JPH11208983A - Sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely carry recording paper to a plurality of discharging parts and sort recording paper by providing a path switching guide capable of oscillating by defining the vicinity of a recording paper discharging side of a recording part as a fulcrum and a plurality of guide bodies which radially extend from the path switching guide to each of a plurality of discharge trays. SOLUTION: A guide part A is constituted of a plurality of cylindrical guide bodies (a) which radially extend. An opening A1 on the upstream side of each guide body (a) is constituted to be linked with an opening part of a path switching guide D. An opening A2 on the downstream side of each guide body (a) is situated at one tray 13 within a plurality of discharge trays 13,...13. The path switching guide D is constituted so as to be oscillated in the vertical direction with a pin d8 as a center. The path switching guide D is oscillated by a driving means and can be stepwisely stopped toward one of the plurality of discharge trays 13. Recording paper can be selectively discharged in a discharging part by the path switching guide D, corresponding to the necessity of being sorted according to contents and sizes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus for discharging a sheet material such as paper to a plurality of discharge trays.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile apparatus, a copying machine, and the like are provided with a sorting apparatus in response to the necessity of sorting recorded recording paper into facsimile receiving paper and copying paper, and the necessity of sorting by recording paper size. There is something. As a sorting apparatus, a plurality of discharge trays are moved stepwise up and down to a position downstream of a recording unit in the apparatus so as to be continuous with a position of a recording unit discharge port, and discharged recording paper is discharged to each tray. And the like.

[0003]

However, in the conventional sorting apparatus as described above, a mechanism for raising and lowering a plurality of discharge trays is required, and the apparatus becomes large.
There has been a problem that the cost becomes high and the apparatus becomes complicated, which easily causes a conveyance trouble such as a paper jam.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional drawbacks described above, and to surely arrange recording paper with a simple configuration to a plurality of discharge units in response to the necessity of sorting recording paper by the size of recording paper. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sorting device that can carry and sort.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sorting apparatus for sorting and discharging recording paper from a downstream side of a recording section to a plurality of discharge trays. A path switching guide swingable around the discharge side and a plurality of guides extending radially from the path switching guide to each of the plurality of discharge trays are provided. Also,
A pair of discharge rollers was provided at the downstream end of each of the guide bodies. Further, the path switching guide swings around the vicinity of the opening on the upstream side as a fulcrum.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an image forming apparatus to which a sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a path switching guide of the sorting apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the path switching guide of FIG. 2 along the line AA. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a guide body downstream end of a guide unit and a discharge roller used in the sorting apparatus of FIG.

First, the configuration of the path switching guide D used in the sorting apparatus of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. The path switching guide D is a tubular body that is open at the upstream and downstream sides and has elongated plate members d1 and d1 arranged vertically and side walls d2 that connect the short sides d11 of the elongated plate members d1. The opening width d3 on the downstream side of the path switching guide D is narrower in the paper thickness direction than the opening d4 on the upstream side. That is, the opening d3 side is formed as a narrow portion d5, and the other opening d4 side is formed as a wide portion d6.
It is formed as.

[0008] d7 is an edge d of the side wall d2 on the flared portion d6 side.
22 is an engagement piece formed of a pair of claws d71 and d72 provided at a substantially central portion of 22. D8 shown in FIG. 1 is a pair of pins provided on the inner surfaces of both side walls of the apparatus main body so as to protrude inward. A pair of claws d71 and d of the engagement piece d7
Between 72, the pin d8 is engaged, and the path switching guide D is
It is configured to be able to swing up and down around the pin d8. The path switching guide D is swung by driving means (not shown), and can be stopped in a stepwise manner toward one of the plurality of discharge trays 13.

Next, the configuration of the guide section A used in the sorting apparatus of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the guide portion A is composed of a plurality of cylindrical guide members a extending radially. The upstream opening A1 of each guide body a is configured to be continuous with the opening d3 of the path switching guide D described above. The downstream opening A2 of each guide body a is configured to face one of the plurality of discharge trays 13,.

FIG. 4 shows a distal end portion of a guide body a extending radially. The guide body a is a flat upper plate 1.
a, the both side edges of the lower plate portion 1b are connected to the side plate portion 1c in the form of a vertical plate.
-It is connected at 1d, and the downstream end side forms an opening A2. In the vicinity of the outside of the opening A2, the discharge roller drive shaft 2.
The discharge roller driven shaft 3 is rotatably supported with respect to the guide portion A. The discharge rollers 4 and 5 made of rubber, synthetic resin or the like are provided on both shafts 2 and 3, respectively.
5 are made to contact each other. The recording paper is configured to pass between the discharge rollers 4 and 5 (nip portion).

A transmission mechanism for the discharge roller drive shaft 2 is provided on one side plate 1c side of the guide portion A.
That is, a roller gear 9 that rotates integrally with the discharge roller drive shaft 2 is provided at the shaft end of the discharge roller drive shaft 2, and a gear 8 that is rotatably provided on one side plate portion 1 c of the guide portion A and meshes with the roller gear 9 is provided. Is provided. Further, a gear 7 that meshes with the gear 8 is provided on the side plate portion 1c.
Are engaged with a drive gear (not shown).

By driving the gear trains 7, 8, and 9, the discharge roller driving shaft 2 and the discharge roller 4 are driven. Then, due to the frictional force of the discharge rollers 4.5, the discharge roller 5 in contact therewith rotates with the discharge roller driven shaft 3, and discharges the recording paper passing between the discharge rollers 4.5 to the discharge tray 13 on the downstream side thereof. I do.

As a mechanism for transmitting power to the discharge roller driving shaft 2, there are a method of winding a chain, a method of using a pulley instead of a sprocket, and a method of using a belt instead of a chain.

The recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment in which a sorting apparatus having such a path switching guide D and a guide section A is applied to a recording paper discharging mechanism. This recording device may be applied as a printer alone, or may be applied as a recording unit of a facsimile machine or a copying machine.

The configuration of the recording apparatus will be described. A plurality of discharge trays 1 are vertically arranged on one outer side of the apparatus body 12.
Are attached to the discharge trays 13 on the side of the apparatus body 12 so as to face the respective discharge trays 13.
・ ・ Is formed.

At the bottom of the apparatus main body 12, a recording paper cassette 14 capable of accumulating and storing recording paper is mounted. One of the uppermost layers of the recording paper stored in the recording paper cassette 14 is fed by a paper feed roller. The recording sheet is separated by a transport guide 15 and transported along a transport guide 16 on the upstream side of the recording section.

The recording sheet conveyed along the recording section upstream conveyance guide 16 is conveyed to a transfer section 26 in a recording section 27 by a conveyance roller 17 provided at the end of the recording sheet. The recording unit 27 includes a toner unit 18, an LED head 19, a drum set 20, and the like. The surface of the photosensitive drum 20a of the drum set 20 is controlled based on facsimile reception information and the contents of a copy original. Is irradiated to form an electrostatic latent image. Further, with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 20a, toner is supplied from the toner unit 18, the toner image is visualized on the surface thereof, and the toner image is transferred to the recording paper passing through the transfer unit 26.

After passing through the transfer section 26, the recording paper is guided into the transport guide 21 on the downstream side of the recording section, and is carried into the nip portion between the heating fixing roller 22a of the heating fixing device 22 and the platen roller 23, and is transferred. The fixed toner image is heated and fixed. Then, the recording paper is discharged by a discharge roller 2 on the downstream side.
The paper is discharged from the recording unit 27 after passing between 4.25.

The above-mentioned path switching guide D of the sorting device is:
It is provided so as to guide the recorded recording paper discharged from the discharge rollers 24 and 25 so as to switch the path in the direction of a predetermined discharge tray among the plurality of discharge trays 13.
Discharge roller 24.2 is attached to wide mouth d6 of path switching guide D.
I'm facing 5 The path switching guide D is
It swings so that it can be stopped stepwise around the center. The narrow portion d5 is selectively directed to one upstream side of the guide body a of the guide portion A.

The recording paper whose path has been switched by the path switching guide D is a predetermined guide member a of the guide section A.
Alternatively sent to the downstream end. Further, the recording paper is reliably guided in the direction of the discharge tray by the guide member a, and is reliably conveyed to the discharge tray 13 by the discharge rollers 4 and 5 provided on the guide member a and discharged.

The vertical swing of the path switching guide D may be automatic or manual.
Further, it may be configured to automatically swing toward the designated discharge tray 13 based on the determination whether the recorded content is facsimile reception or copying.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording paper recorded by the recording unit can be discharged by the path switching guide in accordance with the necessity of sorting the recorded contents or the size of the recording paper. It can be selectively discharged to one of the parts. Further, the recording paper is reliably guided by the plurality of guide members extending radially from the swinging path switching guide to each of the plurality of discharge trays, and is discharged to the discharge tray. Further, since the pair of discharge rollers are provided at the downstream end of the guide body, the recording paper is more reliably discharged to the discharge tray. Then, as described above, the apparatus has a simple configuration, and cost reduction can be realized.

In addition, since the path switching guide swings about the vicinity of the opening on the upstream side as a fulcrum, even if the path switching guide swings, the upstream opening hardly moves with respect to the discharge side of the recording unit. Therefore, the recording paper can be smoothly conveyed, and jams and the like are prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus to which a sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a path switching guide used in the sorting apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the path switching guide of FIG. 2 taken along line AA.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a guide body downstream side of a guide unit and a discharge roller used in the sorting apparatus of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 discharge roller 5 discharge roller 13 discharge tray 27 recording section A guide section a guide body C discharge section D path switching guide d4 upstream opening d8 pin (fulcrum)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sorting device for sorting and discharging recording paper to a plurality of discharge trays from a downstream side of a recording unit, comprising: a path switching guide swingable around a recording paper discharge side of the recording unit as a fulcrum; A sorting device comprising: a plurality of guides extending radially from a guide to each of a plurality of discharge trays. 2. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of discharge rollers is provided at a downstream end of each of the guide members. 3. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the path switching guide swings around a vicinity of an opening on an upstream side as a fulcrum.