower cost than conventional ones. I do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet storage device that does not require an installation area larger than the installation area of the image forming apparatus when installed in the image forming apparatus and does not occupy the space above the image forming apparatus. And Still another object of the present invention is to accommodate all components of the sheet storage device on the sheet discharge tray side of the sheet storage device, thereby facilitating attachment and detachment of the sheet storage device to and from the image forming apparatus. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet storage device capable of sorting sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus according to the sheet width.

[0007]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet accommodating apparatus for accommodating sheets ejected from a main body of an image forming apparatus which is mounted on the image forming apparatus. A paper discharge tray movable in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which sheets discharged from the main body are discharged, moving means for moving the paper discharge tray in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction, and a vicinity of a receiving portion of the paper discharge tray Paper ejection detection means for detecting a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body to the paper output tray, and a predetermined time after detecting the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body by the paper ejection detection means Control means for moving the discharge tray in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction by the moving means, wherein the discharge tray, the moving means, the discharge detection means and the control means are provided in an image forming apparatus. Body is provided separately from the,
It is possible to sort the discharged sheets without making an electrical connection with the image forming apparatus main body, and the discharge tray, the moving unit, the discharge detection unit, and the control unit are unitized, The unit is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body.

That is, the sheet storage device according to the first aspect comprises a sheet discharge tray, a moving unit, a sheet discharge detecting unit, and a control unit provided separately from the image forming apparatus main body, and these units are unitized. It is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and can sort the discharged sheets without making an electrical connection with the main body of the image forming apparatus. Sorting of the sheets discharged from the apparatus can be realized by one sheet discharge tray.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sheet storage device according to the first aspect, the unit including the discharge tray, the moving unit, the discharge detection unit, and the control unit is configured to discharge the sheet of the image forming apparatus main body. It is characterized by being installed on a tray.

In a conventional sheet storage device such as a sorter,
The sheet accommodating device according to claim 2 has a problem in that it is mounted on the side surface or the upper surface of the image forming apparatus, so that there is a problem of taking up an installation space or occupying a space above the image forming apparatus main body. Since the image forming apparatus is installed on the paper discharge tray of the image forming apparatus main body, it does not require an installation area larger than the installation area of the image forming apparatus and does not occupy the space above the image forming apparatus.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sheet storage apparatus of the first or second aspect, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body is detected so that the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body are not stacked on the sheet discharge detecting means. An oblique wall is provided around the means.

In the sheet accommodating apparatus according to the present invention, the paper discharge detecting means is provided near the receiving portion of the paper discharge tray and detects a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body onto the paper discharge tray. If the sheets are stacked on the sheet discharge detection means, the sheet discharge may not be detected. In order to avoid this, if the sheet discharge detection means is installed above the sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body, the sheet discharge detection means Only the sheet storage device needs to be separate from the sheet storage device.
In the sheet storage device according to the first aspect, an oblique wall is provided around the discharge detection unit so that sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body are not stacked on the discharge detection unit, so that the sheet can be installed on the discharge tray. It is possible to reliably detect the sheet discharge by the discharged sheet detecting means. Accordingly, since all the components of the sheet storage device can be stored in the sheet discharge tray side to form a unit, the attachment and removal of the sheet storage device to and from the image forming apparatus can be facilitated.

Next, a fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to the first and second aspects.
Or the sheet storage device according to 3, wherein a plurality of discharge detection sensors are provided as discharge detection means, and the control means detects a width of the discharged sheet based on an output state of the plurality of discharge detection sensors; Means for variably setting the amount of movement of the discharge tray by the moving means in accordance with the width of the detected sheet, and setting the amount of movement of the discharge tray to be the widest of the sheets discharged onto the discharge tray. It is characterized in that it is adapted to the movement amount of a wide sheet.

Although some conventional sheet storage devices can detect the width of a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus, there is no device that controls the amount of movement of a discharge tray according to the width. Even in a configuration in which the paper tray is moved in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction, the paper tray simply moves between two predetermined positions corresponding to the maximum sheet width placed on the discharge tray. . For this reason, although the small width sheet has a margin in which it can move with respect to the large width sheet, only the movement amount of the stack position corresponding to the large width sheet can be obtained. In the sheet storage device according to the first aspect, the control unit detects the width of the discharged sheet based on the output state of the plurality of discharge detection sensors, and moves the discharge tray by the moving unit according to the detected width of the sheet. , The amount of movement of the paper ejection tray according to the width of the sheet is increased, and the amount of movement of the sheet with a small width that has a margin with respect to the width of the paper ejection tray of the image forming apparatus is increased. Sorting can be performed in an easy-to-understand manner, and when a large-width sheet is discharged, sorting can be performed with a minimum necessary moving amount. Also, in the case where a sheet having a size different from that of the previously discharged sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray, the moving amount of the discharge tray is set to a value within the sheets discharged onto the discharge tray. Since it is adjusted to the moving amount of the widest sheet, the sorted sheets are not disturbed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet storage apparatus of the fourth aspect, a sheet removing sensor for detecting removal of a sheet on the sheet discharging tray is provided, and the control means includes a sheet discharging tray. When the removal of the upper sheet is detected by the sheet removal sensor, the information on the maximum width of the sheet on the sheet discharge tray is reset.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the moving amount of the sheet discharge tray is changed according to the width of the sheet. However, when the sheet having the maximum width that can be stacked is discharged, the sheet is discharged even if the sheet is removed. The movement amount of the paper tray remains small, but in the sheet storage device according to claim 5, when the sheet removal sensor detects that the sheet on the paper discharge tray has been removed, Since the information about the maximum width is reset, it is possible to reset the information up to that point that the sheet having a large width has been discharged, and to increase the movement amount when a small sheet is discharged.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

(Embodiment 1) First, the first to third embodiments will be described. FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of claims 1 to 3, and is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a sheet storage device installed on a paper discharge tray of an image forming apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of the sheet storage device illustrated in FIG. 1 when viewed through a part of a discharge tray from above. 1 and 2, a sheet storage device 4 includes a discharge tray 6 movable in a direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1. A moving mechanism (6c, 8, 8) that moves in a vertical direction
a), a sheet ejection detection sensor 9 installed near the receiving portion of the sheet ejection tray 6 to detect a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus body 1 onto the sheet ejection tray, and the image forming apparatus body by the sheet ejection detection sensor 9. After a lapse of a predetermined time from the detection of the sheet discharged from the sheet feeding device 1, a control plate 10 which is control means for moving the discharge tray 6 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction by a moving mechanism is provided. I have.

On the pedestal 5 of the sheet storage device 4 placed on the paper discharge tray 2 of the image forming apparatus main body 1, a rail-shaped extending in the direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 is provided. Two paper discharge tray guides 7a and 7b are provided, and the paper discharge tray 6 of the sheet storage device 4 is provided with two paper discharge tray guides 7a via protrusions 6a and 6b provided on the back side thereof. , 7b, and its moving direction is determined. As a mechanism for moving the paper discharge tray 6, a movement gear 6c extending in the same direction as the paper discharge tray guides 7a and 7b is provided on the back side of the paper discharge tray 6 of the sheet storage device 4. 6c is engaged with a drive gear 8a fixed to the shaft of the tray moving motor 8 installed on the pedestal 5 side.
Is transmitted to the paper discharge tray 6 using the gears 8a and 6c to move the paper discharge tray 6 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction.

The paper ejection detection sensor 9 is provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1.
The sheet discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is attached to the sheet receiving section of the sheet storage device 4 near the sheet receiving portion on the sheet discharge port side. An oblique wall 6d is provided around the discharge detection sensor 9 of the discharge tray 6 so as not to be stacked. As the paper ejection detection sensor 9, for example, a reflection-type photodetector including a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode and a light-receiving element such as a photodiode is used to receive reflected light from a sheet passing over the sensor. The sheet discharge is detected. The paper ejection detection sensor 9 is electrically connected to the control plate 10.
Is detected on the control plate 10 side to detect the state of sheet discharge from the image forming apparatus main body 1 and control the movement of the sheet discharge tray 6 described later.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control plate 10. The control plate 10 includes a detection circuit 10c for detecting a change in the output of the sheet discharge detection sensor 9, and a detection circuit 10c
Calculations that perform various calculations and controls in response to detection signals from
An operation / display unit 1 including a control unit 10b, switches and numeric keys for performing various settings for the calculation / control unit 10b, and a display device for displaying the set contents and control status.
0a, a timing circuit 10e that measures time according to a command from the arithmetic and control unit 10b, and a drive circuit 10 that drives the tray moving motor 8 according to a command from the arithmetic and control unit 10b.
d. The operation / control unit 10
b includes a CPU composed of a microcomputer, input / output ports (I / O), memories (ROM, RAM) for storing control programs and various data, and the like. Although not shown, the control board 10 is also provided with a power supply circuit for supplying electricity to the above-described units.

In the sheet storage device 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the above-described sheet discharge tray 6, sheet discharge detection sensor 9, moving mechanism (8, 8a, 6c), and control plate 10 are unitized on a pedestal 5. The unit is merely placed on the paper discharge tray 2 of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and is not electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body 1. Therefore,
The sheet storage device 4 is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 1 and can be easily attached and detached, and can be easily moved to another image forming apparatus. Can be shared.

Next, the operation of the sheet storage device having the structure shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 shows an example of the control operation of the sheet storage device. Control plate 1 of sheet storage device 4
When the power switch provided on the operation / display unit 10a is turned ON, the control operation shown in FIG. 7 is started by the calculation / control unit 10b of the control plate 10, and the tray moving motor 8 is driven first, and the discharge tray 6 Is moved to the initial position (S1), and a standby state is set until sheet discharge is detected (S2).
The initial position of the paper discharge tray 6 can be set arbitrarily, such as at the center of the movement range of the paper discharge tray 6 or at one of the left and right positions according to the sheet having the maximum width.

When an image forming operation is performed by the image forming apparatus main body 1, the sheet is discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1 by the discharge roller 3, and the discharged sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 6 of the sheet storage device 4. The sheet passes through a sheet discharge detection sensor 9 attached to the sheet discharge port side of the image forming apparatus, and is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 6. The arithmetic and control unit 10b, which has detected the discharge of the sheet based on the output from the discharge detection sensor 9, starts the time measurement by the timing circuit 10e (S3). Then, from the time when the sheet has passed the sheet discharge detection sensor 9, a predetermined time t (a sheet to be discharged during continuous printing of the image forming apparatus) that is set in advance by a switch or the like of the operation / display unit 10 a of the control plate 10. Is determined arbitrarily according to the paper discharge interval, which is set longer than the paper discharge interval during continuous printing) (S4). At this time, if the discharge of the next sheet is detected before the predetermined time t has elapsed (S5), the timer is reset and time measurement is started. That is, the operations of S3 to S5 are repeated while continuous printing is continued.

By measuring the time between the sheets, the predetermined time t
When the elapse is detected, the operation / control unit 10b
Detects that the discharge of the sheet is completed, and detects the drive circuit 10
d, the tray moving motor 8 is operated, and the discharge tray 6
Is moved along the discharge tray guides 7a and 7b in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction to the opposite side of the current position (S6), and the sheet is awaited for the next printing.

When the next sheet is discharged by the movement of the paper discharge tray 6, the stack position is shifted by the moving amount of the paper discharge tray 6. Then, the above control operation (S2 to S
According to 6), when the discharge of the sheet is completed, the discharge tray 6 is moved to the opposite side of the current position again, and the stack position of the next discharged sheet is shifted from the previously discharged sheet. As described above, the displacement caused by the movement of the paper discharge tray 6 every time printing is completed makes it possible to sort the discharged sheet groups by separating them.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a view showing one embodiment of the fourth and fifth aspects, and is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a sheet storage device installed on a discharge tray of an image forming apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of the sheet storage device illustrated in FIG. 3 when viewed from above through a part of a discharge tray. 3 and 4, a sheet storage device 4 'includes a discharge tray 6 movable in a direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1, and a discharge direction of the sheet discharge tray 6 in the sheet discharge direction. Moving mechanism (6c, 8,
8a), a sheet discharge detection sensor group 11 including a plurality of sheet discharge detection sensors installed near the receiving portion of the sheet discharge tray 6 and detecting sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 onto the sheet discharge tray. After a predetermined time elapses after the sheet detection sensor group 11 detects a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1, a control unit that moves the discharge tray 6 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction by a moving mechanism. And a plate 10 '.

The sheet storage device 4 'shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has basically the same configuration as the sheet storage device 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the components denoted by the same reference numerals are the same components. Although the basic operation is the same, the present embodiment includes a paper ejection detection sensor group including a plurality of paper ejection detection sensors as paper ejection detection means, and the control plate 10 ′ is provided with the paper ejection detection sensor group. Means for detecting the width of the ejected sheet based on the output state of 11 and means for variably setting the amount of movement of the ejection tray 6 by the moving mechanism (6c, 8, 8a) according to the detected width of the sheet. And the moving amount of the discharge tray 6
It is configured to match the moving amount of the widest sheet among the sheets discharged on the discharge tray 6. In addition, a sheet removal sensor 12 (for example, a reflection-type photodetector or the like) for detecting that the sheet on the sheet discharge tray 6 has been removed is provided on the sheet discharge tray 6, and the control plate 10 ' When the sheet removal sensor 12 detects that the sheet on the tray 6 has been removed, the information on the maximum width of the sheet on the sheet discharge tray is reset.

The sheet ejection detection sensor group 11 is attached to the sheet ejection port side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 near the sheet receiving portion of the sheet ejection tray 6 of the sheet storage device 4 '.
The sheet discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is
An oblique wall 6 is provided around the discharge detection sensor group 11 of the discharge tray 6 so as not to be stacked on the discharge detection sensor group 11.
d is provided. Further, as each of the paper ejection detection sensors constituting the paper ejection detection sensor group 11, for example, a reflection type light detector including a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving element such as a photodiode is used, and passes over the sensor. Light reflected from the sheet is received to detect sheet ejection and sheet width. This paper ejection detection sensor group 11
Is electrically connected to the control plate 10 ', and detects a change in the output of each sheet discharge detection sensor of the sheet discharge detection sensor group 11 on the control plate 10' side to discharge the sheet from the image forming apparatus main body 1. The state and the sheet width are detected, and the movement control of the discharge tray 6 described later is performed. Although only two paper ejection detection sensors are shown in the example of FIG. 4 as the paper ejection detection sensor group 11, the number of paper ejection detection sensors is at least two in order to detect a maximum sheet width and a sheet width smaller than that. Means that it is necessary. When detecting a larger sheet width, the number of paper ejection detection sensors is increased to three or four as necessary.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control plate 10 '. The control plate 10 'is a group of paper ejection detection sensors 1.
A detection circuit 1 for detecting a change in the output of each paper ejection detection sensor 1
0f, a detection circuit 10g for detecting a change in the output of the sheet removal sensor 12, and a calculation / control unit 10b for receiving various signals from the detection circuits 10f and 10g and performing various calculations / controls.
And an operation / display unit 10a composed of switches and numeric keys for performing various settings for the operation / control unit 10b and a display device for displaying the set contents and control status. The configuration includes a timing circuit 10e that measures time according to a command, and a drive circuit 10d that drives the tray moving motor 8 according to a command from the arithmetic and control unit 10b. The arithmetic and control unit 10b includes a CPU including a microcomputer and an input / output port (I / O port).
O), and a memory (ROM, RAM) for storing a control program and various data. Although not shown, the control board 10 is also provided with a power supply circuit for supplying electricity to the above-described units.

Also in the sheet storage device 4 'shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the above-described discharge tray 6, discharge detection sensor group 11,
Sheet removal sensor 12, moving mechanism (8, 8a, 6c),
The control plate 10 ′ is unitized on the pedestal 5, and the unit is merely placed on the paper discharge tray 2 of the image forming apparatus main body 1, and is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus main body 1. And not connected. Therefore, the sheet storage device 4 '
Is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 1, and
It can be easily attached and detached, can be easily moved to another image forming apparatus, and can be shared by a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

Next, the operation of the sheet storage apparatus having the structure shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 shows an example of the control operation of the sheet storage device. The power switch provided on the operation / display unit 10a of the control plate 10 'of the sheet storage device 4'
N, the control operation of FIG. 8 is started by the calculation / control section 10b of the control plate 10 '.
Is driven to move the discharge tray 6 to the initial position (S
1), and enters a standby state until sheet ejection is detected (S
2). Note that the initial position of the discharge tray 6 is
, Or the position on the left or right according to the maximum width of the sheet, or the like.

When the image forming operation is performed by the image forming apparatus main body 1, the sheet is discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1 by the discharge roller 3, and the discharged sheet is discharged to the discharge tray of the sheet storage device 4 '. The sheet 6 passes through the sheet ejection detection sensor group 11 attached to the ejection port side of the image forming apparatus 6 and is ejected to the sheet ejection tray 6. An arithmetic and control unit 10b that detects the discharge of the sheet based on the output from the discharge detection sensor group.
Detects the width of the sheet discharged at this time based on the detection output from the sheet discharge detection sensor group 11, stores the width in a memory such as a RAM (S3), and starts time measurement by the timer circuit 10e (S4). Then, from the time when the sheet passes through the paper ejection detection sensor group 11, a predetermined time t set in advance by a switch or the like of the operation / display unit 10a of the control plate 10 '.
(Time between sheets ejected during continuous printing of the image forming apparatus, that is, time arbitrarily set according to the sheet ejection interval, which is set longer than the sheet ejection interval during continuous printing) It is determined whether the time has elapsed (S5). At this time,
If the discharge of the next sheet is detected before the fixed time t has elapsed (S6), the sheet width is detected and stored again, and the time measurement is reset to start time measurement. That is, the operations in S3 to S6 are repeated while continuous printing is continued.

By measuring the time between the sheets, the predetermined time t
When the elapse is detected, the operation / control unit 10b
Detects that the discharge of the sheet is completed, determines the moving amount of the discharge tray 6 from the maximum width of the discharged sheet (S7), and then drives the tray moving motor 8 by the driving circuit 10d.
Is operated, and the discharge tray 6 is moved to the discharge tray guides 7a and 7b.
(S8) in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction along the direction to the opposite side of the current position (S8). As described above, in the present embodiment, the moving amount of the sheet discharge tray 6 is determined by the width of the sheet detected at the time of the previous sheet discharge, and is determined by the width of the sheet discharge tray 2 on the image forming apparatus main body side. By inputting the movable range of the discharge tray 6 into the memory in advance, the moving amount for each size (sheet width) is determined by the calculation / control circuit 10b in the control plate 10 '. The maximum width of the discharged sheet is stored at the time of the above-described control operation (S3), and if the sheet having the larger width is discharged first, the moving amount of the discharge tray 6 becomes equal to the amount of movement on the discharge tray. Is the largest sheet movement amount among the sheet widths.

When the sheet is not removed from the sheet discharge tray 6 and the next sheet is continuously discharged by the movement of the sheet discharge tray 6, the stack position is shifted by the moving amount of the sheet discharge tray 6. When the discharge of the sheets is completed by the above control operations (S2 to S8), the discharge tray 6 is again moved to the opposite side of the current position by the above movement amount, and the next discharged sheet is also the previously discharged sheet. Stack position is shifted. As described above, the displacement caused by the movement of the paper discharge tray 6 every time printing is completed makes it possible to sort the discharged sheet groups by separating them.

After the sheet ejection tray 6 is moved, the sheet removal sensor 1 indicates that the sheet has been removed from the sheet ejection tray 6.
2 (S9), the calculation
The information on the width of the previously discharged sheet stored in the memory of the control unit 10b is reset (S10). Accordingly, when a sheet having a small width is ejected at the next printing, a large moving distance of the ejection tray according to the sheet width can be secured.

[0037]

As described above, the sheet accommodating apparatus according to the first aspect is constituted by the paper ejection tray, the moving means, the paper ejection detecting means, and the control means provided separately from the image forming apparatus main body. These units are unitized and can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, there is no need to exchange data with the image forming apparatus, and there is no need to make an electrical connection with the image forming apparatus main body. As sorting can be performed, without choosing the image forming apparatus main body,
It is possible to provide a low-cost sheet storage device capable of sorting sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus with a single discharge tray.

The sheet accommodating apparatus according to the second aspect is unitized and is installed on the paper discharge tray of the image forming apparatus main body, so that it does not require an installation area larger than the installation area of the image forming apparatus, and The space above the forming device is not occupied.

In the sheet storage device according to the third aspect, an oblique wall is provided around the discharge detection means so that the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body do not stack on the discharge detection means. Thus, the sheet discharge can be reliably detected by the sheet discharge detection means provided on the sheet discharge tray. Accordingly, since all the components of the sheet storage device can be stored in the sheet discharge tray side to form a unit, the attachment and removal of the sheet storage device to and from the image forming apparatus can be facilitated.

In the sheet storage device according to the fourth aspect, the control means detects the width of the discharged sheet based on the output states of the plurality of discharge detection sensors, and controls the moving means in accordance with the detected width of the sheet. Since the moving amount of the paper discharge tray is variably set, the moving amount of the paper discharging tray is increased according to the width of the sheet, and the moving amount is increased for a small width sheet having a margin with respect to the width of the paper discharging tray of the image forming apparatus. By doing so, it is possible to sort the separators in an easy-to-understand manner, and when a large-width sheet is discharged, the sheets can be sorted so that the separators are formed with the minimum necessary moving amount. Further, even when a sheet having a size different from that of a previously discharged sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray, the moving amount of the discharge tray may be reduced.
Since it is adjusted to the moving amount of the widest sheet among the sheets discharged onto the sheet discharge tray, the sorted sheets are not disturbed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the moving amount of the discharge tray is changed according to the width of the sheet. However, when a sheet having the maximum width that can be stacked is discharged, the moving amount of the large sheet is adjusted. Therefore, even if the sheet is removed, the movement amount of the paper discharge tray remains small. However, the sheet storage device according to claim 5 includes a sheet removal sensor to remove the sheet on the paper discharge tray. Is detected by the sheet removal sensor,
Resets information about the maximum width of a sheet on the output tray so that when a sheet is removed from the output tray,
It is possible to reset the information up to that point that the sheet having a large width has been discharged, and secure a large moving amount when the sheet having a small width is discharged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet storage device installed on a discharge tray of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of the sheet storage device illustrated in FIG. 1 when viewed from above through a part of a discharge tray.

FIG. 3 is a view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a sheet storage device installed on a paper discharge tray of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of the sheet storage device shown in FIG. 3 when viewed from above through a part of a sheet discharge tray.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control unit of the sheet storage device illustrated in FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control unit of the sheet storage device illustrated in FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation of the sheet storage device having the configuration illustrated in FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation of the sheet storage device having the configuration illustrated in FIGS.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Image forming apparatus main body 2: Image forming apparatus main body discharge tray 3: Discharge rollers 4, 4 ': Sheet storage device 5: Pedestal 6: Discharge tray 7a, 7b: Discharge tray guide 8: Tray moving Motor (moving means) 9: Discharge detection sensor (discharge detection means) 10, 10 ': Control plate (control means) 11: Discharge detection sensor group (discharge detection means) 12: Sheet removal sensor

Claims (5)

[Claims] A sheet storage device mounted on an image forming apparatus and configured to store a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body, wherein a sheet discharge movable in a direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body. A tray, moving means for moving the discharge tray in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction, and detecting sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus body onto the discharge tray, which are installed near a receiving portion of the discharge tray. Paper ejection detecting means, and after a predetermined time elapses after the sheet ejected from the image forming apparatus main body is detected by the paper ejection detecting means, the paper ejection tray is moved by the moving means in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction. Control means for causing the paper discharge tray, the moving means, the paper discharge detection means and the control means to be provided separately from the image forming apparatus main body, and to establish an electrical connection with the image forming apparatus main body. It is possible to sort the discharged sheets without performing the operation, and the above-mentioned sheet discharge tray, moving means, sheet discharge detecting means and control means are unitized, and the unit is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body. A sheet storage device, characterized in that: 2. The sheet storage device according to claim 1, wherein
A sheet storage device, wherein a unit including a discharge tray, a moving unit, a discharge detection unit, and a control unit is installed on a discharge tray of an image forming apparatus main body. 3. The sheet storage device according to claim 1, wherein an oblique wall is formed around the sheet discharge detection means so that the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body do not stack on the sheet discharge detection means. A sheet storage device, comprising: 4. A sheet storage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of paper ejection detection sensors as paper ejection detection means, wherein said control means ejects the paper according to an output state of said paper ejection detection sensors. Means for detecting the width of the discharged sheet, and means for variably setting the amount of movement of the discharge tray by the moving means in accordance with the detected width of the sheet. A sheet accommodating device which adjusts to the moving amount of the widest sheet among the sheets discharged to the sheet. 5. The sheet storage device according to claim 4, wherein
A sheet removal sensor for detecting that the sheet on the paper output tray has been removed, and the control means detects the removal of the sheet on the paper output tray by the sheet removal sensor, and detects the removal of the sheet on the paper output tray. A sheet storage device for resetting information about a maximum width.