JPS60236943A - Sheet storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate selection of storing receptacles by supporting the respective storing receptacles in such a manner as to freely slide obliquely upward and fixing the respective receptacles at a standby position in a system where one of sheet storing receptacles vertically arranged in multistage is selected to feed a sheet. CONSTITUTION:In the illustrated condition where a paper tray 63 is selected, in case of selecting a tray 64, for example, a linear motor is first operated to lift up an elevator 17 along a guide rod 15 to the upper limit standby position. Subsequently, a hydraulic cylinder 14 is operated to lift up a tray support plate 9, so that trays 63-65 placed at a descending position are obliquely lifted upward through the engagement of guide rails 8 and sliding pieces 7 to bring the respective trays 63, 64 into contact with electromagnets M3, M4 at a rising position. Subsequently, after the respective trays 61-63 are adsorbed and retained by excitation of the electromagnets M1-M3, the hydraulic cylinder 14 is contracted to lower the trays 64, 65 obliquely downward. After that, the elevator 17 is lowered to a position corresponding to the tray 64.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a multistage sheet storage device that is applied to image recording devices such as copying machines and facsimile machines, and particularly relates to a multi-stage sheet storage device for storing sheets cut into various sizes. A sheet paper storage container capable of vertically stacking a large number of individually stored sheet storage containers in multiple stages, and exposing the upper surface of the sheet delivery side end of any sheet storage container as necessary. This invention relates to a storage device.

BACKGROUND ART In image recording devices such as electrophotographic copying machines, models equipped with multi-stage reduction and enlargement functions are becoming popular, and such models require a wide variety of paper sizes and a paper storage container. It has become possible to adopt a structure in which copy sheets of a desired size are arranged in multiple stages and are automatically selected and transported by a paper transport means. However, when paper storage containers are arranged in multiple stages, it is necessary to secure space between the upper and lower paper storage containers for the paper ejection means provided for each paper storage container, and the paper storage containers The storage depth of the paper becomes shallow, and the mechanism for moving the large number of paper delivery means becomes complicated. To make the paper storage depth sufficiently large, prepare a number of cassette-type paper storage containers, make it possible to attach two or three of them to the copying machine, and select the paper storage container you need as appropriate. It will be necessary to replace and install it, which will impair the efficiency of copying work.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention has been devised against this technical background, and its aim is to improve the paper storage density in a multi-stage sheet storage device.

In the present invention, in a sheet storage device for an image recording device in which the sheet storage containers are arranged in two multistages, one sheet storage container is arranged in two stages, and one sheet storage container is arranged in two stages, and one sheet storage container is connected to the sheet delivery side. It is constructed so that it can be moved diagonally upward on the opposite side (opposite sheet delivery side). By selectively operating the binding means for removably binding the paper storage containers, the upper surface of the sheet conveyance side end of an arbitrary sheet storage container is exposed and the sheets are placed at the position of the sheet storage container. Use a paper transport means to transport the sheets.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a paper feeder 3 attached to a dry type electrophotographic copying machine 1 as an operational front view. Paper feed device 3
The main body includes a multi-stage paper storage device 4 and a paper delivery/supply device 5. Steel paper trays 6 in the paper storage device 4 (6..6..63 from the top)
．． 64.6°), Aa, A4, A5-
Copy paper of various sizes such as B4-B5 (laminated sheet paper)
Each P is stacked and stored in another color.

The lowest paper tray 6 is placed on a tray support plate 9 (described later) so as not to shift its position, and other paper trays 6I
, . . . , 64 are each supported by the paper tray immediately below. That is, the paper tray 6. On the front and rear sides of the paper trays other than A guide knob passes through each pair of sliding pieces 8 which are attached at the same inclination and attached at an inclination to the front and rear sides of the other paper trays except for the paper tray 65, respectively. Therefore, each paper tray 61,...6
4 is supported by the paper tray directly below when it is in contact with the paper tray directly below it, but when it is lifted obliquely along the guide rail 7, the lifting force of the guide rail is Protected by 7.

Further, on the opposite side of the paper tray 6, a column 10 fixed to the machine frame in a vertical position is arranged, and electromagnets M1, . . . ing. Each of the paper trays L/I 61, . . . 64 can be attracted to the electromagnets M3, .

Further, at a position close to the bottom of the machine frame of the paper feeder 3, a pair of parallel slide means 11 are fixedly installed on the front and rear walls thereof, each extending obliquely upward from the unloading side to the opposite side. A tray support plate 9 is slidably engaged and supported by the book slide means 11.

This tray support plate 9 is driven by a motor 12 (including a speed reduction mechanism) and a hydraulic pump 13 as a driving source.
4, and when the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder 14 is released, it is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the paper tray 6.

On the other hand, a paper delivery and supply device 5 is provided on the delivery side of the paper tray 6.
is installed. The paper delivery/supply device 5 has a function of delivering copy paper from the paper tray 6 and transporting and supplying the copy paper to the paper receiving section 2 of the copying machine 1. The device 5 includes a pair of front and rear guide rods 15 vertically erected,
A linear motor stator 16 along the guide rod 15 and a linear motor head are provided along with the guide rod 1.
The main body includes an elevating body 17 that moves up and down along the vertical axis 5, and a paper ejecting means [8 and paper feeding means 22] connected to the elevating body 17. The paper ejecting means [8 extends from the elevating body 17 toward the paper tray 6 side, and includes a ejecting roll 19 that can come into contact with the uppermost paper V in the paper tray 6, and a copying paper taken out by the ejecting roll 19. Paper supply means 22
It consists of a conveyance roll for feeding to the side and a paper guide plate 21,
The paper supply means 22 includes three pairs of connecting links 5 that are swingably connected to each other, a pair of upper and lower flexible guide shoes 26, and joints and ends of the connecting links 5. Three pairs of transport rolls 27. are brought into contact with each other at protrusions 11 and 11 into the defined space (paper path) of the flexible guide shoe 26.
It is composed of 28.29.

Each of the transport rolls 2o, 27, 28, and 29 is synchronously driven and rotated via a crankshaft or the like using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. Further, the carry-out roll 19 is interlocked with the conveyance roll 20 via a clamper and rotated synchronously.

This embodiment is constructed as described above, and in the state shown in FIG.
．． 28 and 29 are driven and rotated, the uppermost copy paper in the paper tray is taken out, conveyed by the flexible guide shoe 26, and supplied to the paper receiving section 2 of the copying machine 1.

However, when the copying paper is removed from the paper tray other than the paper tray 6, the linear motor is operated and the elevating body 17 is raised to the upper limit standby position along the guide rod 5 (see Fig. 1). , see the two-dot chain line), drive the motor 12 to move the hydraulic cylinder 14 and lift the toy support plate 9. Due to the lifting movement, the paper trays 63, 64, 65, which are in the lowered position, are lifted diagonally upward on the side opposite to the delivery side due to the engagement relationship between the guide knobs between the paper trays 62, 63 and the sliding piece 8. Paper punch 6s at upper limit position,
64 comes into contact with the electromagnets M, , M4.

Next, paper tray 6 to be selected; C:) indicates the order of paper trays counted from the top.
,...6J-1 facing electromagnet M7,...M-,
With the paper trays 67, . . . 6j-1 energized and set by suction, and the remaining electromagnets M4, . . As a result, paper trays 61,...64
(, 7-4, only 64) descends together with the paper tray 6 diagonally downward on the discharge side. In this way, the unloading side end of the paper tray 6j is exposed, so the linear motor is operated to lower the elevating body 17 along the guide rod I5, and the unloading roll 19 is moved to the uppermost position in the paper tray Vj 6j. The lowering of the elevating body 17 is stopped when it comes into contact with the surface of the upper copy sheet. After this, the carry-out roll I9 and each transport roll, 27, A, 2
By rotating the drive 9, the visibility guide shoe 2
6 K Now you can feed the copy paper to the paper receiving section 2.

Such movement of raising and lowering the paper tray 6 is performed as part of the copying operation by a computer built into the apparatus. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the paper ton 4 selection routine. In the figure, 2 indicates the order counted from the top of the already opened paper tray 6'L. First, step (
1) At vc, the paper tray 65 containing copy paper of the target size is selected by the storage container selection switch on the operation panel of the copying machine 1. The relationship with 6L, that is, the vessel and 5 are compared in step (2).

(T) i = ,” then jump to step (8),
The paper delivery means 18 and the paper supply means 22 are operated to supply paper to the copying machine 1.

(rI)i+j, that is, when selecting a paper tray 6j different from the previously selected paper tray 6t, the elevating body 17
hZ”-, step up to the limit standby position (3))
, the motor 12 operates (step (4)), and the paper l
-vi61,...6. is lifted, and the paper tray 69,
...64 comes into contact with the electromagnets M1, ...M, the electromagnets M5, ...J-, are excited, and the electromagnets Mj, ...
- When the M4 car is demagnetized and in a steady state (step (5)), the motor 12 car is stopped and the pressure of the hydraulic cylinder 14 is lowered (clatuna (6)), and the paper trays 6j, . . . 6. is not attracted by the electromagnets M4, . . .
7)), proceed to step (8), and paper is fed to the copying machine 1.

In this way, according to this embodiment, each paper tray 65,...
65 from the lower limit position to the upper limit position diagonally upward on the opposite unloading side.
It rises due to the engagement relationship between the guide nore and the sliding piece 8,
1 was selected because the configuration was such that the electromagnets M1, . . . M4 were appropriately energized or demagnetized at the upper limit position, and the paper trays below the selected paper tray V could be lowered to the lower limit position. It is possible to take out the desired copy paper by holding the elevating member 17 at the paper tray position, and only one elevating member 17, one paper ejecting means [8°, and one paper supplying means 22 are required, which simplifies the structure. In addition, since it is not necessary to maintain a fixed interval between each sheet I/lay, the space h'' is saved and it is possible to store many types of copy sheets at a high density.

In the above embodiment, the guide rail 7 and the sliding piece 8 are attached to the front and rear walls of the paper tray 6, but either one of them may be attached to the machine frame side of the paper feeder 3.

Also, paper 1/6. It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the paper 1 and V-64 are fixed immovably, and the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders are connected to move them up and down.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5 below, ? C. Another embodiment will be explained. In the drawings, the same members as those in the embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

(]) Regarding Fig. 3: The paper feeder 30 adopts a structure in which the tray support plate 9 is moved up and down by a cam 33 that is oscillated and rotated by a motor 31 via a power transmission means 32. .

(2) Regarding FIG. 4: The paper feeding device 40 is provided with a plug 9A having a VC female screw on the lower surface of the tray support plate 9. The male screw 43 is driven and rotated by the motor 41, and the rotation of the male screw 43 causes the tray support plate 9 to move upward and downward.

(3) Regarding FIG. 5: In the paper feeder 50, the tray support plate 9 is configured to move up and down by the swinging of the swinging arm 55. That is, the swing arm 55 is swingably supported at its base end by the fixed bracket 53, and is supported by the motor 5.
1, one end of a male screw 52 is rotatably supported by a fixed bracket 53, and a female screw member 54 screwed onto the male screw 52 and a swing arm 55 are connected by a link 56. When the male screw 52 rotates forward and backward, the female screw portion 54 reciprocates and the swing arm 55 swings.

In each of the embodiments described above, the paper feeding device is separate from the copying machine 1, but it is also possible to incorporate the paper feeding device into the copying machine.

More than the effects of the invention, as is clear from the description of the embodiments, in the present invention, in an image recording apparatus in which sheet storage containers are arranged in multiple stages, a drive means is provided in the sheet storage containers at the bottom stage or the upper stage thereof. The structure 12 is configured such that the sheet delivery end of the desired sheet storage container can be exposed by the operation of the drive means and the selective operation of the respective binding means. - It is only necessary to provide one sheet transport means that can be moved downward, and there is no need to leave a predetermined interval between each storage container, making effective use of limited space17. It is possible to store paper in high density.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of the operation of a paper feeding device equipped with a sheet storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 to 5 are schematic operational front views of a paper feeder equipped with a sheet storage device according to other embodiments, respectively. 1... Dry electrophotographic copying machine, 2... Paper receiving section,
3...Paper feeding device, 4...Paper storage device, 5...Paper delivery and supply device, 6...° paper tray, 7...Guide knoll, 8...Sliding piece, 9...・Tray support plate, 10
... Strut, 11... Slide means, 12... Motor, 13... Hydraulic pump, 14... Hydraulic cylinder, 15... Guide rod, I6... Stator, 17
. . . Elevating body, [8 . . . Paper delivery means, 19 . ...Connection link, 26...Flexible guide shoe, 27, ah, 2
9... Conveyance roll. Agent: Patent attorney Nozomi Ehara (2 persons) Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an image recording apparatus provided with a sheet carrying means for selectively carrying out sheets in a plurality of sheet storage containers provided in the vertical direction, each of the sheets is A slanted slide stage that supports each storage container so as to be relatively movable diagonally upward on the opposite sheet delivery side, and a slanted slide stage that engages with the sheet storage container at the lowest stage or the upper stage thereof, and thereby all the sheet sheets located at the upper stage. a driving means capable of raising and lowering the storage container in an inclination direction; and a binding means capable of removably connecting each of the upper sheet storage containers to hold the sheet storage containers at their respective upper limit positions; A sheet storage device characterized by comprising: