JPH05254689A - Opening/closing mechanism of sheet-shaped body transport passage - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a simple and small-sized opening/closing mechanism of sheet-shaped body transport passage. CONSTITUTION:A movable guide plate 61 is installed so as to face a fixed guide plate 60 and move in a direction where a movable guide plate 61 separates from the fixed guide plate 60. On both sides of the fixed guide plate 60, parts 62, 62' to be engaged are formed. On the left side of the left side plate 60b of the fixed guide plate 60, a rotating shaft 65 is installed, and at the rotating shaft 65, a lever 64 which can be engaged with the parts 62, 62' to be engaged is rotatingly-installed. By rotating the lever 64 downwards, the lever 64 engages with the parts 62, 62' to be engaged, so that the movable guide plate 61 is locked at the fixed guide plate 60 to form a transport passage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet-like material conveying path used for conveying a transfer sheet of an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet-like material conveying path opening / closing mechanism capable of treating a paper jam. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a sheet conveying path used for conveying a transfer sheet of an image forming apparatus, there has been known one constituted by two guide plates opposed to each other. Further, in such a sheet-shaped conveying path, one guide plate is movable in a direction away from the other fixed guide plate so that a paper jam can be processed, and one of the guide plates is moved by a predetermined lock mechanism. There is one in which a guide plate is fixed to the other guide plate with a predetermined space.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the structure of a conventional sheet-like material conveying path capable of processing a paper jam. The same figure (a)
Shows a state in which the transport path is formed (closed), and FIG. 6B shows a state in which the transport path is open.

The sheet-like conveying path shown in FIG. 1 moves in a direction (hereinafter, referred to as a rear direction) facing a fixed guide plate (hereinafter, referred to as a fixed guide plate) 70 and separated from the fixed guide plate 70. A movable guide plate (hereinafter referred to as a movable guide plate) 71 is provided, and a pressing member 72 is further provided at a proper position behind the movable guide plate 71. This pressing member is 7
2, a stay 76 is provided on the rotating shaft 74 via an arm 75, and an operating lever 73 is provided at one end of the rotating shaft 74.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the operating lever 73
Is rotated counterclockwise to the lower position, the stay 76
As a result, the movable guide plate 71 is pressed toward the fixed guide plate 70, and is fixed at a position with a predetermined distance from the fixed guide plate 70 to form the transport path 77.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the operation lever 73 is rotated clockwise to the horizontal position, the pressing of the stay 76 on the movable guide plate 71 is released, and the movable guide plate 71 is moved backward. Then, the conveyance path 77 is opened and the transfer sheet with the jam can be removed.

[0007]

A pressing member 72 for pressing the movable guide plate 71 is used in the conventional sheet-like member conveying path.
In addition to having a complicated structure, a large space is required for rotating the pressing member 72, and the opening / closing mechanism for the pressing member 72 becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an opening / closing mechanism for a sheet-like material conveying path having a simple structure and a small size.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a first guide plate and a first guide plate are arranged facing each other with a predetermined gap, and In a sheet-like member conveying path including a second guide plate that is provided so as to be movable in a direction away from the first guide plate, an engaged portion that is provided on both sides of the first guide plate. And a lever that is rotatably provided in a plane parallel to the outer surface of the second guide plate and that engages with the engaged portion.

The rotation shaft of the lever is preferably provided on the outer surface of the second guide plate at substantially the center position on both sides of the first guide plate.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the second guide plate is arranged so as to face the first guide plate at a predetermined interval,
When the tip of the lever is operated upward or downward, the lever rotates about a rotation axis as a fulcrum, engages with the engaged portions provided on both sides of the first guide plate, and engages with the second guide plate. Are locked to the first guide plate. As a result, a sheet-shaped conveying path is formed.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the tip of the lever is operated upward or downward, the lever rotates about a turning shaft provided at a substantially central portion as a fulcrum, and the tip end of the lever is moved. The rear end portion engages with the engaged portions provided on both sides of the first guide plate, respectively, and the second guide plate is locked to the first guide plate.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An opening / closing mechanism for a sheet-like material conveying path according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a sorter having an opening / closing mechanism for a sheet-shaped material conveying path according to the present invention.

The sorter shown in the figure has a function of performing sheet processing such as punching and stapling in addition to sorting transfer sheets. On the upper part of the sorter body 1, a transfer paper discharging unit 2
Is formed, and a bin unit 3 that sorts the transfer paper and a paper processing unit 5 that performs a predetermined paper processing on the transfer paper are disposed inside thereof.

At one place on one side of the sorter main body 1, a carry-in port 1b for guiding the transfer paper discharged from an image forming apparatus (not shown) into the main body 1 is provided, and a transfer port is provided downstream of the carry-in port 1b. A transport path 8 for transporting the paper to the transfer paper discharge section 2 and a transport path 9 for transporting the paper to the bin unit 3 are provided. The transport paths 8 and 9 are formed by arranging two guide plates so as to face each other, and a part of the transport path is shown by a phantom line in FIG.
One guide plate can be moved in a direction away from the other fixed guide plate with the rotating shafts 8a and 9a as a fulcrum, and when a paper jam occurs, the conveyance paths 8 and 9 can be opened to remove the paper. It is like this. The opening / closing mechanism of the transport paths 8 and 9 will be described later.

Further, a conveyance roller pair 23 for assisting the conveyance force of the transfer paper is provided at an appropriate position between the conveyance paths 8 and 9. At the time of non-sorting, the above-mentioned carry-in port 1b
The transfer paper carried in from is guided to the transport path 8, is transported in the transport path 8 and is discharged to the transfer paper discharge section 2.
At the time of sorting, the transfer paper is guided to the transport path 9, is transported in the transport path 9, and is discharged to the bin 4 (the lowest bin in the figure) in the bin unit 3 set at a predetermined sorting position. ..

The bin unit 3 is arranged on the downstream end side of the conveying path 9, and the paper processing unit 5 is arranged on the conveying path 8 and
It is arranged below 9.

Inside the sorter main body 1, a pair of cylinders (hereinafter referred to as spiral cams) 6 in which spiral grooves 7 are bored at a predetermined pitch on the outer peripheral portion are erected as elevating members of the bin unit 3. It is provided. The base end of the spiral cam 6 is
Via the timing belt 10, the bevel gears 11 and 12, and the timing belt 13, it is connected to a driving motor 14 provided at the lower portion of the paper processing unit 5, and the motor 14 drives the spiral cam 6 to rotate. Is becoming

On the other hand, each bin 4 in the bin unit 3 is composed of a flat plate portion 41 on which a transfer sheet is placed and an L-shaped stopper 42 which regulates the fall of the transfer sheet and aligns one end side thereof.
The stopper 42 is releasably connected to the flat plate portion 41 via a connecting portion 43 so that one end of the placed transfer sheet can be subjected to predetermined sheet processing.

Pins 44 project from the rear end portions of both side surfaces of the flat plate portion 41, and each bin 4 is inserted into the groove 7 of the spiral cam 6 to form a step in the bin unit 3. It is provided. Each bottle 4 slides in the groove 7 by the rotating operation of the spiral cam 6 and moves up and down. Further, the bin unit 3 moves up and down integrally with the bin 4.

For sorting the transfer paper, the bins 4 in the bin unit 3 are sequentially placed at a position (hereinafter referred to as a sorting position) SP above the home position HP provided at a position below the sorter body 1 by a predetermined distance L. , And the transfer paper is discharged to each bin 4.

The distance L is set to an integral multiple of the pitch of the grooves 7 of the spiral cam 6, to be precise, a multiple of the number of bins,
Therefore, when the sorting of the transfer paper is instructed, the spiral cam 6 is lowered to the home position HP, and the uppermost bin 4 in the bin unit 3 is moved to the sorting position SP.
Is set to. Then, in synchronization with the discharge of the transfer paper, the bin 4
Is raised one step at a time, and the transfer paper is discharged to each bin 4 that has moved to the sorting position SP.

A member to be detected 17 for detecting the rising position of the bin unit 3 is provided at a proper position at the lower end of the bin unit 3.
Is provided. On the other hand, the bin unit 3 is located at a proper position below the sorter body 1 at the home position HP.
A sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a bin unit home sensor) 18 that detects that the bin unit 3 is descending to a predetermined narrow region (hereinafter, referred to as a home position region) and an abnormality that is detected in the downward movement amount of the bin unit 3. Anomaly detection switch 1
9 and 9 are provided, and the bin unit 3 is provided at an appropriate position in the middle position.
An upper abnormality detection switch 20 for detecting an abnormality in the amount of upward movement is provided.

The bin unit home sensor 18 is, for example, a photo interrupter. When the member to be detected 17 shields the detecting portion of the bin unit home sensor 18, it is detected that the bin unit 3 has descended to the home position area. To do.

The lower abnormality detection switch 19 and the upper abnormality detection switch 20 are well-known on / off switches having detection levers. And the bin unit 3
Is lowered beyond the home position area or the bin unit 3 is raised above a predetermined amount, the member to be detected 17 contacts the detection lever and the lower abnormality detection switch 19 or the upper abnormality detection switch 20 is turned on. By doing so, the abnormality of the downward movement and the abnormality of the upward movement can be detected respectively. When the abnormality detection switches 19 and 20 are turned on, the drive of the sorter is stopped and, for example, a warning message for inspection by a serviceman (hereinafter referred to as serviceman call) is displayed on the display unit.

The base of the spiral cam 6 is composed of a pulse plate 15 having a plurality of notches formed in the peripheral portion at a predetermined angle, and a rotation angle sensor 16 for detecting the notches of the pulse plate 15. 6 rotation angle detecting devices are provided. A reference direction for detecting a reference direction in the rotating operation of the spiral cam 6, which is composed of a rotary plate 21 having a notch formed at an appropriate position on the peripheral portion and a spiral cam sensor 22 for detecting the notch of the rotary plate 21 on the base portion. A detection device is provided.

The spiral cam sensor 22 is arranged in a predetermined direction so that the cutout of the rotary plate 21 can be detected when the reference position A (see FIG. 5) provided at an appropriate lower end of the bin unit 3 coincides with the home position HP. It is provided. The pulse plate 15 and the rotary plate 21 rotate integrally with the spiral cam 6.

With the above structure, the bin unit 3 is driven up and down based on the pulse signal detected by the rotation angle sensor 16 and the detection signal detected by the spiral cam sensor 22.

The paper processing unit 5 is provided with a punch 51 for punching the transfer paper discharged to the bin 4 and a stapler (not shown) for stapling on one base 52. The base 52 is placed via a roller 53a on a guide rail 53 provided in the width direction of the transfer sheet (depth direction in the drawing), and is driven by a drive mechanism including a motor 54 and an endless wire 55. It has become. As a result, the punch 51 and the like are moved in the width direction of the transfer paper, and a predetermined process is performed at an arbitrary position on one side of the transfer paper. In addition,
Reference numeral 56 is a storage box for storing waste generated by punching.

Since the sheet processing is not directly related to the present invention, the detailed description of the sheet processing unit 5 will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an essential part showing an opening / closing mechanism for the conveying paths 8 and 9. Further, FIG. 2 is a view as seen from an arrow A in FIG. The transport path is a fixed guide plate (hereinafter,
A fixed guide plate 60 and a guide plate (hereinafter, referred to as a movable guide plate) 61 that is movable in a direction away from the guide plate 60 (a front side in the drawing, hereinafter, referred to as rear) are configured. Both side portions of the fixed guide plate 60 are bent toward the movable guide plate 61 to form side plate portions 60a and 60b. As shown in FIG. 2, an engaged portion 62 including a U-shaped groove is provided in a downward direction at an appropriate position of the side plate portion 60a. Similarly, an engaged portion 62 'is also formed at a position of the side plate portion 60b facing the engaged portion 62 of the side plate portion 60a.

On the other hand, both side portions of the movable guide plate 61 are also bent rearward to form side plate portions 61a and 61b, and elongated holes 63 are formed at appropriate places of the side plate portion 61a as shown in FIG. ing. Similarly, a long hole 63 'is also formed at a position of the side plate portion 61b facing the long hole 63 of the side plate portion 61a.

A rotating shaft 65 is provided at a predetermined position on the left side of the left side plate portion 60b of the fixed guide plate 60, and the lever 6 penetrating through the elongated holes 63 and 63 'is provided on the rotating shaft 65.
The tip of 4 is attached so as to be rotatable in a plane parallel to the fixed guide plate 60 and vertically movable with respect to the fixed guide plate 60. Further, an operating portion 66 is provided at the rear end of the lever 64 (on the right end side in the drawing).

With the above-mentioned structure, the sheet-like material conveying path is
It is formed by rotating the movable guide plate 61 in parallel to the fixed guide plate 60 and operating the operating portion 66 of the lever 64 downward (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1). That is, when the operation portion 66 is operated downward, the lever 64 rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft 65 as a fulcrum,
The lever 64 is the engaged portion 62, 6 of the fixed guide plate 60.
The movable guide plate 61 is positionally fixed to the fixed guide plate 60 via the lever 64 by engaging with 2 '. As a result, a transport path R (FIG. 2) for transporting the transfer paper is formed between the fixed guide plate 60 and the movable guide plate 61.

On the other hand, a paper jam or the like occurs, and the conveyance path R
When it is necessary to open the lever, the operating portion 6 of the lever 64 is
6 is operated upward to release the engagement of the lever 64 with the engaged portions 62 and 62 '(state shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1), and the movable guide plate 61 is moved rearward to convey. The path R is opened, and the transfer paper having the jam can be removed.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the essential parts showing another opening / closing mechanism for the above-mentioned transport paths 8 and 9. 4 is a side view of a main part of the opening / closing mechanism, and FIG. 4 (a) is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
(B) is a C arrow line view of FIG.

The transport path has a fixed guide plate 31 and a movable guide plate 3 movable in a direction away from the fixed guide plate 31.
2 and. Both sides of the fixed guide plate 31 are bent toward the movable guide plate 32 side to form side plate parts 31a, 3a.
1b is formed. In place of the side plate portion 31a, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), an engaged portion 311 composed of a U-shaped groove is provided in the downward direction, and the side plate portion 31b is provided at an appropriate position with the engaged portion 311 shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), an engaged portion 312 including a U-shaped groove is provided in the upward direction.

On the other hand, both side portions of the movable guide plate 32 are also bent rearward to form side plate portions 32a and 32b. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the side plate portions 32a and 32b are formed at appropriate positions. Slotted holes 321 and 322 are formed in the respective holes. The engaged portion 3 on the rear surface side of the movable guide plate 32
11 and the engaged portion 312 on the line connecting the rotating shaft 3 substantially in the center.
3 is provided, and the rotation shaft 33 further includes the elongated hole 32.
An intermediate position of the lever 34 that penetrates through 1, 322 is rotatably attached. An operating portion 35 is provided at the tip of the lever 34 (on the right end side in the drawing).

The rotary shaft 33 has the engaged portion 3
As long as it is on the line connecting 11 and the engaged portion 312, it may be displaced from the center. In addition, the long holes 321, 3
The reference numeral 22 holds the lever 34 in parallel with the movable guide plate 32 and guides the rotation operation of the lever 34. Other levers can rotate the lever 34 in a plane parallel to the movable guide plate 32. When adopting the structure, it is not always necessary to provide the structure.

In this embodiment, when the operation portion 35 is operated downward, the lever 34 rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft 33 as a fulcrum, and the tip portion 34a and the rear end portion 34 of the lever 34 are rotated.
b and the engaged parts 311 and 3 of the fixed guide plate 31, respectively.
The movable guide plate 32 is fixed to the fixed guide plate 31 via the lever 34 by engaging with 12. As a result, a transport path R (FIG. 4) for transporting the transfer paper is formed between the fixed guide plate 31 and the movable guide plate 32.

On the other hand, a paper jam or the like occurs, and this conveyance path R
When it is necessary to open the lever, the operating portion 3 of the lever 34 is opened.
5 is operated in the upward direction, the tip portion 3 of the lever 34 is
4a and the rear end portion 34b are disengaged from the engaged portions 311 and 312 (the state shown by the phantom line in FIG. 3), and the movable guide plate 32 is moved rearward to open the conveyance path R, and jam. It is possible to remove the transfer paper that has been generated.

In this embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, from the fulcrum of the lever 34 (rotating shaft 33) to the point of action (the tip 34).
Since the distance to a, 34b) is shortened, the opening / closing mechanism can be downsized, the strength of the lever 34 can be reduced, and the weight and cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the operation parts 35 and 66 are used.
Is operated downward to move the levers 34 and 64 to the engaged portion 31.
1, 312, 62, 62 'are engaged, but the operating parts 35, 66 are operated upward so that the levers 63, 64 are engaged with the engaged parts 311, 312, 62, 62'. You can also

Further, the engaged parts 311, 312, 62, 6
2'is the side plate portions 31a, 31 of the fixed guide plates 31, 60.
Although U-shaped grooves are formed in b, 60a, and 60b, they may be formed as separate members from the side plate portions 31a, 31b, 60a, and 60b.

Although the levers 34 and 64 are formed in a linear shape, they can be formed in any shape.
Corresponding to the shape of 64, the engaged parts 311 and 3 are attached to both side parts 31a, 31b, 60a and 60b of the fixed guide plates 31 and 60.
You may make it provide 12,62,62 '.

Further, the engaged portion 31 of the levers 34 and 64
The levers 34 and 64 are preferably attached to the engaged portion 31 so that the engagement with the 1, 31, 12, 62 and 62 'is not easily released.
It is preferable to bias in the direction of engaging 1, 312, 62, 62 '. For example, as shown by the broken line in FIG.
It is preferable to provide a spring 36 on the tip end side of and to apply an urging force so that the lever 34 rotates clockwise.

In the above embodiment, the transport path in the sorter has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this.
The present invention can be applied to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a general sheet-like carrier path.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Engagement portions are provided on both sides of the first guide plate that constitutes the sheet-like conveying path, and the second guide plate is rotatable in a plane parallel to the outer surface of the second guide plate and is engaged with the engaged portion. Since the engaging portion is provided with a lever that can be engaged and the lever is rotated to engage the engaged portion of the first guide plate, the opening and closing of the second guide plate with respect to the first guide plate is performed. The mechanism is simple and compact.

Further, since the pivot shaft of the lever is provided on the outer surface of the second guide plate at substantially the center position on both sides of the first guide plate, the distance from the fulcrum of the lever to the point of action is set. Is shortened, and the opening / closing mechanism can be made smaller.
Also, the strength of the lever can be reduced, and the weight and cost of the opening / closing mechanism can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an opening / closing mechanism of a sheet-like material conveying path according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view on arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing another opening / closing mechanism of the sheet-shaped material conveying path according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of the other opening / closing mechanism. (A)
3B is a view from the arrow B of FIG. 3, and FIG. 3B is a view from the arrow C of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a sorter provided with an opening / closing mechanism for a sheet-shaped material conveying path according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional opening / closing mechanism for a sheet-shaped material conveying path. (A) shows a state in which a conveyance path is formed,
(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the conveyance path is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Sorter Main Body 2 Transfer Paper Discharging Section 3 Bin Unit 4 Bin 6 Spiral Cam 7 Grooves 8, 9, R Conveying Paths 8a, 9a Rotating Shaft 10 Conveying Roller Pair 31,60 Fixed Guide Plate (First Guide Plate) 32, 61 Movable guide plate (second guide plate) 33, 65 Rotating shaft 34, 64 Lever 35, 66 Operating part 36 Spring 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b, 60a, 60b, 6
1a, 61b Side plate portion 62, 62 ', 312, 313 Engagement portion 63, 63', 321, 322 oblong hole

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Nagai 1-22 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Nobukazu Otsuka 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. In-company (72) Inventor Takatoshi Nishimura 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ken-ichi Honda 4-chome, Sachi-cho, Sachi-ku, Kawasaki (72) Inventor Tajima Shoichiro 2 at 3481 Kamizuruma, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture (72) Inventor Keiichi Asano 7-14-10 Higashi Oizumi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first guide plate and a first guide plate are disposed so as to face the first guide plate with a predetermined gap therebetween and are movable in a direction away from the first guide plate. In a sheet-shaped conveying path including the second guide plate, the engaged portions provided on both sides of the first guide plate are parallel to the outer surface of the second guide plate. An opening / closing mechanism for a conveyance path of a sheet-shaped body, comprising a lever that is rotatably provided in a plane and that engages with the engaged portion. 2. The rotating shaft of the lever is provided on the outer surface of the second guide plate at substantially the center of both sides of the first guide plate. Opening / closing mechanism for the sheet-like material conveyance path.