JPS62100368A - Sorter of variable accommodation capacity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent work from becoming complicated and time-consuming by employing a sensing means for sensing attachment/detachment of a bin detachably attached and an accommodation bin changing means for accommodating paper sheets, when detachment of a bin is sensed, into another bin located just below the bin of which the detachment is sensed. CONSTITUTION:On the left side of a sorter body 1 are detachably attached multiple bins B1 through B15. At each attachment position of the bin B are provided a bin auxiliary plate 6, a gate 7, an accommodation roller R and a guide G. The roller R is attached rotatably and is contact with a transfer belt 5. A bin sensing switch is attached at the position where the bin B is attached so that it can be sensed if the bin B is inserted or detached. And when it is sensed that for example the bin B13 is detached, a guide G14 for accommodating paper sheets into the bin B14 located just below the bin B13 works so that paper sheets going through a roller R14 are accommodated into the bin B14. It is so made that when the number of paper sheets in the bin B14 reaches a specified value, a guide G13 works to continue supplying paper sheets from above into the bin B14. Since the accommodation is performed by a single action even if the desired number of paper is greater than that specified for the bins, the work is prevented from becoming complicated.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention provides a system for installing a plurality of bins in multiple tiers for storing paper, which are installed near the paper output port of the paper conveyance path of an apparatus such as a copying machine,
The present invention relates to a sorter that collates ejected sheets.

<Summary of the Invention> In summary, the variable storage capacity sorter according to the present invention includes a bin that is detachably attached, a detection means for detecting the attached/detached state, and a detecting means for detecting that the bin is detached. By providing means for storing sheets to be stored in the bin in a bin located directly below the bin, the amount of paper stored in the bin can be changed.

<Prior Art and Its Disadvantages> A conventional sorter has a plurality of bins fixed at regular intervals in multiple stages. Therefore, the amount of paper stored in one bin is constant and cannot be changed. therefore,
When collating sheets whose number of pages exceeds the storage capacity of one bin, the work must be done in multiple parts.

For example, if a sorter installed in a copier has 15 bins and each bin has a maximum capacity of 50 bins, then 120
When copying five copies of a page original, the copying operation must be performed at least three times, such as two copying operations of 50 pages each and one copying operation of 20 pages. Furthermore, each time each copying operation is completed, it is necessary to remove the paper from each bin and perform the next copying operation, and after all the copying operations are completed, it is necessary to collect the sheets obtained from each copying operation.

As shown in Figure 2 below, in conventional sorters, each bin is fixedly provided, so the storage capacity is constant, and if the number of paper pages to be stored exceeds the storage capacity of each bin, the number of pages is changed to the storage capacity. It was necessary to divide it into multiple parts with the following numbers and perform the processing work the number of times it was divided. This has the disadvantage that the work becomes complicated and takes a long time.

In addition, the external dimensions of the sorter cannot be made too large due to restrictions such as the installation space when installed, and in addition, the sorter is equipped with as many bins as possible in order to be able to process a large number of copies. . For this reason, in general, the storage capacity of each bin in conventional sorters is a small amount of about 50 sheets, and the number of sheets that should be stored often exceeds the storage capacity, which deteriorates the workability of the sorter and reduces the operating efficiency of the main device. This was the cause of the decline.

<Object of the Invention> In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional art, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to change the number of sheets of paper that can be stored in a bin, thereby reducing the complexity and length of work even when there are a large number of sheets of paper to be stored. It is an object of the present invention to provide a variable storage capacity sorter which can prevent time consuming and reduce the operating efficiency of a main device.

<Configuration and Effects of the Invention> The variable storage capacity sorter of the present invention includes a bin detecting means for attaching at least one of a plurality of bins in a detachable manner, and detecting the attachment/detachment state of the detachable bin; The paper storage bin changing means does not include the bin when the bin detection means detects the separation of the bin, but includes the bin immediately below the bin to configure the paper storage bin.

According to the present invention, with the above configuration, by removing a bin, the storage position held by that bottle can be connected to the storage position held by the bottle directly below it. Therefore, the storage capacity of the bin located directly below the removed bin can be increased. Moreover, paper can be stored in the area occupied by the removed hinge itself.
The number of sheets increases by more than the storage capacity of the removed bin. Also,
The attachment/detachment state of the bin is detected by the bin detection means, and the paper storage bin in which the paper is to be stored can be automatically changed by the paper storage bin changing means according to the detection result.

For these reasons, when the number of sheets of paper to be stored in a bin exceeds the predetermined storage capacity of the bin, by removing the bin, the storage capacity of the bin located directly below it is increased, and all of the paper to be stored is can be stored in one bin,
There is no need to divide the work into multiple parts, which prevents it from becoming complicated and taking a long time.

<Example> (Explanation of al structure) FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the structure of a variable storage capacity sorter which is an example of the present invention.

The sorter 1 is mounted in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 12 of the copying machine main body 11 with the paper input port 1a aligned. A paper input roller 2 is provided in the vicinity of the paper input port 1a inside the sorter main body 1 in contact with the conveyor belt 5. The conveyor belt 5 is a belt roller 3
, 4. A sensor S1 is provided near the paper input port 1a, and detects the paper ejected by the paper ejection roller 13 inside the copying machine main body 11. A plurality of bins B through BI5 are detachably attached to the left side surface of the sorter body 1. A bin auxiliary plate 6, a gate 7, a storage roller R and a guide G are installed at each mounting position of the bin B.
is provided. The roller R is rotatably provided in contact with the conveyor belt 5. The guide G swings in the arrow direction or the direction of the arrow E, and is exposed to the paper conveyance path constituted by the conveyance bell 1-5 and the rollers R. The paper transported within the paper 1 general transport path by the transport belt 5 and the rollers R is stored in the bin B at the position of the exposed guide G. gate 7
is provided so that paper can pass only in the direction of arrow C.

A sensor S2 is provided inside the sorter main body 1 at a position where the bin B is attached. This sensor S2 detects the remaining paper in all the attached bins B1-B15.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing several examples of the bins of the variable storage capacity sorter.

A hole 6a is formed in the side surface of the bottle auxiliary plate 6. A protrusion Ba is formed near the end of the attachment side of the bottle B.
The bottle B is attached by inserting this protrusion 3a into the hole 6a. The contact between the protrusion Ba and the inner surface 6b of the bottle auxiliary plate 6 restricts vertical movement, and the engagement between the protrusion Ba and the hole 6a restricts horizontal movement.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the intermediate portion of the variable storage amount sorter.

Inside the sorter body 1, a plurality of conveyor belts 5 are provided at intervals. A guide G is provided at this interval. A hole 9 is formed on the paper storage surface of the bin B at a position facing the sensor S2. As a result, Bin B
,~1. If the paper is not stored in all of the sheets, the light from the light emitting element of the center S2 reaches the light receiving element r. This fact is used to detect the presence of paper remaining in bin B. Inside the sorter main body 1, a bin detection switch BS is attached at the attachment position of the bin B. This bin detects
Inochi BS is a bottle detecting means of the present invention, and detects whether the bottle B is inserted or removed.

FIG. 5 is an area map in the RAM of the control section of the variable storage capacity sorter.

The memory area MRI is assigned to a bin variable counter i that specifies the bin. The 15 bins mounted on the sorter are assigned numbers 1 to 15 in order from the top, and the bins are identified by the contents of the two-bin variable counter i. The memory area MR2 is allocated to the leaving bin number counter y. This counts the number of bins that are consecutively removed. Memory area MR3~MR
17 is assigned υ1 to the stored sheet number counters C, -C, . These stored sheet number counters C1 to C1 correspond to the bins 81 to BI5, respectively, and count the number of sheets stored in each bin.

Each of the memory areas MR18 to MR32 has a maximum storage capacity memory MI"MB2. Maximum storage capacity memory M
1 to M15 correspond to bins 81 to 13+s, respectively. The maximum storage amount, which changes depending on the attachment/detachment state of each bin, is calculated and stored in each of the maximum storage memories M1 to M+5.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the storage capacity of the bins attached to the variable storage capacity sorter.

Bin B at the top can store 100 sheets of paper. Since there is no other bin above bin B, it is not possible to store more than 100 sheets of paper. The standard storage ix of each of the bins 82 to B+4 is 50 sheets. For each case, when the bin located above is removed, 100 sheets are added per stage, including the standard storage capacity of the upper bin and the attachment range of the upper bin. Therefore, for the bins 82 to B+4, the storage amount M when the upper bin is removed is determined by the sum of the reference storage lx and the content of the removal bin number counter y multiplied by 100. The standard storage capacity of the bottom bin BIS is set to 100 sheets, similar to the second bin B. From the above, Bin B+ ~
B8. If all of the bins are installed, 850 sheets can be stored, and when bins B through Ba4 are removed, 1500 sheets can be stored in the bottom bin B15.

tbl Operation Description FIGS. 1A to 1C are flowchart 1 showing the operation of the variable storage capacity sorter.

When the collation operation is selected, in step nl (hereinafter "step ni" is simply referred to as ni), the counter i,
Clear counter y and all counters C1 to C15. Next, in B2, the value of the counter i is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to B3, where it is determined whether or not the bin detection switch BS at the position of the bin B specified by the contents of the counter i is on. If the bin detection system BS is not turned on at B3, it is assumed that bin B is not installed, and the process proceeds to B5, where the contents of the counter y are incremented by 1 and the maximum storage capacity memory M of bin B is saved. Rear and return to n2. If the bottle detection switch BS is turned on at n3, it is assumed that the bin B8 is installed, and the process proceeds to n4, where the content of the maximum storage capacity memo IJM of the bin B is calculated from the relationship shown in FIG. Counter y of number of detached bins
Clear and proceed to n6. At n6, it is determined whether the contents of counter i match the total number of bins, 15. If the content of counter i is not 15 at n6, the process returns to n2. By the above operations 02 to n6, the loading/unloading status of all the hinges B1 to BI5 of the sorter body 1 is detected, and if there is a bin that is not attached, the content of the maximum storage capacity memory for that bin is set to O, and the lower Increase the contents of the maximum storage capacity memory for the bin located in . That is, the maximum number of sheets stored in the attached bin is calculated and stored in the memory.

If the content of counter i reaches 15 at n6, the process advances to n7 and the content of counter i is set to 1. Thereafter, the process advances to step n8 and waits until the sensor S1 detects the discharge of paper from the paper discharge section 12. When the sensor S1 is turned on at n8, the process proceeds to 09, where it is determined whether or not the bin detection switch BS specified by the counter i is turned on. If the bin detection switch BS is not turned on at n9, the content of the counter i is incremented by 1 at 1110, and the process returns to n9 again. If the bin detection switch BS is on at n9, n
Proceed to il and check the contents of storage number counter C7 and reference storage 1.
1xi. If the content of the stored sheets counter C8 is nil, the guide G is turned on at n12 and the sheets are stored in the bin B at that position. Along with this operation, the contents of counter C8 and counter i are incremented by 1 and the process proceeds to n13. At n13, it is determined whether or not the set T-coupling operation has been completed, and if the operation of the copying machine main body 11 continues, the process returns to n8. When the sheets are discharged from the paper discharge section 12 into the sorter main body 1 through the above-described operations, they are stored in the installed bins in order from "2" to "2".

When nil, the contents of counter C8 are reference storage ltX,
If it is larger than n], proceed to step 4. At n14, the contents of the stored sheet number counter C4 and the contents of the maximum stored amount memory M are compared. In n14, if the content of the stored sheet number counter C1 is larger, it is determined that the data setting by the operator is incorrect, and the process proceeds to n20, where the operation is stopped and processing such as a warning is performed. If the content of the storage number counter C1 is smaller in n14, n
Proceed to step 15, and calculate the contents of the storage number counter C1 and x, +10.
0y is compared. At n15, if the content of the stored sheet number counter C4 is larger, the process advances to n19, where the content of the removal bin number counter y is incremented by 1, and the process returns to n14. n15
If the storage number counter Ci is larger than n
Proceeding to step 16, the content of the counter i is subtracted by the content of the counter y, the guide G specified by the content of i is turned on, and the paper is stored at that position. Next, at n17, the contents of the counter i are incremented by the contents of the counter y, and the contents of the stored sheet number counter C8 specified by this value are incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to n18. At n18, the content of counter i is incremented by 1, and the content of detached bin number counter y is set to O.
Return to 8.

By the above operations n1l-n14 to n19, when storing sheets in a bin from which the upper bin has been removed, if the standard storage amount of the bin is exceeded, the sheets can be stored from the guide of the upper bin. For example, when storing sheets in the bin BI4 shown in FIG. 2, the first 50 sheets are stored using the guide GI4 and the roller RI4. It becomes difficult to store paper from the position of , and jams may occur.
If the content of I4 exceeds the standard storage MI X l 4, n1
l-n 14-=n 15-n 19-n 14-n
15, and from the 51st sheet to the 150th sheet, the sheets are stored using the guide ch3 and roller R1111 by the operation n16. At this time, the content of counter i is 13.
However, it is immediately returned to 14 at n17, and the contents of the stored sheet number counter C14 are incremented by 1. The above operations are always performed in the same way for other bins.

(C) Effect of Example As described above, according to this example, n1l-=n14~
By the operation n19, sheets can be stored in the bin whose maximum storage capacity has been increased from the optimum position. In addition, all the bins except bin B15 located at the bottom can be removed, and paper can be stored in the area occupied by each bin, and by detaching all the removable bins, the sorter can be The number of sheets of paper that can be stored increases significantly.

(d) Count the number of bins attached to the sorter when attachment/detaching of other compatible bins is completed, compare this counted value with the required number of bins based on the input data, and compare the number of bins attached to the sorter. It is also possible to issue a warning if the number is insufficient.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 (A) to (C) are flowcharts showing the operation of a variable storage capacity sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the variable storage capacity sorter, and Figure 3 is the same. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing the main parts of the variable storage capacity sorter; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a part of the variable storage capacity sorter in the soil surface direction;
The figure is a memory map of the RAM included in the control unit of the variable storage sorter, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the storage capacity of the bins of the variable storage capacity sorter. 1-Sorter body, B-bin, BS-bin detection switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) It is installed near the paper output port of the paper conveyance path, and a plurality of bins are provided in multiple stages, one or more paper storage bins are identified among the plurality of bins, and paper is stored in this paper storage bin. In the sorter, at least one of the plurality of bins is removably attached, and a bin detecting means detects the attachment/detachment state of the removable bin, and a bin detecting means detects detachment of the bin. A variable storage amount sorter comprising: paper storage bin changing means that configures the paper storage bin not including the bin but including the bin immediately below the bin.