JPS638165A - Sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a sorter in structure, by connecting paper to a forward clutch of a driver at a time when the paper discharged out of a recorder is conveyed up to the specified tray inlet, and connecting a feeding device for the paper in the tray inlet to a reversing clutch. CONSTITUTION:A conveying device 3 and a holding device 4 to be operated by driving force of a rotary driver 2 are installed at the inlet side of a multistage tray 1. The recorded paper discharged out of a recorder is held by the holding device 4 and conveyed up to the designated sorter inlet by a forward clutch 16 of the rotary driver 2, and its holding is released free a the sorter inlet. The paper released at the tray inlet is driven a reversing clutch 13 of the driver 2, and it is fed to the inside of a sorter. With this constitution, a sorter structure is simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a sorter, and particularly to a sorter attached to various recording devices such as a copying machine.

(Prior Art) In recent years, various recording devices such as copying machines are often equipped with a sorter for sorting sheets after recording. The sheets sorted by the sorter are stored in each of the trays provided in multiple stages.

In conventional sorters, the recorded paper is guided from the upper or lower end of the sorter body into a passage within the sorter body, and when the paper reaches a predetermined position in the passage, a guide claw protrudes toward the passage. A guide claw guides the paper toward a predetermined tray.

However, in such conventional sorters, a large number of guide claws must be installed for each tray, and an actuating device such as a solenoid that activates each guide claw must also be placed for each guide claw. It won't happen. Therefore, the equipment is becoming more complex, and the number of parts is increasing.
It's getting high.

(Purpose) Therefore, the present invention is capable of simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing production costs.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sorter that can perform sorting work quickly and reliably.

(Structure) In order to achieve the above object, the sorter according to the present invention includes a gripping means for gripping the paper immediately after being ejected from the recording device, and a gripping means that is connected to the discharge portion of the recording device and the entrance portion of each tray. A conveying means for reciprocating the paper between them, a stopping means for selectively stopping the gripping means transferred by the conveying means at the entrance of each tray, and a paper feeding means for feeding the paper gripped by the gripping means to the tray side. 5, wherein the conveying means is directed in a positive direction with respect to the output shaft of the rotational drive device.
The paper feeding means includes a normal rotation clutch attached to transmit rotational driving force in only one direction, and a rotation transfer mechanism connected to the output side of the normal rotation clutch to generate a conveying force. It has a reversing clutch that is attached to transmit only rotational driving force in the opposite direction to the output shaft of the rotational drive device, and a paper feeder that is connected to the output side of the reversing clutch and feeds the paper. ing.

In the sorter having such a configuration, the paper discharged from the recording device is gripped by the gripping means and transported to the tray side by the conveyance means.

When the gripping means reaches a predetermined tray position, it is stopped by the stopping means, and after the gripping means is stopped, the paper is fed into the tray by the paper feeding means. The gripping means is returned to the original discharge section and waits for the next paper discharge.

In this case, when the rotary drive device is rotated in the forward direction, the conveyance means is activated via the forward rotation clutch, and when the rotation drive device is rotated in the reverse direction, the forward rotation clutch is idled and at the same time, the conveying means is activated via the forward rotation clutch. Paper feeding means is operated via the clutch.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the inlet side of the tray 1 provided in multiple stages, there is a conveyance means 3 operated by the driving force of a rotary drive device 2, and a gripper that is reciprocated in the vertical direction by the conveyance means 3. means 4 are arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotational drive device 2 includes a drive motor 5 that can rotate in forward and reverse directions, and a main shaft that is connected to the drive motor 5 via a drive pulley 6 and a driven pulley 7. 8.

The main shaft 8 is supported by a bearing body 11 that is slidably installed in the vertical direction with respect to two guide frames 9.9. The guide frame 9 is formed of two elongated pillars that are erected to face each other and separated by a predetermined distance from each other at the entrance side of the tray 1-. The gripping means 4 is held between these guide frames 9.9 so as to be able to reciprocate vertically. Note that the gripping means 4 is adapted to be transferred between the paper discharge section of the recording apparatus and the uppermost tray.

A first rotating piece 12.degree. 12 is fixed to both end portions of the main shaft 8. This first rotary piece 12 is formed in the shape of a stepped drum, and the inner drum portion on the inside in the axial direction includes:
A reversing clutch 13, which will be described later, is installed in a wound state, and a gripping roller of the gripping means 4 is connected via this reversing clutch 13. Furthermore, a fixing set screw (not shown) is screwed into the axially outer outer drum portion formed to have a large diameter in a direction perpendicular to the axis.

The conveyance means 3 includes a second rotary piece 15 as a rotary transfer mechanism that is loosely fitted to the main shaft 8 so as to be freely rotatable. This second rotating piece 15 is formed in the shape of a stepped drum, and a forward rotation clutch 16 is mounted in a wound state on an inner drum portion extending inward in the axial direction, that is, toward the first rotating piece 12. has been done. This forward rotation clutch 16 is formed in the shape of a coil spring, and its axially inner end portion is inserted into and fixed to the first rotation piece 12 side. That is, the normal rotation clutch 16 is mounted so that when the first rotation piece 12 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, the inner diameter size is reduced and the clutch 16 is pressed against the second rotation piece 15.

In this case, the first rotating piece 12 and the second rotating piece 15 are connected and rotated integrally.

On the other hand, when the first rotary piece 12 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, the inner diameter of the forward rotation clutch 16 is expanded and it is put into an idling state, and the connection state between the two rotary pieces 12 and 15 is broken. becomes.

Furthermore, a large-diameter central drum portion is provided in the central portion of the second rotary piece 15. This central drum section is
A binion gear 17 serving as a brake body is carved on the outer periphery. This binion gear 17 is the rack gear 1
It is engaged with 8. This rack gear 18 is erected in the vicinity of the guide frame 9 and substantially parallel to it. Such a brake body allows the second rotary piece 15 to mesh and rotate when the gripping means 4 is transferred, and when the gripping means 4 is held at a predetermined position by the stopping means described later. , the second rotating piece 15
The reversal of the is prevented.

A winding drum 20 serving as an outer drum portion is provided on the axially outer side of the second rotating piece 15 .

A winding string 21 hanging down from the upper end of the guide frame 9 is wound around the winding drum 20 . The winding direction of the winding string 21 is set so that the winding string 21 is wound when the winding drum 20 is rotated in the forward direction.

The gripping means 4 includes both end plates 22.22 attached to the guide frame 9 so as to be movable back and forth, a gripping roller 23 fixed to the main shaft 8, and a pressing piece 24 placed on the gripping roller 23. It is equipped with

The above-mentioned rotary drive device 2 is attached to both end plates 22, 22, so that the gripping means 4 and the rotary drive device 2 can be integrally transferred.

Further, the gripping roller 23 is formed of a long hollow cylindrical body, and a feed string 25 is provided on the outer surface of the gripping roller 23, which is wound spirally from the center toward both ends. The winding direction of the feed string 25 is set in such a direction that it is transferred to both ends when the gripping roller 23 is rotated in the opposite direction.

Both ends of the gripping roller 23 are connected to the first rotating piece 12 via the reverse clutch 13, as described above. That is, when the first rotating piece 12 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, the reversing clutch 13 has its inner diameter reduced and is pressed against the first rotating piece 12, so that the first rotating piece 12 and the gripping roller 23 are connected to each other. are connected and rotated as one. On the other hand, when the first rotary piece 12 is rotationally driven in the forward direction, the inner diameter of the reversing clutch 13 is expanded and the reversing clutch 13 is idled, and the connection state between the first rotary piece 12 and the gripping roller 23 is broken. It is done so that it can be done.

The pressing piece 24 is formed from a thin, flexible band-like body. Both ends of this pressing piece 24, both end plates 22.22
The pressing pieces 24 are respectively fixed to arms 25, 25 which are pivotally connected to the gripping rollers 23, so that the pressing pieces 24 can be placed on and released from the gripping rollers 23. Further, both the pressing piece 24 and the gripping roller 23 are made of a magnetic material, and the pressing piece 24 is opposed to the gripping roller 23.
is designed to be sucked into close contact.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, spring attachment pins 26 and 27 are protruded from the middle portion of the arm 25 and the end plate 22.
A coil spring 28 is hooked to and 27. As a result, the arm 25 is urged downward, and the pressing piece 24 is constantly pressed against the gripping roller 23.

The gripping means 4 is adapted to be stopped at a predetermined position by a stopping means 30. This stopping means 31 is equipped with a position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the gripping means 4 and a holding mechanism for holding the gripping means 4 at a predetermined position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 in particular.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position detection mechanism includes a rotating disk 31 fixed to the main shaft 8, and a photosensor 33 that detects and counts passage of a reference point 32 formed in a notch in the rotating disk 31. It has One revolution of the gage 32 cut out in the rotary disk 31 is formed to correspond to the distance of one stage of the tray 1, and by counting the number of passages of the gage 32, the gripping means 4 can be The transport position is detected. The count signal from the photosensor 33 is sent to a central processing control unit M (CPU
) is applied. That is, when the gripping means 4 reaches a predetermined position due to forward rotation of the drive motor 5 of the rotary drive device 2, the drive motor 5 is activated by the central processing control unit (CP).
A reverse rotation command is issued from U).

As shown in FIG. 4, the holding mechanism includes a long cylindrical body 34 erected near the guide frame 9, and a locking plate 35 fixed along the axial direction of the cylindrical body 34. have.

A plurality of locking recesses 36 are cut out in the locking plate 35 and are formed to correspond to the installation positions of the respective trays 1 .

On the other hand, a claw body 37 that engages with each of the locking recesses 36 is fixed to the end of the main shaft 8. This claw body 37 is provided so as to extend toward the locking plate 35 from the gripping means 4 side.

Further, pins 38 and 39 for spring attachment are fixed to the claw body 37 and the bearing portion 11. A coil spring 41 is installed between the pins 38 and 39, and the biasing force of this coil spring 41 allows
The claw body 37 is rotatably biased toward the locking plate 35 side. Thereby, when the gripping means 4 reaches a predetermined position, the claw body 37 is engaged with the locking recess 36 of the locking plate 35, and the gripping means 4 is held at that position.

Further, at the top of the cylindrical body 34, there is provided a rotary solenoid 4 as an actuation mechanism for rotating the cylindrical body 34 each predetermined degree.
2 is installed. The rotary solenoid 42 is driven at a predetermined timing by the central processing control unit (CPU, not shown), and the locking recess 36 is rotated between the engagement position and the disengagement position of the claw body 37. It looks like this.

Further, the gripping roller 23 also serves as a paper feeding roller as paper feeding means. That is, the gripping roller 23
Since the gripping roller 23 is pressed against the paper side, when the gripping roller 23 is rotated, the paper is fed in the tangential direction of the rotation.

Further, although not shown in the drawings, a position sensor such as an optical sensor is provided on the upper side of the gripping roller 23. This position sensor detects the insertion and removal of paper, and when the paper is grasped by the gripping means 4, it outputs a forward rotation command to the drive motor 5, and the paper is sent from the gripping means 4 to the tray 1 side. It has a function of outputting a rotation stop command to the drive motor 5 when the rotation stops.

Further, stoppers 43, 43 are installed on both sides of the paper discharge section of the recording apparatus. Each stopper 4
3 is in contact with the arm 25 of the gripping means 4, and the arm 2
5 is spaced apart from the gripping roller 23 side. That is, when the arm 25 of the gripping means 4 comes into contact with the stopper 43, the arm 25 is lifted upward and the pressing piece 24 of the gripping means 4 is released.

In this embodiment, when the recorded paper is ejected from the recording apparatus, the gripping means 4 is placed on standby at the lowermost position of the paper ejection section of the recording apparatus. At this time, the arm 25 of the gripping means 3 is in contact with the stopper 43 side. As a result, the pressing piece 24 pushes the gripping roller 23
It is spaced apart from the arm 25 and is open so that the paper can be received between the arm 25 and the pressing piece 24.

When the recorded paper is discharged from the recording device, the paper advances while sliding on the gripping rollers 23. When the paper has advanced an appropriate amount, the position sensor detects the insertion of the paper, and the drive motor 5 is rotated in the normal direction. As a result, the main shaft 8 and the first rotary piece 12 are driven in the normal rotation direction. This normal rotation driving force is transmitted to the second rotation piece 1 via the normal rotation clutch 16.
5 side, and the winding is carried out by the winding string 21 on the drum 20.
is being wound up. As a result, the gripping means 4 is raised.

When the gripping means 4 is slightly raised, the arm 2
5 is separated from the stopper 43, and the pressing piece 24 is pressed against the gripping roller 23 by the urging force of the coil spring 28. As a result, the gripping means 4 is further raised while the paper is gripped between the gripping roller 23 and the pressing piece 24.

At this time, the claw body 37 is raised while going in and out of the locking recess 36.

When the gripping means 4 reaches a predetermined position while the number of rotations of the rotary disk 31, that is, the number of stages of the tray 1 is counted by the photo sensor 33, a reverse rotation command is issued to the drive motor 5 from the central processing control device (not shown). Output.

As a result, the drive motor 5 begins to be rotated in the opposite direction, and the main shaft 8 and the first rotating piece 12 are rotated in the opposite direction. As a result, the gripping means 4 is slightly lowered, and the claws 37- are reliably fitted into the locking recesses 36. In this way the gripping means 4 are held in that position.

On the other hand, the reverse rotation driving force of the first rotary piece 12 is transmitted to the grip row 523 side via the reverse rotation clutch 13. In this case, the rotational driving force is not transmitted to the second rotating piece 15, but in particular, the second rotating piece 15 is
Since the gear 7 is meshed with the rack gear 18, it is not rotated. As a result, only the gripping roller 23 is rotationally driven.

This gripping row 523 also serves as a paper feed roller, and as the gripping roller 23 rotates, the gripped paper is sent out to the tray 1 side.

When the paper is completely fed out and stored in the predetermined ranges 1 to 1, the position sensor detects the paper feeding completion state, and the rotary solenoid 42, which is the operating mechanism of the locking plate 35, is driven, and the claw body 37 is removed from the locking plate 35. As a result, the gripping means 4 is returned to the re-strapped paper ejection position, and the next paper is ejected.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a brake drum 51 as a brake body is fitted onto the second rotating piece 15. When the gripping means 4 is raised, the brake drum 51 is transferred over a band-like brake shoe (not shown) with a slight slip occurring due to the difference in rotational circumferential speed. Then, when the gripping means 4 is held at a predetermined position, the braking force due to the rotational circumferential speed difference is activated,
The rotation of the second rotary piece 15 is stopped by this braking force.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the brake body of the second rotary piece 15 is constructed by sandwiching the second rotary piece 15 between two brake shoes 53 and 54 that are swung about the common shaft 52. The shoes 53 and 54 are configured to be brought into pressure contact with the surface of the second rotary piece 15 by the biasing force of the coil spring 55.

The braking force is adjusted by the amount of tightening of adjustment pins 56 installed at the bases of the brake shoes 53 and 54.

Furthermore, FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the rotation mechanism for the locking plate 35. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a linear solenoid 57 is used. This solenoid 5
7 is connected to the rotating shaft of the cylindrical body 34 via a parallel link mechanism 58, so that the reciprocating linear motion of the solenoid 57 is transmitted to the cylindrical body 34 side as a swinging motion. In this way, accurate operation can be obtained with a simple structure.

(Effects) As described above, the sorter according to the present invention includes a paper gripping means and a paper gripping means connected to the tray entrance so that the paper is gripped and stopped at a predetermined tray section and the paper is fed at the same time. A conveyance means for conveying the sheet to the side, a stop means for stopping the gripping means at a predetermined tray portion, and a paper feed means for conveying the sheet to the tray side, and the conveyance movement is stopped and at the same time converted into a paper feed movement. Because of this configuration, the sorter structure can be simplified, production costs can be significantly reduced, and sheets can be sorted quickly and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view showing the configuration of a sorter in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view thereof, and FIG.
The figure is a longitudinal sectional view of the part shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a partial enlarged perspective view further showing the part shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, and Fig. 7 show other embodiments of the present invention. They are a longitudinal sectional view, a side view, and a plan view, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Tray, 2... Conveyance means, 3... Gripping means, 4... Gripping means, 13... Reverse clutch, 16.
...Forward rotation clutch, 30...Stopping means. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a sorter that sorts and stores recorded sheets sequentially discharged from a recording device into trays provided over multiple stages, the paper immediately after being discharged from the recording device is stored. A gripping means for gripping, a conveyance means for reciprocating the gripping means between the discharge section of the recording device and the entrance of each tray, and a gripping means transferred by the conveyance means selectively placed at the entrance of each tray. and a paper feeding means for feeding the paper gripped by the gripping means to the tray side, and the transporting means comprises:
a forward rotation clutch installed to transmit only rotational driving force in the forward direction to the output shaft of the rotational drive device;
A rotational transfer mechanism is connected to the output side of the normal rotation clutch to generate a conveying force, and the paper feeding means is configured to transmit only rotational driving force in the opposite direction to the output shaft of the rotational drive device. A sorter comprising: a reversing clutch attached to the reversing clutch; and a paper feeder connected to the output side of the reversing clutch to feed sheets. 2. The sorter according to claim 1, wherein the gripping means comprises a gripping roller on which the paper is placed, and a pressing piece that presses the paper from above the gripping roller. 3. The rotational transfer mechanism of the conveying means includes a winding drum fixed to the output side of the normal rotation clutch, and a winding string wound on the winding drum and stretched in the conveying direction of the gripping means. Claim 1, further comprising a brake body that prevents the forward rotation clutch from reversing.
Sorter as described in section. 4. The brake body is comprised of a pinion gear installed on the outer periphery of the winding drum, and a rack gear extending in the conveyance direction of the gripping means so that the pinion gear meshes with the pinion gear. A sorter according to claim 3. 5. The stopping means includes a locking plate having a plurality of locking recesses formed to correspond to the installation positions of each tray, and a gripping means that engages with each locking recess of the locking plate. The sorter according to claim 1, characterized in that the sorter comprises a claw body provided on the side, and an actuating means for engaging and disengaging the claw body in a predetermined locking recess. 6. The actuation means includes an elongated cylindrical body that fixes the locking plate, and a rotation that rotates the cylindrical body to move the locking plate between an engagement position with respect to the claw body and a disengagement position. 6. The sorter according to claim 5, further comprising a moving mechanism. 7. The sorter according to claim 6, wherein the rotating mechanism includes a rotating solenoid that rotates and transfers the cylindrical body over a predetermined angle. 8. The sorter according to claim 1, wherein the paper feeding body of the paper feeding means comprises a paper feeding roller connected to the output shaft of the rotary drive device via a reversing clutch. 9. The sorter according to claim 8, wherein the paper feed roller is also used as a gripping roller of the gripping means.