JPH0472268A - Sorter for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely nip sheets and carry the sheets while absorbing a balance between the peripheral speed of soft sponge and hard rollers and that of a discharge roller by making up a carrying roller with the soft sponge roller and the hard roller of small friction coefficient material and driving both the soft sponge roller and the hard roller. CONSTITUTION:A carrying roller 11 is made up with a soft sponge roller 11a and a hard roller 11b of small friction coefficient material. As the peripheral face of the soft sponge roller 11a is easy to flexibly transform, sheets are securely nipped by a pair of these rollers 11a, 11b and the hard roller 11b provides small friction coefficient. As a result, with a balance between the peripheral speed of the carrying roller 11 and that of a discharge roller 2, the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b driven together give slippage to sheets, which are carried with a balance between the peripheral speeds absorbed. After the sheets carried by the carrying roller 11 are apart from the discharge roller 2, the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b perform carrying at a preset speed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a paper sheet disposed in a continuous manner in a sheet discharge section of an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, or other image forming apparatus, and a paper sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. This relates to a sorter that distributes and stores.

(Prior Art) An image forming apparatus S such as an electrostatographic copying machine is sometimes equipped with a sorter or a sorter for distributing and storing sheets ejected from the image forming apparatus S. The paper is introduced from a paper discharge roller of the image forming apparatus to a conveyance roller of a sorter, and the circumferential speed of the paper discharge roller varies depending on the function of the image forming apparatus and other factors.

In this way, the circumferential speed of the conveyance roller of the sorter is faster than the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller in order to enable use in various image forming apparatuses with different circumferential speeds of the paper ejection roller. However, it is configured to be able to absorb the difference in circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller. As such a sorter, for example, those shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 are known.

In FIGS. 5 to 8, 31 is an electrostatographic copying machine, 32 is a pair of paper ejection rollers provided in the electrostatic copying machine 31, and 33
34 is a sorter, and 34 is a conveying roller, which is made of soft plastic sponge and is supported by a support shaft 35, as shown in FIGS. 6-8.

Reference numerals 36a and 36b denote an upper guide plate and a lower kite plate, which constitute a conveyance path 36c, and insertion holes 37a and 37b are provided in the upper kite plate 36a and the lower kite plate 36b.

A portion of the conveyance roller 34 is inserted from the insertion hole 37a to the insertion hole 37b. Further, the circumferential speed of the conveyance roller 34 is configured to be farther than the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller 32.

38 is an endless conveyor belt, 39 is a contact roller, 4
0 is W! It is a sorting type that sorts the sheets conveyed by the feed roller 34 into non-sorted and sorted sheets, and is swung vertically by a solenoid (not shown). The illustrated sorting type 40 is in sort mode.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a pair of ejection rollers for ejecting non-sorted sheets, 42 a non-sort bin, 43 a kite plate, 44 a plurality of ejection rollers arranged in contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt 38, and 45 a deflection claw. In order to eject or pass the paper in a deflected manner, it is swung by a solenoid (not shown) or the like in a direction closer to the conveyor belt 38 and in a direction farther away from the conveyor belt 38. 46 is a pin to the saw 1, and 47 is a support roller provided on the inner surface of the conveyor belt 38.

In the sorting mode, the sorter 33 swings downward from the position shown in the figure, while the paper introduced by the paper ejection roller 32 is conveyed from the upper side of the sorting die 40 by the conveyance roller 34. The paper is carried between the belt 38 and the contact roller 39, and discharged and stored in the non-sorting bin 42 by the discharge roller 47.

When the sort mode is entered, the sorting mold 40 is in the position shown. Therefore, the paper introduced by the paper discharge roller 32 and transported by the transport roller 34 passes under the sorting die 40,
and is kited by the kite plate 43 and transferred to the conveyor belt 3
8 and the discharge roller 44 and conveyed downward.

This paper is deflected 1-p times by each deflection claw 45 and discharged and distributed to each sorting pin 46 by each discharge roller 44.

Then, the paper introduced into the sorter 33 through the paper discharge roller 32 is transported by the transport roller 34, as shown in FIG. 8, the paper P advances along the lower kite plate 36b.
The outer periphery of the conveyance roller 34, which is in the state of closing the conveyance 1% 36c, is compressed and deformed. Therefore, the repulsive elasticity of the conveyance roller 34 acts on the paper P, and the contact area of the conveyance roller 34 with respect to the paper P increases.
2 and the conveyance roller 34, the conveyance roller 3
4 slips on the paper P and conveys the paper P while absorbing the difference in circumferential speed.

Also, disclosed in Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-103155,
A transport roller for a sorter, the main part of which is shown in FIG. 9, is also known.

This conveyance roller includes an upper kite plate 51a and a lower kite plate 51.
A transport path 51c is constituted by the lower kite plate 51b, and an insertion hole 52 is formed in the lower kite plate 51b. A conveyance roller 53 made of soft sponge is supported by a support shaft 54 and is inserted into the conveyance path 51c from the insertion hole 52 at a slight distance from the upper kite plate 51a. 55 is a conveyance roller 53
This is a protrusion that protrudes from the upper kite plate 51a at a position slightly spaced apart from the upper kite plate 51a in the axial direction.

Then, there is a conveyance path 51c from a photocopying machine (not shown).
The paper P introduced into the conveyance roller 53 advances between the 11!2 feed roller 53 and the protrusion 55 of the upper guide plate 51a, and the paper P is pressed against the circumferential surface of the conveyance roller 53 by the protrusion 55. The conveying roller 53 conveys the paper P pressed against the protrusion 55 by frictional force, and due to the difference in circumferential speed between the conveying roller 53 and the paper ejection roller (not shown) of the electrophotographic copying machine, the conveying roller 53 slips against the paper P to absorb the circumferential speed difference.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, the conventional sorter 33 shown in FIGS.
In this method, sheets are stacked on the circumferential surface of a conveyance roller 34 made of soft sponge, and the conveyance roller 34 is compressed and deformed to convey the paper by frictional force, and the conveyance roller 3
Slip 4.

Therefore, the amount of compressive deformation of the transport roller 34 changes depending on the hardness of the transport roller 34 and the positional relationship between it and the lower kite plate 36b, resulting in a difference in the relationship between the transport roller 34 and the paper. It is necessary to set it severely, and if the position is inappropriate during this time, a problem may occur in which the conveyance of the paper by the conveyance roller 34 becomes unstable. Furthermore, since the fixed lower guide plate 36b acts as a resistance to conveying the paper, there is a risk that the paper will be conveyed slightly diagonally, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use the paper on a curved conveyance path.

Further, the conveyance roller shown in FIG. 9 also serves as the upper kite plate 51a.
The paper is pressed against the circumferential surface of the conveyance roller 53 by a protrusion 55 protruding from the surface, and the friction between the conveyance roller 53 and the paper depends on the hardness of the conveyance roller 53 and the positional relationship between the circumferential surface and the protrusion 55. Since the force changes, it is necessary to set the above-mentioned positional relationship severely, and if this positional relationship is inappropriate, problems such as unstable conveyance of the paper by the conveyance roller 53 will occur. Further, there is a problem that the fixed protrusion 55 acts as a resistance to paper conveyance.The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem.
It absorbs the difference in circumferential speed between the image forming device's paper ejection roller and the sorter's transport roller, and allows for smooth paper transport. The purpose is to scale a sorter for an image forming apparatus without fear.

1) Means for Solving Problems) The sorter of the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a conveyance roller that conveys the paper discharged by the paper discharge roller of the image forming apparatus and introduced, and a conveyance roller that conveys the paper that is conveyed by the conveyance roller. paper,
It comprises a distributing and discharging means for distributing and discharging paper to each of a plurality of sorting tips arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and is configured such that the circumferential speed of the conveying roller is faster than the circumferential speed of the paper discharging roller. The sorter of the image forming apparatus is characterized in that the conveyance roller is composed of a soft sponge roller and a hard roller made of a hard material with a small coefficient of friction, and both the soft sponge roller and the hard roller are driven. be.

The soft sponge roller may be formed almost entirely of soft sponge, or the surface layer of the peripheral surface of the roller may be formed of soft sponge. The hard roller may also be formed almost entirely of a material with a small coefficient of friction, or the surface layer of the roller circumferential surface may be formed of a material with a small coefficient of friction.

Examples of the material having a small coefficient of friction include glass such as polyoxymethylene or tetrafluoroethylene resin, or metal.

(Function) In this sorter, the paper introduced by the paper ejection roller of the image forming apparatus is pinched and transported by a pair of transport rollers that are driven together, but the peripheral speed of this transport roller is higher than the peripheral speed of the paper ejection roller. Constructed quickly.

The conveyance roller is composed of a soft sponge roller and a hard roller made of a material with a small friction coefficient, and since the peripheral surface of the soft sponge roller is easily elastically deformed, the conveyance roller is The paper is held securely, and the hard roller has a small friction coefficient. Therefore, due to the difference in circumferential speed between the conveyance roller and the paper ejection roller, the soft sponge roller and the hard roller, which are driven together, move against the paper. The paper is conveyed while absorbing the circumferential speed difference. When the conveyance roller and the paper being conveyed are separated from the discharge roller, the soft sponge roller and the hard roller thereafter convey the paper at the speed set therefor. The paper conveyed by the conveyance roller is distributed and discharged sequentially to each sorting pin by a distribution and discharge means.

1 Embodiment) Examples 1 to 4 of the noter of the image forming apparatus of the present invention are as follows.
The diagram will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes an electrostatographic copying machine, and numeral 2 denotes a pair of paper discharge rollers provided at a paper discharge section of the electrostatic copying machine 1. In FIGS.

A sorter 3 is provided with an endless conveyor belt 4 that moves in the vertical direction. A pair of ejection rollers ejects the paper in the non-sort mode to the non-sort bin 6. Reference numerals 7a and 7b denote a pair of kite plates for kiting the paper supplied to the sorter 3 by the paper discharge roller 2 to the upper end of the conveyor belt 4 and the discharge roller 5, and these constitute a paper conveyance path 8. .

Reference numerals 9, 10, and 17 refer to pairs of kite plates 7a and 7b arranged along the kite plates 7a and 7b in order to convey the paper introduced into the conveyance path 8 by the paper discharge roller 2 to the upper end of the conveyance belt 4 and the discharge port 5. This is a transport roller. Then, the conveyance roller 11
As shown in 3121, a soft sponge roller 11a made of plastic and a hard roller 11b made of hard polyoxymethylene with a small coefficient of friction are brought into contact with each other, and the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b are made of polyoxymethylene. A support shaft 12a supporting each of the rollers 11b,
Drive gears 13a and 13b that mesh with each other are fixed to the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11.
b.

Note that, depending on the distance between the discharge roller 5 and the conveyance rollers 9, 10, the conveyance rollers 9, 10 are also constituted of a soft sponge roller and a hard roller, and are driven together, similarly to the conveyance roller 11.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a sorting pawl provided above the conveyor belt 4 in the conveyance path 8 in order to sort the sheets conveyed by the conveyor roller 9 into non-sorted and sorted sheets. It is configured to swing in the direction. The illustrated sorting claw 14 is in sort mode.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a plurality of ejection rollers that are brought into contact with the outer surface of the conveyor belt 4 and are provided at intervals in the upper F direction, and these rollers rotate as the conveyor belt 4 rotates.

16 is held between the conveyor belt 4 and the discharge roller 15
l In order to deflect the paper being fed, there are deflection claws arranged on the underside of each discharge roller 15. These claws are arranged in a direction close to the conveyor belt 4 that deflects and discharges the paper, and in a direction far from the conveyor belt 4 that passes the paper. The discharging roller 76 and the deflecting claw 16 constitute a distributing means. Reference numeral 17 denotes a sorting bin that stores the sheets discharged by each discharge roller 15; 18 denotes a support roller disposed on the inner surface of the conveyor belt 4 almost facing each discharge roller 15; and 19 guides the paper to the discharge roller 15. Kite board, 20a,
20b is a roller that supports and rotates the conveyor belt 4;
1 is a motor that drives the roller 20b.

22 is a support shaft (see FIG. 4) of the conveyance roller 9, and a gear 23 is attached to this support shaft 22. A pulley 24a is fixed to the gear 23, and a pulley 24 is attached to each of the support shaft (not shown) of the conveyance roller 10 and the support shaft 12a of the conveyance roller 11.
A timing belt 25 is stretched between the timing belts b and 24c. 26 is the tension pulley of the timing belt 25;
A gear 27 is supported by a shaft 28 and meshed with the gear 23 (see FIG. 4), and a pulley 29a fixed to the gear 27 is attached to each shaft of the discharge roller 5 and the roller 20a (not shown). A timing belt 30 is stretched between pulleys 29b and 29C.

Once, when the motor 21 drives the roller 20b,
Since the conveyor belt 4 rotates the roller 20a or the timing belt 30, the discharge roller 5 and the gear 27 rotate, and the gear 27 rotates the gear 23.

Therefore, the timing belt 25 is
1 is rotated, and in the conveyance roller 11, both the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b that constitute it are driven. The peripheral speed of the conveyance rollers 9, 10, and 11 is
The circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller 2 is higher than that of the paper ejection roller 2.

In the sorter 3 configured as described above, when a sheet is introduced into the conveyance path 8 from the discharge roller 2 of the electrostatic photocopying machine 1, the conveyance roller 11 pinches and conveys the sheet. The M feed roller 11 includes a soft sponge roller 11a and a hard roller 111.
1, the soft sponge roller 11a is elastically deformed to reliably hold the paper, and the hard roller 11b is made of a material with a small coefficient of friction and is relatively easy to soak. As described above, since the circumferential speed of the conveyance roller 11 is faster than the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller 2, the difference in circumferential speed between the paper ejection roller 2 and the conveyance roller 11 causes the paper to Since the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b slip and absorb the difference in circumferential speed, the paper is easily conveyed at the circumferential speed of the paper discharge roller 2.

When the paper held between the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b is separated from the paper discharge roller 2, the soft sponge roller 11a and the hard roller 11b, which are both driven, transport the paper at these speeds, and the transport roller 10 ，
9 conveys in this order.

In this way, when the sorter 3 is in the non-sort mode, the paper transported by the transport rollers 11 and 10.9 in this order is
Since the distributed air 14 swings downward from the illustrated position, the paper passes above it and is conveyed to the discharge roller 5, and the discharge roller 5 discharges the paper to the non-sort pin 6.

When the sorter 3 is placed in the sorting mode, the distributed air 14 is placed in the illustrated position. Therefore, the sheets conveyed in this order by the conveyance rollers 1110.9 pass under the distribution wind 14,
Either it is kited by the guide plate 19 and conveyed between the conveyor belt 4 and the uppermost discharge roller 15, or it is conveyed by the uppermost deflection claw 1.
6 swings toward the conveyor belt 4 side as shown, the sheet is deflected by the deflection claw 16 and discharged to the sorting bin 17 by the uppermost discharge roller 15. Then, the uppermost deflection claw 16 swings away from the conveyor belt 4, and either the lower deflection claw 16 or the conveyor belt 4
Since the sheet swings to the side, the next sheet to be conveyed passes through the uppermost deflection claw 16, is deflected by the lower deflection claw 16, and is ejected to the sorting pin 17 by the ejection roller 15. Iteratively distribute sheets to each sort bin 17.

(Effects of the Invention As described above, in the sorter of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the conveying roller that conveys the paper introduced from the paper ejection roller of the image forming apparatus is made of a soft sponge roller and a hard material with a small coefficient of friction. It consists of a hard roller and drives both a soft sponge roller and a hard roller.2 Therefore, since the circumferential surface of the soft sponge roller easily deforms elastically, the paper can be reliably held by these pair of rollers. Since the hard roller has a small coefficient of friction and is relatively slippery, each of the soft sponge roller and the hard roller has a tendency to slide against the paper due to the difference between their circumferential speeds and the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller. It is possible to convey the paper while absorbing the circumferential speed difference by smoothly slipping.Then, since the paper is conveyed while being held between a pair of conveyance rollers that are driven together, the paper can be conveyed smoothly regardless of its width. , and it is possible to transport the paper while preventing it from being slanted.Furthermore, even when the MR detour of the paper is bent, the paper can be transported smoothly as described above.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 4 show embodiments of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view, Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the conveyance roller, Figure 3 is a front sectional view of the conveyance roller, and Figure 4 is the roller drive. Front view of section, 5th ~
8 shows a conventional example, FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view, FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the conveyance roller, FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of the conveyance roller,
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the conveying roller in a sheet conveying state, and FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of another conventional example. 1: Electrostatographic copying machine, 2: Paper ejection roller, 3: Sorter,
11: Conveyance roller, 11a, soft sponge roller, 11
b, hard roller, 15; discharge roller, 16: deflection claw, 1
7: Sort bin. Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A transport roller transports the paper ejected and introduced by the image forming device's paper ejection roller, and the paper transported by this transport roller is distributed and ejected to each of multiple sorting bins arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. In the sorter of an image forming apparatus, the sorter is configured such that the peripheral speed of the transport roller is faster than the peripheral speed of the paper ejection roller, and the transport roller is hard and has friction with a soft sponge roller. 1. A sorter for an image forming apparatus, comprising a hard roller made of a material with a small coefficient, and driving both a soft sponge roller and a hard roller.