JP4445342B2 - Sheet alignment apparatus and sheet post-processing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to various sheet handling apparatuses such as a printer, a printing machine, and a copying machine, in which sheets are predetermined on a sheet stacking tray such as a stack tray for stacking and storing sheets or an intermediate tray for temporarily stacking sheets in a conveyance path. The present invention relates to a sheet aligning apparatus that aligns and aligns the positions, and a sheet post-processing apparatus including the sheet aligning apparatus.

  In general, this type of sheet aligning apparatus aligns a sheet carried out from a sheet discharge port of an image forming apparatus or the like and stored on the tray or a sheet placed on a stacking tray provided in a sheet transport path at a predetermined reference position ( It is widely known as an aligning device. Such an aligning device is correct when the sheet is fed, or when a predetermined number of sheets are stapled, for example, when a predetermined position of the image-formed sheet is punched, stamped, or the like. It is used for the purpose of aligning the posture.

  Conventionally, as this type of aligning device, a rotating body such as a roller or a belt that comes into contact with the sheet is provided on the tray on which the sheet is placed, and the rotating body is rotated so that the sheet on the tray is abutted against a reference position regulating member. Aligning alignment rollers (belts) are known. The aligning roller is made of a material and a structure that are softly in contact with the sheet such as a sponge roller and a caterpillar belt so that the sheet is not wrinkled. The trays on which the sheets are placed are selected depending on the purpose of the alignment, in which a plurality of sheets are sequentially stacked and held in a bundle, or only one is held.

Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-128328) supports a corner portion of a sheet stored in a stack tray from a discharge port of an image forming apparatus by a mounting tray, and an endless caterpillar on the mounting tray. A belt is arranged, and this caterpillar belt is used to bring a sheet to a reference position. The caterpillar belt of the same document is supported so that the base end is supported by the apparatus frame and the front end moves up and down to a position where it comes into contact with the sheet on the tray and a position away from it. A structure is disclosed in which when the sheet is unloaded, the sheet is retracted upward from the sheet path and waits, and after the sheet is unloaded, the uppermost sheet is lowered.
JP 2003-128328 A

However, when the sheet on the stacking tray is pressed against the regulating member at a predetermined position by a rotating member such as a belt that swings up and down as in Patent Document 1 to be aligned, the sheet is pressed against the sheet when strongly pressed by the rotating member. Wrinkles or ear folds occur, and conversely, if pressed weakly, the skewed sheet does not align correctly with the regulating member, resulting in a problem of unevenness.
The present invention, wrinkles on the sheet by moving the rotary member for applying a conveying force to the sheet along the sheet on the tray to the reference position side at the same time as the rotation at the time of aligning the sheets on the tray to the reference position It occurs, or without prejudice, and its object to provide a sheet aligning apparatus capable of aligning neatly in place.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, when only the corner portion of the sheet stored in the stack tray from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus or the like is supported by the mounting tray for the post-processing, the entire sheet can be neatly arranged on the tray. Providing a sheet post-processing apparatus is also an issue.

The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
A placement tray (3) that is disposed below the discharge port and sequentially stacks sheets, a regulating member (alignment reference plate 6 to be described later) that regulates sheet side edges on the placement tray, and the placement tray described above the sheet Ru and an aligning means (5) for aligned abutment with the regulating member. And said aligning means comprises rotary member for applying a conveying force to the sheet and (alignment belt 50 to be described later), the rotary member, and an operating position located in the transport-out path of the sheets conveyed from the sheet discharge outlet this out supporting means (the cam groove 80 and the crank arm 70 to be described later), a driving means for moving the retracted position from the operating position to the rotation and simultaneous the rotating member for movably supported between a retracted position retracted from the path (The drive motor 10 to be described later), and the support means moves the rotating member from the operating position to the retracted position when the rotating member is on the same plane on the sheet of the placing tray. in sliding and supports to move, to the matching abutment on the regulating member of the sheet on the tray in movement from the working position to the retracted position of the rotary member.

In addition, the distance between the operating position of the rotating member and the retracted position is set larger than the distance between the side edge of the sheet carried out from the paper discharge port on the placing tray and the regulating member. The support means moves the rotating member by its own weight from a position spaced upward from the sheet at the operating position to a position in contact with the sheet, and slides on the mounting tray from the operating position to the retracted position. And support to move. Then, comprising a cam means for controlling the movement of said rotating member between a retracted position and the actuated position, the cam means, when the rotating member is moved to said operative position from the retracted position, the rotary member After the guide to the position away from the sheet above the placing tray, the guide is guided to move to the position in contact with the sheet by the weight of the rotating member .

The drive means is composed of a drive motor and a first transmission means and a second transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the drive motor to the rotation member , and the first transmission means rotates the drive motor. said rotating member is driven transmission to rotate, the second transmission member is a drive transmission to the rotation of the drive motor the rotating member reciprocates between a retracted position and an operating position, the second The transmission means includes a crank mechanism that converts the rotation of the drive motor into a reciprocating motion. Further, after the rotation member is driven to rotate by the first transmission means at the operating position, the rotation member is moved to the second position. Control means for moving from the operating position to the retracted position by the transmission means is provided.

And a post-processing means for performing post-processing on the sheet on the tray, and a matching means for matching the sheet on the tray at a predetermined position of the post-processing means, said driving means capable forward reverse rotation The post-processing means is constituted by a motor, and is movably supported between an operating position for performing post-processing on the sheet on the mounting tray and a retracted position retracted from the mounting tray, and the forward direction of the drive motor connected to the third transmission means to move said post-processing means in rotation, configured to transmit the driving to the first and second transmission means in the reverse direction rotation of the drive motor.

The present invention is a sheet regulating member side when moving to the retracted position the rotating member at the same time as a matching means for matching the sheets on the tray by rotating member for applying a conveying force to the sheet along the tray since is obtained so as to move the centering, the sheet on the tray is abutted to the regulating member by the conveying force of the rotating member and the conveying force imparted by the rotation of the rotating member is applied when moving Because it is matched, it is matched to an accurate posture. At the same time, the rotating member and the sheet can be easily slidably engaged with each other with a weak force, and the sheet is not damaged such as wrinkles or ear folds. Accordingly, orderly processing can be performed in a post-processing apparatus such as aligning sheets that are discharged by an image forming apparatus or the like and binding them together.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a general image forming apparatus. FIG. 1A is an external perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a layout explanatory diagram showing a laser printing system as an image forming unit. In FIG. 1B, the image forming apparatus 211 is appropriately provided with a plurality of stages of paper feed cassettes 200 in a casing, and each paper feed cassette 200 is provided with a paper feed roller 201 for feeding stored sheets one by one. Various sizes of paper are selectively supplied to registration rollers 202 provided in the printing unit.

  The printing unit includes a drum 203 that forms an electrostatic latent image, a laser head 205 that forms an image on the drum 203, a developing device 204 that attaches toner ink to the latent image on the drum 203, and ink on the drum 203. And a charge 212 transferred to the sheet. The laser head 205 is connected to an image forming unit 206 that converts image information into laser light. The image forming unit 206 is connected to an image memory means 207 sent from a computer or a scanner device.

  Accordingly, the sheet from each sheet feeding cassette 200 is sent to the registration roller 202, and at the same time, toner ink is attached to a predetermined latent image on the drum 203, and the ink is transferred onto the sheet by the charge 212. The transferred sheet is heated and fixed by the fixing device 208 and stored in the stack tray 210 from the paper discharge roller 209. As an image forming apparatus having such a structure, various types such as a dot impact head and a silk screen drum are known in addition to the case where the printing unit is constituted by an ink jet head, and any of them can be employed in the present invention.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view of such an image forming apparatus. A sheet feeding cassette 200 is configured so that units 102 and 103 can be stacked and added sequentially to the lower part of the printer main body 100. Reference numeral 200 is built in the printer main body 100. 110 is a control panel, 210 is a stack tray, 106 is a paper discharge port, and 209 is a paper discharge roller.

  In order to perform post-processing such as stapling on the sheets sequentially discharged from the paper discharge roller 209 in the above general image forming apparatus, the following structure is adopted. In the corner portion of the paper discharge port 106, corner support means 3 that supports the corner of the sheet at the step portion between the paper discharge port 106 and the stack tray 210, and post-processing is performed on the sheet supported by the corner support means 3. The post-processing means 1 to be applied, the aligning means 5 for aligning sheets to a predetermined position (posture) of the post-processing means 1, and the sheet end support means 130 for supporting the sheet rear edge on the stack tray 210 are arranged. .

  FIG. 2 is a view in which a sheet end support means 130, which will be described later, is arranged at the paper discharge port 106 of the printer apparatus described above. A step is formed in the paper discharge port 106 where the paper discharge roller 107 is arranged, and the attachment port 112 is formed. The sheet end support means 130 is provided in the attachment port 112 so as to be able to appear and retract. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram in which the post-processing unit 1 is attached to the paper discharge port 106. The post-processing unit 1 includes a stapler 2, and 120 illustrated in FIG. Opening / closing lid for needle replacement. Then, the post-processing unit 1 aligns the stapler 2 (to be described later), the placement tray 3 (corner support means) for temporarily placing and holding the sheet from the discharge port 106, and the sheet on the tray. Means 5 are provided. Therefore, post-processing is performed on the placement tray 3 (corner support means) for stacking and supporting the sheets, the alignment means 5 for aligning the sheets on the placement tray 3 at a predetermined position, and the sheets aligned on the placement tray. Each structure of the post-processing means 1 will be described sequentially.

[Composition of corner support means]
A height difference (drop) is provided between the sheet discharge port 106 of the image forming apparatus 211 and the stack tray 210 disposed below the sheet discharge port 106, and the discharged sheets remain in the discharge posture. The sheets are stacked on the tray by free fall due to gravity, and the path of the subsequently discharged sheet is secured. The sheet on which the image is formed is sequentially discharged from the paper discharge roller 209 of the paper discharge port 106 onto the tray and stacked. The illustrated image forming apparatus 211 is set so that sheets of different sizes are discharged from the paper discharge outlet 106 with reference to the one side edge thereof, so as to be carried out with reference to the right side of FIG.

  Therefore, a placement tray 3 (hereinafter referred to as corner support means) for temporarily placing sheets is provided at a portion of the stack tray 210 located at the sheet corner (ear portion). The corner support means 3 forms a level difference between the sheet discharge port 106 and the stack tray 210, and places and supports the ears (corner portion) of the sheet at the height position where the sheets are stacked. Constitute.

  The illustrated corner support means 3 is formed of a flat plate-like member, and is supported on a unit frame 300, which will be described later, by a rotating shaft 32 that supports the plate-like member so as to be rotatable, and rotates about the rotating shaft 32. I have to do it. In the illustrated corner support means 3, a semicircular plate-like member is disposed at a corner portion that is higher than the maximum stack height of the stack tray 210 in the vicinity of the discharge outlet and lower than the discharge outlet, and is discharged from the discharge outlet 106. A sheet support surface 3 a is formed on a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the sheet and the stacking plane of the stack tray 210. Then, by turning around the rotation shaft 32, an operation is made to be able to place and support the ear portion (corner portion) of the sheet that falls in phase and overlaps with the movement path of the sheet from the discharge port 106 to the stack tray 210. It is configured to be movable between a position (state shown in FIG. 4) and a retracted position (state shown in FIG. 8) that is out of phase with respect to the stacking plane of the stack tray 210.

  Accordingly, the corner support means 3 is selected as an operation position for placing and supporting the corner portion of the sheet from the discharge port 106 in the sheet carry-in path on the stack tray 210 and a retreat position retracted from the stack tray 210. Will be located. In addition, the operating position and the retracted position are formed in a plane substantially parallel to the plane from which the sheet is carried out from the sheet discharge port 106 and in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction (FIG. 3). (See (c)). As described above, the plane of movement between the operating position and the retracted position of the corner support means 3 is set to be substantially parallel to the plane where the sheet is carried out and substantially perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction, whereby the sheet is discharged from the discharge port 106. This is because there is no interference with the mechanical components such as the discharged paper discharge roller 209 and the sheets accumulated on the stack tray 210, and the required space for movement is minimized and the apparatus can be further downsized.

  The corner support means 3 for supporting the stepler 2 and the corner of the sheet has an operation position and a retracted position in a plane substantially parallel to a plane from which the sheet is carried out from the sheet discharge port 106, and moves between them. Freely configured. 6 to 9 show a configuration for moving between the operating position and the retracted position. 6 and 7 show a state in which the stapler 2 and the corner support means 3 are in the operating position. A configuration that moves forward and backward from this position to the retracted position of FIGS. 8 and 9 will be described below.

  The unit frame 300 has a built-in configuration including a corner support means 3 for supporting the stapler 2 which is an element of the post-processing mechanism and a corner of the sheet, an alignment means 5 which will be described later, and a drive motor 10 including a stepping motor including the drive mechanism. An alignment reference plate 6 and slider frames 7 and 8, which will be described later, are formed on the wall of the unit frame 300. The unit frame 300 is configured as an independent unit separated from the stack tray 210, and is attached as an option to the paper discharge port 106 of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to select whether or not to equip this unit according to the use of the user.

  The drive motor 10 attached to the unit frame 300 is a drive means for moving the stapler 2 and the corner support means 3 from the operating position to the retracted position. A motor pulley 12 is fixed to the motor shaft 11. is there. A transmission belt 13 connects the motor pulley 12 and a shaft gear 14 attached to one end of a drive shaft 15 that transmits driving for moving the stapler 2. The drive shaft 15 is rotatably supported by slider frames 7 and 8 erected from the unit frame 300. A moving arm 16 is attached to the drive shaft 15 at a position opposite to the shaft gear 14 via a drive shaft 15 and a one-way clutch 16ow. The arm engaging portion 17 at the tip of the moving arm 16 is fitted and engaged in a long groove of an engaging block 26 provided on the upper portion of the stapler 2.

  On the other hand, the stapler 2 is moved to the guide rails 21 and 22 which are second support means fixed to the unit frame 300 via the support blocks 23 and 25, and the retracted position from the operation position. It is supported so as to be linearly movable between the retracted positions. In addition, return springs 18 and 19 for urging the stapler 2 to the operation position side are arranged on the guide rails 21 and 22 between the unit frame 300 and the back surface of the stapler 2. Further, a staple rack (spur gear) 27 that is fixed to the slider frames 7 and 8 and moves integrally is provided on the side 2a of the stapler 2 on the slider frame side. A pinion gear 34 is rotatably supported by the staple rack 27 on a pinion gear support shaft 35 planted in the unit frame 300. The corner support member drive gear 31 is integral with the corner support means 3 and is the rotation center of the corner support means 3 and is engaged with the pinion gear 34.

[Configuration of post-processing means]
The unit frame 300 that supports the corner support means 3 is provided with the post-processing means 1 that performs post-processing on the sheet on the corner support means 3. The illustrated post-processing means 1 shows a staple unit (hereinafter referred to as a stapler), and its configuration will be described.

  The stapler 2 has a head portion 28 for folding staple needles built in a normal configuration into a U-shape and press-fitting into the sheet bundle, an anvil portion 29 for bending the tip of the needle press-fitted into the sheet bundle, and the anvil portion 29. On the other hand, it is composed of a unit in which a drive cam for pressing and moving the head portion 28 and a drive motor are integrated. The post-processing means 1 including the stapler 2 having such a structure is attached to the unit frame 300 so as to be movable between an operating position on the stack tray 210 and a retracted position retracted.

  The operating position is set to a position where the sheet placed on the corner support means 3 is subjected to post-processing, and the illustrated position is inclined by 45 degrees to the corner of the sheet and is stapled. The stapler is positioned so as to be inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the supported sheet. Similarly, the retracted position is set at a position away from the sheet placed on the corner support means 3 as shown in FIG. In the post-processing means 1, the operating position and the retracted position are set in a substantially parallel plane having a step and a plane where the sheet is carried out from the discharge port 106, as in the corner support means 3 described above. The reason is to reduce the size of the apparatus in the same manner as the corner support means 3. In particular, the retracted position (posture shown in FIG. 8) of the post-processing means 1 faces the position of the staple cover 120 provided on the unit frame 300. This is for the purpose of maintenance of the post-processing means 1 such as replacement of the staples at the retracted position.

  Here, the operation in which the stapler 2 in the operating position in FIG. 6 reciprocates between the retracted position in FIG. 8 will be described. When the stapler 2 completes the binding process on the sheet supported at one end on the corner support means 3, a reverse rotation start signal is input to the drive motor 10. When the clockwise rotation is started in FIG. 7 of this embodiment, this rotation is transmitted to the shaft gear 14 of the drive shaft 15 through the motor pulley 12 and the transmission belt 13.

  Due to the clockwise rotation of the drive shaft 15, the moving arm 16 is also rotated in the direction of arrow r in FIG. 7, and the arm engaging portion 17 at the tip of the moving arm 16 is an engaging block 26 provided on the upper portion of the stapler 2. A pressing force is applied to the wall of the long groove. By this pressing force, the stapler 2 is retracted and guided by the guide rails 21 and 22 as the second support means to the retracted position of the stapler 2 in FIG. A one-way clutch 16ow is provided between the drive shaft 15 and the movable arm 16, and the drive is transmitted only when the drive motor 10 rotates clockwise in FIG. That is, the one-way clutch 16ow is set so as to transmit the drive only when the stapler 2 is retracted to the retracted position.

By the way, a stapler rack 27 is fixed to the side of the stapler 2, and as the stapler 2 moves to the retracted position, the pinion gear 34 that meshes with the stapler 27 also rotates and engages therewith. The corner support member drive gear 31 is rotated. Accordingly, in FIG. 6, the corner support means 3 fixed thereto is also rotated in the counterclockwise direction around the rotating shaft 32 and rotated to the retracted position in FIG. In this way, the straight movement of the stapler 2 is converted into the rotation operation of the corner support means 3 by the rack and pinion mechanism.
By this conversion, the amount of movement between the operating position and the retracted position is set larger than the stapler 2 and the aligning means 5 described later, and the amount of movement between the operating position of the corner support means 3 and the retracted position is set larger. Is possible.

  That is, when the drive motor 10 is driven to rotate counterclockwise as viewed from the output shaft, both the stapler 2 and the corner support means 3 interlockingly engaged therewith are retracted to the retracted position shown in FIG. Become. Since the drive motor 10 uses a stepping motor, if the drive motor 10 is excited and locked at the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the corner support means 3 that is engaged with the stapler 2 at this retracted position. Is fixed.

  On the other hand, when the power is turned off to unlock the drive motor 10, the stapler 2 is moved by the elastic force of the return springs 18 and 19 provided between the unit frame 300 and the back surface of the stapler 2. 6 will return to the operating position. Further, this stepler 2 and the corner support means 3 interlockingly engaged therewith are also rotated in the returning direction and are positioned at the operation position capable of supporting the corner of the seat of FIG. At this time, the drive motor 10 can be rotated clockwise as viewed from the output shaft to return the stapler 2 to the operating position shown in FIG. However, in this case, since the one-way clutch 16ow is used, the driving force of the driving motor 10 is not transmitted, and the rotation of the moving arm 16 is allowed by the amount of rotation of the driving motor 10, and the stepping force is applied by the urging forces of the return springs 18 and 19. Move to the operating position of That is, the movement by the urging force of the return springs 18 and 19 is controlled by the rotational braking force of the drive motor 10 to enable smooth operation.

  In the above embodiment, the drive of the drive motor 10 is transmitted from the stapler 2 to the corner support means 3. However, the drive from the drive motor 10 is transmitted to the corner support means 3 first through appropriate gear means. Then, the stapler 2 may be moved. In any case, the reciprocating motion between the operating position and the retracted position can be performed by the single drive motor 10.

[Configuration of matching means]
The aforementioned corner support means 3 is provided with alignment means (hereinafter referred to as alignment means 5) for aligning the placed sheets for post-processing. The aligning means 5 moves between a rotating body 50 such as a belt and a roller that applies a conveying force to a sheet placed on the corner support, and an operating position where the rotating body is positioned on the corner support and a retracted position where the rotating body is retracted from the rotating position. Supporting means (a cam groove 80 and a crank arm 70 described later) for supporting the rotating body and driving means for moving the rotating body are provided.

First, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the aligning means 5 is configured such that an aligning belt 50 (same as a rotating body) is bridged between first and second opposing brackets 53 and 54 and a drive shaft 48a and a driven pulley shaft 51b are bridged. It is. A drive motor 10 (drive means) is connected to the drive shaft 48a by a gear. In this gear transmission, a first gear 42 and a second gear 43 are supported by a gear support arm 44 forming a link, and a third gear 45 and a drive gear 46 are supported by a gear support arm 47. This is because the drive shaft 48a reciprocates back and forth by a crank mechanism, which will be described later, and the rotation of the drive shaft 15 of the drive motor 10 fixed to the frame is transmitted to the drive shaft 48a by a gear train. Each gear is attached to the arms 44 and 47.
Therefore, a belt transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the drive motor 10 fixed to the frame to the drive shaft 48a that reciprocates within a predetermined range may be used.

  In the aligning means, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the positional relationship between the sheet side edge carried out from the sheet discharge port onto the placing tray and the regulating member is as follows. The operating position and retracted position of the rotating body with respect to the distance (L1) between the side edge of the sheet carried out from the sheet discharge port onto the loading tray and the regulating member (side edge regulating member in the figure). (L2) is set to L1 <L2.

  10 and 11 show the aligning means 5 for aligning the sheets by shifting the sheet placed on the corner support means 3 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 to the aligning reference plate 6 serving as the aligning reference position. It is explanatory drawing about this drive structure. The drive of the drive motor 10 is configured to be transmitted to the drive shaft 15 by the transmission belt 13. A central gear 41 is attached to the drive shaft 15 between the slider frame 7 and the slider frame 8 that support the drive shaft 15. The driving of the central gear 41 is transmitted to the driving gear 46 through the first gear 42, the second gear 43, and the third gear 45 as shown in FIG. The central gear 41, the first gear 42, and the second gear 43 are rotatably supported by a gear support arm 44 that is loosely fitted to the drive shaft 15. The second gear 43, the third gear 45, and the drive gear 46 are rotatably supported by the gear support arm 47.

  By the way, as will be described later, even if the drive gear 46 moves back and forth in the belt drive shaft guide holes 7c and 8c and the drive gear 46 moves, the drive gear 46 is moved to the gear support arms 44 and 47. Since it is supported, the gears are not disengaged from each other. Accordingly, the rotational drive of the drive shaft 15 is transmitted to the drive gear 46 and rotationally drives the belt drive pulley 48 provided at one end of the belt drive shaft 48a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of the alignment means 5 is well shown, and the belt drive shaft 48 a supports the first bracket 53 and the second bracket 54 that are supported with the belt drive pulley 48 interposed therebetween. The first bracket 53 and the second bracket 54 have an alignment belt cover 52 that covers the upper surface of the alignment belt 50. This alignment belt cover 52 is for preventing the next sheet from coming into contact with the alignment belt 50 when the next sheet is carried in while aligning the sheet below the alignment belt 50. By doing so, the sheet can be prevented from being damaged or broken. The first bracket 53 and the second bracket 54 support the driven pulley shaft 51b of the belt driven pulley 51 on the opposite side of the belt drive shaft 48a.

  As described above, the alignment means (the above-described alignment belt) is supported by the third support means so as to reciprocate between the operating position and the retracted position. The third support means includes a belt drive shaft 48a, a crank arm 70, and a cam groove 80. The operation will be described. When the motor shaft 11 of the drive motor 10 rotates clockwise as viewed from the output shaft, the drive shaft 15 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 11 and the central gear 41 fixed to the drive shaft 15 is provided. From the first gear 42, the second gear 43, and the third gear 45, the drive gear 46 is transmitted so as to rotate counterclockwise. The belt drive shaft 48 a is also rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 46 and transmitted to the belt drive pulley 48.

  The counterclockwise rotation of the drive gear 46 rotates the alignment belt 50 stretched around the belt drive pulley 48 and the belt driven pulley 51 in the counterclockwise direction. When the alignment belt 50 comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet, the sheet moves toward the alignment reference plate 6 and is abutted against the alignment reference plate 6 to be aligned. The driving of the alignment belt 50 is also transmitted from a single drive motor 10 that moves the stapler 2 and the corner support means 3.

[Reciprocating drive configuration between alignment belt retracted position and aligned position]
As will be described later, the aligning means 5 includes an operating position for aligning the sheet, a retracted position retracted from the operating position, and a raised position provided above the seat and provided between the retracted position and the operating position. Moving. Hereinafter, this moving configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the aligning means 5 has a belt drive shaft 48a disposed between the slider frame 7 on the motor side and the slider frame 8 on the stapler side, and the slider front connecting pin 61 and the slider rear connecting pin. 64 is fixedly supported by the slider 60 connected by 64. The slider 60 is supported by a slider rail a 62 and a slider rail b 63 between the slider frame 7 on the motor side and the slider frame 8 on the stapler side so as to be movable back and forth. The slider rear connecting pin 64 of the slider 60 is provided with a crank lever 72 that is disposed between the slider frame 7 on the motor side and the slider frame 8 on the stapler side and connects the rotating crank arm 70. Accordingly, when the crank arm 70 is rotationally driven by a drive system which will be described later, the crank lever 72 is converted into a back-and-forth motion, and the slider 60 is also supported by the slider rail a62 and the slider rail b63 and moved back and forth accordingly.

  By the way, the rotational drive of the crank arm 70 is performed from the following configuration. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the motor pulley 12 attached to the motor shaft 11 of the drive motor 10 is transmitted to the crank transmission gear 65 of the drive shaft 15 via the transmission belt 13. The crank transmission gear 65 is attached via a one-way clutch (not shown) so as to rotate only when the drive shaft 15 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. The crank transmission gear 65 is geared to the intermediate transmission gear 66. The intermediate transmission gear 66 is gear-coupled to an intermittent gear 67 that rotates integrally with a crankshaft 71 fixed to the crank arm 70. Therefore, when the intermittent gear 67 is engaged with the intermediate gear 66, the rotational drive of the drive motor 10 is transmitted, the crank arm 70 is rotated, and the slider 60 is moved.

  Here, the intermittent drive of the intermittent gear 67 will be described with reference to FIGS. The crankshaft 71 is fixedly provided with an intermittent gear 67 and an eccentric cam 92 and a locking cam 99 for starting engagement of the intermittent gear 67 with the intermediate gear 66. The eccentric cam 92 is provided with a cam biasing lever 96 that is pivotally supported at an appropriate position via a lever fulcrum. A lever spring 98 for urging the cam urging lever 96 is provided at one end of the lever to apply an urging force for initially rotating the cam counterclockwise.

  FIG. 20 shows a state where the solenoid gear 90 is locked at a predetermined position of the intermittent gear 67. In this state, the intermittent gear 67 is not meshed with the intermediate gear 66, and the crank arm 70 is not rotating. In this state, the urging force of the cam urging lever 96 acts on the cam inclined portion a93 of the eccentric cam 92. Therefore, the intermittent gear 67 is always given a force to rotate counterclockwise. Here, when the movement signal of the aligning means 5 is input to the solenoid 91, the solenoid 91 performs a suction operation, and the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99 as shown in FIG. When the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99, the eccentric cam 92 is rotated counterclockwise by the cam biasing lever 96. By this rotation, the tip of the intermittent gear 67 meshes with the intermediate transmission gear 66. Due to this meshing, the intermittent gear 67 starts to rotate, the crank arm 70 also starts to rotate, and the aligning means 5 also performs the longitudinal operation accordingly. In the present embodiment, tooth missing portions are provided at two locations of the intermittent gear 67 in order to set the stop position of the aligning means 5.

  As described above, the drive motor 10 is composed of a stepping motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. The rotation of the drive motor 10 is transmitted to the alignment belt by the first transmission means, and the alignment is performed by the second transmission means. Power for reciprocating the belt between the operating position and the retracted position is transmitted, and power for moving the post-processing unit (stepler) from the operating position to the retracted position by the third transmission means by the reverse rotation of the drive motor 10 Will be transmitted. The first transmission means is constituted by the gear transmission train gears 42, 43, 45, and 46, the second transmission means is constituted by the crank arm 70, and the third transmission means is constituted by the one-way clutch. 16, the arm engaging part 17, and the engaging block 26 will comprise.

[Positioning cam configuration of alignment means 5]
Next, as will be described later, the alignment unit 5 aligns the sheet, an evacuation position retracted from the operation position, and a lift position provided between the retracted position and the operation position and positioned above the sheet. The moving configuration will be described.

  As described above, the slider 60 moves forward / backward with the rotation of the crank arm 70, and the aligning means 5 also moves forward / backward along with this. The aligning means 5 moves up and down as described later by this forward / backward movement. The sheet is moved between the retracted position and the sheet retracting position. The movement between the respective positions is provided in the cam groove 80 provided in the side plate of the slider frame 8 on the stapler side of the slider frames 7 and 8 holding the slider 60 and the second bracket 54 of the aligning means 5. This is done by the engaging pin 56 that fits into the groove 80. That is, the engaging pin 56 is guided in the cam groove 80, and the position and inclination of the alignment means 5 are determined.

  Here, the cam groove 80 provided on the side plate of the slider frame 8 on the stapler side will be described. The cam groove 80 has a cam retaining groove 84 having a width substantially equal to the engagement pin 56 at one end and the other end at the other end. A cam free groove 86 in which the engagement pin 56 can freely move, a cam lower surface groove 87 that determines the lowest end position of the engagement pin 56, and a cam that raises the engagement pin 56 from the cam lower surface groove 87 to the cam retaining groove 84. It consists of a rising wall 83.

  These cam grooves are composed of a cam outer wall 81 that defines the outer periphery and a cam inner wall 82 that restricts the inner movement of the engagement pin 56, and is formed at the junction between the cam rising wall 83 and the cam retaining groove 84. A change flapper 85 that restricts the movement of the engagement pin 56 is provided. The change flapper 85 is always urged in a direction (clockwise in the figure) to close the cam ascending wall 83, and when the engagement pin 56 moves from the cam retaining groove 84 toward the cam free groove 86, 56 prevents the cam rising wall 83 from falling, and conversely, the engaging pin 56 allows the cam retaining wall 84 to move from the cam raising wall 83 side.

[Explanation of operation of matching means] (See FIGS. 12 and 13)
FIGS. 12 and 13 show a state before the sheet is delivered, in which the sheet is not discharged onto the corner support means 3, and the alignment means 5 is located at the retreat position farthest from the corner support means 3. In this state, the slider 60 is located on the rightmost side as shown. The engaging pin 56 is also located at the right end of the cam retaining groove 84. In this state, the intermittent gear 67 is in a state where the solenoid arm 90 locks the locking cam 99 and does not mesh with the intermediate transmission gear 66 as already described with reference to FIG.

  Next, when a sheet alignment start signal is input after the sheet is discharged onto the corner support means 3, the solenoid 91 is energized, the solenoid arm 90 is disengaged from the locking cam 99, and the intermittent gear 67 is connected to the intermediate transmission gear 66. Mesh. As a result, the crankshaft 71 and the crank lever 72 start rotating, and the slider 60 moves to the left side in the figure (see FIGS. 14 and 15). As a result, the belt drive shaft 48a supported by the slider 60 also moves to the left in the figure. At that time, the engagement pin 56 attached to the second bracket 54 moves past the cam retaining groove 84 on the left side of the drawing over the bias flapper 85. The state of FIG. 15 shows a state in which the aligning means 5 is positioned at the uppermost position with respect to the carry-in sheet on the corner support means 3. In this embodiment, the distance between the matching means 5 and the corner support means 3 is set to about 40 degrees. This angle enables the aligning means 5 to contact the carry-in sheet from above the sheet even if the carry-in sheet is slightly curled.

  By the way, when the engagement pin 56 further moves to the left side and passes the illustrated left end of the cam inner wall 82, the engagement pin 56 is configured to drop and move toward the cam lower surface groove 87 due to its own weight. This is because the sheet contact position of the alignment belt 50 is variable and the contact pressure is most appropriately secured when several sheets already aligned are placed on the corner support means 3. If the contact pressure is too low, it is possible to adjust the contact pressure by adding a weight (not shown) to the matching means 5. By being configured so as to drop and move toward the cam lower surface groove 87 by the weight of the aligning means 5, an appropriate contact pressure is adjusted without being affected even if the mounting amount on the corner support means 3 fluctuates. can do.

[Alignment start position]
The engagement pin 56 of the aligning means 5 moves further to the left in the figure on the left end of the cam inner wall 82, and the aligning means 5 falls by its own weight and is in contact with the seat of the corner support means 3 by its own weight. That is, in this state, the aligning means 5 is pivotally supported only by the belt drive shaft 48a, so that it can rotate about the belt drive shaft 48a as a fulcrum in the upward direction of the drawing and is in contact with the sheet by its own weight. (See FIGS. 16 and 17). In this state, the intermediate transmission gear 66 and the intermittent gear 67 are disengaged. For this reason, the alignment means 5 is stopped from moving in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the alignment belt 50 can be driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, the sheet can be aligned in the alignment reference direction in a state where movement in the front-rear direction is stopped.

  When the alignment operation by the alignment belt 50 of the alignment means 5 for a predetermined time is performed, the solenoid 91 is energized again, and the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99. Due to this separation, the intermittent gear 67 meshes with the intermediate transmission gear 66 again. By this engagement, the crank arm 70 starts to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. By this rotation, the slider 60 moves to the right side in the figure, and thereby the alignment means 5 also moves to the right side in the figure (see FIGS. 18 and 19).

  By this movement, the engagement pin 56 is also moved to the right side in the drawing, the cam raising wall 83 is raised from the cam lower surface groove 87, the change flapper 85 at the upper end of the cam raising wall 83 is pushed up, and the right end position of the cam holding groove 84 is further increased. Move up. When the cam holding groove 84 is moved to the right end position, the cam holding groove 84 returns to the retracted (home) position shown in FIGS. In this state, it waits for the next sheet to be carried in, and when it is carried in, the operations shown in FIGS.

  In the above-described embodiment, the drive motor also has two operations, the rotational drive of the aligning means 5 in the belt aligning direction and the forward / backward movement of the slider 60 that supports the aligning means 5 and moves forward and backward. This is done by 10 single drives. In addition, the backward movement of the stapler 2 and the corner support means 3 to the retracted position is also transmitted from the drive motor 10. Two operations, that is, the rotational driving of the aligning means 5 in the belt aligning direction and the forward / backward movement of the slider 60 that supports the aligning means 5 and moves forward and backward, may be constituted by separate drive motors. good.

[Configuration of sheet end support means]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 3, 22, and 23, in the present embodiment, a sheet end support means 130 that supports a sheet discharged from the main body apparatus along with the corner support means 3 in the sheet width direction. It has. When there is a difference in height between the sheet support surface 3a of the corner support means 3 and the stack tray bottom 109 near the paper discharge port, the sheet support section 130 is provided to stably support the sheet on the corner support means 3. be able to. If there is not much difference in height, the sheet end support means 130 may not be arranged.

  The sheet end support means 130 includes an auxiliary lever unit 131 that moves between a position for supporting the sheet and a retracted position retracted from the support position, an outer frame 134 for supporting the sheet end support means 130, and an outer frame. 134 has an outer frame fixing pin 137 rotatably supported. The operation position and the retreat position, which are the sheet support positions of the sheet end support means 130, are set in a substantially parallel plane having a level difference with the plane where the sheet is carried out from the sheet discharge port 106. The reason is the corner support. This is to reduce the size of the apparatus in the same way as the means 3.

  Inside the outer frame 134, a moving frame 135 that is always urged and connected to one side by a return spring 136 is housed. Further, a moving frame rack 139 is provided near the outer frame fixing pin 137 of the auxiliary lever unit 131 of the moving frame 135.

  On the other hand, an auxiliary lever pinion 138 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer frame fixing pin 137 of the auxiliary lever unit 131 and meshes with the moving frame rack 139. Accordingly, when the moving frame 135 moves, the moving frame rack 139 also moves, and the auxiliary lever pinion 138 that meshes with the moving frame rack 139 also rotates. By this rotation, the auxiliary lever unit 131 moves between a position where the sheet is supported and a retreat position where the sheet is retracted from the support position.

  By the way, the movement of the moving frame 135 is performed by the rotational movement of the corner support means 3 as shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8. That is, the moving frame 135 is operated in an interlocking manner by the auxiliary lever support member moving engagement portion 3 b provided in the corner support means 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the corner support means 3 is in the operating position for supporting the seat, the auxiliary lever support member moving engagement portion 3b pulls the moving frame 135 to the right in the drawing. Yes. In this state, the lower surface of the sheet discharged from the apparatus main body is supported by the corner support means 3 and the two auxiliary lever units 131.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the corner support means 3 moves to the position where the sheet is dropped onto the stack tray 210, that is, the retracted position, the pulling of the moving frame 135 by the auxiliary lever support member moving engagement portion 3b is released. Is done. When this pulling is released, the moving frame 135 moves to the left side in the figure by the return force of the return spring 136 described above. By this movement, the sheet end support means 130 moves from the sheet support position to the retracted position, and the sheet loses all the support and drops and accumulates on the stack tray 210. By the way, in this embodiment, the sheet end support means 130 is also moved by the corner support means 3, so that the stapler 2, the corner support means 3, the alignment means 5 are moved back and forth, and the alignment belt 50 is moved. All the rotational drives are also transmitted from a single drive motor 10, which makes the cost extremely low.

[Explanation of operation flow]
<Initialization operation>
When the printer main body power is turned on, a staple unit operation start signal is transmitted from the main body to the post-processing means 1 (hereinafter referred to as a staple unit), and when the staple unit 1 receives it, the drive motor 10 performs normal rotation (from the output shaft) as an initialization operation. The moving arm 16 mounted via the one-way clutch 16ow is fitted and engaged in a long groove of an engagement block 26 provided on the upper portion of the stapler 2. The armature 17 is rotated by the biasing force of the return springs 18 and 19 between the unit frame 300 and the back surface of the stapler 2 via the arm engaging portion 17, thereby allowing the stapler 2 to move to the operating position.

  Further, when the alignment unit 5 is not in the retracted position when receiving the staple unit operation start signal, the solenoid 91 is energized, the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99, and the drive of the drive motor 10 is transmitted. The alignment means 5 is returned to the retracted position. At this time, the stapler 2 is moved to the operating position by the urging force of the return springs 18 and 19 between the unit frame 300 and the back surface of the stapler 2, and in conjunction with the stapler 2, the corner support means 3, the seat end The support means 130 also stands by moving to each operating position.

  The stepler 2, the corner support means 3, and the sheet end support means 130 come into contact with the positioning wall or the like, and the movement to the respective operation positions is completed. In the subsequent forward rotation of the drive motor 10, the drive shaft 15 is idled at the one-way clutch 16ow, so that the stapler 2, the corner support means 3, and the sheet end support means 130 are not affected.

<Sheet stack alignment operation>
(Preparation for alignment)
Next, when the staple unit 1 receives a sheet discharge signal from the main body, the solenoid 91 performs a suction operation for a preset time (T1), and the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99 as shown in FIG. The eccentric cam 92 is rotated counterclockwise by the biasing lever 96. By this rotation, the tip of the intermittent gear 67 meshes with the intermediate transmission gear 66. Due to this meshing, the intermittent gear 67 starts rotating, the crank arm 70 also starts rotating, and the slider 60 moves to the left side of FIGS.

  As a result, the belt drive shaft 48a supported by the slider 60 also moves to the left in the figure. Accordingly, the aligning means 5 also moves to the left side in the figure, and the engaging pin 56 attached to the second bracket 54 moves the cam retaining groove 84 of the cam groove 80 provided on the side plate of the slider frame 8 on the stapler side to the left side in the figure. After passing over the change flapper 85, the engaging pin 56 of the aligning means 5 further moves to the left on the cam inner wall 82, and the aligning means 5 is moved to the carry-in sheet on the corner support means 3 at the top dead center of the slider 60. As a result, the opening becomes the widest position (upward position) where the opening is widened, the engaging pin 56 comes off from the cam inner wall 82 and falls by its own weight, and the aligning means 5 comes into contact with the sheet of the corner support means 3. This drop position is the alignment start position of the alignment means 5.

  At this position, when the intermediate transmission gear 66 and the intermittent gear 67 are engaged, the intermittent gear 67 is in a toothless position, and the engagement is released. At this time, the locking cam 99 is locked to the solenoid arm 90 again with the eccentric cam 92 in a state where the biasing force of the cam biasing lever 96 acts on the cam inclined portion a93. For this reason, the alignment means 5 is stopped from moving in the front-rear direction, but the alignment belt 50 can be driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, the sheet can be pulled in and aligned in the alignment reference direction with the movement in the front-rear direction stopped.

<Alignment operation>
While the locking cam 99 is locked to the solenoid arm 90 and the alignment means 5 is stopped from moving in the front-rear direction, the alignment belt 50 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure for a predetermined time, and the sheet is moved against the alignment reference plate 6. Align.

<Judgment of completion of stacking a predetermined number>
It is counted whether the number of stacks set in advance has been reached.
(If the specified number of stacks has not been completed)
After the alignment operation by the alignment belt 50 for a predetermined time, the preset time (T2) is again T1> T2, the solenoid 91 performs the suction operation, the solenoid arm 90 is detached from the locking cam 99, and the cam biasing lever 96 is operated. As a result, the eccentric cam 92 rotates counterclockwise, and the intermittent gear 67 meshes with the intermediate transmission gear 66 and rotates.

  Accordingly, in FIG. 19, the crank arm 70 also starts to rotate counterclockwise in the figure, and this rotation causes the slider 60 to move to the right side in the figure, thereby moving the alignment means 5 to the right side in the figure. The engagement pin 56 also moves up the cam raising wall 83 from the cam lower surface groove 87 by the movement of the aligning means 5, pushes up the change flapper 85 at the upper end of the cam raising wall 83, and further shows the right end of the cam retaining groove 84 in FIG. Then, it moves to the retreat (home) position shown in FIG. In this state, preparation for receiving the next sheet is completed. In this state, it waits for the next sheet to be carried in, and when it is carried in, the operations shown in FIGS. Repeat until a predetermined number of stacks are completed.

(When a predetermined number of stacks are completed)
In the case of the staple mode, the staple motor is started, and the aligning means 5 aligns the sheet with the alignment reference plate 6 and performs the staple operation in a state where the sheet is pressed by its own weight on the sheet bundle. After that, the solenoid 91 performs a suction operation for a preset time, performs the same operation as the above-mentioned predetermined number stack incomplete operation, and the aligning means 5 moves to the retreat (home) position shown in FIGS. To do.

  After the aligning means 5 is moved to the retracted (home) position, when the drive motor 10 starts reverse rotation, the drive of the drive motor 10 is transmitted to the drive shaft 15 and transmitted to the moving arm 16 via the one-way clutch 16ow. . When the drive motor 10 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise as viewed from the output shaft), the one-way clutch 16ow can transmit the driving force and is engaged and engaged in the long groove of the engagement block 26 provided in the upper portion of the staple 2. The arm engaging portion 17 at the tip of the moving arm 16 rotates clockwise in FIG. 7, and the stapler 2 is illustrated while charging the return springs 18 and 19 between the unit frame 300 and the back surface of the stapler 2. Move to the right retracted position. In conjunction with the stapler 2, the corner support means 3 and the sheet end support means 130 also move to the respective retracted positions (home positions). In the non-staple mode, the same movement as the above-described staple mode operation except for the staple operation is performed.

<Falling stacking on sheet stacking stacker>
The bundle of sheets stacked by moving to the retreat position (home position) of the above-described stapler 2, corner support means 3, and sheet end support means 130 is dropped and accumulated on the stack tray 210 by the weight of the bundle of sheets, and the job is executed. Completed and enters the next job standby state. In the above-described embodiment, the placement tray has shown a corner support that supports a part of the sheets stacked on the stack tray. However, this is a configuration of an intermediate tray that temporarily places the entire sheet from the discharge port. Alternatively, a stacking tray that sequentially stacks and stores sheets may be used.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a general image forming apparatus, and shows an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a general image forming apparatus, and illustrates a layout explanatory diagram of an image forming unit. It is explanatory drawing which attached the auxiliary lever unit to the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram in which post-processing means is mounted on the apparatus of FIG. 2 and shows a state where the corner support means and the sheet end support means are in the retracted position. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram in which post-processing means is mounted on the apparatus of FIG. 2 and shows a state where the corner support means and the sheet end support means are in the operating position. It is explanatory drawing which mounted | wore the post-processing means with the apparatus of FIG. 2, and shows the operation | movement relationship between a corner support means and a post-processing means. It is a top view of the post-processing means concerning this invention. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which the post-processing means and corner support means of the apparatus of FIG. 4 exist in an operation position. It is an arrow A side view of the apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which the post-processing means and corner support means of the apparatus of FIG. 4 exist in a retracted position. It is an arrow A side view of the apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the drive structure of the alignment means based on this invention, (a) shows the top view of a drive system, (b) is a perspective view of an alignment means. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the alignment means concerning this invention, and is a top view which shows the state which has the apparatus of Fig.10 (a) in a retracted (home) position. It is explanatory drawing of the alignment means concerning this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the distance relationship between the operation position of a matching means, and a retracted position. It is arrow A side sectional drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 12, and the state which the change flapper is open is shown. It is arrow A side sectional drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 12, and the state which the change flapper has closed is shown. It is arrow A side sectional drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 12, and shows the state which a latching pin exists in a retracted position. It is a top view which shows the state which has the apparatus of Fig.10 (a) in a sheet pick-up (lifting) position. It is arrow A side sectional drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 14, (a) shows the state in which the alignment means was located in the uppermost part, (b) shows the movement in the cam retention groove of a locking pin. It is a top view which shows the state which the apparatus of Fig.10 (a) exists in an alignment start position. FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 16, wherein (a) shows a state where the aligning means is in contact with the sheet on the corner support means by its own weight, and (b) is a state where the locking pin is a cam free groove. The state which is moving inside is shown. It is a top view which shows the state which has the apparatus of Fig.10 (a) in a sheet drawing position. It is arrow A side sectional drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 18, (a) shows the state in which the alignment means exists in a sheet | seat retracting position, (b) shows the state in which a locking pin is located in the right end of a cam lower surface groove | channel. Show. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the solenoid arm has latched the intermittent gear. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the solenoid arm removed from the latching cam. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which has the sheet | seat end support means which concerns on this invention in an operation position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which has the sheet | seat end support means which concerns on this invention in a retracted position. It is an operation | movement flowchart concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Post-processing means 2 Stapler 5 Alignment means 6 Alignment reference plates 7 and 8 Slider frame 10 Drive motor 11 Motor shaft 13 Transmission belt 15 Drive shaft 16 Moving arm 16ow One-way clutch (third transmission means)
17 Arm engagement part (third transmission means)
18, 19 Return springs 21, 22 Guide rail 26 Engagement block (third transmission means)
27 Staple rack (Spur gear)
31 Corner support member drive gear 32 Rotating shaft 41 Central gear 42 First gear (first transmission means)
43 Second gear (first transmission means)
45 Third gear (first transmission means)
46 Drive gear (first transmission means)
48a Belt drive shaft 50 Alignment belt 53 First bracket 54 Second bracket 56 Engagement pin 60 Slider 67 Intermittent gear 70 Crank arm (second transmission means)
71 Crankshaft 80 Cam groove 90 Solenoid arm 91 Solenoid 92 Eccentric cam 99 Locking cam 106 Paper discharge port 130 Sheet end support means 131 Auxiliary lever unit 136 Return spring 201 Paper feed roller 209 Paper discharge roller 210 Stack tray 211 Image forming apparatus 300 Unit frame

Claims (9)

A loading tray that is disposed below the discharge port and sequentially stacks sheets;
A regulating member for regulating the sheet side edge on the loading tray;
Alignment means for abutting and aligning the sheet on the placing tray against the regulating member,
The alignment means is
A rotating member for applying a conveying force to the sheet;
Support means for movably supporting said rotary member between a retracted position retracted from the discharge path and an operating position located in the transport-out path of the unloaded seat from the discharge outlet,
Drive means for moving the rotating member from the operating position to the retracted position simultaneously with rotation;
Consisting of
The supporting means supports the rotating member so that the rotating member slides and moves on the sheet of the placing tray in the same plane when the rotating member is moved from the operating position to the retracted position.
A sheet aligning apparatus, wherein the sheet on the placing tray is abutted and aligned with the regulating member by the movement of the rotating member from the operating position to the retracted position . To the distance between said regulating member and conveyed to the sheet side edge from the discharge outlet to the placing on the tray, it is set such that the distance between the retracted position and an operating position of the rotary member is increased The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet aligning apparatus is provided. The supporting means supports the rotating member so that the rotating member moves by its own weight from a position spaced upward from the seat at the operating position to a position where the rotating member contacts the seat when the rotating member moves from the retracted position to the operating position. sheet aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that. The support means includes cam means for controlling the movement of the rotating member between the operating position and the retracted position,
The cam means, when the rotating member is moved to said operative position from said retracted position, after guiding the rotary member at a position spaced from the placement tray above the sheet, the own weight of the rotary member in a position in contact with the sheet The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet aligning apparatus guides the sheet so as to move. The drive means is composed of a drive motor and first and second transmission means for transmitting rotation of the drive motor to the rotating member ;
The first transmission means transmits the rotation of the drive motor so that the rotating member rotates,
The second transmission member transmits the rotation of the drive motor so that the rotation member reciprocates between an operating position and a retracted position;
5. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission means includes a crank mechanism that converts the rotation of the drive motor into a reciprocating motion. The drive means includes control means for driving the rotary member from the operating position to the retracted position by the second transmission means after the rotary member is rotationally driven by the first transmission means at the operating position. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein A stack tray that is disposed below the discharge port and sequentially stacks and stores sheets;
A mounting tray disposed between the paper discharge port and the stack tray for mounting a corner of the sheet;
Post-processing means for performing post-processing on the sheet on the loading tray;
A regulating member for regulating the sheet side edge on the loading tray;
Alignment means for abutting and aligning the sheet on the placing tray against the regulating member,
The alignment means is
A rotating member for applying a conveying force to the sheet;
The rotating member, and a support means for movably supported between a retracted position retracted from the discharge path and an operating position located in the transport-out path of the sheets conveyed from the sheet discharge outlet,
Drive means for moving the rotating member from the operating position to the retracted position simultaneously with rotation ;
Consisting of
The supporting means supports the rotating member so that the rotating member slides and moves on the sheet of the placing tray in the same plane when the rotating member is moved from the operating position to the retracted position.
A sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the sheet on the placing tray is abutted and aligned with the regulating member by the movement of the rotating member from the operating position to the retracted position . The drive means is composed of a drive motor and first and second transmission means for transmitting rotation of the drive motor to the rotating member ;
The first transmission means transmits the rotation of the drive motor so that the rotating member rotates,
The sheet post-processing according to claim 7, wherein the second transmission member transmits the rotation of the drive motor so that the rotation member reciprocates between an operating position and a retracted position. apparatus. The drive means is constituted by a drive motor capable of forward and reverse rotation,
The post-processing means is supported movably between an operating position for performing post-processing on the sheet on the placing tray and a retracted position retracted from the placing tray.
Connected to the third transmission means to move the post-processing means by forward rotation of the drive motor,
9. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein driving is transmitted to the first and second transmission means by reverse rotation of the driving motor.

Images