JPH06161183A - Automatic double-side copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic double-side copying machine allowing recording sheets to be taken out easily in the case of the recording sheets being jammed between an intermediate tray and an image forming part so as to improve work performance and reducing the jamming of the recording sheets so as to improve feeding reliability. CONSTITUTION:An automatic double-side copying machine has an intermediate tray 31 for storing-stacking recording sheets with one face already recorded at an image forming part after being fed from a paper feed part, through a reversing carrier path; a recording sheet lead-in/discharge means 30 rotatable normally and reversely; and a refeeding carrier path 33 for conveying the one- face recorded recording sheets to be refed through a refeeding means 32 and the recording sheet lead-in/discharge means 30, to the image forming part so as to record images on the other faces of the recording sheets. The intermediate tray 31, the recording sheet lead-in/discharge means 30, the refeeding means 32 and the refeeding carrier path 33 form an intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104. This intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 can be pulled out of a body part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic double-sided copying machine for recording images on both sides of a sheet of recording paper, and more specifically, recording paper on one side of which has been recorded and stored in an intermediate tray. The present invention relates to an automatic double-sided copying machine that re-feeds paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automatic double-sided copying machine records an image on one side of a recording sheet in an image forming section, and then carries this recording sheet into a reverse conveying path of a double-sided recording sheet conveying unit (ADU). In many cases, a system called a stacker is used in which the recording sheets are once stocked in an intermediate tray and then fed again to the image forming unit via a re-feeding conveyance path.

In such an automatic double-sided copying machine, for example, an image is recorded on one side of a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding section by an image forming section, and then the recording sheet on which the one side is recorded is passed through a reversing conveyance path. An intermediate tray to be stored and stacked, a recording sheet introducing / discharging means capable of forward / reverse rotation that also serves to introduce and discharge the recording sheet to / from the intermediate tray, a re-feeding means attached to the intermediate tray, and And a re-feeding conveyance path for conveying the recording sheet with one-sided recording re-fed through the sheet feeding means and / or the recording sheet introducing / discharging means to the image forming unit and recording the image on the other side of the recording sheet. There is something.

[0004]

As described above, after the image is recorded on one surface of the recording sheet in the image forming section, the recording sheet is carried into the reversing conveyance path, once stocked in the intermediate tray, and then re-recorded. When the recording sheet is fed to the image forming unit via the re-feeding conveyance path, the recording sheet may be jammed between the intermediate tray and the image forming unit.

These means, or a re-feeding conveyance path or the like is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus when a recording paper jam (jam) is processed, and the intermediate tray and the recording paper are introduced and discharged. Even if the unit and the means are integrated into one unit, these and the re-feeding transport path may be separately configured, or a part of the re-feeding transport path may be separately configured, Similarly, when a paper jam occurs, it may not be possible to pull them out at the same time.

For this reason, the recording paper remains jammed between the intermediate tray and the image forming unit, and depending on the position where the recording paper is jammed, the recording paper may be torn when the intermediate tray alone is pulled out, for example. Therefore, the recording paper jammed inside the main body has to be taken out without pulling out the intermediate tray, and there is a problem that the processing is difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above point, and when the recording paper is jammed between the intermediate tray and the image forming portion, the recording paper can be easily taken out and the workability is improved. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic double-sided copying machine that reduces jamming of recording paper and improves the reliability of feeding.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 conveys a sheet for reversing after recording an image on one side of a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding section by an image forming section. An intermediate tray for accommodating and stacking the recording paper on which one side has been recorded via a path, and a recording paper introducing / discharging means capable of forward / reverse rotation for both introducing and discharging the recording paper into / from the intermediate tray, The re-feeding means attached to the intermediate tray, and the single-sided recorded recording paper re-fed through the re-feeding means and the recording paper introducing / discharging means are conveyed to the image forming unit, and In an automatic double-sided copying machine having a re-feeding conveyance path for recording an image on the other surface of a recording sheet, at least the intermediate tray, the recording sheet introducing / discharging means, the re-feeding means, and the re-feeding conveyance path. In the intermediate tray Configure Tsu bets, is characterized in that the integrally can be pulled out of the intermediate tray sheet supply unit to the main body portion.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the recording paper is jammed between the intermediate tray and the image forming portion, the intermediate tray paper feeding unit is pulled out from the main body. Then, in this pulled out state, the recording paper jammed in the intermediate tray constituting the intermediate tray paper feeding unit, the recording paper introducing / discharging means, the re-feeding means, the re-feeding conveyance path and the like is taken out.

Further, the intermediate tray, the recording sheet introducing / discharging means, the re-feeding means and the re-feeding conveyance path are integrally formed as a unit and are continuously formed.
Paper jams between the recording paper introducing / discharging means, the re-feeding means, and the re-feeding conveyance path are reduced.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of an automatic double-sided copying machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic double-sided copying machine.

The automatic double-sided copying machine 1 has a main body portion 2 and a paper feed unit portion 3 connected to the main body portion 2, and a plurality of paper feed stages 4 are provided in each body, and a sheet-shaped recording paper 5 is provided in each.
To house. A paper feed roller 6 is arranged on the upper surface of the recording paper 5 of each paper feed stage 4, and the recording paper 5 is delivered intermittently. A double-feeding prevention unit 7 is provided in parallel with each of the paper feed rollers 6 and sends out the recording papers 5 one by one to the next step.
The recording papers 5 sent out from the respective paper feed stages 4 are guided to the guide plates 8 respectively, and the second paper feed unit 9 built in the main body 2 is provided.
Be delivered to. The second paper feeding unit 9 is arranged immediately before the image forming unit 100, and has a loop roller 10 and a registration roller 11.

On the other hand, in the photoconductor 12 which constitutes the image forming section 100, uniform charging is given by the charging electrode 13, and the reflected light obtained by irradiating the original 16 on the original placing glass 15 by the light source 14 is obtained. Is irradiated onto the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 12 as an image carrier via the mirror 17 and the lens mechanism 18 to form an electrostatic latent image. The original 16 is placed at a predetermined position via an automatic original feeding device (RADF) 101 with a double-sided original automatic reversing function provided on the original placing glass 15 so as to be openable and closable.

The electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 12 is the developing unit 1
9 is developed to form a toner image. The registration roller 11 is driven in synchronism with the rotation of the photoconductor 12, and the recording paper 5
Is sent to the transfer electrode 20 and the separation electrode 21 to transfer the toner image. After that, the recording paper 5 is separated from the photoconductor 12 by the separation claw 22, placed on the conveyance unit 23, and conveyed to the fixing unit 24 in the next step. Further, the cleaning unit 2 is provided on the downstream side of the separation claw 22 around the photoconductor 12.
5, the surface of the photoconductor 12 after the transfer is cleaned, and is charged again by the charging electrode 13 for the next image formation.

The recording paper 5 heated and pressurized in the fixing unit 24 fixes the toner image, and in the case of one-sided copying, it passes through the conveying roller 26 and the switching gate 27 which constitute the reverse paper ejection switching means 102, It is discharged onto the bin of the sorter 103 outside the machine through the paper discharge roller 28. The reversal discharge switching means 102 is operated by operating a selection button on an operation panel (not shown) or a drive signal of the reversal switching means from a control unit (not shown).
The delivery path of the recording paper 5 is sorted into the sorter 103 side or the automatic double-sided conveyance unit 104 side. When performing double-sided copying, the transport roller 26 and the switching gate 2
After 7, the sheet enters the intermediate tray sheet feeding unit 104 while being sandwiched by the transport rollers 29 of the reversing transport path 105.

Next, the structure of the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the same. The intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 is called a double-sided recording paper transportation device (ADU), and as shown in FIG.
The intermediate tray 31 has a sheet re-feeding unit 32 for re-feeding the recording sheets 5 loaded and stacked, and a sheet re-feeding conveyance path 33 disposed below the intermediate tray unit 31. In the re-feeding conveyance path 33, a portion upstream of the branch point with the reversing conveyance path 105 forms an introduction / ejection conveyance path 33a.
In this way, the intermediate tray 31 and the recording paper introducing / discharging means 3 are provided.
0, the re-feeding means 32, and the re-feeding conveyance path 33 constitute an intermediate tray sheet feeding unit 104. The intermediate tray sheet feeding unit 104 is provided with slide rails 41 on both side surfaces of the unit main body. It can be pulled out from the main body 2.

In addition, the unit main body further includes the second sheet feeding section 9, the transfer electrode 20 and the separation electrode 21, and the transport unit 23 as one unit, and the jam processing includes the transfer electrode 20 and the separation electrode 21. It is pulled out in a state of being separated from the photoconductor 12 (not shown), and processing is performed by making the transfer electrode 20 / separation electrode 21 and / or the transport unit 23 rotatable about one side end in the jam processing. It can also be configured as follows.

Therefore, from the intermediate tray 31 to the image forming unit 1
When the recording paper 5 is jammed by the time 00, the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 is pulled out from the main body 2. Then, in this pulled-out state, the recording paper 5 jammed in the intermediate tray 31, the recording paper introducing / discharging means 30, the re-feeding means 32, the re-feeding conveyance path 33, etc., which constitutes the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104, is removed. Take it out. In this way, when the recording paper 5 is jammed between the intermediate tray 31 and the image forming unit 100, the recording paper 5 is taken out while the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 is pulled out from the main body 2. Therefore, the workability of paper jam processing is significantly improved. As a result, it is possible to easily perform inspection and correction and restart paper feeding.

Further, since the intermediate tray 31, the recording sheet introducing / discharging means 30, the re-feeding means 32 and the re-feeding conveyance path 33 are integrally formed as a unit and are respectively continuously formed, the intermediate tray 31, Paper jams between the recording sheet introducing / discharging means 30, the refeeding means 32, and the refeeding conveyance path 33 are reduced, and the reliability of feeding is improved.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording sheet introducing / discharging means 30 is provided with a driving roller (lower roller) 30a which can be driven in the forward / reverse direction and is pressed against the lower roller 30a at approximately the center of the introducing / discharging / carrying path 33a. A reverse roller (upper roller) 30b having a built-in one-way clutch or a torque limiter, which is driven to rotate when the recording sheet is introduced and reverses or stops when the recording sheet is discharged, is provided. Further, a plurality of stack auxiliary rollers 30c are disposed on the upper surface of the introduction / discharge / transport path 33a with the upper roller 30b interposed therebetween. The stack auxiliary roller 30c has a mounting plate 30 whose one end is fixed to the rotating shaft 30d.
The rotary shaft 3 is rotatably attached to the other end of e.
When the recording paper 5 is introduced by the rotation of 0d, the recording paper 5 descends and comes into contact with the facing lower roller 30f. Therefore, the recording paper 5 to be introduced is stably conveyed while being pressed. Further, at the time of discharging, it is separated from the lower roller 30f to release the pressure bonding. The rotating shaft 30d is connected to the Geneva gear mechanism 43 of the elevating means 35.

A pair of conveying rollers 34, which rotate forward and backward, are provided in the central portion of the conveying path 33a which also serves as an introducing / discharging path adjacent to the recording sheet introducing / discharging means 30. Further, a sensor 42 for detecting the rear end of the recording paper 5 fed to the recording paper introducing / discharging means 30 is arranged on the reversing conveying path 105 side of the conveying roller 34.

When the recording sheet 5 is carried into the intermediate tray 31 from the reversing conveyance path 105 via the introduction / ejection conveyance path 33a, both the conveyance roller 34 and the lower roller 30a rotate in the introduction direction. When the upper roller 30b is driven, it rotates. When the recording paper 5 is ejected, the upper roller 30b reverses or stops, so that double feeding is prevented, and the recording paper 5 is separated.
Is sandwiched by the transport rollers 34 that rotate in the discharge direction, and sent to the introduction / discharge transport path 33a. This upper roller 3
The stack auxiliary roller 30c releases the pressure so as not to hinder the separation work by 0b.

The re-feeding conveying path 33 is the reversing conveying path 10.
When separated from the branch point with 5, the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 1
It is connected to the loop roller 10 of the second sheet feeding section 9 through the outer periphery of 04. The re-fed recording paper 5 forms an image on the back surface thereof, passes through the reverse paper ejection switching unit 102, passes through the paper ejection roller 28, and is ejected onto the bin of the sorter 103 outside the apparatus.

Inside the intermediate tray 31, a stack tray 36 which can be moved up and down by the action of the elevating means 35 is arranged. The stack tray 36 is in a lowered state when the recording paper 5 is introduced, and is raised when the recording paper 5 is stored and stacked again to come into pressure contact with a load plate 37 arranged above the recording paper 5. Further, the sheet re-feeding means 3 is provided at the front of the stack tray 36.
A bottom feeding roller 38, which is included in No. 2, is arranged, and when the stack tray 36 rises, the recording sheet 5 is sandwiched between the load plate 37 and pressed to be fed out from the bottom portion and fed to the recording sheet introducing / discharging means 30. At this time, since the leading end of the recording paper 5 is separated by the upper roller 30b, only the lowermost recording paper 5 is re-fed.

The bottom feeding roller 38 is attached to the opening 36a of the stack tray 36 and moves up and down integrally with the stack tray 36. Side plates 37a are attached to both sides of the load plate 37, and the stack auxiliary rollers 30c are attached to the end portions of the side plates 37a.
The rotating shaft 30d for holding is inserted. The load plate 37 is rotatable around the rotating shaft 30d. Also the rotating shaft 3
A load plate operating shaft 37b is projected from the side plate 37a in parallel with 0d and is connected to the Geneva gear mechanism 43 of the elevating means 35. By these mechanisms, the load plate 37 retracts from the transport path when the recording sheet 5 is introduced, and moves to a position where the recording sheet 5 is pressed when the recording sheet 5 is discharged.

Further, a static elimination brush rotary shaft 44a is arranged below the rotary shaft 30d and above the stack tray 36 in parallel with the rotary shaft 30d. The static elimination brush rotating shaft 44a has a rectangular cross section, and the static elimination brush 44b is planted on one surface thereof. This static elimination brush rotating shaft 44a is also rotated by being coupled to the Geneva gear mechanism 43 of the elevating means 35, and this time, when the recording paper 5 is introduced, the static elimination brush 44b is positioned on the conveyance path to contact the recording paper 5 and generate static electricity. Remove. Further, during discharging, the discharging brush rotating shaft 44a is rotated to move the discharging brush 44b to a position where it does not come into contact with the recording paper 5 to be discharged.

Similarly to the trailing edge regulating plate 39 that moves in the intermediate tray 31 according to the size of the recording sheet 5 and stops the leading edge of the sheet to stop the trailing edge of the sheet for re-feeding, and the side surface of the sheet. A movable side regulating plate 40 and a one-sided reference guide 45 that forms one-sided reference at the time of re-feeding are provided. These rear end regulation plate 39, side regulation plate 40, one side reference guide 4
Reference numeral 5 is connected to a regulating member moving mechanism attached to the intermediate tray 31. Further, the respective driving devices arranged in the intermediate tray paper feeding unit 104 are driven under the control of the conveyance control means 106 incorporated in the main body 2.

The elevating means 35 fixes a support member 35a for abutting a rotatable roller to the lower surface of the stack tray 36, an arm member 35b connecting the support member 35a to one end, and the other end of the arm member 35b. It has a rotating shaft 35c and a Geneva gear mechanism 43 for intermittently rotating the rotating shaft 35c. A plurality of supporting members 35a are arranged on the lower surface of the stack tray 36, and stably hold the stack tray 5 on which the recording sheets 5 are stacked when the stack tray 5 is raised.

In the Geneva gear mechanism 43, a drive source thereof is a DC motor 43a capable of adjusting a rotation speed, and its rotation is transmitted to a worm wheel 43c and a disc 43d fixed to the worm wheel 43c via a worm 43b. DC motor 43
A is connected to the conveyance control means 106 to perform forward / reverse rotation and speed adjustment. Pin 43e protruding from the worm wheel 43c
The Geneva gear 43f that engages with and rotates intermittently has a rotating shaft 35c fixed to the center thereof and moves the support member 35a up and down. Since the Geneva gear 43f has a fixed stop position and the rotation at the time of stop is suppressed, a heavy object can be stably held. Therefore, the height of the stack tray 36 becomes stable. The Geneva gear mechanism 43 of the elevating means 35 also operates by being connected to the rotating shaft 30d of the stack auxiliary roller 30c, the load plate operating shaft 37b, and the charge eliminating brush rotating shaft 44a.

Next, the regulating member moving mechanism of the rear end regulating plate 39, the side regulating plate 40 and the one side reference guide 45 will be described with reference to FIG.
And FIG. 5 will be described. 4 is a plan view of the regulating member moving mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a VV cross section of FIG. A rear end regulating plate 39 formed by bending a flat plate has a guide plate 39b that engages with a guide rail 46 fixed to one end of its bottom plate 39a, and a timing belt 47 is stopped at the tip of this guide plate 39b. To wear. The guide rail 46 is attached to the bottom plate portion 31a of the intermediate tray 31, and guides the trailing edge regulation plate 39 so as to move in the introducing / discharging direction of the recording sheet 5. The timing belt 47 includes a plurality of driven pulleys 48a, 48b, 48c, 48d arranged on the bottom plate portion 31a.
And a timing pulley 49 with a built-in torque limiter and a drive pulley 50. A gear 51 coaxially connected to the drive pulley 50 meshes with a drive gear 53 directly connected to a stepping motor 52 which is a drive source, and rotates in forward and reverse directions.

Timing pulley 4 with built-in torque limiter
9 is a coaxial and fan-shaped gear 54 is connected.
Engages with a rack 55a formed on the side surface of the stopper 55. The stopper 55 is a groove portion 5 that is recessed in the bottom plate portion 31a.
5b and a convex portion 55c loosely fitted therein,
The rotation of allows the end of the convex portion 55c to move until it comes into contact with the end of the groove 55b. A one-sided reference guide 45 formed by bending a flat plate is attached to the upper surface of the stopper 55 and swings as the stopper 55 reciprocates. As shown in FIG. 5, the timing pulley 49 has a torque limiting shaft coupling, that is, a torque limiter 49a built therein, and transmits torque to the gear 54 via the torque limiting shaft coupling. Since this joint has a structure in which the coupling portion slips when torque exceeds a predetermined value and torque cannot be transmitted, the groove portion 55b and the convex portion 55c of the stopper 55 come into contact with each other and the gear 54 stops. Sometimes the timing pulley 49 can slide on it and continue to rotate.

The moving mechanism of the side regulating plate 40 is a rear end regulating plate 3.
Similar to that of No. 9, a guide plate 40b that engages with the guide rail 56 is attached to the bottom plate 40a of the side regulating plate 40. The timing belt 57 is fixed to the guide plate 40b. The guide rail 56 is the bottom plate portion 31a of the intermediate tray 31.
And guides the side regulating plate 40 to move in a direction orthogonal to the introduction and discharge direction of the recording sheet 5, that is, to the side. The timing belt 57 is stretched around a driven pulley 58 and a drive pulley 59 arranged on the bottom plate portion 31a. The gear 60 that is coaxially connected to the drive pulley 59 meshes with the drive gear 62 that is directly connected to the stepping motor 61 that is a drive source and rotates in the forward and reverse directions.

The trailing edge regulating plate 39, the lateral regulating plate 40, and the one-sided reference guide 45 align the sheets by swinging the sheet material when the recording sheet 5 is introduced as the drive sources rotate forward and backward. The operation when the recording paper is introduced will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a plan view when the regulating member moving mechanism is at the home position. The home position of the trailing edge regulating plate 39 is on the recording paper introducing / discharging means 30 side, and is stopped by being detected by the sensor 63. The home position of the side regulating plate 40 is at a position where the recording paper 5 having the maximum width can be introduced, and this is also detected by the sensor 64 and stopped.

When the recording sheet 5 is introduced into the intermediate tray 31 from the reversing conveyance path 105, the trailing edge regulating plate 39 and the side regulating plate 40 are moved from the home position to a predetermined position in accordance with the sheet size in advance. . At this time, the timing belt 47 for moving the trailing edge regulating plate 39 continuously rotates the timing pulley 49 with the built-in torque limiter.

When stopped at a predetermined position, the rear end regulating plate 39,
The side regulating plate 40 and the one side reference guide 45 are respectively shown in FIG.
Wait at the position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line. Each time the recording paper 5 is introduced, it swings to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4 to align the paper edges, and returns to the standby position again. At the time of re-feeding, the sheet returns to the position indicated by the solid line, and the recording sheets 5 are aligned on the one side basis and the image forming unit 100 is arranged.
Send to.

[0036]

As described above, the automatic double-sided copying machine according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with an intermediate tray, recording paper introducing / discharging means,
Since the intermediate tray sheet feeding unit is constituted by the sheet re-feeding means and the sheet re-feeding path, and the intermediate tray sheet feeding unit can be pulled out from the main body section, the intermediate tray sheet feeding unit is provided between the intermediate tray and the image forming section. When the recording paper is jammed, the recording paper can be taken out while the intermediate tray paper feeding unit is pulled out from the main body, and the workability of the paper jam treatment is greatly improved. As a result, it is possible to easily perform inspection and correction and restart paper feeding.

Also, an intermediate tray, recording paper introducing / discharging means,
Since the sheet re-feeding means and the sheet re-feeding path are integrally formed as a unit and continuously formed, the intermediate tray,
Paper jams between the recording paper introducing / discharging means, the re-feeding means and the re-feeding conveyance path are reduced, and the reliability of feeding is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic double-sided copying machine.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of an intermediate sheet feeding unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an intermediate paper feeding unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a regulating member moving mechanism.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a VV cross section of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the restricting member moving mechanism at the home position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic duplex copying machine 2 Main body section 5 Recording sheet 30 Recording sheet introduction / ejection means 31 Intermediate tray 32 Refeeding means 33 Refeeding conveyance path 100 Image forming section 104 Intermediate tray feeding unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kazunobu Miura, Kazunobu Miura, 2970 Ishikawa-cho, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo Konica Stock Association In-house (72) Makoto Tamura, 482-6, Yagasaki, Matsudo-shi, Chiba

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An intermediate tray for accommodating and stacking one side of a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding section after recording an image on the one side of the recording sheet by an image forming section through a reversing conveyance path, Forward / reverse recording sheet introducing / discharging means that also serves to introduce the recording sheet to the intermediate tray and discharge it from the intermediate tray, a re-feeding means attached to the intermediate tray, the re-feeding means and the re-feeding means. An automatic double-sided system having a re-feeding conveyance path for conveying the one-side recorded recording sheet re-fed through the recording sheet introduction / ejection means to the image forming unit and recording an image on the other side of the recording sheet. In the copying machine, at least the intermediate tray, the recording paper introducing / discharging means,
An automatic double-sided system characterized in that an intermediate tray sheet feeding unit is constituted by the sheet refeeding means and the sheet refeeding path, and the intermediate tray sheet feeding unit can be integrally pulled out from the main body. Copier.