JPH11334943A - Feed paper sheet carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately position a paper sheet without folding by constituting a diagonal carrier means, which diagonally carries the paper sheet toward a side guide for positioning the side edge of the paper sheet in a reference position, of an endless carrier belt suckingly carrying the paper sheet by air. SOLUTION: A positioning means 21 for a paper sheet (a) is provided with a plurality of feed rollers 23-25 carrying the paper sheet (a) with its tip nipping, a side guide 27 for positioning the reference position of the paper sheet side edge, and a diagonal carrier means 28 for diagonally carrying the paper sheet (a) toward the side guide 27. In this case, the diagonal carrier means 28 is so constituted that a plurality of carrier belts 35 having a lot of holes (b) bored therein are wound across a plurality of rollers 31, 32 journalled to an air box 30 to which an air suction fan 29 is connected, and an opening 36 for air suction is bored in the top face of the air box 30. After the paper sheet (a) is sucked to the top face of the carrier belt 35 by air, it is sideslipped and carried diagonally toward the side guide 27.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an electrostatographic copying machine,
Printers, paper feeders equipped in image forming apparatuses such as facsimile machines, specifically, to align the side edge of the paper to a reference position on one side of the transport path, to feed the paper The present invention relates to a configured paper feeding and conveying device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the above-described paper feeder, a side guide is provided on one lateral side of a transport path for positioning a side edge of the paper at a reference position, and the paper is transported diagonally toward the side guide. The paper is fed and transported while moving the paper to the side guide side, so that the side edge of the paper is applied to the side guide, and even if the paper is skewed, And at the same time, align the paper side edge with the reference position on one side of the transport path.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned oblique conveying means is constituted by a pair of upper and lower oblique conveying rollers, and the paper nipped by the pair of oblique conveying rollers is obliquely conveyed toward a side guide. When the side end comes into contact with the side guide, the paper is moved toward the width in order to slip between the rollers.

[0004]

However, it is very difficult to adjust the nip force with the oblique conveying means having the above-described structure. If the nip force is too strong, the paper may be in contact with the side guide when the paper comes into contact with the side guide. If the nip force is too weak,
The paper slips during the skew conveyance, and the paper side end cannot be positioned at a predetermined reference position.

There is also a technique for detecting the contact of the sheet with the side guide to release the nip between the pair of rollers. However, when the nip is released, the sheet cannot be maintained in a positioning position, so that the sheet is misaligned. In addition to the trouble that occurs, in order to transport the paper with the nip
It required a transport roller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and uses a unique technique of sucking a sheet with air to convey the sheet obliquely without causing a problem such as folding of the sheet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeder that can appropriately position a reference position of a sheet side end.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is characterized in that the oblique conveyance means for the paper is constituted by an endless conveyance belt for sucking and conveying the paper by air.

That is, according to the present invention, in the sheet conveying means by suction of air, while the sheet is reliably conveyed, if an external force in the direction of the sheet surface is applied to the sheet being sucked by air, the sheet can be easily converted. Focusing on the point of skidding, this is done by sucking the air and conveying it diagonally toward the side guide, and when the paper side edge touches the side guide, the paper Easily slides and changes the posture so that the paper side edge follows the side guide.The paper is positioned at the reference position as specified without breaking, and the positioning posture is maintained. Since the sheet is conveyed, there is no problem that the sheet is displaced during the conveyance.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an electrophotographic copying machine (an example of an image forming apparatus) configured to be capable of forming a double-sided image, and an apparatus main body 2 provided with an automatic document feeder 1 at an upper portion thereof.
A charging device 4, a developing device 5, a transfer device 6, a sheet separating device 7, and a cleaning device 8
The exposure apparatus 9 is arranged in that order, and the optical system movable exposure apparatus 9 is arranged in the upper space of the apparatus main body 2.

Then, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 10 are vertically arranged.
The paper fed from the two paper feed decks 11 and 12 provided with the paper feed decks 11 is configured to be taken out to a conveyed paper feed / conveyance device 13 provided in one of the paper feed decks 11. A transport device 14 for transporting the paper to be transferred to the transfer device 6, a transport device 16 for transporting the image-formed paper to the fixing device 15, and discharge the fixing processed paper to a discharge tray 17 outside the device. A paper feed roller unit 18 is disposed in the apparatus main body 2, and the fixing processing sheet is turned over by switchback, and the sheet is fed back to the transfer device 6. 19 and a path switching means 20 are arranged so that the paper to be fixed can be switched between the discharge tray 17 and the paper feeder 19 to be fed.

The above-mentioned various transport devices 13, 14, 16, 1
9 feeds and conveys the paper in a state where one end in the width direction of the paper is aligned with a reference position on one lateral side of the conveyance path, and includes a paper feeder 13 provided in the paper feed deck 11; The switchback paper feeder 19 includes positioning means 21 and 22 for positioning one side edge of the paper at the reference position.

The paper-side end positioning means 21 and 22
Have the same configuration, so that
3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the positioning means 21 includes first and second feed rollers 23, 24, 25, and 26 for nipping and transporting the sheet a, respectively. Are arranged at predetermined intervals on the upstream side and the downstream side of the transport path, and a side guide 27 for positioning the reference position of the paper side end is located on one side of the transport path between the feed rollers. , Paper a
And a slanting conveying means 28 for slantingly conveying the paper toward the side guide 27 is disposed between the feed rollers.

The diagonal conveying means 28 for the sheet a is unitized, and the oblique air box 30 to which the air suction fan 29 is connected is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveying path thereof. , Each roller 3 for belt winding
1 and 32 are rotatably held, and a universal joint 34 for connecting a driving means 33 is connected to the downstream roller 32.
Over which a plurality of holes b are formed (three in this embodiment, but two or one with a wider belt width).
Or four or more sheets. ), The endless conveyor belt 35 is wound, and an air suction opening 3 is formed in the belt winding surface of the air box 30.
6 are formed.

Here, the sheet a
The unitary diagonal conveying means 28 is arranged so that the conveying direction of the unit becomes closer to the side guide 27 toward the downstream side.
Are arranged at an angle between the feed rollers, and the rollers 31, 32 are arranged as much as possible with the feed rollers 23, 2.
4, 25, 26 so that the air box 3
In addition, guide plates 37 and 38 are provided so as to fill the gap between the rollers, and the side guide 27 or the air is provided so as to fill the gap L between the side guide 27 and the transport belt 35 near the side. The box 30 is provided with a cover 39.

In the sheet feeding and conveying apparatus 13 provided with the positioning means 21 having the above-described structure, the first feed rollers 23 and 24
Of these, the lower idler roller 24 is
The sheet detection sensor 41 is arranged so as to be able to move up and down by 0 and just upstream of the first feed rollers 23 and 24.

Then, the sensor 41 detects the leading edge of the sheet a, and the sheet a conveyed by the feed rollers 23 and 24 is suctioned by the conveying belt 35 based on the elapse of a predetermined time. Then, when the sheet a is conveyed by the conveying belt 35, the actuator 40 operates and the first
The nip of the feed rollers 23 and 24 is released.

Accordingly, the paper a, for which the nip has been released by the feed rollers 23 and 24, is sucked into the upper surface of the conveyor belt 35 by air and is conveyed obliquely toward the side guide 27. The paper a sucked by the conveyor belt 35 slides easily in the paper surface direction, so that when the paper side end contacts the side guide 27, the paper a
The posture will be changed so as to follow.

As a result, the paper a is positioned at the reference position as specified, including the skew correction, and is conveyed while maintaining its positioning posture.
The paper is fed to the second feed rollers 25 and 26. On the other hand, when the sensor 41 detects the trailing edge of the paper,
After a lapse of time during which the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the first feed rollers 23 and 24, the actuator 40 operates to switch the first feed rollers 23 and 24 to the sheet nip state and prepare for the conveyance of the next sheet a. is there.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, while the sheet is reliably conveyed by the sheet conveying means by the suction of air, the sheet sucked by the air slides easily in the paper surface direction. According to the present invention, by introducing a unique oblique transport technique of suctioning and transporting the paper by the air into the paper feeding and transporting device, according to the present invention, the folding of the paper and the like can be achieved. Since the paper side edge can be properly positioned at the reference position without any trouble of the paper, and the paper is conveyed while maintaining the positioning posture, there is no trouble that the paper is misaligned during the conveyance. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an electrostatographic copying machine shown together with a sheet feeding deck.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper feeder.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view of the sheet feeding and conveying device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

27: side guide, 28: oblique conveying means, 35: conveying belt, a: paper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A side guide for positioning a side edge of a sheet at a reference position on one lateral side of a conveying path, and an oblique conveying unit for conveying a sheet obliquely toward the side guide. A sheet feeding / conveying apparatus, wherein the obliquely conveying means of the sheet is constituted by an endless conveying belt for sucking and conveying the sheet by air.