JPS62171832A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the obverse turnable to the reverse and vice versa easily in simple constitution, by installing a first conveying device, conveying paper to a sorter and also a second conveying device, conveying it to an intermediate tray in reversal of both sides, as well as a third conveying device conveying the paper inside the intermediate tray to an image forming device. CONSTITUTION:In case of duplex copying being carried out, paper to be discharged out of paper discharge rollers 27 and 28 is fed to a paper feed conveying passage 80 by a first selector lever 45 being selected upward, and turned over at a switchback conveying passage 81, then fed to an intermediate tray 191 of a mounting part 2. When this cone-side copying is over, the paper inside the intermediate tray is fed to an image forming part piece by piece by a pickup roller 195 via a refeeding conveying passage 17, and the other side is copied. And, the paper, whose both sides are copied, is guided to both first and second selector levers 45 and 47 selected downward and upward and enters the inside of a sorter 7, thus it is housed in a tray 79 in consecutive sequence with a guide piece 75.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus equipped with a sorting function and a double-sided image forming function, and particularly to an image processing apparatus equipped with an intermediate tray and a sorter.

[Technical background of the invention]

In general, in image processing devices such as copying machines, laser printers, liquid crystal printers, and ion printers, for example, when making double-sided copies on paper, the paper that has been copied on one side is temporarily stored in an intermediate tray. Then, the paper is fed into the copying machine again and a copy is made on the opposite side that has not been copied, thereby performing double-sided copying. On the other hand, sheets for which the copying operation has been completed are sorted and stored in a sorter.

[Problems with background technology]

As described above, an image processing apparatus equipped with an intermediate tray and a sorter has the disadvantage that the configuration of the conveyance path and conveyance drive system is complicated. In particular, how to provide a transport path for reversing the front and back of the sheet is a problem in terms of simplifying the configuration.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that has a simple configuration and can easily and reliably perform an operation of reversing the front and back sides of a sheet.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming means for forming an image on paper, a sorter for discharging the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming means, and an image forming means for forming the image on the paper. A first conveyance means that conveys the formed paper to a sorter, an intermediate tray that temporarily stores the paper with an image formed on one side, and an image forming means that transports the paper with an image formed on one side, front and back. a second conveyance means for conveying the paper to the intermediate tray in an inverted state; a switching means for selectively conveying the paper from the image forming means to the first or second conveyance means; and a third conveying means for conveying the stored sheets to the image forming means to form an image on the other side, the second conveying means being provided in a part of the sorter facing the image forming means. a first conveyance path which is bent toward the sorter at a predetermined obtuse angle with respect to the first conveyance path; a switchback means provided in the path for switching back the paper brought there; and
The present invention is characterized by comprising a third conveyance path which is provided at an extension of the conveyance path "2" and conveys the switched-back paper to the intermediate I-lay.

[Embodiments of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus, for example, a copying machine 3, is placed on a placing portion 2 of a placing table 1. As shown in FIG.

The image of the document automatically sent out by the automatic document feeder 5 set on the copying machine 3 is copied onto paper by the copying machine 3, and the copied paper is transferred to a sorter provided on the side of the copying machine 3. 7. Further, the copied paper passes through the tray 1 and is supplied to the copying machine 3 again with the front and back sides of the paper reversed, so that the back side of the paper is also copied, so that double-sided copying is possible. It has also been done. This double-sided copy paper is also stored in the sorter 7.

The copying machine 3 described above has a platen glass 9 on the top surface, a paper feed cassette 11, 13 and a manual feed tray 15 on the sides,
The aforementioned sorter 7 is mounted on the other side, and inside is a paper refeeding path 17, a registration switch MS1, a pair of paper feed rollers 19 and 20, a photosensitive drum 21, a transfer section 23, and a fixing section 2.
5, a pair of paper ejection rollers 27, 28, etc. are provided. Note that the switch MSI is provided so that the paper feed rollers 19 and 20 rotate when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the switch MSI is turned on.

The automatic document feeder 5 described above also includes a pair of document trays 29 and 31 arranged vertically, and a document tray 2.
A separating unit 33 separates the originals taken out from the originals 9 and 31 into individual sheets, and a separating unit 33 separates the originals taken out from the originals 9 and 31 into individual sheets.
It is provided with a conveying section 35 that conveys the document upward, an inverting section 37 that inverts the copied document carried out from the platen glass 9, and a discharge tray 39 that collects the inverted document.

Further, the serial table 1 and sorter 7 are constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 to 7. This sorter 7 is
It is attached to the stand 1 via a hinge so that it can be opened and closed.

First, the configuration of the sorter 7 will be explained with reference to FIG.

A receiving opening 40 for receiving paper discharged from the copying machine 3 is formed in the housing of the two-tuff so as to face the paper discharge rollers 27 and 2g of the copying machine 3. Opposed to this receiving port 40, a receiving port 40 is provided in the housing.
A pair of inlet rollers 41, 43 are provided for further taking in the paper taken in through the inside. An population sensor 5ENI is provided between the entrance rollers 41, 43 and the receiving port 40 to detect when the leading edge of the sheet is taken into the receiving port 40 of the sorter 7.

This acceptance slot 40. An intake conveyance path 44 is provided extending almost horizontally through the rolling contact portions of the input rollers 41, 43. A first switching lever 45 is located in the middle of the intake conveyance path 44, and a first switching lever 45 is provided in the rear half for switching whether to take the paper as it is and advance it through the conveyance path 44 or to advance it through a paper feed conveyance path 80, which will be described later. A second switching lever 47 that switches between sorting and non-sorting the paper.
However, they are provided separately. A paper feed conveyance path 80 extends downward from the intake conveyance path 440 portion where the first switching lever 45 is provided. Further, a sorting conveyance path 46 extends vertically downward from the intake conveyance path 440 portion where the second switching lever 47 is provided. Furthermore, a pair of paper discharge rollers 63 are provided at the terminal end of the intake conveyance path 44 in a state in which they are rolled into contact with each other.

The first solenoid 5OLI is connected to the second switching lever 47 described above. This first solenoid 5
In a demagnetized state, the OLI opens the take-in conveyance path 44 so that the document taken in through the receiving port 40 is conveyed toward the paper discharge roller 63.

On the other hand, with the first solenoid SQL 1 energized, the second switching lever 47 closes the intake conveyance path 44, so that the sheets taken in through the receiving port 40 are brought to the sort conveyance path 46. It turns out.

Inside the housing of the sorter 7, first to fourth rollers 49, 51, 53.degree. 55 are arranged, as shown in FIG. Here, these rollers 49.51.53.55
A conveyor belt 57 is wound around. Note that the portion of the conveyor belt 57 between the first and second rollers 49°51 is
The sort conveyance path 46 described above is defined. Also, the first
The portion of the conveyor belt 57 between the fourth rollers 49 and 55 defines a part of the paper feed conveyance path 80 described above.

This conveyor belt 57 is connected to a reversible first motor DM.
By rotating the first roller 49 by I, it runs clockwise and counterclockwise in the figure. The first pressure roller 59 is arranged to sandwich the conveyor belt 57 between itself and the first roller 49, and the conveyor belt 57 is sandwiched between it and the fourth roller 55. A second pressure roller 61 is provided, respectively.

Further, the first switching lever 45 described above is configured to close or open the intake conveyance path 44 depending on the rotational direction of the first roller 49. That is, the first switching lever 45 closes the intake conveyance path 44 when the first roller 49 is rotated clockwise.
When the first roller 49 is rotated counterclockwise while being biased to bring the paper into the paper feed path 80,
The intake conveyance path 44 is opened and the paper is biased so that it is taken in and conveyed through the conveyance path 44 as it is.

A first timing pulley 65 is fixed coaxially to the lower paper ejection roller among the paper ejection rollers 63 described above. A second timing pulley 67 is arranged below the first timing pulley 65. A timing belt 69 is stretched between the first and second timing pulleys 65 and 67. Note that the interval between the first and second timing pulleys 65 and 67 is set longer than the sorting conveyance path 46. Further, this timing belt 69 is made to be able to run clockwise or counterclockwise in the figure by the first motor DMI.

The distributor 7 can be moved up and down by the sorter drive mechanism described later.
7 is provided. This distributor 77 includes a pair of distribution rollers 71 and 73 which are vertically arranged and rotated in contact with each other, and a portion of which extends to the sort conveyance path 46, and which distributes the sheets conveyed through the sort conveyance path 46 to the distribution rollers 71 and 73. 73. Here, a timing pulley (not shown) that engages with the timing belt 69 is coaxially fixed to one of the distribution rollers 73. With such a configuration, the distribution roller 73 is rotationally driven as the timing belt 69 runs.

On the other hand, along the outside of the timing belt 69, a plurality of
For example, 15 trays 79-1 to 79-15 are arranged at equal intervals. First to fifteenth trays 79-1 to 79-7
9-15 define the first to fifteenth bins 1 to 15, respectively. Here, the first tray 79-1 constitutes a bin that stores non-sorted sheets, and the second to fifteenth trays
The trays 79-2 to 79-15 constitute bins that accommodate sorted sheets.

In this way, as the distributor 77 travels in the vertical direction, the rolling contact portions of the first and second distribution rollers 71 and 73 of the distributor 77 are arranged opposite to the inlet of each bin. It has been made possible.

Here, the distributor 77 is normally brought to the second-most position where non-sorting is performed, and this uppermost position is defined as the home position of the distributor 77. A home position sensor BHP is provided within the housing to detect that the distributor 77 is at the home position. Further, inside the housing, a second sensor 5EN2 having a detection path passing through the distributor 77 and a bin empty sensor BES for detecting the absence of paper in each bin further move the distributor 77 up and down. -12
= A limit switch MSW is provided.

A switchback conveyance path 81 is connected to the lower end of the paper feed conveyance path 80 described above. This switchback conveyance path 81 is bent and connected to the paper feed conveyance path 80 so as to form a predetermined obtuse angle with the paper feed conveyance path 80 . A third sensor 5 is installed at the entrance of the switchback conveyance path 81 to detect when the trailing edge of the sheet conveyed here has passed.
EN3 is provided.

As described above, this paper feed conveyance path 80 is partially composed of the portion of the conveyance belt 57 located between the first and fourth rollers, and as shown in FIG. reverse"
An upper half of the first guide 82 formed in the upper part of the ridge, and a second guide 84 having a portion opposite to this upper half.
It is composed of. This second guide 84 includes a portion located on an extension of the switchback conveyance path 81. Note that a third guide 88 is disposed opposite the lower half of the first guide 82 described above. The lower half of the first guide 82 and the third guide 88 define the switchback conveyance path 81 described above.

Further, on one side of the midway part of this switchback conveyance path 81, a forward rotation roller 83 rotated clockwise and a reverse rotation roller 8 rotated counterclockwise by the first motor DMI are provided.
5 are arranged side by side. On the other hand, on the other side of the midway portion of the switchback conveyance path 81, first and second pressure rollers 89 and 91 are disposed so as to be able to selectively roll into contact with the forward rotation roller 83 and the reverse rotation roller 85. There is. These pressure rollers 87, 89 are rotatably attached to both ends of an arm 86 (shown in FIG. 4), and this arm is pivotable about a support shaft 87 attached to the center.

A second solenoid 5QL2 is connected to this arm in order to swing the arm. In this way, when the second solenoid 5OL2 is energized, the normal rotation roller 83 and the first pressure roller 89 roll into contact with each other according to the swinging of the arm, and the second solenoid 5QL2 is demagnetized. At this time, the reversing roller 85 and the second pressure roller 91 are in rolling contact with each other.

That is, in a state in which the first pressure roller 89 is brought into rolling contact with the forward rotation roller 83 as the second solenoid 5OL2 is energized,
The paper conveyed from the paper feed conveyance path 80 is sent to a switchback conveyance path 81. The trailing edge of this paper is
When detected by the sensor 5EN3, the second solenoid 5QL2 is demagnetized, and the second pressure roller 91 comes into rolling contact with the reversing roller 85. The paper brought to the switchback conveyance path 81 in this manner is taken out from the switchback conveyance path 81 by the rotation of the reversing roller 85 and conveyed to the tray 2 .

The aforementioned conveyance belt 57 has a plurality of through holes formed therein. In addition, a suction fan FA is installed inside the conveyor belt 57.
N is arranged. In this way, the paper conveyed through the sort conveyance path 46 by the second switching lever 47 is sucked by the conveyor belt 57 by the suction force of the suction fan FAN, and is conveyed according to the running of the conveyor belt 57. become.

Next, the driving mechanism of the two-tough distributor 77 will be explained with reference to FIG.

A second motor DM2 for driving the distributor 77 is disposed at the bottom of the housing of the Two-Tough. This drive mechanism includes a drive timing pulley 95 attached to the drive shaft of the second motor DM2, a large-diameter third timing pulley 99, and a small-diameter fourth timing pulley 101 coaxially attached to the third timing pulley 99. A large-diameter fifth timing pulley 105, a small-diameter sixth timing pulley 107 coaxially attached to the large-diameter fifth timing pulley 105, a large-diameter seventh timing pulley 111, and a small-diameter first gear coaxially attached to the large-diameter fifth timing pulley 105. 113, a large-diameter second gear 115 that meshes with the first gear 113, an even larger-diameter cam disk 125 coaxially attached to this, and a 180-degree spaced opening on the outer peripheral edge of the cam disk 125. A pair of pins that were retrieved 1
17° 119, a Geneva gear 127 that selectively engages with these pins 117 and 119, and a Geneva gear 127 that is coaxially connected thereto.
16 - attached third gear 129 and this third gear 129
The eighth timing pulley 131 has a small diameter and meshes with the timing pulley 131.

Further, this drive mechanism further includes a drive timing pulley 9.
5 and the third timing pulley 99 is the second
timing belt 97 and fourth timing pulley 1
01 and the fifth timing pulley 105, and the fourth timing belt, which is passed between the sixth timing pulley 107 and the seventh timing pulley 111. timing belt 109 and the eighth
A belt is passed between the timing pulley 131 and a timing pulley (not shown) disposed above the timing pulley 131, and includes a fifth timing belt 93 to which the distributor 77 described above is attached. In this way, the second motor D
Due to the driving force of M2, the distributor 77 is moved up and down in accordance with the running of the fifth timing belt 93.

A pair of recesses 121 and 123 are formed on the outer periphery of the cam disc 125, which are spaced apart by 180 degrees. Each of the recesses 121 and 123 is set such that the actuator of the limit switch MSW described above can be depressed therein. Then, this actuator is connected to each recess 121.
, 123, the limit switch MSW is configured to stop driving the second motor DM2. And this actuator is in the recess 121.123
The timing of the drop is set at the time when the distributor 77 faces each bin.

In this way, the distributor 77 will be stopped after each bin is faced.

Further, a drive mechanism for conveying paper will be explained with reference to FIG.

This drive mechanism consists of a small-diameter ninth timing pulley 133 attached to the drive shaft of the first motor DMI described above.
, a large-diameter tenth timing pulley 137 and a small-diameter eleventh timing pulley 139 coaxially attached to this, a large-diameter twelfth timing pulley 143, and a small-diameter fourth timing pulley coaxially attached to this. , and a fifth gear 147 that meshes with the fourth gear. A first roller 49 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the first gear 147 coaxially therewith.

This drive mechanism further includes a ninth timing pulley 133.
and the 10th timing pulley 137, and the 7th timing belt 135, which is passed between the 11th timing pulley 139 and the 10th timing pulley 143. A belt 141 is provided. In this way, the driving force of the first motor DMI is transmitted to the first roller 49 via these timing pulleys, timing belts, and gears, and
7 (shown in FIG. 2) will be run.

The fifth gear 147 is connected to the first timing pulley 65 and the paper discharge roller 63 coaxial therewith via a gear (not shown), and is configured to transmit driving force thereto.

In addition, the drive mechanism further includes a sixth gear 149 that meshes with the fifth gear 147 described above, a small-diameter thirteenth timing pulley 151 that is coaxially attached to the sixth gear 149, and a thirteenth timing pulley 151 that is coaxially attached to the aforementioned inlet roller 41. The first path
The timing belt 153 includes four timing pulleys 155 and an eighth timing belt 153 that is passed between these timing pulleys 151 and 155. In this way, the artificial roller 41 is rotated by driving the first motor DMI. Note that a first motor DMI is connected between this artificial roller 41 and the fourteenth timing pulley 155.
A one-way clutch is provided so that even if the inlet roller 41 is driven in the opposite direction, the inlet roller 41 is rotated only in one predetermined direction.

Furthermore, this drive mechanism includes a seventh gear 157 that meshes with the fourth gear 145 described above, an eighth gear 158 that meshes with this seventh gear 157, and a small diameter 15th gear that is coaxially attached to this. a timing pulley 159, a small-diameter intermediate timing pulley 163, a small-diameter 16th timing pulley 20-167, and a large-diameter ninth gear 1 coaxially provided therewith.
69, a tenth gear 171 meshed with the ninth gear 169, an eleventh gear 173 coaxially attached thereto, and a thirteenth gear and a third gear meshed with the eleventh gear 173 at the top and bottom, respectively. It is equipped with 12 gears 177 and 175. This drive mechanism includes a ninth timing belt 161 that is passed between the fifteenth timing pulley 159 and the intermediate pulley 163, and a ninth timing belt that is passed between the intermediate timing pulley 163 and the sixteenth timing pulley. further includes a tenth timing belt 165 passed therethrough. Here, a normal rotation roller 83 is attached to the eleventh gear 173 coaxially therewith, and a reverse rotation roller 85 is attached to the twelfth gear 175 coaxially therewith. In this way, the first motor DMI causes the normal rotation roller 8 to
3 and the reversing roller 85 are respectively driven.

In addition, the thirteenth gear 177 is meshed with the tooth=21-wheel 179 provided on the stand 1 when the sorter 7 is attached to the stand 1, and through these engagements, the first motor The driving force of the DMI is configured to be transmitted to the stand 1 side.

Here, the traveling speed of the conveyor belt 57 is V1 when sorting the sheets (when traveling counterclockwise in FIG. 2) and V1 when conveying the sheets to the switchback conveyance path 81 (clockwise). In this embodiment, the speed V2 (when traveling along the direction) and the speed v3 when transferring the paper from the switchback conveyance path 81 to the tray 1 are set as follows. .

Vl>V2 and V2<V3゜By setting like this, when classifying paper,
That is, when sheets are sorted or not sorted and stored all at once, and when switched back sheets are transferred to the tray 1, the sheets are conveyed at high speed and the operation time is shortened. Switchback paper conveyance path 81
When the paper is sent to the printer, the paper is transported at a low speed to ensure that the paper is switched back.

Next, the internal structure of the stand 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in the figure, inside the housing of the stand 1 is a sorter 7.
is attached to the tray 1, a paper intake port 180 is installed in the portion facing the exit of the switchback conveyance path 81.
is formed. A transfer conveyance path 181 is provided in the housing, one end of which is connected to the intake port 180 and the other end of which is opened to an intermediate tray 191, which will be described later.

Conveyance rollers 183 and 185 are provided at the start and end ends of this transfer conveyance path 181, and these conveyance rollers 183
, 185 are contacted with pressure rollers 187 and 189, respectively. Further, at the terminal end of the transfer conveyance path 181, a fourth sensor 5 is installed to detect when the trailing edge of the paper has passed there.
EN4 is installed. The intermediate tray 191 has its placement portion located below the exit of the transfer conveyance path 181. In this way, the paper that has been conveyed through the transfer conveyance path 181 with the copy side facing upward does not enter the sheets that are already housed on the intermediate tray 191, and is placed on top of the sheets that are already housed on the intermediate tray 191. It is designed to be placed on the

On one side of this intermediate tray 191, a feed roller 193 composed of a sponge roller is connected to a third solenoid 5O.
It is arranged to be movable up and down by L3. Also, intermediate I
- A home position sensor THP is provided on the tray 191 to detect that a pair of alignment plates 277 and 279 (details will be described later) for aligning the sides of the stored sheets are at the home position. . Furthermore, a drive motor PM composed of a stepping motor for moving the alignment plates 277 and 279 is disposed below the intermediate tray 191.

Further, a pickup roller 195 is disposed above near the exit portion of the intermediate tray 191 so as to be movable up and down so as to roll into contact with the paper placed on the intermediate tray 191 . A stopper 197 is provided that descends in response to the rise of the pickup roller 195 and rises by 1" in response to the fall of the pickup roller 195 to releasably close the exit portion of the intermediate tray 191. These pickup rollers 195 and stoppers 197 are connected to the fourth solenoid 5OL.
It is moved up and down by 4. Furthermore, this intermediate tray 1
91 is provided with an empty sensor TES for detecting that there is no paper on it.

A feedback conveyance path 198 is provided, one end of which is connected to the outlet of the intermediate tray 191, and the other end of which is opposed to the entrance of the sheet refeed conveyance path 17 of the copying machine 3 described above.

A separation roller 199 and a paper feed roller 201 are provided at one end of the feedback conveyance path 198 so as to sandwich the feedback conveyance path 198 in rolling contact with each other. These separation roller 199 and paper feed roller 201 are composed of one-way rollers.

Further, at the other end of the feedback conveyance path 198, a pair of discharge rollers 203 and 205 are arranged in rolling contact with each other. A portion of the feedback conveyance path 198 where these discharge rollers 203 and 205 are disposed is equipped with a sensor 5E that detects when the trailing edge of the sheet passes therethrough.
N5 is provided. A third drive motor DM3 is provided as a drive source for bringing the paper from the intermediate tray 191 to the paper refeeding path 17 of the copying machine 3 via the feedback path 198. Here, an electromagnetic clutch CLU is attached to the discharge roller 205, so that the driving force from the third motor DM3 can be arbitrarily connected or disconnected.

The pressure rollers 1g7 and 189 described above are rotatably attached to one guide 207 that defines one side of the transfer conveyance path 181, as shown in FIG. One of the guides 207 is rotatably provided around a shaft 209, and by rotating around the shaft 209 as shown by the dashed line in the figure, paper jams can be easily cleared. It has become. An arcuate arm 213 is attached to the other guide 211 forming the other side of the transfer conveyance path 181. At the tip of this arm 213, there is a shaft 215.
A guide arm 217 is rotatably attached via the guide arm 217. At the tip of this guide arm 217,
A feed roller 193 is rotatably attached. Note that the guide arm 217 is moved up and down by the third solenoid 5OL3. Further, the guide arm 2]7 also serves as a guide for the paper discharged from the rollers 185 and 189.

Further, a driven gear 219 meshes with the gear 179 that rotates by receiving driving force from the first motor DMI described above. A timing pulley 221 is attached coaxially to the driven gear 219. On the other hand, timing pulleys 223 and 225 are coaxially attached to the aforementioned conveyance rollers 183 and 185, respectively. A timing belt 227 is passed around these timing pulleys 22.1, 223, 225, and conveying rollers 183, 185 are rotationally driven by rotation of gear 179.

Further, another timing pulley (not shown) is coaxially attached to the conveyance roller 185.

The shaft 215 also has a timing pump 2 coaxially therewith.
31 is attached. These timing pulleys 2
A timing belt 229 is passed between the parts 31 and 31. Here, another timing pulley (not shown) is coaxially attached to the shaft 215. On the other hand, a timing pulley 233 is attached coaxially to the aforementioned feed roller 193. A timing bell opening 235 is provided between these timing pulleys 233 . In this way, the shaft 215 and the feed roller 193 are also rotationally driven by the rotation of the gear 179.

The aforementioned intermediate tray 191 is provided with support shafts 237 and 239 on both sides, as shown in detail in FIG. These support shafts 237 and 239 are connected to a pair of frames 2 that are provided upright within the stand 1 via bearings 241 and 243.
45,247 so as to be rotatable. The bearings 241 and 243 are removably attached to the frame with screws 249 and 251.

The intermediate tray 19 is rotatably supported on both sides in this way.
1 is movable laterally by the length of the support shafts 237, 239. The lateral position of the intermediate tray 191 is determined by fixing the adjustment plate 253 to the frame 245 with screws 255.

The adjustment plate 253 includes a fixing portion 256 and a supporting portion 257 connected in an L-shape. This fixed part 256
An elongated hole into which a screw 255 is inserted is formed.

This elongated hole is set to have a length corresponding to the moving distance of the intermediate tray 191 to both sides. The support portion 257 is
It is designed to fit into a groove (not shown) formed in the bearing 259.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate tray 191 is supported at the bottom by an arm 263 provided with a roller 261. This arm 263 is connected to the lever 2 via a shaft 265.
67 so as to be rotatable. This lever 26
7, the roller 261 moves to the intermediate tray 1.
Rolls in contact with a guide 269 provided at the bottom of 91,
The middle tray 191 rotates around the shafts 237 and 239. This makes it easier to remove jammed paper.

Such an intermediate tray 191, as shown in FIG.
A rear support stand 273 having a plurality of ribs 271, a central support stand 275, the above-mentioned alignment plate 177° 179 that can be moved laterally according to the size of paper, and a pad provided opposite the pickup roller 195. It is equipped with 281 mag. In addition, the rear support stand 273 and the center support stand 275 are
The intermediate tray 191 is formed into a mountain shape in order to lower the front and rear portions thereof, respectively. In this way, the roller 1 is placed between the sheets stacked on the rear support stand 273 and the center support stand 275.
This means that the paper ejected from 85 and 189 will not enter. In addition, by forming the mountain shape, the copying machine 3
Paper that is ejected from the fuser and curled can be accommodated in a natural manner.

The above-described alignment plates 177 and 179 are movable in the lateral direction so as to regulate both sides of the paper according to the size of the paper stored on the intermediate tray 191. With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, this matching plate 277.279
The drive mechanism will be explained.

Each of these matching plates 277 and 279 has a rack 283.
, 285 are integrally attached.

These racks 283, 285 have a common pinion 287
It meshes with the A pulley 289 is arranged coaxially with this pinion 287.

A wire 291 is wound around this pulley 289, and this wire 291 is fixed to the pulley 289 by a fixing means, for example, a pin 293. Both ends of this wire 291 are
They are connected to each other via a tension spring 295.

These tension springs 295 and i-wires 291 constitute a strip.

On the other hand, a pulley 299 is attached coaxially to the drive shaft of the drive motor PM described above.

A wire 291 is wrapped around this pulley 299 . In this way, when the drive motor PM rotates the drive shaft, the pinion 287 is rotated via the strip.
Therefore, the alignment plates 277 and 279 are moved away from each other or closer to each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, the separation roller 199 is integrally provided with a rotating shaft 301 at its center. Further, an arm 305 is attached to the frames 245 and 247 described above so as to be rotatable about a shaft 303. The aforementioned rotating shaft 301 is supported by these arms 305. Here, when the lever 267 is rotated to tilt the intermediate tray 191, the lever 307 attached to the arm 305
is set to abut against the flange 309 of the frame 245. In this way, the arm 305
3, the separation roller 199 rotates around the paper feed roller 20.
1 and the pressure contact is released.

Note that the return of the arm 305 is performed by a spring (not shown).

Further, the paper feed roller 201 has a rotating shaft 311 at its center.
It is equipped with the following. One end of an arm 313 is attached to both ends of this rotating shaft 311. At the other end of this arm 313, the aforementioned pickup roller 195 is rotatably supported. The pickup roller 195 is rotated by receiving a driving force from the rotating shaft 311 via a timing pulley and a timing belt (not shown). In addition, the arm 313 has
A lever 315 is connected, and a rotating shaft 317 is engaged with this lever 315. This rotating shaft 317 is the fourth
The solenoid 5OL4 is connected to the solenoid 5OL4. In this way, by energizing the fourth solenoid 5OL4, the pickup roller 195 rises and the stopper 197 descends, and by demagnetizing the fourth solenoid 5OL4, the pickup roller 195 descends and the stopper 197 descends. 197 will rise.

Furthermore, the discharge roller 205 is provided with a rotating shaft (not shown) at its center. This rotating shaft has an electromagnetic clutch CL.
The driving force of the third motor DM3 is transmitted via U. In this manner, when the electromagnetic clutch CLU is disengaged, the discharge roller 205 is not connected to the third motor DM3. Therefore, jammed paper can be removed with low load. Furthermore, the time required for the discharge roller 205 to stop when the electromagnetic clutch CLU is turned off is set to be short.

Regarding one embodiment configured as described above, the operation of performing double-sided copying on paper will be described below with reference to the timing charts shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

When a sheet of paper having been copied on one side in advance is discharged from the copying machine 3, the entrance sensor 5EN1 shown in FIG. 2 detects the leading edge of the sheet. In response to this detection, as shown in FIG.
The driving of the first motor DM1 and the drive motor PM is started, and the second and third solenoids 5QL2, 5OL
3 is excited. The conveyor belt 57 is driven to travel clockwise in FIG. 2 by driving the first motor DMI.

Here, the first switching lever 45 is brought to the position shown in FIG. 2 in response to the clockwise rotation of the conveyor belt 57.

Further, by the excitation of the second solenoid 5QL2, the pressure roller 89 is pressed against the normal rotation roller 83, as shown in FIG. Then, the feed roller 193 is dropped onto the intermediate l-lay 191 by energizing the third solenoid 5OL3. On the other hand, due to the drive of the drive motor PM,
The alignment plate 277°279 moves to the home position. When the home position sensor TIP is turned on by this movement, the driving of the drive motor PM is stopped.

Due to the rotation of the pair of inlet rollers 41 and 43, the paper taken into the sorter 7 is diverted downward by the first switching lever 45, and is moved to the paper feed transport path by the transport belt 57 and the second pressure roller 61. 80 is transported. and,
The traveling direction of the paper is changed along the third guide 88 shown in FIG.

When the trailing edge of the paper drawn into the switchback conveyance path 81 is detected by the third sensor 5EN3,
The second solenoid 5QL2 is demagnetized. Therefore, the arm 86 rotates around the support shaft 87, and the second pressure roller 91 is brought into pressure contact with the reverse rotation roller 85. Therefore, the paper will be transported in the opposite direction. At this time, the second
Since the guide 84 is not on the extension line of the switchback conveyance path 81, the switched back paper is sent to the transfer conveyance path 181 without returning to the paper feed conveyance path 80. This paper comes into contact with the other guide 211 and its conveyance direction is changed. Note that when the trailing edge of the paper passes the third sensor 5EN3, the second solenoid 5QL2 is energized.

The trailing edge of the paper conveyed through the transfer conveyance path 181
When passing through the fourth sensor 5EN4, this fourth sensor 5E
N4 is turned on to reverse the drive motor PM by a predetermined amount. In this way, the alignment plates 277, 279 will be brought closer to each other. After this, the drive motor PM rotates normally, and the alignment plates 277 and 279 are separated from each other. That is, the alignment plates 277 and 279 are driven left and right to align the sides of the sheets. Although the drive motor PM is rotated in the forward and reverse directions in this manner, it is ultimately moved from the home position by a pulse amount set according to the size of the paper, and guides both sides of the paper.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the drive motor P
When M is driven, the pulley 289 and pinion 287 rotate via the pulley 299 and wire 291. In this way, the alignment plates 277 and 279 fixed to the pair of racks 283 and 285 are moved. However, for example, if a paper of a larger size than the set paper is sent, the alignment plate 277.279
An overload will be applied to the In this case, tension spring 295 is stretched, wire 291 and pulley 299
slips against each other, so that no load is applied to the drive motor PM.

The paper brought to the transfer conveyance path 181 is transferred to the conveyance roller 1
85 and the intermediate tray 191 via the pressure roller 189.
Second, the paper is ejected with the side to be copied facing downward. The paper is then guided along the lower surface of the guide arm 217 and conveyed within the intermediate tray 191 by the rotation of the feed roller 193. This paper is placed at the stopper 197.
By contacting the stopper 197, further advance of the paper is prevented, and the paper is stopped with the leading edge of the paper in contact with the stopper 197.

The paper that has stopped in this manner is detected by the empty sensor TES.

Note that while the sheets are aligned on the intermediate tray 191 by the alignment plates 277 and 279, the third solenoid 5OL3
is demagnetized, and the feed roller 193 is raised. Therefore, the sheets being aligned are kept free from the feed roller 193, and the alignment operation is not impaired.

In this way, the sheets copied on one side are sequentially stacked on the intermediate tray 191.

When the copying operation to one side is completed and the copying operation to the back side of the paper is subsequently started, the fourth solenoid 5OL4 is energized as shown in FIG. 9.

For this reason, the stopper 197
At the same time, the pickup roller 195 falls onto the sheets stacked on the intermediate tray 191. Then, after a predetermined period of time has passed since the fourth solenoid 5OL4 is excited, the third motor DM3 is driven.

In this way, the pickup roller 195 starts feeding the paper, and the fed paper is transferred to the separation roller 199.
The sheets are separated one by one and conveyed through the feedback conveyance path 198 by the paper feed roller 201.

The paper conveyed through the feedback conveyance path 198 is
The tip thereof is detected by the fifth sensor 5EN5, and it comes into contact with the rolling contact portions of the pair of discharge rollers 203 and 205 and is bent. In this way, the orientation of the paper is registered. After the fifth sensor 5EN5 detects the leading edge of the paper for a predetermined period of time, the driving of the third motor DM3 is stopped. While the drive of this third motor DM3 is stopped,
Furthermore, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the electromagnetic clutch CLU is connected and the third motor DM3 starts rotating in the opposite direction. In this way, the ejection roller 205 rotates in the direction to send out the paper, and the paper is transferred to the paper refeeding path 1 of the copying machine 3.
It will be sent out for the 7th. Note that even if the third motor DM3 reverses, the rollers 195, 199, 2
Since the 01 uses a one-way roller, there is no possibility of reverse rotation.

Thereafter, the leading edge of the paper conveyed through the paper refeeding conveyance path 17 is detected by the population sensor 5ENI of the copying machine 3, and comes into contact with the rolling contact portions of the pair of paper feed rollers 19 and 20. . In this way, the paper will sag and be re-registered.

Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the registration switch MSI detects the leading edge of the paper, the electromagnetic clutch CLU is turned off and the third motor DM3 is stopped from driving. Thereafter, the paper feed rollers 19 and 20 are rotated, and the paper is fed between the photosensitive drum 21 and the transfer section 23, and a copy is made on the back side of the paper.

Such a copying operation to the back side of the paper is repeatedly performed. Then, the empty sensor TES is connected to the intermediate tray 19.
When it is detected at step 11 that there is no paper left, the copying operation to the back side of the paper is terminated.

Incidentally, when copying onto the back side of the paper, the first motor DM1 is rotated in the reverse direction. Therefore, the conveyor belt 57 is running to the left in FIG. Therefore, the first switching lever 45 is directed downward. In this way, in the non-sort mode, the second switching lever 47 is activated by energizing the first solenoid 5OLI.
The paper whose back side, that is, both sides, have been copied is stored in the tray 79-1. On the other hand, in the case of the sort mode, the sheets with double-sided copies are transferred to the tray 79-1゜79-2.79-3 via the distributor 77.
They will be gradually accommodated in...

As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the conveyor belt 57 is stretched in a trapezoidal shape, and the paper feed conveyance path 80 and the switchback conveyance path 81 are arranged in a bent manner. , the following effects can be obtained.

First, the paper feed conveyance path 80 that conveys the paper from the entrance rollers 41 , 43 to the switchback conveyance path 81 and the switchback conveyance path 81 are clearly separated while forming a predetermined obtuse angle. Although the paper is well delivered to the switchback conveyance path 81, the paper switched back from the switchback conveyance path 81 is transferred to the paper feed conveyance path 8.
It does not return to 0, but is reliably brought to the transfer conveyance path 181 provided on the extension line of the switchback conveyance path 81.

Further, since the switchback conveyance path 81 is provided in an inclined manner, the lower end of the paper brought to the switchback conveyance path 81 hangs down and is prevented from coming into contact with the conveyance belt 57. Therefore, the friction between the paper and the conveyance belt 57 in the switchback conveyance path 81 is set to be small, and the paper is easily carried in/out of the switchback conveyance path 81. Further, the upper end of the paper carried out from the switchback conveyance path 81 tends to loosen toward the roller 89 due to its own weight. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the switched-back paper to return to the paper feed conveyance path 80, and it is made easier to enter the transfer conveyance path 181.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, rollers 49, 51°, 53.
Since the conveyor belt 57 is stretched in a trapezoidal shape by the conveyor belt 55, a large space is formed inside the conveyor belt 57. Therefore, not only can the fan motor FAN be installed in this space, but also the fan motor FAN can be installed in this space.
The suction force generated by H makes it possible to obtain the conveyance force of the paper feed conveyance path 80, and also makes it possible to easily secure an entry space for the paper to be supplied to the switchback conveyance path 81.

Further, a third guide 88 is provided opposite to the lower part of the first guide 82 having an inverted “dog” shape, and these first and third guides 82 and 8g are connected to the switchback conveyance path 81.
I am trying to configure it.

Then, the first guide 82 is connected to the extension line of the switchback conveyance path 81 opposite to the upper part of the first guide 82.
The second guide 84 is inserted into the side and bent at an acute angle.
is provided. The first and second guides 82 and 84 constitute a paper feed conveyance path 80.

Therefore, the paper conveyed through the paper feed conveyance path 80 is
The conveying direction is changed by contacting the guide 88, and the conveyance direction is changed, and the conveyance direction is changed to enter the switchback conveyance path 81. This paper is carried out from the switchback transport path 81 in the opposite direction by the switchback operation. The leading edge of the sheet along the traveling direction is transported as it is without contacting the acute end of the second guide 84 and is fed into the transfer transport path 181 .

In this way, the paper feed conveyance path 80 and the switchback conveyance path 8
This means that the paper transport path can be switched without using a switching member such as a switching lever or an elastic material at the transport path switching portion where the transfer transport path 181 and the transfer transport path 181 diverge. Because of this = 44-, the configuration of the paper conveyance path is simplified. In addition, there is nothing that obstructs paper transport in the transport path switching section.
Paper jams are less likely to occur at the transport path switching portion.

This invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the conveyor belt 57
has been described as being stretched in a trapezoidal shape, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the conveyance path switching portion may be stretched in a triangular shape constituting one vertex. Also, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image forming means for forming an image on paper; a sorter for discharging the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming means;
a first conveyance means for conveying the paper on which an image has been formed in the image forming means to a sorter; an intermediate tray in which the paper on which an image has been formed on one side is temporarily stored; a second conveyance means for conveying the sheet of paper with the front and back sides reversed to the intermediate tray; a switching means for selectively conveying the sheet from the image forming means to the first or second conveyance means; a third conveyance means for conveying the paper temporarily housed in the tray to an image forming means to form an image on the other side; a first conveyance path provided in opposing parts and guiding the paper from the switching means downward; a second conveyance path bent toward the sorter at a predetermined obtuse angle with the first conveyance path; a switchback means provided on the second conveyance path for switching back the paper brought there; and a switchback means provided on an extension of the second conveyance path for conveying the switched back paper to the intermediate tray. It is characterized by comprising a third conveyance path.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus that can easily and reliably perform the operation of reversing the front and back sides of a sheet with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the overall configuration of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention, which is equipped with a tray, a copying machine, and a sorter automatic document feeder, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view that specifically shows the sorter drive mechanism, FIG. 4 is a side view that specifically shows the configuration of the stand, and FIG. 5 is the configuration of the intermediate tray. A partially cutaway plan view, FIGS. 6 and 7 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing the drive mechanism for the alignment plate provided in the intermediate tray, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are both views of the back side of the paper. 3 is a timing chart for explaining the copying operation of FIG.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An image forming means for forming an image on paper, a sorter to which the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming means is discharged, and a first transport means for transporting the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming means to the sorter. an intermediate tray in which a sheet of paper with an image formed on one side is temporarily accommodated; and a second tray that conveys the sheet of paper with an image formed on one side of the sheet in an inverted state to the intermediate tray in the image forming means. a conveying means; a switching means for selectively feeding the paper from the image forming means to the first or second conveying means; and a third conveying means for conveying the sheets to the image forming means, the second conveying means being provided in a portion of the sorter facing the image forming means, and comprising a first conveying means for guiding the sheets from the switching means downward. a conveyance path; a second conveyance path bent toward the sorter at a predetermined obtuse angle with the first conveyance path;
a switchback means provided on the second conveyance path for switching back the paper brought there; and a switchback means provided on an extension of the second conveyance path for conveying the switched back paper to the intermediate tray. An image processing apparatus comprising: a third conveyance path. (2) The image according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyance means includes an endless conveyance belt that conveys the paper, and the conveyance belt is stretched in a trapezoidal shape. Processing equipment. (3) The image according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyance means includes an endless conveyance belt that conveys the paper, and the conveyance belt is stretched in a triangular shape. Processing equipment.