JPS628928A - Copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the accurate matching of copying paper performance, by making a paper refeeding device, for refeeding the copying paper being fed on an intermediate tray in a deplex copy or the like, displaceable to upper, middle and lower stages and, at the middle position, making it so as to guide an upper surface of the copying paper. CONSTITUTION:This intermediate tray unit A to be set up inside a copying machine body is provided with a selector block I consisting of feed rollers 50 and 51 and a selector lever 59 and a conveying block I II comprising feed rollers 52-55. In addition, there are provided with a turnover block III consisting of turnover feed rollers 56, 57 and a turnover guide plate 93, an intermediate tray block IV inclusive of an intermediate tray 58 and a paper refeeding block V inclusive of a paper refeed roller 35 and handling rollers 39 and 40. And, a paper refeed roller 38 is made possible to be positioned to three stages, upper, middle and lower, centering on a fulcrum shaft 86 of a holder 66, and the said roller 38 is set to almost the same level as a tip end regulating plate 64 position a tip end of the copying paper on the intermediate tray 58 at the middle position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, and particularly to a copying machine using an electrophotographic method capable of double-sided copying and composite copying.

In recent years, copying machines with various functions have been developed, including double-sided copying, which copies on both the front and back sides of copy paper;
Composite copying is known in which copies are made using different images (for example, a frame and characters within the frame) or toners of different colors on one side of copy paper. In order to perform this type of function, it is necessary to once feed the copy paper after copying onto the intermediate tray and then re-feed the copy paper.

In this case, the paper refeeding means must be retracted upward when the copy paper is fed onto the intermediate tray. In addition, copy paper often curls due to heat radiation when the toner image is fixed by a fixing device as a pre-process before being sent onto the intermediate tray, and therefore, with intermediate toner -1-, the curled copy paper Some means of guiding the top surface is required.

Therefore, in the copying paper according to the present invention, the paper refeeding means can be moved to each of the upper, middle, and lower positions, and when in the middle position, the copy paper is placed on the intermediate tray. 1. The refeeding means is set at approximately the same height as the leading end regulating member for positioning the leading edge in the refeeding direction of the copy paper fed into the 1. Ta.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a copying machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Overall configuration of copying machine, see FIG. 1] First, the overall configuration of this copying machine will be explained together with the copying operation.

This copying machine has a copy paper storage section and a paper feed section in the lower part, an intermediate tray unit (A) directly above the copy paper storage part, and an image forming part centered on the photoreceptor drum (2) in the middle part. , an optical system (1) is installed in the upper part, and double-sided copying and composite copying are possible by feeding the copy paper after copying into the intermediate tray unit (A) and refeeding the paper.

The photosensitive drum (2) is rotatable in the direction of arrow (a), and around it are a charging charger (6), a magnetic brush type developing device (3), a transfer charger (5a), and a separation charger (5h). , blade-type cleaning device (4)
, eraser lamps (7) are arranged in sequence. As the photoreceptor drum (2) rotates in the direction of arrow (a), it is uniformly charged by the charger (6), receives image exposure from the optical system (1), and forms an electrostatic latent image. The latent image is developed into a toner image by a developing device (3).

The optical system (1) is located below the document platen glass (16) with an arrow (b).
) direction, and consists of a light source (lO), movable mirrors (lla), (llb), (ll'c), an imaging lens (12), and a fixed mirror (11(1)). The light source (10) and the movable mirror (IIa) have a speed of 1. (V/m) ( However, the movable mirrors (Ilb) and (tic) move together in the direction of arrow (b) at a speed of (V/2m), and the movable mirrors (Ilb) and (tic) move together in the direction of arrow (b) at a speed of (V/2m). do.

On the other hand, the copy paper storage section is located in the upper elevator-type storage section (
42) and a lower cassette type storage section (43), both of which have rails (46), (47) and rails (43).
4g) and (49) allow it to be pulled out from the copying machine main body to the front side. The copy paper in the storage section (42) is selectively moved by the rotation of the paper feed roller (18), and the copy paper in the storage section (43) is selectively moved by the rotation of the paper feed roller (19). (2G),'(2+)
, (22).

The sheets are separated and fed one by one at (23), and conveyed by rollers (29), (30), (31), (24), (2
5), (26), (32),.

It is conveyed to the timing roller pair (13) at (34), (27), and (28). After the copy paper is temporarily stopped by a pair of timing rollers (13), it is sent to the transfer section in synchronization with the image formed on the photoreceptor drum (2), and the copy paper is transferred to the transfer section by the discharge of the transfer charger (5a). The toner image is transferred and separated from the surface of the photoreceptor drum (2) by the discharge of the separation charger (5b), and transferred to the fixing device (9) by the conveyor belt (8) equipped with air suction means (8a). ), where the toner image is melted and fixed.

A pair of transport rollers (
A lever (41) for switching the conveying path of the copy paper is installed between the pair of discharge rollers (14) and the pair of discharge rollers (15). If you want to eject the copy paper as is, press lever (4).
1) is set in the state shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG.
from there onto the tray (36). In addition, when performing double-sided copying or composite copying (described in detail below), the lever (41) is set to the solid line state, and the copy paper is passed from the pair of conveying rollers (35) to the guide plate (37). It is fed into an intermediate tray unit (A) which will be described in detail below.

On the other hand, residual toner is removed from the photoreceptor drum (2) after the transfer by a cleaning device (4), and the eraser lamp (7)
) The residual charge is removed by light irradiation, and the paper is prepared for the next copying.

[Intermediate tray unit, see FIGS. 1 to 3] Next, the schematic structure of the intermediate tray unit (A) will be described.

The intermediate tray unit (A) has a switching block (I),
It is composed of a transport block (I+), a reversing block (II+), an alignment/intermediate tray block (1v), and a paper refeed plot (V), and is an integrated uni-soto as a whole. , rails (44), (45) at both ends
As shown in FIG. 2, it can be pulled out from the main body of the copying machine toward the front, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the copy paper conveyance path. The reason why the Uni-Soto (A) can be pulled out from the main body of the copying machine is to facilitate various types of maintenance, facilitate paper jam removal, and the like.

By the way, the switching block (D is the transport [1-ra (50)
, (51), and a switching lever (59). Note that this block (1) is an intermediate tray unit (
It may be installed on the copying machine main body side instead of being installed on the main body of the copying machine.

The transport block (11) transports [l-ra (52), (53)
), (55), guide plate (201), (202), (2
03), (204), and unit (A)
When pulled out forward, it can be opened upward using the support shaft (95) as a fulcrum. This block (1
The reason why 1) can be opened to one side is to facilitate the handling of paper jams within the unit (A).

The reversal block (II+) is a reversal transport C1-ra (56),
(57) and a reversing kite plate (93), which performs the function of reversing the copy paper conveyed within the conveying block (11) and sending it to the intermediate tray (58).

Alignment, intermediate tray [knock (m is for intermediate tray (58
), slide rail (77), and slide member (73).

(79), regulation plate (62), (63), (64),
(65) (see FIG. 5), and has a function of aligning the copy sheets fed into the intermediate tray (58)l.

The paper refeeding block (V) is composed of a holder (66), a paper refeeding roller (38), sorting rollers (39), (40), and a guide plate (88), and is aligned on the intermediate tray (58). This is for refeeding the copied sheets one by one.

For reverse copying and composite copying, when one of the copy modes is selected by pressing the selection key on the operation panel (not shown) -1- in advance, the switching lever (41)
is switched to the solid line position in FIG. 1, and the copy paper with copies made on one side is guided by the guide plate (37) from the pair of transport rollers (35) and transported to the transport rollers (50) and (51). .

The automatic switching lever (59) is rotatable around the shaft (85), and during reverse copying, the third
The copy paper is set in the state shown by the solid line in the figure, and the copy paper is placed on the lever (59
) and are fed into the conveyance block (11), guided by the guide plates (201), (203), and (204) while conveying rollers (52), (53), and (54).
, (55) to the left in FIG. 3, and is reversed by reversing conveyance rollers (56), (57) and a reversing guide plate (93), and placed on the intermediate tray (58) with the copied side facing up. sent to. Then, it is aligned on the intermediate tray (58) by an alignment mechanism, which will be described in detail below, and then moved to the refeed roller (38).
The sheets are re-fed one by one by rotation in the clockwise direction.

On the other hand, during composite copying, the switching lever (5
9) is set in the state shown by the dashed-dotted line in Figure 3, and the copy paper is placed immediately after passing through the conveyance rollers (50) and (51).
(-(59)) and directly into the intermediate tray (59).
8) The paper is fed with the copied side facing down. and,
Intermediate tray (58) by an alignment mechanism detailed below.
The sheets are aligned at l-, and the l8 sheets are re-fed one by one by clockwise rotation of the re-feed roller (38), as in the case of reverse copying.

The re-fed copy paper is separated by rollers (39) and (40).
While being handled by the conveyance rollers (32), (33),
(34) and is conveyed to the timing roller pair (13), whereupon double-sided copying or composite copying is performed in the same manner as in the normal copying process. Note that the paper refeed roller (38) is positioned and swingable in three stages using the support shaft (86) of the holder (66) as a fulcrum (dotted chain line in FIG. 1).

(see solid line), when the copy paper is fed into the intermediate tray (58)-J:, it is located in the first or middle level, as detailed below, and is aligned on the intermediate tray (58) when refeeding. It is designed to be pressed against the copy paper with an appropriate pressure.

[Unit lock mechanism, see Figure 4] Next, the unit lock mechanism will be explained.

This locking mechanism locks the unit (A) within the main body of the copying machine, and also locks the transport block (11) into the unit (A).
A) to maintain the two-stage transport roller (55) in pressure contact with the lower-stage transport roller (54).

The shaft (1 (11) is the frame (+
06).

(107) so as to be rotatable in a penetrating state, and an operating lever (100) is fixed to the front end. Also,
Lock levers (102) and (103) are fixed to the outside of the frames (+06) and (107) of the shaft (+01), and torsion springs (+04) and (1) are wound around the shaft (+01).
One end of this lock lever (102), (+03)
), and the other end is locked to the frames (106) and (107), so that the shaft (101) is connected to the lever (100
), (102), and (103) are urged in the direction of arrow (c). At this time, lock lever (+02)
.

The protrusions (102a) and (103a) of (103) project into and engage the lock holes (II6a) and (II7a) of the protrusions (116) and (117) of the main body frame of the copying machine from below,
The unit (A) is locked to the main body of the copying machine and the transport block (I+) is prevented from being opened upward. The transport block (1 unit (A)) is integrated with the frame (106), (
The bent end portion of 107) comes into contact with the frame (+13) and (+14) of unit (A) from the inside, and the support shaft (95) (see Fig. 3) is connected to the frame at the other end. This is achieved by connecting (113) and (114).

Therefore, the operating lever (+00) is twisted in the direction opposite to the arrow (c) from the state shown in FIG. 4 to the spring (+04).

By rotating the lock levers (102) and (103) against the spring force of (105), the protrusions (+16)
, (+17) lock hole (116a), (+l7a)
) is released, and it becomes possible to pull out the unit (A) from the main body of the copying machine to the front side. At the same time, the transport block (I) is also unlocked, and the transport block (1) can be opened in three directions using the support shaft (95) as a fulcrum. In addition, the transport block (
When 11) is opened upward, a stopper member (not shown) provided on the unit (A) side prevents it from swinging beyond the position indicated by the dashed dotted line in FIG. That is, this locking mechanism locks the unit (A) with one mechanism.
This makes it possible to lock the transport block (11) with the transport block (11).

By the way, the lower transport roller (54) is the unit (A).
Bearings (Ill) on the frames (113) and (114)
, (112), and can be rotated in the direction of arrow (d) by a drive means (not shown). The upper conveyance roller (55) has bearings (108) at both ends, (10
9) is the frame (106) of the transport block (II),
Guide hole (106a) formed perpendicular to (+07)
, (107a) so that it can move up and down and rotate freely by being loosely fitted into the frame (106).

(1G?) Coil spring (110) attached to the outside,
(115) is urged downward by engaging with the bearings (108) and (109) from above. Therefore, the conveyance roller (55) is connected to the conveyance block (one is a unit).
A), the coil spring (1) is locked.
10).

The spring force of (115) presses against the lower conveyance roller (54) with a certain appropriate pressure, and the conveyor roller (54) is driven to rotate based on the rotation of the conveyance roller (54). When the lock is released and the transport block (II) is opened, the coil spring (11G).

Bearings (108) and (109) due to the spring force of (115)
comes into contact with the lower edges of the guide holes (106a) and (107a), and the pressure contact with the conveyance roller (54) is released.

In this way, the lower transport roller (54) is connected to the unit (A
) is provided on the main body side so that a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) to the conveying roller (54) is driven by a mechanism common to other driving members of the unit (A). If the conveyance roller (54) is provided on the conveyance block (11) side, its drive mechanism must be separable from the drive mechanism provided in the unit (A), which would complicate the configuration. Because it will be. Along with this, a conveyance roller (55
) to the conveyance roller (54) with appropriate pressure. Therefore, a locking mechanism is required to position and fix the coil springs (110), (115) and the conveyance block (II) in a predetermined position as an elastic biasing means. There are steps installed.

[Copy paper alignment mechanism, see FIGS. 5 to 8] Next, a description will be given of the alignment mechanism for copy paper (81) fed onto the intermediate tray (58).

In FIG. 5, arrow (e) indicates that the copy paper is in the intermediate tray (5).
8) The arrow (f) on the top shows the direction in which the paper is fed into the reverse copy holder, and the arrow (f) similarly indicates the direction in which it is fed into the composite copying stage.
) indicates the paper refeed direction.

There are four regulation plates that align the copy paper (81).
The side regulation plate (62) can swing around the support shaft (68), and the other side regulation plate (63), the tip regulation plate (64), and the rear regulation plate (65) are connected to the slide rail. (
72), (77) J- to slide member (71), (
73), (79), each slide member (
71), (73), and (79) are driven by a stepping motor (not shown), arrows (g) and (g
'), (h), and (h') directions. This amount of movement is set to a predetermined value by controlling the rotation angle of the stepping motor.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tip regulating plate (64) is attached to the slide member (73) so as to be able to swing about a support shaft (74), and has a torsion wound around the support shaft (74). It is biased in the direction of arrow (i) by a spring (75), and is normally regulated to be perpendicular to the intermediate tray (58) by the protruding lower edge (73aX, see Figure 7) of the slide member (73). ing. This leading edge regulating plate (64) aligns the leading edge of the copy paper (81) fed onto the intermediate tray (58) at the position shown in FIG. When refeeding paper, the slide member (
73) moves in the direction of arrow (g), and as shown in FIG. 8, the tip regulating plate (64) abuts the lower end or the stopper (78), and the torsion spring (73) pivots around the support shaft (74).
76) swings in the direction of arrow (i) against the spring force of the guide plate (88) and retracts (1112) into the notch (88a) of the guide plate (88), refeeding the copy paper (81). possible.

The leading edge regulating plate (64) is placed at each position: the paper refeeding position shown in Figure 8, the leading edge alignment position shown in Figure 7, and the temporary alignment position for composite copying (which differs depending on the copy paper size) as detailed below. It is movable, and its position is controlled based on the projection (73a) of the slide member (73) being detected by the transmission photosensor (83) in the state shown in FIG. Similarly, the position of the rear end regulating plate (65) is also controlled based on the projection (79a) of the slide member (79) being detected by the transmission photosensor (84), as shown in FIG. be exposed. Similarly, the position of the side regulating plate (63) is controlled by the sliding member (
71) based on detecting the fixed position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the side regulating plate (62) is connected to the solenoid (70) and is pressed in the direction of arrow (h) by a coil spring (69). 70) is turned off and is regulated by a stopper (not shown) to the dotted line position, and when refeeding paper, the refeed roller (38)
It comes into contact with a stopper (91) protruding from the holder (66) and is set at the solid line position. Also, solenoid (70)
When turned on, it swings about the support shaft (68) to the dashed-dotted line position against the spring force of the coil spring (69).

[Paper re-feeding roller swinging mechanism, see FIGS. 10 to 15 1 Next, the configuration and operation of the swinging mechanism of the paper re-feeding roller (38) will be described.

As shown in FIG. 10, the paper refeed port (38) is supported by a cantilever on a support shaft (87) rotatably attached to the holder (66), and the holder (66) is attached to the frame of the unit (A). (
113) and (+14) (see Fig. 4), the rear end is fixed to a support shaft (86) rotatably mounted. Support shaft (8
6) is rotated in the direction of arrow (j) by a drive means (not shown), and this rotation is caused by a timing belt (12g) stretched around pulleys (126) and (127) fixed to support shafts (86) and (87). ) to the refeed roller (38). That is, the support shaft (86) is connected to the driving means of each conveyance roller of the unit (A) and a clutch I (not shown), and when this clutch is turned on only at the timing of refeeding, the refeed roller (38) is rotated in the direction of arrow (D).

A swing lever (145) is swingably attached to one end of the support shaft (86), and a shaft (145a) protruding from one end faces the protrusion (66a) of the holder (66) from below, The long hole (145b) formed at the other end is connected to the conveyance roller (54).
A clutch plate (1) rotatably attached to a support shaft (54a) of
24), a protruding pin (125) is loosely fitted. As shown in FIG. 12, another clutch plate (121) is fixed to the end of the support shaft (54a).

A kick spring (122) is attached to each boss part of (124).
is wound around the outer periphery of the claw portion (+29), (
+30).

A collar (123) with (131) is attached. One end (+22a) of the kick spring (122) engages with the collar (123), and the other end (122b) engages with the clutch plate (124). That is, when the kick spring (122) is in a free state, the clutch plate (121),
(124) is tightened to transmit rotation of the support shaft (54a) in the direction of arrow (d) from the clutch plate (121) to the clutch plate (124) and the collar (123). On the other hand, when the collar (+23) is prevented from rotating by the lever (142) described below, the rotation in the direction of arrow (d) transmitted from the support shaft (54a) to the clutch plate (+21) is prevented by the kick spring. (+22) is acted in the direction of rewinding, the clutch plate (+21) slips and rotates with respect to the kick spring (122), and no rotational force is transmitted to the clutch plate (+24).

As shown in Fig. 10, the means for operating the clutch means described above is mounted on a solenoid (+41) attached to the plate (+41).
140) and a lever (142).

The lever (142) is swingably attached to the support shaft (144), is always biased in the direction of arrow (k) by the spring force of a torsion spring (143) wound around the lower part, and is stopped by a stopper (not shown). It is regulated at the position shown by the solid line in Figure 10. Also, the lever (142) is the plunger (14) of the solenoid (+40).
0a), and when it is turned on, the plunger (+408
) moves back, causing it to swing to the position indicated by the dashed-dotted line. The tip of the lever (142) is connected to the claw part (1) of the collar (123).
29), (13G), (131), and as shown in Fig. 12, when the lever (+42) is set to the solid line position, the claws (+29), (+
31) can be brought into contact with it, and the claw part (130) can be brought into contact with it when it is set at the position indicated by the dashed-dotted line.

Here, the above clutch means swings /(-(+45)
operation and the associated position of the paper refeed roller (38).
The explanation will be divided into two stages, middle stage, and bottom stage.

■-L stage position (dotted chain line position in Figure 11) Solenoid (
140) is turned off, and the claw part (+29) of the collar (+23) is turned off.
) is in contact with the lever (142) from the direction of arrow (d). At this time, the collar (+23) is in a rotated state, and even if the conveyance roller (54) is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow (d), its rotation is prevented by the clutch plate (124).
), and the swing lever (145) is held at the position (B) shown by the dashed line in FIG. 11 by the pin (+25). Then, the holder (66) is lifted by the shaft (145a) of the swing lever (145) and the support shaft (
The paper refeed roller (3) swings in one direction using the paper refeed roller (3
8) is located at the - stage indicated by the dashed line in FIG. During double-sided copying, the copy paper (81) is placed in the reversal block (
Il'l) is sent to the intermediate tray (5g)l.
.

When the sheet is loaded, the paper refeed roller (38) is set on this upper stage (see FIG. 13).

■Middle stage position (dotted line position in Figure 11) When the solenoid C14Q) is turned on while the conveyance roller (54) is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow (d), the claw part (129) is connected to the lever (142). The contact against is released. At this time, the kick spring (122) tightens the boss portions of the clutch plates (121) and (124), the clutch plate (124) and collar (123) co-rotate in the direction of arrow (d), and the other claw portions ( 130) is the lever (142)
By coming into contact with this, the collar (123) is prevented from rotating, and the clutch plate (124) is also prevented from rotating.

That is, the collar (123) and the clutch plate (124) rotate in the direction of arrow (d) by an angle corresponding to the protruding distance from the claw part (129) to the claw part (130), and the swing lever (145) rotates in the direction of the arrow (d). (125), it swings in the opposite direction to the arrow (j) and is held at the position (C) shown by the dotted line in FIG. The holder (66) also swings downward in conjunction with the shaft (145a),
The paper refeed roller (38) is located at the middle stage indicated by the dotted line in FIG. When the copy paper (81) is fed onto the intermediate tray (58) from the transport rollers (50) and (51) during composite copying, the paper refeed roller (38) is set on this intermediate tray (Fig. 14). reference). In this way, the paper refeed roller (38) and holder (66) are set in the middle tray when the copy paper (81) is aligned in the intermediate tray (58).
) is transported to the refeeding position, the leading edge of the copy paper (81) curls upwards and pops out.
8) This is to prevent this with the holder (66).

■Lower position (solid line position in Figure 11) When the solenoid (140) is turned off in the state of ■,
The claw portion (13G) is released from contact with the lever (+42). At this time, the kick spring (122)
To tighten, use force to tighten the other pawl (13+) with the lever (1
42) until it touches the clutch plate (+24) and collar (
1'2:l) co-rotate in the direction of the arrow (d'), and the swinging lever (145) swings together with the pin (125) in the opposite direction of the arrow (j), as shown by the solid line in Figure 11. It is held in position (D).

At this time, the shaft (+45a) of the swing lever (145') moves below the holder (66) female protrusion (66a),
The paper refeed roller (38) is pressed against the tray (58) by its own weight. The paper refeed roller (38) is set to this lower position when the copy paper (81) is aligned on the intermediate tray (58) and paper refeed is delayed. (38) presses against the copy paper (81) aligned in the intermediate tray (58)-1- by its own weight, and re-feeds the copy paper (81) one by one by rotating in the direction of arrow (D). (See Figure 15).In other words, the pressure necessary for refeeding is applied to the refeed roller (38
), and if necessary, the paper refeed roller (38) may be biased downward by a spring or the like to provide paper refeed.

[Copy paper alignment operation, see FIGS. 18 to 27] Here, the copy paper alignment operation on the intermediate tray (58)j- will be described according to the copying procedure.

■Alignment when copying both sides.

(a) Select the required size of copy paper from among the copy paper stored in the copy paper storage sections (42) and (43).

(b) Set the copy mode to double-sided copy mode.

Here, the switching levers (41) and (59) (see FIG. 1) are switched to the solid line position.

The regulating plates (63), (64), and (65) are moved by a stepping motor to the solid line positions shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 and are on standby. This standby position is a position slightly wider than the selected copy paper size. That is, the leading edge regulating plate (64) waits slightly closer to the paper refeeding direction [arrow (g)] than the contact points of the reversing conveyance rollers (56) and (57). This is transferred to the intermediate tray (58) by the reversing conveyance rollers (56) and (57).
This is to prevent the rear end of the copy paper (81) sent to J2 from riding on the leading edge regulating plate (64) when it leaves the contact point of the reversing conveyance rollers (56) and (57). .

The rear end regulating plate (65) waits at a position separated by a length B) from the waiting position of the leading end regulating plate (64). This length B
) is slightly larger than the selected copy paper size. As shown in FIG. 16, the side regulating plate (63) waits at a position slightly wider than the transport reference position (X,) of the copy paper (81). In this way, the reason why the side regulating plate (63) waits at the position retreated from the transport reference position (X,) is because when the transport path of the copy paper (81) becomes long, the outer diameter of each transport roller in the axial direction This is based on the fact that an error in the conveying speed occurs in the width direction due to variations in pressure and contact force, and there is a possibility that the copy paper (81) may be conveyed in a skewed state. Further, the solenoid (70) is turned off and the other side regulating plate (62) is pressed in the direction of the arrow (h) by the coil spring (69), and stands by in the state shown by the solid line (Fig. 18). reference).

On the other hand, the paper refeed roller (38) is set at the first stage position shown in FIG.
) is retracted upward so as not to obstruct the feeding of the copy paper (81) from ).

(c) Next, set the number of copies.

Nao, steps (a), (b), and (c) may be performed randomly.

(d) Operate (turn on) the print switch.

A. The copy paper fed from the copy paper storage section (42) or (43) is copied on one side according to the above-mentioned copying process,
The conveyor block (11) moves the solid line (e) in FIG.
), and after turning on the detection sensor (6o), it is reversed by the transport rollers (5B) and (57) and sent onto the intermediate tray (58) with the copied side facing upward.

B. Based on the on signal of the sensor (60), the solenoid (70) is turned on by the delay timer just before the leading edge of the copy paper (81) reaches the intermediate tray (58), and the side regulating plate (62) Transfer reference position (Xl) in the direction of the arrow (ho)
It swings slightly outward. The reason why the side regulating plate (62) is retracted to a position slightly wider than the transport reference position (X,) is to cope with the skew of the copy paper (81) as described above.

When the rear end of the copy paper (81) is completely conveyed to the intermediate tray (58) J:, the solenoid (70) is turned off and the side regulating plate (62) is moved by a coil spring (69X, see Figure 5). It swings to the solid line position in Figs. 16 and 18 by the spring force.

At this time, the copy paper (81) fed onto the intermediate tray (58) is preliminarily aligned in a state in which it is in contact with the other side regulating plate (63).

Hereinafter, steps A, B, and A are repeated until copy sheets (81) for the number of set copy plates are fed onto the intermediate tray (58), and each time a sheet of copy paper (81) is fed. The side regulating plate (62) swings and the copy paper (81)
) to the other side regulating plate (63) side (
(See Figures 24 and 25). The matching here is preliminary to ensure the final matching that will be performed later.

E, copy paper (81) for the number of copies is placed in the intermediate tray (58)
When sent upward, the solenoid (70) is turned on,
The side regulating plate (62) swings outward as shown by the dashed line.

In this state, the copy paper (81) is deviated from the transport standard positions (X, ), (X2) in the width direction, so the side regulating plate (63) is moved to the standard position (X, ) ( (See Figure 26). The moving speed at this time is 30II1m/s
A speed of about ea or less is appropriate.

G. At this time, some of the upper sheets of the copy paper (81) are shifted in the direction of the arrow (h) from the transport reference position (XI) due to inertia (see FIG. 26). In order to align it, the solenoid (70) is turned on and off multiple times, and the side regulation plate (62) is swung multiple times to perfect the alignment of the copy paper (81). . In this process, the solenoid (7
0) is in the ON state and moves to the next process.

and connect the solenoid (140) (see Figure 18) to 2.
The paper refeeding roller (38) is positioned at the lower stage and is brought into pressure contact with the copy paper (81) by its own weight (see FIGS. 15 and 22).

(1) Next, turn off the solenoid (70). The side regulating plate (62) swings inward due to the spring force of the coil spring (69), but a stopper (91) protruding from the holder (66) (
(see Fig. 1O) and is set in the vertical direction at the transport reference position (Xl) (see Figs. 23 and 27). This is to prevent the copy paper (81) from being skewed during refeeding.

At the same time, by moving the slide member (73) to the state shown in FIG.
4) as a fulcrum in the direction of the arrow (i゛), and the guide plate (88)
into the notch (88c). This is copy paper (8
This is to prevent the leading edge regulating plate (64) from interfering with the refeeding of paper in step 1).

When the above operations are completed, a message indicating that double-sided copying is possible is displayed on the operation panel of the main body of the copying machine. Also,
The switching lever (41) is switched to the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG.

(e) Operate (turn on) the print switch.

A. The main motor (not shown) is started and rotates each conveyance roller, etc. within the main body of the copying machine.

B. A clutch (not shown) of the shaft (86) (see FIG. 10) is turned on, and the paper refeed roller (38) is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow (j).

First, since the coefficient of friction between the paper refeed roller (38) and the copy paper (81) is higher than the coefficient of friction between the copy papers, only the topmost copy paper (81) is re-fed. , and are handled one by one by the handling rollers (39) and (4G).

After that, the copy paper (81) is transferred to the conveyor roller (32),'
(:13), (34X see Figure 1) to the timing roller pair (13), the toner image is transferred to the back side and fixed by the fixing device (9), and then the J switching lever (
41) to the ejection roller pair (15), and the tray (3)
6) □ is discharged above.

■Adjustment during composite copying: (a) Select the copy paper size in the same manner as in ■-(a) above.

(b) Set the copy mode to composite copy mode.

The switching levers (41) and (59) are switched to the positions shown by solid lines in FIG.

The regulating plates (63) and (64) are moved by a stepping motor to the solid line positions shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 and are on standby. The rear end regulating plate (65) is connected to the conveying roller (50), (5
Wait in a direction slightly opposite to the paper refeeding direction [arrow (g)] from the contact point 1). This is a transport roller (50), (
The rear edge of the copy paper (81) fed onto the intermediate tray (58) by the roller 51) is prevented from riding on the rear edge regulating plate (65) when it leaves the contact point of the transport rollers (50) and (51). This is to prevent it from happening. The leading end regulating plate (64) waits at a position separated by a length B) from the waiting position of the rear end regulating plate (65). This length B) is slightly more perforated than the selected copy paper size. Further, the side regulating plate (62) is pressed in the direction of the arrow (h) by the coil spring (69) when the solenoid (70) is turned off, and stands by in a state where it swings to the solid line position (see Fig. 18). .

On the other hand, the paper refeed roller (38) is set at the middle position shown in FIG. 14, and is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the conveyance of the copy paper (81) on the intermediate tray (58), which will be explained below. .

(c) Next, set the number of copies.

Note that (a), (b), (c
) can be done randomly.

(d) Operate (turn on) the print switch.

79 The copy paper that has been copied for the first time on one side is transported as shown by the arrow (') in Fig. 20, and after turning on the detection sensor (61), it is copied from the transport rollers (50) and (51). The finished side is fed onto the intermediate tray (58).

b. Based on the on signal of the sensor (61), the solenoid (70) is turned on by the delay timer just before the leading edge of the copy paper (81) reaches the intermediate tray (58), and the side regulating plate (62) is turned on. It swings slightly outward from the transport reference position (Xl) in the direction of the arrow (ho).

When the rear end of the copy paper (81) is completely conveyed onto the intermediate tray (58), the solenoid (7o) is turned off, and the side regulating plate (62) is moved by the coil spring (69) (see Fig. 5). ) is swung to the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 19 by the spring force. At this time,
The copy paper (81) fed onto the intermediate tray (58) is preliminarily aligned in a state in which it is in contact with the other side regulating plate (63).

Hereinafter, steps A, B, and A are repeated until copy sheets (81) for the number of set copy plates are fed onto the intermediate tray (58), and each time a sheet of copy paper (81) is fed. The side regulating plate (62) swings and the copy paper (81)
) to the other side regulating plate (63) side (
(See Figures 24 and 25). The matching here is preliminary to ensure the final matching that will be performed later.

E, copy paper (81) for the number of copies is placed in the intermediate tray (58)
- When the sheet is fed into the sheet, the stepping motor is activated and the regulating plates (64) and (65) move forward [arrow (g)] to the refeeding position while maintaining the interval (B).

As a result, the copy paper (81) is conveyed to the paper refeeding position on the intermediate tray (58).

Now, the solenoid (70) is turned on and the side regulating plate (62) is swung outward as shown by the dashed line.

G. In this state, since the copy paper (81) is deviated from the transport reference position (Xυ, (X,) in the width direction, the side regulating plate (63) is moved to the transport reference position (x2) (
(See Figure 26). The moving speed at this time is 30H/sec
A speed of about 100% or less is appropriate.

At this time, some of the upper copies of the copy paper (81) are shifted in the direction of the arrow (ho) from the transport reference position (Xl) by the inertial horn as described above (see FIG. 26). In order to align it, the solenoid (7o) is turned on and off multiple times, and the side regulating plate (62) is swung multiple times to perfect the alignment of the copy paper (81). In this step, the solenoid (7o) is turned on and the process moves to the next step.

6. Connect the solenoid (140) (see Figure 10) to 1.
The paper refeeding roller (38) is positioned at the lower stage and is brought into pressure contact with the copy paper (81) by its own weight (see FIGS. 15 and 22).

1) Next, turn off the solenoid (7o). Said ■−(
The process is similar to d) -, and the side regulating plate (62) comes into contact with the stopper (91) of the holder (66) and is set in the vertical direction at the transport reference position (Xl) (FIG. 23).

(See Figure 27).

-32~ At the same time, the tip regulating plate (64) is retracted into the notch (88a) of the guide plate (88) in the same manner as in the above-mentioned ①-(d)-.

When 95 or more operations are completed, a message indicating that composite copying is possible is displayed on the operation panel of the copying machine main body. Also,
The switching lever (41) is switched to the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG.

(e) Turn on the print switch.

The above-mentioned steps (1)-(e) A, B, T, and D are executed, and composite copying is performed by overlapping the copied surface.

In the above alignment method, each copy paper (81) is fed onto the intermediate tray (58) one by one at a position shifted in the width direction from the transport reference position (Xl), (X2). After performing preliminary alignment and feeding a predetermined number of copy sheets (81), the copy sheets (81) are transported to the reference position (X,
), (X t) and realignment is performed. Therefore, alignment becomes reliable and accurate, and refeeding failures do not occur.

Furthermore, if a friction member such as rubber is provided at the bottom of the side regulating plate (63), it will be possible to prevent the copy paper (81) fed into the intermediate tray (5g) J- from being misaligned and achieve more reliable alignment. It can be performed. Further, the leading end regulating plate (64) is configured to swing and retreat from the refeeding path of the copy paper (81) when refeeding, but the guide plate (88) functions at the time of refeeding. It may also serve as

[Static charge removal mechanism for copy paper, Figures 10 and 28 to 30]
By the way, the copy paper (81) fed into the intermediate tray unit (A) is damaged by the discharge phenomenon caused by the transfer charger (5a) and the separation charger (5b), or by the fixing device (9) which is a pre-alignment process. When the toner image is fixed, it is heated and loses its moisture, making it susceptible to being charged. In particular, during double-sided copying, the conveyance distance is long (passing through the conveyance block (11)), and as a practical matter, it is charged. The charged copy paper (81) exerts an attractive force on each other, and when re-feeding, many sheets may be re-fed at once.
It goes diagonally.

Therefore, it is necessary to install a static elimination mechanism in the intermediate tray unit (A) to eliminate static electricity from the copy paper (81). It is preferable that static electricity is removed immediately before the copy paper (81) is fed onto the intermediate tray (58). Beyond that, for example, the unit (A
), the transport roller (52),
This is because it becomes charged when passing through (53), (54), (55), etc. Also, when the sheets are re-fed, they are charged due to friction between the copy sheets (81) when they are re-fed, so it is necessary to remove the charges.

Specifically, as shown in FIG.
The unit (
A) The stopper (136) attached to the frame (114)
) is positioned. Also, the guide plate (+33)
On the negative side, there is a presser member (+3) protruding from the holder (66).
2) extends, and the paper refeed roller (38) and holder (66
) is pressed by the holding member (132) and swings downward about the support shaft (86) as a fulcrum.

FIG. 28 shows the case when the paper refeed roller (38) is set in the upper stage, that is, when the copy paper (81) is fed into the intermediate tray (58) during double-sided copying. At this time, the position of the guide plate (1, 33) is regulated by the stopper (+36), and is set on the upper stage similar to the paper refeed roller (38). Then, the copy paper (81) is fed onto the intermediate tray (58) from the transport rollers (56), (57) while contacting the static elimination brush (135), and is neutralized (see FIG. 13). .

FIG. 29 shows a case where the paper refeed roller (38) is set in the middle stage, that is, when the copy paper (81) is fed onto the intermediate tray (58) during composite copying. At this time, the guide plate (133) is attached to the presser member (1) provided on the holder (66).
32) and set in the same middle stage as the paper refeed roller (38) (see FIG. 14). At this time, the guide plate (133) functions as a guide for copy paper (total) like the holder (66) and paper refeed roller (38), as will be described later.

FIG. 30 shows the state when the paper refeeding roller (38) is set at the lower stage, that is, when copying paper (81) is being refeeded.

At this time, the guide plate (+33) is
) and set on the lower stage in the same way as the paper refeed roller (38). Then, the copy paper (81) is
35), the paper is re-fed and the static electricity is removed (15th
'See figure).

[Copy paper guide mechanism, see Figures 31 to 36] Copy paper (81) that has been fixed by the fixing device (9)
) is highly likely to curl due to the heat effect during fixing.

Then, the copy paper (
81) is fed in a large number, as shown in Fig. 31.
, the height C) of the copy paper (81) is adjusted by the regulation plate (64), (
65) becomes higher than E), and when the next copy sheet (81) is fed, as shown in Fig. 32,
The copy paper (81) gets on the regulation plate (65) and falls off. It is possible to regulate by setting the regulation plate (65) high, but 1. This increases the height of the intermediate tray unit (A), which is undesirable.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the guide member (92) is placed above the intermediate tray (58) by the regulating plate (64).
) and (i65). in this case,
The height B) of the guide member (92) is the regulation plate (64),
The height of (65) is lower than the height E) of the guide/member (92
) and the regulating plates (64), (65) are set relatively narrowly. This will surely prevent the copy paper (81) from riding on the regulation plates (64) and (65).
- to be done. However, the reason why the distance (D) is narrowed is because when the width is less than -4, as shown in FIG. 35, the copy paper (81)
This is because there is a risk that the copy paper (81) may get on the regulation plates (64), (65) due to deformation as shown by the two-dot chain line.

In addition, FIG. 33 shows the regulation plate (64) during double-sided copying,
(65), the regulating plates (64) and (65) have moved in the direction of arrow (g') from the position shown in Fig. 33 during composite copying, and the regulating plates (64) and
) intersect with the guide member (92), and the leading edge of the fed copy paper (81) is prevented from riding on the regulating plate (64).

On the other hand, when feeding a long size copy paper (81) to the intermediate tray (58) J- during composite copying (see Fig. 14), the leading edge regulating plate (64) is positioned in front of the guide member (92). Due to the fact that the top curled copy paper (8
The tip portion of 1) cannot be guided by the guide portion +4' (92). Therefore, as mentioned above, the paper refeed roller (
38) Set the holder (66) and guide plate (+33) in the middle stage and guide the leading edge of the copy paper (81),
Parent control is in place to prevent the tip from climbing onto the tip regulating plate (64).

Note that if the guide member (92) is extended to the installation position of the paper refeed roller (38), the guide by the holder (66) or the like becomes unnecessary. However, if the guide member (92) is made too long in the paper refeeding direction, the transport roller (56)
), (57), the copy paper (81) comes into contact with the guide member (92). Further, the guide member (92) is connected to the frame 1. of the conveyance block (I l). (
106), (107), and is attached to the transport block (
When l l) is released, it is pulled to one side, and at this time, the frames j, (+13), (+1
It is necessary to avoid interference with the conveyance roller (54) provided in 4), and from the position shown in FIG.
)] cannot be postponed.

Furthermore, for copy paper (81) that is curled in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. This is taken care of by bending the copy paper (81) upwardly so that it does not ride over the side regulating plates (62), (63).

Further, the guide plate (133) has a function of preventing the side portion of the copy paper (81) from floating to one side during paper re-feeding. That is, in this embodiment, the paper refeed roller (38
) presses only the center part of the copy paper (81), so the copy paper (81) that is curled upward in the width direction will have both sides lifted up, and if the paper is re-fed in this state, it will be skewed or This may cause a paper jam. Therefore, when refeeding paper, not only the paper refeed roller (38) and holder (66) but also the guide plate (133) are positioned at the lower stage, and the holder (66) and guide plate (133) ) are guided from above (see Figure 30).

[Alignment assisting mechanism during composite copying, see FIGS. 37 to 40] During composite copying, as shown in FIG. 50) and (51) onto the intermediate tray (58). At this time, when a large number of upwardly curled copy sheets (81) are fed in, the trailing edge is held by the conveying roller (50), (51
) The copy paper (81) that is lifted by the contact point and then fed in will cause a paper jam.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the conveyance roller (50) is connected to the support shaft (50).
0a) at predetermined intervals, and a plurality of elastic blades (96) (three in this example) were installed at arbitrary positions on the support shaft (50a). (96) are mounted outside the trailing edge regulating plate (65) at a position where they can come into contact with both sides of the copy paper (81) being conveyed, and are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and at ) is inclined in the direction of rotation [arrow (m)].The length I7) of the elastic blade (96) is longer than the radius (R) of the conveyance roller (50), and when rotating, The rear end regulating plate (65) and the length G) are set to bulge over each other (see Fig. 38).

Therefore, the elastic blade (96) rotates in the direction of the arrow (m) together with the conveyance roller (50), and as shown in FIG. , to prevent the conveyance path from being blocked.

[Reversing conveyance rollers (56), (57) and reversing guide plate (
93), see Figure 9] When duplexing, the copy paper (81) is placed in the intermediate tray (5).
8) Reversing conveyance roller (5
6), (5?) and the reversing guide plate (93) must be configured to reliably reverse stiff copy paper such as thick paper, stiff copy paper such as thin paper, or curled copy paper. Must be. And the reversing conveyance roller (56)
, (57) diameters (D, ), (Dt) and the reversal guide plate (
radius (R) of conveyor rollers (54), (55)
As a result of experiments with various settings of the contact distance (I7) of the reversing conveyance rollers (56) and (57), the following points were found.

(a) If the distance between the rollers (I7) is short, in order to reverse stiff copy paper, the roller diameter (D), guide radius (R
) must become large.

(b) Furthermore, if the distance between the rollers (L) is short, the number of locations for installing the transport rollers up to the transport rollers (54) and (55) will increase, leading to an increase in costs. Therefore, from a cost standpoint, the longer the distance between the rollers (I,), the better. However, a minimum size copy paper length is required.

(c) Larger guide radius (R) and roller diameter (D, ) are preferable for reversing the copy paper. However, when it becomes excessive,
Unit (A) becomes larger.

(d) In a configuration like this unit (A) in which the copy paper is reversed immediately before feeding it into the intermediate tray (58), the reversing conveyance rollers (56) and (57) are replaced by the paper refeed roller (38).
) and the sorting rollers (39), (40), and the reversing conveyance rollers (56), (57
) must be arranged so as not to obstruct the copy paper during refeeding and to make the unit (A) more compact. For this purpose, a reversing conveyance roller (56) is used.

The diameter (Dυ, (D) of (57), especially the diameter (D,) of the lower reversing conveyance roller (57) is preferably as small as possible.

In view of the points mentioned above, the roller diameter (D,) should be
It is preferable to set the conditions such that ≦Roller diameter (Dl) ≦Roller radius (D, / 2 )≦Guide radius (R), and this embodiment is configured as described above.

Effects of Solution As detailed above, the present invention includes an intermediate tray, a first conveying means for reversing the copy paper after copying and feeding it onto the intermediate tray, and a method for reversing the copy paper after copying. □ a second conveying means for feeding the copy paper onto the intermediate tray without any problem; and a paper refeeding means for refeeding the copy paper fed onto the intermediate tray; It is movable to the - stage position when fed by the first conveying means, to the middle position when fed by the second conveying means, and to the lower position when refeeding, and when in the middle position, it is placed on the intermediate tray. The refeeding means is set at approximately the same height as the leading edge regulating member for positioning the leading edge in the refeed direction of the copy paper fed into the intermediate tray, so that the paper refeeding means does not touch the top surface of the copy paper fed onto the intermediate tray at the middle position. can guide you,
Even if the copy paper is curled upward, it can be reliably aligned on the intermediate tray.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of a copying machine according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the unit when it is pulled out, and FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of the unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the alignment mechanism and paper refeeding mechanism, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the regulating plate attachment section. FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory views of the operation of the tip regulating plate. FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating the relationship between the paper refeeding section and the conveying rollers of the reversing block. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the paper refeeding roller swinging mechanism, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper refeeding roller swinging mechanism, FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the clutch means, and FIGS.
4 and 15 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the paper refeed roller and the like. Figures 16 to 23 are for explaining the operation of the alignment mechanism. Figure 16 is a plan view during reverse copying, Figure 17 is a front view of Figure 16, and Figure 18 is the same as Figure 16. Side view, 1st
Fig. 9 is a plan view of composite copying, Fig. 20 is a front view of Fig. 19, Fig. 21 is a plan view of paper re-feeding, Fig. 22 is a front view of Fig. 21, and Fig. 23 is a front view of Fig. 21. FIG. 24th
25, 26, and 27 are all explanatory diagrams of the copy sheet alignment operation. FIG. 28, FIG. 29, and FIG. 30 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the paper refeed roller and the static elimination blade. 31 to 36 are for explaining the copy paper guide mechanism.
Figures 2 and 33 are front views, Figures 34, 35, and 36.
The figure is a side view. 37 to 40 show the copy paper feeding portion during composite copying, FIG. 37 is a side view, FIG. 38 is a sectional view, and FIGS. 39 and 40 are operation explanatory diagrams. (A)...Intermediate tray unit, (1)...Switching block, (11)...Transportation block, (II+)...
Reversing block, (1v)...Alignment, intermediate tray block, (V)...Refeeding block, (38)...Refeeding roller 1, (51')...Intermediate tray, (64)...・・・
Tip regulation plate, (66)...Holder, (81)...Copy paper. Patent Applicant Minolta Camera Co., Ltd. Representative Patent Attorney Mr. Ao and 2 others Fig. 2 Fig. 3 L” Sendmetsucho Figure 28 Yokisakyo 4 Hakukon Figure 29 Kosaru

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An intermediate tray, a first conveyance means for reversing the copy paper after copying and feeding it onto the intermediate tray, and a second conveyance means for feeding the copy paper after copying onto the intermediate tray without reversing it. and a re-feeding means for re-feeding the copy paper fed onto the intermediate tray, the re-feeding means being placed in an upper position when the copy paper is fed by the first conveying means. 2. Provided so as to be movable to the middle position when fed by the conveying means and to the lower position when refeeding, and in the middle position position the leading end in the refeeding direction of the copy paper fed onto the intermediate tray. A copying machine characterized by being set at substantially the same height as a tip regulating member for a copying machine.