JPS63127981A - Paper detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To output a full information accurately, in a high speed electronic printer, by arranging a full sensor through an actuator at a rear end matching position in an uphill type paper discharge tray. CONSTITUTION:A printed paper 3 being discharged while accelerated from a discharge roller 10 passes temporarily above an actuator 5 and fed to a position separated from the rear sidewall 2 of a paper discharge tray 1, thereafter falls naturally and accumulated while contacting with the rear sidewall 2. When accumulation of paper increases and the rear end of paper 3 contacts with the actuator 5, the actuator 5 rotate gradually to the left, and when the actuator 5 rolls more than predetermined angle (20 deg., for example) a light source 6a of a photosensor 6 is opened by the lower end portion thereof and a detection signal is fed to a controller. Consequently, paper full information can be outputted accurately even when the paper containing capacity in a paper discharge tray is different because of the difference of the thickness of paper.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a fullness detection device provided in a paper ejection tray of a high-speed electronic printer, etc., and in particular, a fullness detection device provided in an uphill type paper ejection tray, The present invention relates to a fullness detection device for a paper ejection tray configured to accurately indicate whether the paper is full by directly detecting the amount of paper stacked on the tray.

(Prior Art) In devices such as general printers that have been used in the past, the amount of prints deposited on the output tray is determined by the fact that the state in which the prints are deposited can be directly seen from the outside. In many cases, the operator makes an appropriate judgment and performs the unloading process as appropriate during the printer's operation.

On the other hand, devices with very high printer capabilities, such as electrophotographic printers, may be provided with means for automatically determining the state of the output tray.

In such devices, for example, the capacity of the output tray is input into the printer's control device, and when the number of prints exceeds the set number, the operator is notified of the situation by an alarm or the like. In some cases, it may be provided.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, even if the capacity of the output tray is input into the printer control device, the type and thickness of the paper used for copying may vary, and the paper that passes through the fixing device may differ. In cases where the paper is curled due to this, the height of the paper stack is often substantially different.

On the other hand, in order to set the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the output tray, taking into account the various factors mentioned above, it is necessary to set the number of sheets to a smaller value, or to set the depth of the tray with sufficient margin. It is necessary to do so.

Furthermore, when adopting the method described above, in order to count the number of prints, retain that information, compare it with the maximum capacity, make judgments, etc., a comparison with the control device normally used in printers is required. This results in the disadvantage that it becomes necessary to expand the capabilities of the control device and to use software for processing the information obtained.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the drawbacks of the above-mentioned control method, and is configured so that the amount of paper can be directly detected mechanically by a detection member provided on the paper output tray. The purpose of this invention is to provide a device that can simplify the mechanism and perform accurate detection.

(Means and Effects for Solving the Problems) The paper detection device of the present invention has an uphill type paper output tray at a position where the trailing edge of the paper in the tray is aligned.
An actuator operated by the paper is provided, and a sensor operated by the actuator is configured to detect that the paper is full.

Further, in the paper detection device of the present invention, in order to prevent paper from being randomly stored, a paper alignment device is provided, and the paper alignment device is linked to the rotation of the roller of the printer's ejection device. A flipper is provided.

Therefore, in the paper detecting device of the present invention, when the paper is ejected in a curled state by the fixing device, or when the amount of accumulated paper is large and the ejected paper is disordered, the flipper Since the matching action is carried out by the above, the detection operation by the sensor can be performed accurately.

(Example) The configuration of the paper detection device of the present invention will be described according to the illustrated example.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the present invention, in which a paper ejection tray 1 provided in an ejection section of an electrophotographic printer has an ejection roller 10.10 of the printer.
The paper 3 discharged by a is accommodated.

This paper ejection tray 1 is of an uphill type in which the front part on the ejection side slopes upward, and the paper 3 ejected to the paper ejection tray 1 has its rear end in contact with the rear side wall 2. Aligned to a regular state.

In the paper ejection tray 1 of the present invention, the rear side wall 2
The actuator 5 is provided so as to slightly protrude into the paper storage section from the portion. The height at which the upper portion of the actuator 5 projects toward the paper holding portion of the paper ejection tray 1 is set according to the paper storage capacity of the paper ejection tray 1.

The actuator 5 is configured to be able to swing around a shaft 5a provided in the frame of the printer, and a portion protruding from the bottom of the shaft crosses the optical path 6a of the sensor 6.

Further, the actuator 5 described above is urged toward the paper side by a spring (not shown), and by setting the force of the spring to a very small value (for example, 1gf-α), a chattering phenomenon occurs. It is designed to prevent this from happening.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a transmissive type optical sensor is used as the sensor 6, and the actuator 5 swings about the shaft, and the lower part of the actuator 5 swings around the shaft. By changing the optical path 6a from the off state to the on state, the amount of paper deposited on the paper ejection tray 1 has reached a predetermined amount, that is, the paper ejection tray 1 has become full. It becomes something that can be detected.

The second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is configured to simply detect the amount of paper 3 that is simply discharged to the paper output tray 1 and is deposited in a natural state. Apart from the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a paper alignment mechanism is added so that even if the paper is ejected randomly, the paper can be aligned in the paper output tray 1 and the edges of the paper can be detected in the aligned state. It is composed of

In FIG. 2, (a) is a side view, and (b) is a front view seen from the paper ejection tray 1 side. The following explanation regarding FIG. 2 will be based on these two figures.

This paper alignment mechanism includes a lever 15 and a flipper 2.
It consists of 0. These two members 15 and 20 are supported by a shaft 18 provided on the frame of the printer and are provided in a swingable state, and the lever 15 is moved by a cam 12 provided on the shaft 11 of the ejection roller 10. The flipper 20 is configured to be swung, and the flipper 20 is swung by the swing.

In the embodiment described above, the lever 15 is biased toward the shaft 11 by a spring 16 provided between the upper part of the shaft 18 and the frame via the bracket, and the upper end of the lever 15 is biased toward the shaft 11. , shaft 1 of the discharge roller 10
It is adapted to be engaged with a cam 12 provided at 1.

Therefore, this lever 15 is swung by the rotation of the cam 12, and the swiveling motion of the lever is transmitted to the flipper 20, as will be described later. For this purpose, a pressing member 17 is provided in the middle of the lever 15, and the pressing member 17 is arranged so as to be in contact with the rear part of the flipper 20.

The flipper 20 has a curved upper portion that protrudes inward from the rear side wall 2 of the paper ejection tray 1, and a lower portion of the shaft 18 that protrudes from the frame. The flipper 20 is connected to a spring 21 that rotates clockwise about the shaft 18, and the back portion of the upright portion of the flipper is connected to the lever 15.
In a normal state, the relationship is as shown in FIG. 2(a).

The apparatus shown in the second embodiment of the present invention includes:
When the discharge roller 10 is rotated, the lever 15 is swung by the cam 12, and the flipper 20 is swung by the pressing member 17 of the lever 15, and by the action of the spring 21, the lever 15 is swung around the shaft 18 by the action of the spring 21. The paper output tray 1 performs a swinging motion, and performs an action of tapping the rear of the paper stored in the paper ejection tray 1, thereby aligning the paper.

Next, the operation of the paper detection device of the present invention will be explained. First, in the case of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, sheets 3 are stacked in the paper ejection tray 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, printing is completed by an electrophotographic printer, and the paper is discharged while being accelerated by a discharge roller 10. Therefore, as shown by the arrow, this paper passes above the actuator 5 and is sent out to a position away from the rear side wall 2 of the paper ejection tray 1, then falls naturally, and then the paper is transferred to the paper ejection tray 1.
The sheet 3 slides along the slope of the sheet 3 and is deposited as the sheet 3 with its rear end in contact with the rear side wall 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, as the amount of paper 3 deposited on the paper output tray 1 increases and the rear end of the paper 3 comes into contact with the actuator 5, the actuator 5 gradually moves counterclockwise. When the actuator 5 is swung by a predetermined angle (for example, 20 degrees) or more about the axis 5a, the lower end of the actuator 5 releases the optical path 6a of the photosensor 6, and the detected information is is output to the control device.

Then, by outputting the signal, the control device notifies the operator that the paper output tray 1 is full by displaying it on the display or by outputting an alarm. Requests that paper 3 be removed. Moreover, if necessary, a program can be established in the printer control device to perform control such as stopping the operation of the printer at the same time as outputting the above-mentioned alarm.

In the above-described operation of detecting the paper 3 in the paper output tray 1 of the present invention, the contact surface of the actuator 5 with the paper forms an acute angle with respect to the rear side wall 2, and the contact surface of the actuator 5 with the paper forms an acute angle with respect to the rear side wall 2. The end is ensured to be guided between the protruding surface of the actuator 5 and the already deposited paper.

In addition, the portion of the actuator 5 above the detection section is bent in the opposite direction to the detection section so that the paper will not be caught when it falls, and is bent in the opposite direction to the detection section to ensure good paper guidance. A curved surface is formed as can be done in the state.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 5 is configured to detect the amount of paper stacked in the paper output tray 1, but in this embodiment, the size of the paper is If the paper is particularly long in the feeding direction (for example, A3 size vertical feeding) or if the trailing edge of the paper is curled, only the actuator 5 may be provided as in the case of the first embodiment. In the apparatus, the trailing edge of the paper may get on top of the actuator 5 and lift up, which may impede normal detection operation of the actuator.

Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a paper alignment device is provided on the rear side wall together with the actuator 5, and the paper is aligned so that the detection operation of the actuator can be performed normally. be. The operation of this second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

In this embodiment, as described above, there are provided a lever 15 that is swung by the rotation of the discharge roller 10 together with the actuator 5, and a flipper 20 that is swung by the lever 15.

Therefore, when the ejection roller 10 of the printer is rotated and the paper is ejected, the cam 12 provided on the shaft 11 of the roller 10 is rotated, so that the lever 15 is swung around the shaft 18 by the cam 12. will be moved.

Then, in conjunction with the swinging of the lever 15, the flipper 2
0 is swung, so even if the trailing edge of the sheet rides on the actuator 5, as shown in FIG.
The paper is pushed by the back of the flipper 20 and pushed out toward the front of the paper output tray 1 as shown in FIG. 6, and then slides down along the slope of the paper output tray and is deposited in contact with the rear side wall. Ru.

That is, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the lever 1
5 and the flipper 20 perform paper alignment operations each time the ejection roller 10 is driven to eject a new print, so if the paper is slightly curled or the alignment is inaccurate. However, the swinging of these alignment members makes it possible to align the sheets in the paper ejection tray in a good condition, and thereby the actuator 5
Accordingly, it becomes possible to accurately detect the fullness of the paper ejection tray.

The example shown in FIG. 7 shows an example in which a paper ejection tray 1 is provided in the upper part of an electrophotographic printer. Therefore, in this embodiment, the print created by the printer is ejected from the ejection roller to the paper ejection tray 1 through the paper transport path 25.

In this example, the paper ejection tray 1 is movable in an upward direction, and is configured such that the paper transport path can be opened by lifting the paper ejection tray 1 when handling a jam within the paper transport path. Ru.

Further, since the actuator 5 and the paper aligning device are supported by the frame of the printer as in the first and second embodiments, when moving the paper ejection tray 1, the rear side wall 2 is used to move the paper ejection tray 1. Since it is swung counterclockwise, it does not interfere with the movement of the paper ejection tray.

That is, in the device of the present invention, the lever 15 and the flipper 20 are each supported by the shaft 18, but since both members are provided independently, when pushed by the rear side wall 2, Furthermore, since the flipper 20 is swung independently, it does not interfere with the vertical movement of the paper ejection tray.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 5
The upper parts of the flippers and flippers 20 are curved in a substantially dogleg shape, so even if their back parts are pressed against the rear side wall, they will not get caught and the swinging operation will be smooth. It will be carried out in

Therefore, if a jam occurs in the paper transport path, lift the paper ejection tray 1 to release the paper transport path.
After the jam is cleared, the paper ejection tray is returned to its original position, and the actuator 5, lever 15, and flipper 20 are returned to the operable state, and then the printer can continue operating again.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the members configured as shown in the drawings are used, but the shapes of the members such as the actuator 5, cam 12, lever 15, and flipper 20 may vary. It is not limited to what is shown in the drawings, and any shape can be used.

Furthermore, the paper ejection tray and detection member of the present invention are not only used for electrophotographic printers, but can also be used as paper ejection trays for general copying machines such as electronic copying machines, and are particularly useful. , when used in a large-sized electronic copying machine with a large copying capacity, it is possible to exhibit the effect.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the paper detection device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, the paper storage capacity in the paper output tray varies depending on the thickness of the paper depending on the type of paper used in the printer, etc. Paper fullness information can be output accurately even if the values are different.

In addition, in the paper detecting device of the present invention, when a paper alignment member is provided, the paper can be aligned in a good condition, so even if the paper is outputted to the paper output tray in a curled state, it can be aligned. In this state, the amount of accumulation can be detected, and the detection operation can be performed accurately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the basic configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and (a) is a side view thereof;
(b) is a front view, Figures 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of paper detection corresponding to Figure 1, respectively, and Figures 5 and 6 are illustrations of the operation corresponding to Figure 2, respectively. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: Paper output tray, 2: Rear side wall, 3: Paper, 5: Actuator, 6... Photo sensor, 10...
Discharge roller, 11... shaft, 12... cam, 15... lever, 16... spring, 17... pressing member, 18 ...Shaft, 20...Flipper-121...Spring. (1 other person) □Figure 1 Figure 2 and a-n
rb) Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 7

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In an uphill type paper output tray, an actuator that is contacted by the trailing edge of the paper is provided at a position in the tray where the trailing edge of the paper is aligned, and the paper actuates the sensor via the actuator. By this,
A paper detection device characterized in that it is configured to detect accumulated paper. (2) In the uphill type paper ejection tray, a paper alignment means is provided in parallel with the actuator to align the sheets stacked on the paper ejection tray. Paper detection device. (3) The paper alignment means is configured such that a member that comes into contact with the trailing edge of the paper is swung in conjunction with the rotation of a discharge roller of a printer, etc., so that the paper can be aligned. A paper ejection tray fullness detection device according to claim 2.