JP2016005983A - Paper discharge device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper discharge device which aligns paper sheets without making these tip ends folded, and places the paper sheets while aligning the paper sheets at their tip ends in the slanted state even when the paper sheets are discharged aslant.SOLUTION: A paper discharge device includes: a paper discharge part 36 discharging a paper sheet P where images are formed; a paper discharge tray 7 where the paper sheet P discharged from the paper discharge part 36 is placed; and a body cover part 22 set above the paper discharge tray 7 to cover the paper discharge tray 7. The space between a tip end part 77 of the paper discharge tray 7 in a paper discharge direction X and a tip end part 27 of the body cover part 22 in the paper discharge direction X, is open. A paper regulator member 8 for pressing the tip end of the paper sheet P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 7 toward the side of the paper discharge part 36 is provided, and the paper regulator member 8 is rotationally suspended and supported by the body cover part 22 with a support shaft 8b extensionally provided in a width direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction, serving as a rotary shaft.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet discharging apparatus applicable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  13A and 13B show a schematic configuration of a conventional paper discharge device mounted on the image forming apparatus, FIG. 13A is a schematic front view, and FIG. 13B is a schematic view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 13A. It is a side view.

  The paper discharge device includes a paper discharge roller 136 that is a paper discharge unit for discharging the image-formed paper P, a paper discharge tray 107 on which the paper P discharged from the paper discharge roller 136 is stacked, and a paper discharge tray 107. And a bottom surface 121 of the image reading apparatus that is a main body collar that covers the paper discharge tray 107. In the vicinity of the paper discharge roller 136, the paper P discharged to the paper discharge tray 107 is placed. A paper pressing arm 171 that presses the paper discharge tray 107 is provided.

  That is, when the image-formed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge roller 136 to the paper discharge tray 107, the discharged paper P is pressed by the paper pressing arm 171 and stacked along the tray surface of the paper discharge tray 107. To go. When the stacked sheets P exceed a certain amount, a fullness detection sensor (not shown) is turned on to detect fullness.

  By the way, the paper ejected to the paper ejection tray 107 is affected by the amount of pop-out and return when ejected due to friction on the surface of the paper, and the amount of pop-out may increase depending on the type of paper.

  Further, in long size paper such as A3 / W letter, there is a reverse kamaboko curl (so-called U-shaped curl) in which both ends in the width direction Y perpendicular to the paper discharge direction X are curved upward due to heat during fixing. May occur. In this case, since both ends of the sheet cannot be pressed by the conventional sheet pressing arm 171, the discharged sheets are stacked on the sheet discharge tray 107 while maintaining a U-shaped curl. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the rear end P1 portion of the discharged paper P is inclined downward toward the paper discharge roller 136, and the tray surface 107a of the paper discharge tray 107 is provided. The paper P is discharged in a curled state, and the sheets P and P discharged in a curled state are stacked with a gap therebetween.

  When the next sheet is discharged in this state, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 15A, the leading end P2 of the next sheet Pn hits both ends P1a and P1a of the trailing end P1 of the discharged previous sheet Pf, In the worst case, the discharged front sheet Pf is pushed forward, or only one end P1a of the rear end P1 of the discharged front sheet Pf is pushed obliquely forward as shown in FIG. 15B. There is a problem that the front paper Pf falls from the paper discharge tray 107. 15A and 15B are schematic plan views of the discharge tray portion seen from above.

  In order to solve this problem, conventionally, a fixed wall 100 is provided at the upstream end of the paper discharge tray 107 in the paper discharge direction X (see FIG. 16), or a movable lever is provided (see Patent Document 1). ) Etc. have been proposed.

  The paper discharge device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to overfeed the paper from the stack position by a feed roller, and is provided with a sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper to be overfed. A movable lever is provided to push the over-fed paper back to the stack position.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-118954

  However, in the case where the fixed wall is provided, there is a problem that when the discharged paper is pushed out greatly, the place of the pushed-out paper disappears and the discharged paper becomes crumpled.

  In the paper discharge device described in Patent Document 1, the overfeed paper is forcibly pushed back by a movable lever. For this reason, the sheet can be prevented from dropping from the sheet discharge tray, but the leading edge of the sheet may be folded. In addition, when the paper is ejected at an angle, there is a problem that the front ends of the paper cannot be aligned.

  The present invention was devised to solve such problems. The purpose of the present invention is to align the paper without breaking the leading edge, and align the leading edge of the paper in the slanted state even when it is discharged obliquely. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet discharge device that can be stacked and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In order to solve the above problems, a paper discharge device according to the present invention includes a paper discharge unit that discharges an image-formed paper, a paper discharge tray on which the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit is stacked, and the paper discharge tray. And a main body collar that covers the paper discharge tray, and is open between a front end portion of the paper discharge tray in the paper discharge direction and a front end portion of the main body hook in the paper discharge direction. A discharge device, comprising a paper restriction member that presses a leading edge of the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray toward the paper discharge portion, and the paper restriction member is disposed at a front end portion of the main body collar in the paper discharge direction. In this configuration, the support shaft extending in the width direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction is supported by being suspended and rotated about a rotation shaft. Further, according to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper restricting member may be configured to be swingable so that the support shaft rotates along the main body flange.

  According to this configuration, since the paper restricting member is swingable, for example, even when the paper is discharged obliquely to the paper discharge tray, the paper restricting member swings along the leading edge of the paper discharged obliquely. And can be aligned in the oblique state. That is, several sheets discharged obliquely are stacked with their leading ends aligned in the oblique state.

  According to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper restricting member is disposed at a position where it abuts on the leading end of the maximum size paper discharged to the paper discharge tray.

  According to this configuration, the pushed-out paper is pressed toward the paper discharge portion by the paper regulating member. In this case, since the paper restricting member is rotatably supported by the main body collar, the paper restricting member is pushed out in the paper discharge direction by the pushed paper, but it tries to return to the suspended state by its own weight. The leading edge of the paper can be aligned.

  According to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper discharge tray includes a groove portion extending in the paper discharge direction at a position facing the paper restriction member, and the lower end portion of the paper restriction member is It is good also as a structure extended to the inside of a groove part.

  According to this configuration, the leading edges can be reliably aligned from the first sheet discharged to the discharge tray.

  Further, according to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper regulating member may be provided with a weight.

  According to this configuration, when the return force due to the weight of the paper regulating member itself cannot sufficiently align the front end of the paper, the return force is increased by attaching the weight, and the front end of the paper is more reliably aligned. Can do.

  According to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper regulating member includes a biasing unit that biases the leading end of the maximum size paper discharged to the paper discharge tray toward the paper discharge unit. Also good.

  According to this configuration, when the return force due to the weight of the sheet regulating member itself cannot sufficiently align the front end of the paper, the return force increases by providing the urging means, and the front end of the paper is more reliably aligned. be able to.

  Further, according to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper regulating member may be configured to be movable in the paper discharge direction according to the size of the paper to be discharged.

  According to this configuration, the sheet regulating member can be arranged at an optimum position according to the sheet size.

  According to the paper discharge device of the present invention, the paper regulating member may be configured such that the lower end portion is bent toward the paper discharge portion.

  According to this configuration, even the lowest sheet discharged to the sheet discharge tray can be reliably received and aligned.

  Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to include the paper discharge device having the above-described configurations.

  According to the present invention, the paper restricting member is rotatable about the support shaft as a rotation shaft and swingable so that the support shaft rotates along the main body collar portion. Since the member rotates and the sheet is returned to the specified position by the return force, the sheet can be prevented from popping out. Further, even when the paper is discharged obliquely to the paper discharge tray, the paper restricting member can swing along the front end of the paper discharged diagonally so that the front ends can be aligned in the inclined state. That is, several sheets discharged obliquely can be stacked with the leading edges aligned in the oblique state.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the paper discharge device according to Embodiment 1 as seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2A (that is, the paper discharge direction side). FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the discharge tray portion is seen through from above. It is a front view which expands and shows the hanging part of a paper control member. It is a top view which shows roughly the relationship between a support hole and a support shaft. It is a top view which shows roughly the relationship between a support hole and a support shaft. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the opening of the paper discharge tray is viewed from the paper discharge direction side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the discharge tray portion is seen through from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the discharge tray portion is seen through from above. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the opening of the paper discharge tray is viewed from the paper discharge direction side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the discharge tray portion is seen through from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge device according to the first embodiment when the discharge tray portion is seen through from above. FIG. 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the sheet regulating member. FIG. 10 is a side view showing another embodiment of the sheet regulating member. FIG. 10 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the sheet regulating member. FIG. 10 is a front view showing still another embodiment of the sheet regulating member. FIG. 10 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the sheet regulating member. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing still another embodiment of the sheet regulating member and enlarging the periphery of the paper discharge tray. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view illustrating a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 2 in an enlarged manner around a discharge tray. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view illustrating a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 3 and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing a paper discharge device according to a fourth embodiment and enlarging the periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view illustrating a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 5 in an enlarged manner around the discharge tray. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a conventional paper discharge device and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a conventional paper discharge device as viewed from the paper discharge direction. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a conventional paper discharge device and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a conventional paper discharge device as viewed from the paper discharge direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional paper discharge device, and a discharge tray portion seen through from above. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional paper discharge device, and a discharge tray portion seen through from above. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a conventional paper discharge device and showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray.

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

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1 has a copying function for reading an original and forming an image on a sheet. The image reading apparatus 2, an original conveying apparatus (ADF) 3 provided on the upper side of the image reading apparatus 2, and the image reading apparatus 2. The image forming unit 4, the paper feed cassette 5, and the paper discharge tray 7 provided on the lower side are provided.

  The document conveying device 3 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the image reading device 2 by a hinge (not shown) disposed on the back side of the device (back side of the paper surface in FIG. 1), and the front end is moved up and down. Opened and closed. When the document conveying device 3 is opened, the upper part of the image reading device 2 is opened so that the document can be placed manually. The document conveying device 3 automatically conveys the placed document onto the image reading device 2.

  The image reading device 2 reads the placed document or the document conveyed from the document conveying device 3 to generate image data.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, image data corresponding to a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) or a monochrome image using a single color (for example, black). Are treated. The image forming unit 4 is provided with four developing devices 12 for forming four types of toner images, a photosensitive drum 13, a drum cleaning device 14, and four chargers 15, each of which includes black, cyan, magenta, And four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd, which are associated with yellow and yellow.

  The drum cleaning device 14 removes and collects residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 13. The charger 15 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 13 to a predetermined potential. The optical scanning device 11 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 13 to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 12 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 13 to form a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 13. Through the above-described series of operations, a toner image of each color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 13.

  An intermediate transfer belt 21 is disposed on the upper side of the photosensitive drum 13. The intermediate transfer belt 21 circulates in the direction of arrow C, the residual toner is removed and collected by the belt cleaning device 25, and the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 13 are sequentially transferred and superimposed. Thus, a color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  A nip area is formed between the transfer roller 26a of the secondary transfer device 26 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the sheet conveyed through the sheet conveyance path Rf is sandwiched and conveyed in the nip area. When the sheet passes through the nip area, the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred and conveyed to the fixing device 17.

  The fixing device 17 includes a fixing roller 31 and a pressure roller 32 that rotate with a sheet interposed therebetween. The fixing device 17 sandwiches the recording paper on which the toner image is transferred between the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 and heats and presses the recording paper to fix the toner image on the recording paper.

  The paper feed cassette 5 is a tray for storing paper used for image formation, and is provided below the optical scanning device 11. The paper is pulled out from the paper feed cassette 5 by the pickup roller 33, transported through the paper transport path Rf, and discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 through the secondary transfer device 26 and the fixing device 17 and through the paper discharge roller 36. Is done.

  In the vicinity of the paper discharge roller 36, a paper pressing arm 71 that presses the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 toward the paper discharge tray 7, and the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 is full on the paper discharge tray 7. A full detection sensor 72 is provided for detecting the occurrence of the failure. Further, in the present embodiment, a paper regulating member 8 that regulates the ejection of the ejected paper and aligns the leading end is provided separately from the paper pressing arm 71. The sheet regulating member 8 will be described in detail later.

  In the paper transport path Rf, after the paper is temporarily stopped and the leading edges of the paper are aligned, the color of the paper in the nip region between the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the transfer roller 26a is matched with the transfer timing of the paper. A registration roller 34 that starts conveyance, a conveyance roller 35 that facilitates conveyance of a sheet, and a paper discharge roller 36 are arranged.

  Further, when image formation is performed not only on the front side of the paper but also on the back side, the paper is conveyed in the reverse direction from the paper discharge roller 36 to the reverse path Rr, so that the front and back sides of the paper are reversed and the paper is transferred to the registration roller 34. Then, the image is formed on the rear surface in the same manner as the front surface, and the paper is carried out to the paper discharge tray 7.

  In the above configuration, in the present embodiment, the paper discharge roller 36 that is a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper on which the image is formed, the paper discharge tray 7 on which the paper discharged from the paper discharge roller 36 is stacked, and the paper discharge tray 7 and the bottom surface 22 of the image reading apparatus 2 that is a main body collar that covers the paper discharge tray 7 and constitutes the paper discharge device of the present invention. In this embodiment, an opening is formed between the leading end 77 of the paper discharge tray 7 in the paper discharging direction X and the leading end 27 of the bottom surface 22 of the image reading apparatus 2 in the paper discharging direction X. That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge tray 7 is open on the front side (front side of the paper surface) in the width direction Y orthogonal to the paper transport direction X. The left side of each has an open structure (that is, a structure in which two surfaces are open).

  Here, the sheet pressing arm 71 and the fullness detection sensor 72 are also provided in a conventional image forming apparatus. The present invention is characterized in that a sheet regulating member 8 is provided separately from the sheet pressing arm 71 as a sheet discharge device.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a paper discharge device according to the present invention will be described.

(1) Description of Embodiment 1 of Paper Discharge Device According to the Present Invention FIGS. 2A to 2D show the paper discharge device according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the periphery of the discharge tray 7. 2B is a schematic side view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2A (that is, the paper discharge direction side), and FIG. 2C is a schematic front view showing the periphery of the discharge tray 7 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 2D is a schematic plan view of the discharge tray portion seen from above.

  The paper discharge device according to the first embodiment includes a paper restriction member 8A that presses the leading edge of the paper P discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 toward the paper discharge roller 36. In the first embodiment, the sheet regulating member 8A is disposed at a position where it abuts on the leading end of the maximum size sheet (A3 / W letter sheet or the like) discharged to the sheet discharge tray 7. In other words, the lower end position of the sheet regulating member 8 </ b> A is arranged so as to be the leading end position of the maximum size sheet discharged to the sheet discharge tray 7. In FIG. 2A, this position is substantially the leftmost position of the paper discharge tray 7.

  The sheet regulating member 8A is a thin plate having a substantially rectangular shape, and is formed of a flexible resin material. As the resin material, highly functional urethane foam, polycarbonate, or the like can be suitably used. However, it is also possible to use sponge, rubber or the like as long as the surface is treated smoothly.

  The sheet regulating member 8A is provided at the center in the width direction Y perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction X, and the bottom surface (main body) of the image reading device 2 is supported by a support shaft 8b having an upper side 8a extending in the width direction Y. It is configured to be suspended and supported by a collar 22). That is, the sheet regulating member 8A is supported in a suspended manner with the support shaft 8b as a rotation axis. In the present embodiment, the support shaft 8b is also integrally formed with resin together with the paper regulating member 8A.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing a suspended portion of the sheet regulating member 8A.

  Specifically, on the bottom surface 22 of the image reading apparatus 2 facing the front end portion of the paper discharge tray 7, a pair of support arms 23 and 23 (shown in FIG. 3, only the front side of the paper is shown).) Is provided along the longitudinal direction X, and support holes 24 and 24 which are elongated holes extending in the longitudinal direction X are provided on the support arms 23 and 23, respectively. Is formed.

  The sheet regulating member 8A is rotatable about the support shafts 8b and 8b by inserting and supporting the support shafts 8b and 8b in the support holes 24 and 24 of the pair of support arms 23 and 23, respectively. Yes. Further, the sheet regulating member 8 reciprocates in the sheet discharge direction X along the support holes 24 and 24 by the support shafts 8b and 8b, respectively, so that the sheet regulation member 8 itself can reciprocate along the sheet discharge direction X. It has become. Further, the sheet regulating member 8 is swayed so that the sheet regulating member 8 itself rotates along the main body flange portion 22 as the support shafts 8b, 8b move in the opposite directions along the support holes 24, 24. It is free to move.

  4A and 4B are plan views schematically showing the relationship between the support hole 24 and the support shaft 8b.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, each support shaft 8b is reciprocally movable along the paper discharge direction X in a support hole 24 which is a long hole. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the left support shaft 8b moves to one end 24a of the support hole 24, and the right support shaft 8b moves to the other end 24b of the support hole 24 (ie, When the support shafts 8b and 8b are rotated in the R1 direction along the main body flange portion 22), as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4B, the sheet regulating member 8A swings in the R1 direction. On the contrary, when the left support shaft 8b moves to the other end 24b of the support hole 24 and the right support shaft 8b moves to one end 24a of the support hole 24 (that is, the support shaft 8b). , 8b is rotated in the R2 direction along the main body flange portion 22), as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4B, the sheet regulating member 8A swings in the R2 direction. Even if the pair of support shafts 8b and 8b move in the opposite directions in the respective support holes 24 and 24 to the end portions in this way, the support shaft 8b is prevented from coming out of the support holes 24. The length and the length of the support hole 24 may be set in advance.

  According to the above configuration, the maximum size sheet discharged to the sheet discharge tray 7 is pressed toward the sheet discharge roller 36 by the sheet regulating member 8A. In this case, the paper regulating member 8A is slightly pushed out in the paper ejection direction X by the ejected paper (see FIG. 2C), but attempts to return to the suspended state by its own weight, so that the leading edge of the paper may be aligned by this return force. (See FIGS. 2A and 2D).

  FIGS. 5A to 5D show the stacking state of long-size sheets in which U-curl has occurred, and FIGS. 6A to 6D show the stacking state of long-size sheets in which one-side curl has occurred.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the long-size paper in which the U-curl is generated by the heat at the time of fixing, the discharged paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray 7 while remaining in the U-curl. The rear end P1 portion is lifted from the tray surface 7a of the paper discharge tray 7, and the discharged paper P is stacked with a gap between them.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the next sheet Pn is discharged in this state, the leading end P2 of the next sheet Pn hits both end portions P1a and P1a of the trailing end P1 of the discharged previous sheet Pf and has been discharged. The front sheet Pf is slightly pushed forward, but as shown in FIG. 5D, the sheet regulating member 8A becomes a load and the pushing is suppressed.

  Further, in the case of a long-size sheet in which one-side curl is generated by heat at the time of fixing, the discharged sheet is stacked on the sheet discharge tray 7 with the one-side curl remaining as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The rear end P1 portion is lifted from the tray surface 7a of the paper discharge tray 7, and the discharged paper P is stacked with a gap between them.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the next sheet Pn is discharged in this state, the leading end P2a on the curl side of the next sheet Pn hits the trailing end P1a on the curl side of the discharged previous sheet Pn and is pressed In this state, the ejected front paper Pf is slightly pushed forward obliquely, but as shown in FIG. 6D, the paper regulating member 8A swings along the front end P2 of the slanted front paper Pf and is pushed out as a load. Is suppressed.

  As described above, since the paper restricting member 8A is swingable, even when the paper P is discharged obliquely to the paper discharge tray 7, the paper restricting member 8A extends along the leading edge of the paper discharged obliquely. It can be swung and aligned in the oblique state. That is, several sheets discharged obliquely are stacked with their leading ends aligned in the oblique state.

  On the other hand, the paper discharge tray 7 is provided with a groove portion 7c extending in the paper discharge direction X at a position facing the paper restriction member 8A, and the lower end portion 8c of the paper restriction member 8A extends into the groove portion 7c. Has been. According to this configuration, the leading edges can be reliably aligned from the first sheet P discharged to the discharge tray 7 (refer mainly to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 5B, and 6B).

(Description of another embodiment of the sheet regulating member 8)
FIGS. 7A and 7B are a front view and a side view showing another embodiment 1 of the sheet regulating member 8.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet regulating member 8A and the support shaft 8b are all formed of the same resin sheet. However, in the sheet regulating member 8B of the first embodiment, the base of the sheet regulating member 8B including the support shaft 8b is used. The upper part 8B1 is made of resin, and the lower part 8B2 for regulating the leading edge of the paper is made of a sponge member such as silicon / urethane. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7C, if the surface skin processing is performed by sticking PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) 8B3 or the like on the side of the sponge member that contacts the paper, the paper can be used to regulate the leading edge of the paper. Can be prevented.

  In addition, by forming the lower portion 8B2 that regulates the leading edge of the paper with a sponge member, when the paper bundle taken out from the paper discharge tray 7 is returned to the paper discharge tray 7 or the like, the hand or the paper bundle can be placed on the paper restriction member 8B. Even if it hits, since the lower part 8B2 of the sheet regulating member 8B is elastically deformed, the work is not disturbed.

(Description of still another embodiment of the sheet regulating member 8)
8A and 8B are a front view and a side view showing another embodiment 2 of the sheet regulating member 8. FIG. 8C is a schematic front view showing the periphery of the paper discharge tray in an enlarged manner.

  The sheet regulating member 8C of this embodiment has a configuration in which a sheet receiving portion 8e is provided by bending a lower end portion in an L shape toward the sheet discharge roller 36 side.

  According to this configuration, the paper receiving portion 8e can reliably suppress the jumping out of the paper, and can reliably receive and align even the lowest paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 7.

(2) Description of Second Embodiment of Paper Discharge Device According to the Present Invention FIG. 9 shows a paper discharge device according to the second embodiment, and is a schematic front view showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. .

  The paper discharge device according to the second embodiment is configured such that a weight 91 is attached to the paper regulating member 8 (8A to 8C). The weight 91 is attached to the surface of the paper regulating member 8 opposite to the surface on which the front end of the paper abuts. Note that the weight 91 and the attachment position (height) of the weight 91 may be determined in consideration of how much return force is to be applied to the sheet regulating member 8.

  According to this configuration, even if the leading edge of the paper P cannot be sufficiently aligned with the return force due to the weight of the paper regulating member 8 itself, the return force is increased by attaching the weight 91. It can be more reliably aligned.

(3) Description of Embodiment 3 of Paper Discharge Device According to the Present Invention FIG. 10 shows a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 3, and is a schematic front view showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. .

  The paper discharge device according to the third embodiment includes a biasing unit that biases the leading end of the maximum size paper P discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 toward the paper discharge roller 36.

  Specifically, in the paper discharge device according to the third embodiment, a torsion coil spring 92, which is an example of an urging means, is attached to the support shaft 8b of the paper regulating member 8 (8A to 8C). The sheet regulating member 8 is always urged toward the sheet discharge roller 36 by 92. Note that the urging force of the torsion coil spring 92 may be determined in consideration of how much return force is desired to be applied to the sheet regulating member 8.

  According to this configuration, even if the leading edge of the paper P cannot be sufficiently aligned with the return force due to the weight of the paper regulating member 8 itself, the return force increases by attaching the torsion coil spring 92. The tips can be aligned more reliably.

(4) Description of Embodiment 4 of Paper Discharge Device According to the Present Invention FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 4 and enlarging the periphery of the paper discharge tray. .

  In the paper discharge device according to the fourth embodiment, the paper regulation member 8 (8A to 8C) is configured to be movable in the paper discharge direction X according to the paper size to be discharged. For example, the paper size may be movable according to the paper size such as A3 to B4, B4 to B5, and so on.

  In this case, when the paper restricting member 8 moves to the position of each paper size, the paper restricting member 8 may be brought into contact with the stopper and stopped. This stopper can be configured such that a protrusion is provided on a guide path for movably guiding the sheet regulating member 8 and stops when it comes into contact with the protrusion. Then, when the sheet is further moved from the position, the sheet regulating member 8 may be moved over the guide path to the next stopper position by applying a little force.

  Here, the guide path and the moving mechanism are not particularly described in detail, but a conventionally known mechanism can be applied to the sheet discharging apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

  According to this configuration, the sheet regulating member 8 can be arranged at an optimal position according to the sheet size.

(5) Description of Embodiment 5 of Paper Discharge Device According to the Present Invention FIG. 12 shows a paper discharge device according to Embodiment 5 and is a schematic front view showing an enlarged periphery of a paper discharge tray. .

  In the paper discharge device according to the fifth embodiment, the paper restriction member 8 is used as a detection sensor 87 that detects a paper discharge failure.

  That is, a detection rod 87 a is formed to protrude from the paper regulating member 8, and a sensor main body 87 b that detects the detection rod 87 a is disposed in the vicinity of the paper regulating member 8. The detection sensor 87 is configured to substantially detect the rotation angle of the detection rod 87a. During the execution of the job, the detection sensor 87 always detects a change in the rotation angle of the paper restricting member 8, and if the change in angle changes beyond a predetermined change in angle, a U-shaped curl is detected. For example, the job is temporarily interrupted, and a message is displayed on the operation panel or the like (not shown) notifying that there is a problem with the discharge state on the discharge tray 7. Or a warning sound may be notified.

  It should be noted that the embodiment disclosed herein is illustrative in all respects and does not serve as a basis for limited interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above-described embodiment, but is defined based on the description of the scope of claims. Moreover, all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Image reader 3 Document feeder (ADF)
4 Image forming unit 5 Paper feed cassette 7 Paper discharge tray 7a Tray surface 8 (8A to 8C) Paper regulating member 8a Upper side 8b Support shaft (rotating shaft)
8c Lower end part 22 Bottom face (main body collar)
23 support arm 24 support hole 27 tip 36 discharge roller (paper discharge unit)
71 Paper pressing arm 77 Tip portion 87 Detection sensor 87a Detection rod 87b Sensor main body 91 Weight 92 Torsion coil spring (an example of biasing means)

Claims (9)

A paper discharge section for discharging the image-formed paper, a paper discharge tray on which the paper discharged from the paper discharge section is stacked, and a main body collar provided above the paper discharge tray and covering the paper discharge tray A paper discharge device having an opening between a front end portion of the paper discharge tray in the paper discharge direction and a front end portion of the main body collar in the paper discharge direction,
A paper restricting member that holds the leading edge of the paper discharged to the paper discharge tray toward the paper discharging portion, and the paper restricting member is orthogonal to the paper discharging direction at the leading end of the main body collar in the paper discharging direction. A paper discharge device, characterized in that the paper discharge device is supported in a suspended manner with a support shaft extending in the width direction as a rotation shaft. The paper discharge device according to claim 1,
The paper discharge device, wherein the paper restricting member is swingably provided so that the support shaft rotates along the main body collar. The paper discharge device according to claim 1 or 2,
The paper discharge device, wherein the paper restricting member is disposed at a position in contact with a leading end of the maximum size paper discharged to the paper discharge tray. A paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The paper discharge tray includes a groove portion extending in the paper discharge direction at a position facing the paper restriction member, and a lower end portion of the paper restriction member extends into the groove portion. Paper discharge device. A paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A paper discharge device, wherein a weight is attached to the paper regulating member. A paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The paper discharge device, wherein the paper restricting member includes a biasing unit that biases a leading end of the maximum size paper discharged to the paper discharge tray toward the paper discharge unit. A paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The paper discharge device, wherein the paper restriction member is provided so as to be movable in the paper discharge direction in accordance with a paper size to be discharged. A paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The paper discharge device according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the paper restriction member is bent toward the paper discharge portion.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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