JPH01317949A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify and miniaturize the mechanism of a sheet material discharge transport system, by making a structure in which the 1st or the 2nd branching off sheet path is made to be selectively communication-changeable against an approximately perpendicular sheet path, and a sheet material is introduced to the 1st paper discharge portion via the 1st branching off sheet path and also, to the 2nd paper discharge portion via the 2nd branching off sheet path. CONSTITUTION:An image formation is conducted by transporting a sheet material to the inside of an approximately perpendicular sheet path D. Next, the sheet material which has come to the terminal portion of this sheet path D after receiving the image formation, is distributed into either the 1st or 2nd branching off sheet path E1, E2 by means of a sheet material course changeover means F, and is discharged selectively into the 1st or 2nd paper discharge portion C1, C2 either of which is arranged on the opposite side to each other with this approximately perpendicular sheet path D in the middle. Accordingly, the discharge of the sheet material to either one of the 1st and 2nd paper discharge portions can stabilize the transport of the sheet material and can omit a relay transport roller and can simplify and miniaturize the mechanism of a sheet material discharge system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention provides a method for transferring a sheet from a paper feeding section to an image forming means section according to an appropriate image forming principle or method such as electrophotography, electrostatic recording, or magnetic recording. Material (cut sheet materials (sheets) such as transfer paper, electrostatic recording paper, electrofax paper, photosensitive paper, printing paper, etc.) is fed to a single sheet and transferred to the surface of the fed sheet material (indirect) method. Alternatively, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that directly forms a target image and conveys and discharges a sheet material on which the image has been formed to a paper discharge section.

(Prior Art) FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of examples of image forming apparatuses as described above, and all of them are laser beam printers (LBP) using transfer type electrophotography.

Reference numeral 100 denotes a main body printer housing, in which the following image forming means devices are housed. That is, 101 is a rotating drum type electrophotographic photoreceptor (hereinafter referred to as drum), which is rotated clockwise as indicated by an arrow around a central support shaft at a predetermined circumferential speed. During the rotation process of the drum 101, the outer peripheral surface of the drum 101 is uniformly charged with positive or negative charges by a primary charger 102, and then a computer, word processor, or image (not shown) is output from a laser scanner 103. The target image 11 inputted from a reading device or the like is subjected to scanning exposure with a laser beam L modulated in accordance with series electric pixel signals to form an electrostatic latent image of the target image. 1
03a outputs the output laser L from the scanner 103 to the tram 1.
01 shows a mirror that deflects the beam to the scanning exposure section. The latent image formed on the drum surface is then visualized by the developing device 104 as a transferable developer image (toner image).

On the other hand, among the stacked and stored sheet materials P in the sheet material cassette 106 whose leading end is inserted into the paper feed port 105 provided on the right side of the printer main body machine casing 100, only one of the uppermost sheet materials is 1. One sheet is separated by a feed roller 107 and a separating claw 108, which are driven intermittently, and fed into the printer.The sheet passes through a sheet path 109, and the leading edge is placed in the nip of a pair of register rollers 110, which are not rotating at that point. However, the receiving is stopped once, and then the transfer sheet, which is disposed facing the tram 101 and its lower surface, passes through the sheet path 111 by the register roller 110 which is driven to rotate at a predetermined timing synchronized with the rotation angle of the drum 101. The image transfer unit 113 between the charger 112 and the charger 112 is conveyed at the same speed as the rotational peripheral speed of the hetrum 101 . register roller pair 1
Reference numeral 10 serves to adjust the sheet material feeding timing to the transfer unit 113 and correct the skew feeding of the sheet material.

The sheet material conveyed to the image transfer section 113 is transferred to the drum 101
The toner image on the side of the drum 101 is sequentially transferred, separated from the side of the drum 101, and transferred to the fixing device 115 by the conveying device 114.
The image is conveyed to the printer and passes through the fixing device without being subjected to image fixation.

The sheet material exiting the fixing device 115 is transferred to the first paper ejection roller 117
A face-up sheet ejection is provided extending outward from the left side of the printer main body casing using the lower side of the movable guide (flapper) 118, which is conveyed by the printer and is switched and held in the first position shown by the solid line, as a guide surface. The image is discharged onto the storage tray 119 with the image surface facing upward.

If the movable guide is switched from the first posture shown by the solid line to the second posture shown by the two-dot chain line and is held, the fixed sheet material exiting the first paper ejection roller 117 is moved to the movable guide 118.
The sheet is deflected upward using the upper inclined surface as a guide surface, passes through a substantially vertical sheet path 120 including a pair of intermediate conveying rollers 120a, and is provided on the upper surface of the printer main body casing by a second sheet discharge roller 121 at the upper end of the sheet path. The paper is discharged onto the face-down paper discharge tray 122 with the image surface facing downward.

Reference numeral 116 denotes a sheet material sensor provided in a sheet path section between the fixing device 115 and the first paper ejection roller 111. Switching between the first attitude and the second attitude of the movable guide 11B is performed by manual operation using a lever, knob, etc., depending on whether paper is to be ejected in face-up mode or face-up mode.

Reference numeral 123 denotes a sheet material manual feed port provided on the right side of the printer main unit housing 100 above the paper feed port 105 into which the sheet material cassette 106 is inserted, and 124 projects outward from this paper feed port. This is a sheet material guide plate (sheet material manual feed tray) provided in this manner. When only one sheet material is placed on the guide plate 124 and slid on the guide plate and fully inserted into the printer from the paper feed port 123 on the leading edge side, the sensor 125 detects that the sheet material has been inserted. detected,
The paper feed roller pair 126 is rotationally driven by the signal, and the manually fed sheet material is drawn into the printer, and the sheet pass 1
27 and is conveyed to the register roller pair 110. Thereafter, the sheet material is transported through the printer along the same route as the sheet material separated and fed from the sheet material cassette 106 described above, undergoes image transfer and fixation, and is delivered to the no-ice-up paper ejection tray 11.
9 or face-down paper discharge tray 122.

Drum 101 after toner image transfer to feeding sheet material
The cleaning device 128 removes residual contaminants such as residual transfer toner and paper dust from the surface to make it a clean surface.
Further, the electrical memory is erased by uniform exposure using a static eliminating lamp 129, and the image is repeatedly formed.

The printer of this example has a so-called removable process cartridge, and includes a drum 101, a charger 102, and a developer 10.
4. The four components of the cleaning device 128 are assembled into a common cartridge housing in a predetermined mutual positional relationship to form a process cartridge 130 that can be freely attached to and removed from the inside of the printer.

In addition, a so-called clamshell type or alligator type device opening structure is used to open the inside of the printer for maintenance inside the printer, attaching and detaching the process cartridge 130, taking out and removing jammed sheet material in the sheet material conveyance path (sheet path), etc. The configuration is adopted. That is, the printer body is connected to a process cartridge 130, a laser beam scanner 103, etc., with a substantially horizontal sheet path inside the printer extending from the sheet material feeding section on the right side of the printer body to the first paper ejection roller 117 on the left side of the printer body. an upper half containing the sheet material cassette 106, a transfer charger 112, a conveying device 114, a fixing device 115, etc.
It has a split configuration, and the inside of the printer can be left in a wide open state by opening and rotating it as shown by the two-dot chain line around the hinge support shaft 131, in which the upper half is located on the left side compared to the lower half. ing. This opening allows maintenance inside the printer, attachment/detachment of the process cartridge 130,
The operation of taking out and removing the jam sheet material can be easily performed.

In addition, the jammed sheet material in the substantially vertical sheet path 120 from the movable guide 118 to the second paper roller 121 is moved along the two-dot chain line around the hinge support @ 133 provided on the lower side of the left side plate 132 of the printer body casing 100. This is done by opening the sheet path 120 outward like water and turning it Y to open the substantially vertical sheet path 120.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) ■Like the printer in the above example, the paper feed units 106 and 124 are provided on one side of the apparatus main body 100 in which the image forming unit is built-in, and the first paper feed unit 106 and 124 are provided on the upper side of the apparatus main body. The paper discharge section 122 (face-down paper tray) is connected to the paper feed section 106 of the apparatus main body 100.
A second paper ejection section 119 (
A face-up paper output tray) is provided, and the paper feed section 106
- The sheet material P fed from 124゛ is introduced into a substantially horizontal sheet path in the apparatus main body from the paper feeding section to the fixing device 115, is conveyed, undergoes image formation processing, and is then transferred to the first sheet discharge section 122 or the first sheet discharge section 122. The second paper discharge unit 119 has a sheet path length from the fixing device 115 to the first paper discharge unit 122, and a sheet path length from the fixing device 115 to the second paper discharge unit 119. The length and shortness of the first and second
A paper ejection roller is required at the paper ejection opening of the paper ejection section of the first paper ejection section, and the sheet path length is long.
The sheet path leading to No. 2 requires a plurality of pairs of relay conveyance rollers 120a for conveying small-sized paper such as postcards, for example. This imposes restrictions on drive transmission, increases costs, and requires an open configuration of the apparatus to deal with sheet material jams in the sheet path leading to the first paper discharge section 122, complicating the structure. Furthermore, a sensor for detecting the open state of the seat path is required, which further increases costs.

■Since the sheet path length from the fixing device 115 to the first paper ejection section 122 and the sheet path from the second paper ejection section 119 are significantly different, a sheet material detection sensor is installed at the branching point of both sheet paths. 116, it is difficult to detect whether or not the sheet material has been reliably ejected to the first or second paper ejection section. A material detection sensor is required to electrically detect the switching between the first and second paper discharge sections, and to switch the sequence and jam detection timing, which increases the number of electrical sensors and complicates the process, increasing costs. invite.

The present invention is also provided with a first and a second paper discharge section, and selectively discharges the sheet material on which the image formation process has been performed by the image forming means section to the above-mentioned first or second paper discharge section. However, the purpose is to provide something that solves the problems mentioned above.

(Means for Solving the Problems) (1) The present invention provides for feeding a sheet material from a paper feeding section to an image forming means section according to an appropriate image forming principle and method, and forming a target image on the surface of the fed sheet material. the image-formed sheet material to a first
or an image forming apparatus that selectively conveys and discharges the sheet material to a second sheet discharge section, and includes a sheet path extending in a substantially vertical direction for conveying the fed sheet material from the sheet feeding section upwardly or downwardly; an image forming unit that forms a target image on the surface of a sheet material conveyed upward or downward along the sheet path; and an image forming means section that forms a target image on the surface of a sheet material conveyed upwardly or downwardly on the sheet path, and an image forming means section that forms a target image on the surface of a sheet material conveyed upwardly or downwardly on the sheet path; The disposed first and second sheet discharge sections and the sheet material that has been conveyed along the substantially vertical sheet path, subjected to image formation, and reached the terminal end of the sheet path are
The first branch sheet path and the second
A second branch sheet path leading to a paper discharge section, and a sheet material path switching means for selectively switching communication of the first or second branch sheet path with respect to the substantially vertical sheet path. This is an image forming apparatus.

(2) The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus according to item (1) above, which is characterized in that it has a sheet material detection section at a position upstream in the sheet material conveyance direction from the serious sheet material path switching means. .

(Operation) FIG. 1 shows a configuration model diagram (claim correspondence diagram) of the present invention.

(a) In the figure, A is an image forming means section, D is a substantially vertical sheet path extending in a substantially perpendicular direction through this image forming means section, and B is a paper feeding section disposed below the image forming means section A. , C
3 is a first sheet discharge section disposed above the image forming section A, and C2 is a first sheet discharge section C with substantially vertical sheet path D in its center.
A second sheet discharge section disposed on the opposite side from 1, El is a first branch sheet path that guides the sheet material conveyed in a substantially vertical sheet path to the first sheet discharge section C6, and B2 is a second sheet discharge section C6. 2 paper ejection section C2
F is a sheet material path switching means for selectively switching the first or second branch sheet path E, B2 into communication with respect to the substantially vertical sheet path D; G is a means F; The sheet material detecting section is shown arranged at a sheet path position on the upstream side in the sheet material conveyance direction.

The sheet material fed from paper feed section B follows a substantially vertical sheet path D.
The sheet is introduced into the sheet from below and is conveyed in the L direction within the sheet path, and during the conveyance process, the image forming unit A forms a target image on the surface of the sheet material. Then, the sheet material that has passed through the image forming means section enters the first branch sheet path E selected by the sheet material path switching means, and enters the first branch sheet path E selected by the sheet material path switching means.
The sheet is discharged to the second sheet discharge section (for example, face-down sheet discharge), or enters the second branch sheet path E2 and is discharged to the second sheet discharge section (for example, face-up sheet discharge). When the paper feeding section B is used as a first paper feeding section (B1), a second paper feeding section (B2) is separately provided, and these paper feeding sections B1 and
It is also possible to selectively feed the sheet material from B2 into the substantially vertical sheet path D.

(b) As shown in the figure, the paper feed section B (B+/B2) is arranged above the image forming means section, and the sheet material is introduced from above into a substantially vertical sheet path, and then moved downward within the sheet path. It is also possible to adopt an apparatus layout configuration in which the sheet is conveyed, an image is formed in the image forming section, and the sheet is discharged to a first or second sheet discharging section C1 or C2 disposed below the image forming section.

Then, as described above, the sheet material is conveyed along the substantially vertical sheet path D to perform image formation, and the sheet material is conveyed along the substantially vertical sheet path D.
At the terminal end of the sheet material, the sheet material is distributed to the first or second branch sheet path E1/B2 by the sheet material course switching means F, and the sheet material is distributed to the first or second branch sheet path E1/B2, which are disposed on opposite sides with the substantially vertical sheet path D inside. A first branch sheet path E1 in which the first sheet discharge section C3 is connected to the terminal end of the substantially vertical sheet path D by selectively discharging the sheet to the first or second sheet discharge section C1 or C2. The sheet path lengths of the second branch sheet path E2 connecting the second sheet discharge section C2 are both short overall, and there is no significant difference in length between them. Therefore, the conveyance of the sheet material is stable when discharging the sheet material to both the first and second paper discharging sections, and it is possible to omit the relay conveyance roller or reduce the number of conveyance rollers, and the sheet material discharging system is The mechanism configuration can be simplified and costs can be reduced.
Jam handling properties of the sheet material are also improved.

Also, the distance from the sheet material path switching means F to the paper discharge port of the first paper discharge section C1, that is, the bus length of the first branch sheet path E, and the distance from the means F to the second paper discharge section C2. Since it is possible to make the distance to the sheet discharge port, that is, the bus length of the second branch sheet path E2, approximately equal, the sheet material detection section G is placed one sheet material detection section G on the upstream side of the sheet material conveyance direction from the means section F. By simply providing these locations, it is possible to detect and confirm the conveyance and discharge of the sheet material to the two branch sheet paths E1 and E2, that is, the first and second paper discharge sections C9 and C2.

(Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a schematic internal configuration of a laser beam printer using transfer type electrophotography as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

Reference numeral 50 indicates a printer main body as an image forming means section, and reference numeral 60 indicates a cassette feeder section as a first paper feeding section provided at the lower part of the printer main body.

(I) Cassette feeder 60 The cassette feeder 60 as the first paper feeding section may be built into the printer body 50 or may be a separate unit device separate from the printer body 50.
By positioning the printer main body 50 at a predetermined position and mounting it on the unit device, the device may be used in combination with the printer main body.

The cassette feeder 60 of this example has a sheet material cassette insertion/removal port on its front side (the right end side in the drawing), and the sheet material cassette 61 is inserted and mounted as shown by the solid line, and the It can be removed.

In the sheet material cassette 61, reference numeral 62 denotes a vertically swinging bottom plate which is disposed at the bottom of the sheet material loading/accommodating section and is constantly lifted and biased by a spring 63; P is the sheet material (transfer paper) loaded and stored in the storing section; 64 is a sheet material separation claw, 65 is a sheet material conveying roller, and 66 is a handle portion for inserting and removing the cassette.

Reference numerals 67 and 68 are paper feeding rollers and sheet material conveying rollers provided on the cassette feeder main body side. The paper feed roller 67 is a half-moon-shaped roller, and is normally on standby in a rotating position with the omitted circular portion facing downward, and a drive system (not shown) rotates every time a paper feed start signal is issued from a control system (not shown). The force is transmitted through the one-turn clutch to drive one rotation in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow. The sheet material conveying roller 68 is an unillustrated fldJ.
It receives the rotational force of a drive system (not shown) via a clutch controlled by the control system, and is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow at a predetermined timing for a predetermined period of time.

When the sheet material cassette 61 is inserted into the cassette feeder 60 through the opening on the front side, and the sheet material cassette 61 is inserted and installed by pushing it sufficiently until the stopper section prevents further insertion movement, the sheet material conveying roller 65 on the cassette 61 side is moved. It comes into contact with the sheet material conveying roller 68 on the cassette feeder 60 side. The contact state is stably maintained by the pressing force of the spring 65a brought into contact with the shaft of the roller 65. Further, the half-moon-shaped paper feed roller 67 is positioned above the upper surface of the rear end side of the sheet material P stored in the sheet material stacking storage section of the cassette 61 in the cassette insertion direction.

When the half-moon paper feeding roller 67 is driven once, an edge force is applied to the uppermost sheet material of the stacked sheet materials P in the cassette 61 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cassette 61 is inserted into the feeder 60. As a result, only one of the uppermost sheet materials is separated from the following sheet materials by the separation claw 64 and fed from the sheet material stacking storage section to the right in the drawing.

The fed sheet material is guided by the upper curve guide plate 69 and enters the nip between the sheet material transport roller 68 and the transport roller 65 which are in contact with each other, and the rotational driving force of the roller 68 and the roller 65 are The cassette feeder 60 is relayed and conveyed by the driven rotation, and is carried upward from the upward outlet section 70 of the cassette feeder 60.

The cassette feeder 6 is installed on the bottom side of the printer main body 50.
A sheet material inlet portion 80 as a first paper feed port is provided downward at a position exactly corresponding to and opposite to the G-direction outlet portion 70 on the 0 side, and thus the upward outlet portion 7 of the cassette feeder 60
The sheet material conveyed upward from 0 then enters into the printer main body 50 from the sheet material input section 80, which serves as the first downward paper feed port.

(■) Printer main body 50 1 is a printer main body machine casing, the upper plate surface 2 of which is built in as a tray as a first paper ejection section, and the required image forming means as an image forming means is formed inside the machine casing. Process equipment, namely, a rotating drum-type electrophotographic photoreceptor 3 (hereinafter referred to as 5 drums), a contact charging roller 4 as a means for charging the drum surface, a laser beam scanner 5, a developing device 6, a transfer roller 7, and cleaning. A device 8, a sheet material separation and feeding assembly 9 that separates and feeds stacked sheets on a paper feed tray 22, one by one, as a second paper feeding section, which will be described later, and a sheet brought into pressure contact with an idler roller 9C of the assembly 9. Material conveying roller 1
0. Fixing device 11, second and first paper ejection rollers 12 and 13
, a transport sheet material detection lever 14, and various electrical components such as a drive source and a control system are built-in.

The sheet material conveyed upward from the above-mentioned upward exit section 70 of the cassette feeder 60, enters the downward facing section 80 as the first paper feed port on the bottom side of the printer main body 50, and is supplied into the printer main body 50 is transported by a transport roller. 10 and the idler roller 9C, between the drum 3 and the transfer roller 7, the fixing device 11
The paper is conveyed between the pair of fixing rollers, the second paper discharge roller 12, and the first paper discharge roller 13, and is discharged from the first paper discharge port 15 onto the tray 2 serving as the first paper discharge section on the top surface of the printer housing. Ru.

The feed sheet material from the cassette feeder 60 side is received from the downward sheet material section 80 as the first paper feed port on the bottom side of the printer main body 50 to the first paper ejection roller 13. The conveyance path is a substantially vertical sheet path that rises and extends from the bottom plate side of the printer casing toward the top plate side of the printer casing 1 near the front plate 20 (right end plate in the drawing) of the printer casing 1 within the printer body.

Upon receiving the print start signal, the drum 3 is driven to rotate at a predetermined circumferential speed in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow, and the surface of the rotating drum is uniformly charged to positive or negative polarity by the contact charging roller 4. Then, by receiving scanning exposure of the laser beam L output from the laser scanner 5, an electrostatic latent image of the target image information is formed. The formed latent image is then developed into a toner image by a developing device 6.

On the other hand, one of the paper feed rollers 67 in the force set feeder 60
The rotational drive and the rotational drive of the conveying roller 68 are performed, and as described above, only one of the uppermost sheets of the stacked sheet materials P in the cassette 61 is carried out from the upward outlet section 70 of the feeder 60 and placed in the machine casing of the printer main body 50. The sheet is introduced into the printer main body from the downward facing section 80 serving as the first sheet feed port on the bottom surface, and is conveyed from the bottom to the top along the above-mentioned substantially vertical sheet path.

In other words, the conveyance roller 10 and the idler roller 9 of the sheet material separation and feeding assembly 9 are driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow.
C, the toner image is introduced between the tram 3 and the transfer roller 7 by a guide, and by passing between the drum 3 and the transfer roller 7, the toner image formed and carried on the surface of the drum 3 is sequentially transferred. . The sheet material that has passed between the tram 3 and the transfer roller 7 and has received the image transfer is separated from the surface of the drum 3 and introduced into the fixing device 11 by a guide, where it is driven to rotate counterclockwise as shown by the arrow. The image is fixed by passing between the pair of rollers.

The sheet material that has passed through the fixing device 11 is detected by the sheet material detection lever 1.
4 in the counterclockwise direction like a two-dot chain line water around the support shaft 14a, and the second
The paper discharge roller 12, the first guide surface 16a of the movable guide 16 held in the first position, the surface of the guide 17 curved inward toward the tray 2 serving as the first paper discharge section, and rotate counterclockwise. The sheet is discharged along the path of the first sheet discharge roller 13 being driven and the first sheet discharge port 15 onto the tray 2 serving as the first sheet discharge section in a face-down mode with the image surface facing downward.

The sheet material detection lever 14 is a fixing device! When the rear end of the sheet material that has exited the lever 14 passes the position of the lever 14 and there is no interference with the sheet material, it rotates clockwise around the support shaft 14a due to its own weight and returns to the rotational position shown by the solid line. do. The above-mentioned swinging movement of the lever 14 as the sheet material passes the lever position is detected by a sensor 14b such as a photo interrupter, and sheet material feeding timing control, jam trouble detection, etc. are performed.

(II) Opening mechanism inside the printer iη Description The printer main body 50 in the example in FIG.
0, this is used as a cover before opening/closing the printer main body, and is closed against the front surface of the machine main body 1 around the horizontal hinge axis 90 at the lower side, and is attached so that it can be opened and rotated freely. Figures 2 and 3 show the printer in its closed state, and Figure 4 shows the printer in a state where it is opened and the interior of the printer main body is exposed.

The image forming process equipment on the front cover 20 side with respect to the above-mentioned substantially vertical sheet path in the printer main body 50, namely, the sheet material single sheet separation and feeding assembly 9, the transfer roller 7, the fixing device 11, and the sheet material detection lever 14. , the second and first paper rollers 12, 13, etc. are assembled and supported in a predetermined arrangement relationship on the back side of the front cover 20, and the image on the side of the main body 1 of the machine housing with the substantially vertical sheet path as a boundary. Forming process equipment, namely sheet material transport rollers 10. The drum 3, laser scanner 5, contact charging roller 4, developing device 6, cleaning device 8, drive source, main electrical components of the control system, etc. are assembled in a predetermined arrangement relationship within the machine main body i.

The closed state of the front cover 20 relative to the main body 1 of the machine casing as shown in FIG. 2 is stably maintained by a locking mechanism (not shown). In FIG. 5, reference numeral 21 is a lock release knob, and when the knob 21 is operated, the front cover 20 is opened from the front of the main body 1 of the main body of the machine about the horizontal hinge shaft 90 as shown in FIG. The printer main body 50 can be fully opened and collapsed until it is stopped, that is, the interior of the printer main body 50 can be left wide open with the substantially vertical sheet path as a boundary.

Therefore, this opening facilitates taking out and removing the jammed sheet material generated within the substantially vertical sheet path path, facilitating maintenance within the printer, and the like. Furthermore, in the printer of this embodiment, four of the image forming process equipment, ie, the tram 3, the secondary charging contact roller 4, the developing device 6, and the cleaning device 8, are assembled in a common cartridge housing in a predetermined mutual relationship. It is located as a removable process cartridge 30 at a predetermined position inside the printer main body,
The process cartridge 30 is attached to and removed from the printer main body 50 by opening and lowering the front cover 20 as shown in FIG. 4, leaving the inside of the printer wide open, and then inserting and removing the process cartridge 30 into a predetermined position within the main body 1 of the machine.

(III) Second paper feed section, second paper discharge section In FIG. 2, reference numerals 18 and 19 indicate second paper feed ports provided at the lower and upper positions of the opening/closing cover 20, respectively. and a horizontally long slit opening as a second paper opening.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a paper feed tray as a second paper feed section for the second paper feed port 18, and the paper feed tray is centered around a horizontal hinge axis 90 (also serves as the horizontal hinge axis of the front cover 20) on the lower side. As shown by the solid line, the front cover 20 is folded and held in the raised and closed position, and as shown by the 2-point 3n line, the Of cover 20 is placed in a predetermined forward upward tilt angle posture outward from the front surface. It can be freely rotated between an open position where it extends out and a tilted open position held by a rotation limiting member.

Paper feed tray 22 as a second paper feed section in this embodiment
consists of a main tray 22a and a sub-tray 22b that can be freely pulled out and pushed in the front and rear directions with respect to the main tray.
By folding the front cover 20 outward from the front surface and pulling out the sub-tray 22b, the entire length of the paper feed tray in the paper feeding direction can be increased, and large-sized sheet materials can also be set therein. FIGS. 5 and 6 show this paper feed tray in a tilted open state. 22c and 22d are left and right guides (
22c is a stationary guide, and the other side 22c is a stationary guide.
A guide 2d is movable along a guide groove 22e in the width direction of the main tray 22a, and the distance between the guides 22c and 22d can be adjusted to be narrower or wider according to the width direction dimension of the sheet material P used.

The sheet material P is placed on the paper feed tray 22 through the paper feed port 1 on the leading edge.
8, and insert the left and right parts into the guides 22c and 22.
Regulate with d and set the load.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 23 denotes a paper discharge tray as a second paper discharge section for the second paper discharge port 19, and the paper discharge tray is hooked onto the front cover 20 at a position corresponding to the paper discharge port 19. 20a (FIG. 7), it can be freely attached and detached for use.

In Fig. 6, the operation panel (console panel)
When the paper feeding mode from the second paper feeding section 22 is designated at 24 and the print start button is pressed, the tram 3 is driven to rotate and image formation on the surface of the drum 3 is executed in the same manner as described above.

On the other hand, the paper feed roller 9 of the sheet material separation and feeding assembly 9
When a is driven one rotation clockwise around the shaft 9b, a feeding force is applied to the uppermost sheet material of the stacked sheet materials P on the paper feed tray 22, and only the uppermost sheet material is F.
The next and following sheets are separated by a separation pad 9d mainly composed of a J-rubbing member, and a separation pad 9d is formed as shown in FIG.
The paper passes through the contact nip between the paper feed roller 9a and the paper feed roller 9a, and is drawn into the printer body. The drawn sheet material enters between the conveyance roller 10 and the idler roller 9C and is relayed to the image forming means in the same manner as in the case of the sheet material fed from the cassette feeder 60 side as the first paper feeding section. The sheet is fed to the above-mentioned substantially vertical sheet path of the section, passes between the tram 1 and the transfer roller 7 to receive the image formed on the drum 1 side, and passes through the fixing device 11 to fix the image. receive.

When the movable guide 16 is switched to the first position which is approximately vertical as shown in FIG. It is guided in the direction of the inward curved guide 17 by the guide surface 16a, passes through the path of the first paper discharge roller 13 and the first paper discharge port 15, and is then passed through the path of the first paper discharge roller 13 and the first paper discharge port 15 onto the tray 2 on the top surface of the printer main body casing 1, which serves as the first paper discharge section. Paper is ejected in face-down mode with the image side facing downward.

Further, when the movable guide 16 is switched to the second tilted position as shown in FIG. The paper is guided by the second guide surface 16b and discharged from the second paper discharge port 19 to the outside of the printer front cover 20, and is discharged onto a tray 23 serving as a second paper discharge section in a face-up mode with the image surface facing upward.

Selection switching between the first attitude and the second attitude of the movable guide 16 is performed manually by rotating the knob 16c.

Face-up discharge of the image-forming sheet material to the paper discharge tray 23 serving as the second paper discharge section is carried out from the fixing device 11 to the paper discharge tray 23 through a relatively straight sheet material conveyance path. and postcards, envelopes,
Suitable for paper ejection mode for paper other than plain paper such as OHP paper. The paper feed tray 22 as the second paper feed unit and the sheet material single sheet separation and feeding assembly 9 have a short sheet path, and the separation pad 9d is a friction member that can easily handle thick paper and the like in the sheet material separation method. It is also possible to handle special paper such as OHP paper that needs to be fed one sheet at a time, so the paper feed tray 22 as the first paper feeding section is used to feed the special paper mentioned above. It is better to do so.

A paper discharge tray 23 serving as a second paper discharge section is removed from the second paper discharge port 19 of the printer front cover 20 when not in use. When the paper feed tray 22 as a paper feed unit for the writing pen 2 is not in use, the sub tray 22b is pushed into the main tray 22a and stored, and then the main tray 22a is moved from the front of the printer front cover 20 around the horizontal hinge shaft 90 on the lower side. is convolved as shown by the solid line in FIG. This folded state is achieved by inter-engaging uneven portions 20b and 22f on the front cover 20 side and the main tray 22a side (Fig. 5).
It is held stably by the engagement of the

When the main tray 22a is folded up against the front surface of the front cover 20, the second paper feed port 18 and the second paper discharge port 19 near the bottom and top sides of the front cover 20 function as a lid plate. Both are maintained in a closed state to prevent external foreign matter such as dirt and dust from entering the printer body through the openings 18 and 19.

Furthermore, the movable guide 16 that switches the path of the sheet material that has passed through the fixing device 11 and the second paper discharge roller 12 to the first paper discharge section 2 or the second paper discharge section 23 is connected to the printer front cover 20 of the main tray 22a. It is also possible to automatically switch to a predetermined first attitude or second attitude in conjunction with the folding of the front surface of the paper tray 23 or the attachment of the paper discharge tray 23 to the second paper discharge port 19 .

FIG. 9 shows an example. That is, FIG. 9(a) shows a state in which the main tray 22a is folded up against the front surface of the printer front cover 20, and at this time, the movable guide 16
The navigation surface is pushed by the inner surface of the tip side of the sub-tray 22b which is pushed into the main tray 22a, and is rotated and held in the first attitude state. As a result, the sheet material that has passed through the fixing device 11 and the second paper discharge roller 12 is transferred to the first paper discharge section 2 by the first guide surface 16a of the movable guide 16 in the first posture.
A course is defined in the direction towards.

FIG. 9(b) shows a state in which the main tray 22a is opened and the paper output tray 23 is attached to the second paper outlet 19. Part 2 of the paper output tray 23 to which 16d is attached
3b, the first posture state is changed to and held in the second posture state. As a result, the fixing device 11 and the second paper ejection roller 12
The sheet material that has passed through is directed by the second guide 16b of the movable guide 16 in the second attitude in the direction from the second paper discharge port 19 to the paper discharge tray 23 serving as the second paper discharge section.

(IV) Modification Example The printer shown in FIG. 10 has the image forming unit 50 inside, and the VJL paper feed unit 60 is disposed above it, and the first paper discharge unit 2 is disposed below the paper feed unit 50. A substantially vertical sheet path is provided from 60 through the image forming means section 50 to the paper discharge section 2, and the sheet material fed from the paper feed section 60 is introduced into the substantially vertical sheet path and conveyed, The image forming means 50 forms an image on the sheet material, and the sheet material is discharged to the paper discharge section 2.

That is, the sheet material P in the sheet material cassette 61 of the paper feed section 60
The uppermost sheet material is separated and fed one by one rotation of the paper feed roller 67 and the separation claw 64, and is conveyed downward into the substantially vertical sheet path of the image forming unit 50 by the delivery roller 68. , the image formed on the drum 1 side is sequentially transferred by passing between the tram 1 and the transfer charger 7a, and is transferred to the conveying device 27, the fixing device 11, and the first image 9! ! The paper is ejected into the tray 2 serving as the first paper ejection unit in a face-up mode with the image surface facing upward along the path of the movable guide (shown by solid line) and the first paper ejection roller 13 .

Further, a paper discharge tray 23 as a second paper discharge section is attached to the second paper discharge port 19 provided near the lower side of the printer front cover 20, and the movable guide 16 is switched to the second position (indicated by the two-dot chain line). As a result, the sheet material that has passed through the fixing 2311 is
The paper is discharged along the path of the Fl# paper roller 12 and the second paper outlet 19 onto a tray 23 serving as a second paper discharge section in a face-down mode with the image surface facing upward. When not in use, the paper discharge tray 23 serving as the second paper discharge section is removed so as not to get in the way, or folded or stored in the front of the printer front cover 20.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the device configuration of the present invention, the first and second paper discharge sections are provided, and the sheet material subjected to the image forming process in the image forming section is transferred to the first or second paper discharge section. In an image forming apparatus that selectively discharges sheets to a sheet discharge section, the mechanical configuration of the sheet material discharge and conveyance system that descends from the image forming means section to the first and second sheet discharge sections, respectively, is simplified and miniaturized, Furthermore, it is possible to ensure safe and reliable discharge and conveyance of the sheet material, and there are effects such as the ability to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus, and the intended purpose is well achieved.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figures 1 (a) and (b) are respectively structural model diagrams of the apparatus of the present invention, Figure 2 is a longitudinal side view of an embodiment of the printer, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front side of the printer. , Fig. 4 is a longitudinal side view of the printer with the front cover folded open to open the interior of the printer, and Fig. 5 is a paper feed tray serving as a second paper feed section when the front cover of the printer is folded outward and opened. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front side of the printer with the sub-tray pulled out, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the printer with a removable paper output tray as a second paper output unit installed, and FIGS. 7(a) and 7(a) (b) is a partially enlarged side view showing the state in which the movable guides have been converted to the first and second positions, respectively, and Fig. 8 is a partial enlarged side view showing the state in which the movable guides have been converted to the first and second positions, respectively, and Figure 8 shows that one sheet of material is loaded by the paper feed roller and separation bat in the feed assembly. FIG. 9(a) is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing a state in which one sheet of sheet material is being separated and fed. The movable guide is the first
Figure (b) is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing the state where the position has been changed to the second position. 10 is a longitudinal sectional side view of another embodiment of the printer, and FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a conventional printer. 50 is a main body of the printer as an image forming unit, 60 is a cassette feeder as a first paper feeding section, 2 is a built-in paper ejection tray as a second paper ejection section, 20 is a cover before opening/closing of the printer main body, Reference numeral 22 denotes an openable and foldable paper feed tray as a second paper feed unit, and 9 a sheet material 1 for the tray.
A sheet separation and feeding assembly, 23 a removable paper ejection tray as a second paper ejection section, and 30 a process cartridge that can be freely inserted into and removed from the printer main body. Patent applicant: Canon Corporation 1-s+→-81-Mona

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A sheet material is fed from a paper feeding section to an image forming means section according to an appropriate image forming principle/system, a target image is formed on the surface of the fed sheet material, and the image-formed sheet material is transferred to the first or second image forming section. An image forming apparatus that selectively transports and discharges paper to a second discharge section,
A sheet path extending in a substantially vertical direction for conveying the sheet material fed from the paper feeding unit upward or downward, and an image forming a target image on the surface of the sheet material conveyed upward or downward along the substantially vertical sheet path. a forming means section; first and second sheet discharge sections disposed on opposite sides of the sheet path at a terminal end side of the substantially vertical sheet path in the sheet material conveying direction; and the substantially vertical sheet forming section; A sheet material that has been conveyed through the path, subjected to image formation, and has reached the terminal end of the sheet path is guided to a first branch sheet path that leads to the first sheet discharge section and to the second sheet discharge section. 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a vertical second branch sheet path; and a sheet material path switching means for selectively switching communication between the first or second branch sheet path with respect to the substantially vertical sheet path. (2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet material detection section located upstream of the sheet material path switching means in the sheet material conveyance direction.