JPS627103B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a collator that receives copies produced and discharged by a copying machine and stores the copies in bins arranged side by side via a moving discharge section.

In this type of collator, the discharge section usually moves up and down along the bins arranged vertically at regular intervals. Typically, from the topmost bin to the next bin, the ejector descends exactly the distance between the bins, stops, feeds the copy into that bin, and then descends again to the next bin and stops. After repeating this a predetermined number of times, the ejector must change direction and rise to return to its original uppermost position. Conventionally, a separate motor and bevel gears were used for this reverse running, but
In general, the mechanism inevitably becomes complicated. The use of bevel gears has the disadvantage that the assembly process is troublesome because positioning is difficult, and there is a lot of noise. It has also been proposed to use a pulse motor and place a checker in each bin, but this motor is expensive.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks in conventional collators. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, a first collator 2 and a second collator 3 are arranged adjacent to a copying machine main body 1. Copies made and ejected from the copying machine main body 1 are supplied to a first collator 2 and, if necessary, to a second collator 3 via the first collator 2.

The first collator 2 according to the present invention includes a paper arrangement section 4, a feeder section 5 located below it, a vertically movable ejection section 6 for feeding copies into a required bin, and a paper arrangement section 4 that supports the ejection section and supports the above-mentioned paper. It drives each part of the conveyance section 7 that conveys the copies from the alignment section 4 or the feeder section 5 to the above-mentioned discharge section, the bin row 8 in which a large number of bins are arranged in parallel to store the copies sent from the discharge section 6, and the collator. It is equipped with a motor 9 for this purpose. The second collator 3 can also be configured in the same manner as the first collator 2, but each of the above-mentioned parts of the first collator will be explained below.

Paper arrangement section The main functions of the paper arrangement section 4 are as follows.

(1) Reliably accept copies from the copier itself.

(2) In case of emergency, store copies from the copier itself.

(3) Move the copy horizontally to the specified position and arrange it.

(4) Send the aligned copies to the transport unit.

(5) Send the copy to the second collator 3.

(6) Detect the dimensions and timing of accepted copies.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the specific structure of the paper arrangement section and the details of the functions described above will be explained.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, a copy discharged from the copying machine main body 1 enters the first collator 2 in the direction of arrow A, is held by a pair of receiving rollers 10, 10, and then passes through a solenoid (not shown). According to the position of the receiving guide plate 12 fixed to the rotating shaft 11 which is controlled, the ejection roller pair 13,1
3 to the paper discharge tray 14, or in the case of collating or sorting, the paper is directly advanced horizontally and sent to the diagonal roller section 15. In this case, the method is to store copies of the first original in the same bin consecutively, and when this bin is full, store copies of the second original in the next bin, and repeat this process one after another. This is called "sorting", and one copy of the first manuscript is
The method of sequentially storing documents one by one in each bin, then storing copies of the second original one by one in each bin, and repeating this process is called "collation." The collator of the present invention is capable of both collating and sorting storage modes based on operational commands.

Two sets of four diagonal rollers 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are arranged in the diagonal roller section 15, and the action of these diagonal rollers moves the copy P toward the reference plate 16. The intermediate roller pair 18 is arranged in a fixed position and a fixed posture.
Sent to 19th. Among the diagonal rollers, the two front diagonal rollers 17a, 17b and the diagonal rollers 17c, 17d near the intermediate roller pair have different mounting angles, and the mounting angles of the diagonal rollers 17c, 17d are made smaller. The feed speed component in the copying direction is increased. In this way, by changing the copy feeding direction into two stages, it is possible to move even a very small copy from the farthest position to the reference plate 16. Each of the diagonal rollers 17a to 17d is
Since the copy P is rotated by a common belt 20 and its circumferential speed is greater than that of the pair of receiving rollers 10, 10, the speed of the copy P in the traveling direction is sufficiently maintained regardless of its lateral movement. The copy moving forward along the reference plate 16 is held by a pair of intermediate rollers 18 and 19, and then transferred to the conveyance section 7 or to a pair of delivery rollers 22 and 22 according to the position of the collator branch plate 21 in the feeder section 5.
It is then sent to the second collator 3.

A first optical sensor 2 is placed in front of the receiving roller pair 10.
3, and a second optical sensor 24 is arranged behind the pair of intermediate rollers 18 and 19. The first optical sensor 23 detects the acceptance timing and size of the copy that enters the first collator, and the second optical sensor 24 detects the copy sent out from the paper feeding section of the feeder section, which will be described later. If you want to advance the copy to the second collator 3,
It serves for jam detection in cooperation with the first optical sensor 23. In the case of a copy jam or failure in the part after the diagonal roller part, the receiving roller pair 1
Except for the rotation of the pair of rollers 0 and 10 and the discharge roller pair 13 and 13, the rotation of all other rollers is stopped, and in this case, the acceptance guide plate 12 is at the position indicated by the solid line, so all copies that are continuously fed are ejected. The paper is fed into the paper tray 14. This solves some of the troubles between the copying machine main body and the collator. Further, when copies are sent in excess of the capacity of the collator, the paper discharge tray 14 can be used as an overflow tray in the same manner as described above.

Feeder Section The main functions of the feeder section 5 are as follows.

(1) The direction of the copies arranged in the paper arrangement section 4 is changed to the transport section.

(2) Reverse the copy sent to you.

(3) Send out the set copies one by one.

In FIG. 4, the feeder section 5 is the paper arrangement section 4.
It is a separate assembly from the collator body frame, and can be attached and detached from the collator main body frame. The feeder section 5 and the paper arrangement section 4 are hinged to each other on the rear side, and the paper arrangement section 4 can be lifted upward from the front. Thereby, paper jammed on the conveyance path can be easily removed and a copy stack can be easily set on the paper feed table 25 provided with the pivoting portion 26. Further, by removing the feeder section 5 from the collator main body frame, the drive mechanism, bin row 8, conveyance section 7, and discharge section 6 of the main body are exposed, making assembly and repair very easy.

The copy is sent along the reference plate 16 of the sheet alignment section 4, received by a pair of intermediate rollers 18 and 19, and guided to the conveyance section 7 by the collator branch plate 21 located at the solid line position. A solenoid, also not shown, acts on an arm (not shown) of the shaft 27 of the collator branch plate 21 to position the collator branch plate 21. When sending a copy to the second collator 3, the solenoid is deenergized and the collator branch plate 2 is moved by the action of a spring (not shown).
1 is at the dotted line position, and the copy is delivered to the second collator by the delivery roller pair 22, 22.

Next, a case of reversing a copy will be explained. As mentioned above, the copies are sent to the conveying section 7, but the reversing branch plate 2 is used to guide the copies sent to the conveying section 7 to the reversing section.
8 is provided. The reversing branch plate 28 is equipped with a rotating shaft 29, and a solenoid (not shown) is connected to an arm (not shown) attached to the rotating shaft 29. During copy reversal, the reversing branch plate 28 is activated by energizing this solenoid. Take the position indicated by the solid line. The copy is sent out from the reversing branch plate 28 onto the reversing table 32 via the first reversing unit roller pair 30, 31. A return roller 33 that rotates to return the copy is arranged in the middle of the reversing table, and the copy that has come off the first reversing unit roller pair 30, 31 is rotated by the rotation of the return roller 33 and the tilt of the reversing table 32. As a result, the paper is sent again to the second reversing unit roller pair 31, 34, and returned to the conveyance unit 7 with the paper turned upside down as when it was received by the feeder unit 5.

Next, when collating or sorting copies stored in the paper output tray 14 or copies made with another copying machine, set these copies on the paper feed tray 25 and issue a paper feed start command. The paper roller clutch is connected and the paper feed roller 35 begins to rotate, feeding out one copy of the copy stack 36 starting from the topmost copy. Copy tip is intermediate roller pair 1
8, 19 and is detected by the second optical sensor 24, the paper feed roller clutch is disconnected, the rotation of the paper feed roller 35 is interrupted, and the copy is thereafter sent out by the pair of intermediate rollers 18, 19. In this case, a separation roller 37 is provided that contacts the paper feed roller 35 with an appropriate pressing force and rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feed roller 35 or is fixed, thereby allowing the paper feed roller 35 to feed one sheet of copy. is guaranteed. A pressure lever 39 pivotably mounted on a shaft 38 is disposed below the paper feed tray 25, and when a paper feed command is issued, the pressure lever 39 is activated via an arm fixed to the shaft 38 by the urging of a solenoid (not shown). 39 pivots clockwise to lift the paper feed table 25 and bring the uppermost copy into contact with the paper feed roller 35 with appropriate pressure. 40 is an optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of paper on the paper feed tray 25.

Discharge section The main functions of the discharge section 6 are as follows.

(1) To reliably deflect the delivered copy.

(2) Ensure that the deflected copy is delivered into the bin.

(3) Descend a predetermined amount and ascend to a predetermined position.

(4) Check that the copy is ejected into the bin.

In FIG. 5, the copies sent to the discharge section 6 by the conveyance belt 41 of the conveyance section 7 are transferred to the bins to which the discharge section is stopped in order to feed the copies among the deflection cams 42 attached to each bin. Since the deflection cam corresponding to the above is located at a position protruding from the conveyor belt 41, the curved surface of this deflection cam is separated from the surface of the conveyor belt 41, and the discharge roller pair 45 passes through the guide plates 43 and 44 carried by the discharge section. ，
45 and discharged into a bottle. The deflection cam 42 is held at a position protruding from the surface of the conveyor belt 41 by locking a deflection cam drive lever 46 provided on the discharge section 6 at the solid line position. This deflection cam and drive lever 46 are
When the discharge section is lowered, the required deflection cams are at the position indicated by the solid line, and the required deflection cams are projected from the surface of the conveyor belt, but when the discharge section is raised, they are moved to the position indicated by the broken line, so that they do not come into contact with each deflection cam. A solenoid 47 for this operation is provided in the paper discharge section 6. 48 is an optical sensor that detects the rear end of the copy to be ejected into the bin, and is used to detect the ejection timing,
Check the discharge location, quantity, etc.

Next, a mechanism for raising and lowering the discharge section 6 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the conveyor belt 41 is wrapped around a driving roller 49 and a driven roller 50.
Sprocket 5 fixed to the shaft of drive roller 49
1 and a sprocket 52 which is loosely attached to the shaft of a driven roller 50, and a first chain 53 is hooked thereon. In this case, since the diameter of the sprocket 51 is smaller than the diameter of the drive roller 49, the chain 53
The speed of the conveyor belt is slower than that of the conveyor belt. Furthermore, the chain 53 has sprockets 54, 55, 56, 57 provided in the conveyance section 7 and sprockets 58, 59, 6 provided in the discharge section 6.
It is multiplied by 0.61.

The discharge section 6 is designed to rise when the ascending chain 53 and the sprocket of the discharge section are fixed, and to descend when the descending chain and the discharge section are fixed. For this purpose, a clutch 62 is attached to a sprocket 58 mounted on a fixed shaft of the discharge section. This clutch 62 is controlled by a solenoid 63 via a lever 64. By energizing the solenoid 63, the clutch 62 is released and the sprocket 58 becomes free, so that only the chain 53 rotates and the discharge section 6
does not move. When the solenoid 63 is deenergized, the lever 64 returns due to the spring action, and the sprocket 5
8 is locked to its fixed shaft via a clutch 62, and thus the sprocket 58 and therefore the ejector 6
is taken to the ascending chain 53. When the discharge section reaches the position where it should be stopped, a switch is actuated, which energizes the solenoid 63. When the clutch 62 is released, the discharge section 6 is disconnected from the chain 53 and stops rising.

The downward movement of the discharge part 6 is basically the same as the above-mentioned upward movement, but the important point is that it must descend by a precisely determined amount.
Therefore, as shown in FIG.
A sprocket 61 (first wheel body) that meshes with the sprocket, a clutch 65 attached to this sprocket, a shaft 66 of this clutch, a solenoid 67 for connecting and disconnecting this clutch, a lever 68 connected to the plunger of this solenoid, and a lever 68 connected to the plunger of this solenoid. A cam sleeve 69 is provided with a notch 69a for engaging and disengaging from one end of the lever and controls the engagement and disconnection of the clutch 65.
is provided. As shown in FIG. 8, another sprocket 70, which is a second wheel, is fixed to the shaft 66 of the clutch 65, and this sprocket 70 is connected to an immovable second chain 71 fixedly arranged on the collator body. They mesh together.

When the solenoid 67 is deenergized, the engaging end of the lever 68 engages with the notch 69a of the cam sleeve 69 and disconnects the clutch 65. Therefore, even if the sprocket 61 is rotated by the chain 53, the shaft 66 does not rotate. It does not move, and the discharge section 6 is stopped. When the solenoid 67 is energized, the engaging end of the lever 68 is disengaged from the notch 69a of the cam sleeve, the clutch 65 is brought into contact, and the rotation of the sprocket 61 by the chain 53 is transmitted to the shaft 66, thereby causing another sprocket 70 to rotate. rotates with the shaft 66, which causes the sprocket 70 to roll along the stationary chain 71,
Eventually, the discharge section 6 descends. Solenoid 67 is
The engaging end of the lever 68 is located in the notch 6 of the cam sleeve.
Since it will be de-energized again immediately after being removed from 9a,
The engaging end of the lever 68 slides along the periphery of the cam sleeve 69 while maintaining the engaged state, and after half a turn it engages with another notch 69a to stop the cam sleeve 69. Therefore, the clutch 65 is again in the disengaged state, and the shaft 66 and the sprocket 70 fixed thereto, as well as the discharge section 6, are stopped. In this way, when the discharge part 6 is lowered, it is lowered exactly by a distance corresponding to half the circumference of the cam sleeve 69, which distance corresponds to the distance between adjacent bins.

Instead of chains 53, 71 it is also possible to use belts, in particular timing belts.

Transport section The main functions of the transport section 7 are as follows.

(1) Securely transport copies to the output section.

(2) Raise and lower the discharge section.

In FIG. 9, a vacuum chamber 72 is disposed between both running sides of the conveyor belt 41, which is applied to a drive roller 49 and a driven roller 50, and is maintained at negative pressure by a blower 73 at all times. A large number of suction holes are provided in a row in a wall portion of the vacuum chamber 72 that faces the bottle row 8 and is in contact with the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt 41 is also provided with suction holes. When the copy comes to the point where the suction hole in the vacuum chamber and the suction hole in the conveyor belt match, the copy is attracted by the conveyor belt and is carried along with its movement until it reaches the discharge section 6, where it is deflected by the deflection cam 42. It is then deflected and fed into a predetermined bin. The drive roller 49 is rotationally driven by the motor 9 via a belt 74 and a pulley 75.

As mentioned above, the collator according to the invention eliminates the drawbacks of using bevel gears and ensures constant displacement of the discharge part with a relatively simple construction.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of the collator according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper arrangement section, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the diagonal roller section, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the feeder section.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the cooperative operation between the ejecting section and the deflection cam, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the cooperative operation between the conveying section and the discharging section, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the clutch control mechanism.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of stepwise feeding of the discharge section, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the conveyance section. 1... Copying machine main body, 2... First collator, 3...
...Second collator, 4...Paper alignment section, 5...Feeder section, 6...Discharge section, 7...Transportation section, 8...Bin row, 41...Transportation belt, 53...(first) Chain, 61... (1st) Sprocket, 65...
...clutch, 67... solenoid, 69... cam sleeve, 69a... notch, 70... (second)
Sprocket, 71...(2nd) chain.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a collator that receives copies produced and ejected by a copying machine and stores the copies in bins arranged side by side using a movable ejecting section, there is always a mechanism for moving the ejecting section 6. A first chain or belt 53 rotating in this direction; A first wheel 61 provided in the discharge section that engages with and rotates the first chain or belt; a second chain or belt 71 attached; a second wheel 70 provided at the discharge part engaging this second chain or belt; and a fixed angle of the first wheel by the first chain or belt. A collator characterized in that it is provided with a device 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 69a that transmits only rotation to the second wheel body.