JP7484191B2 - Paper conveying device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper transport device and an image forming device.

Image forming devices that form images on paper are known. In the image forming devices, the paper stacked on a paper stacking section such as a paper output tray can become misaligned or jam due to paper being misaligned.

In particular, in a post-processing device that performs a cutting process (see FIG. 13) in which the main body cuts the paper PA on which an image has been formed in the FD direction or CD direction to create small-sized deliverables (paper) P such as business cards or cards, multiple sheets of paper P (four sheets in FIG. 13) are created per row, so the paper stacking section needs to be able to accommodate all of the sheets P. From the viewpoint of usability, the paper stacking section needs to ensure a certain degree of alignment and prevent adjacent sheets P from being mixed together. Therefore, a configuration is used in which the paper stacking section 23 is provided with a partition plate 232 for separating the sheets P in the width direction (see FIG. 14).
However, in a configuration in which the above-mentioned partition plate 232 is provided, friction occurs between the paper P and the partition plate 232 due to the paper P being biased when discharged by the paper discharge roller 22, causing the paper P to lean against something (see FIG. 15), which can result in the paper P becoming misaligned or jamming.

Therefore, a configuration has been disclosed in which ribs are provided on the partition plate in order to reduce the contact area between the paper and the partition plate and reduce frictional forces (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-124157 A

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, if the paper P is skewed, the leading edge of the paper P gets caught on the rib 233 (see FIG. 16), which causes damage to the paper P and causes it to become misaligned.

The present invention aims to provide a paper transport device and an image forming device that can improve paper discharge quality with a simple configuration.

The invention described in claim 1 has been made to achieve the above object,
A conveying unit that conveys paper;
a paper discharge section that discharges the paper conveyed by the conveyance section;
a paper stacking section that is provided downstream of the paper ejection section in a paper conveying direction by the conveying section and stacks the paper ejected by the paper ejection section;
Equipped with
a plurality of regulating members for regulating the width direction of the paper are arranged in the paper stacking section in the width direction;
a plurality of ribs extending in a vertical direction are provided on the opposing surfaces of the regulating members in a predetermined region in the transport direction , and the ribs are not provided in a region downstream of the predetermined region in the transport direction,
The upper ends of the plurality of ribs are located below the paper discharge section .

The present invention relates to a paper transport device according to the first aspect of the present invention,
The upper end of the rib relative to the regulating member is formed at an acute angle facing upward .

The present invention relates to a paper transport device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention,
The rib is characterized in that it is formed at a position lower than an upper end of the regulating member.

The invention described in claim 4 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The ribs are characterized in that an upper end portion of the rib located furthest downstream in the conveying direction is the lowest, and an upper end portion of the rib located furthest upstream in the conveying direction is the highest.

The invention described in claim 5 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The restricting member is characterized in that an upper end portion thereof is formed at an acute angle.

The invention described in claim 6 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The printing apparatus is characterized in that a cutting unit that cuts the paper is provided upstream of the paper discharge unit in the transport direction.

The invention described in claim 7 is the paper transport device described in claim 6 ,
The cutting unit is provided in plurality,
The sheet discharge unit is characterized in that it is disposed immediately after a cutting unit which is located at the most downstream side in the conveying direction.

The invention described in claim 8 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
a guide member provided immediately behind the paper discharge unit and configured to guide the paper discharged by the paper discharge unit toward the paper stacking unit;
a rotation control unit that rotates the guide member based on a condition of the paper;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:

The present invention relates to a paper transport device comprising :
The conditions include basis weight.

The present invention provides a paper transport device according to claim 9 ,
The rotation control section is characterized in that the rotation control section rotates the upstream end side of the guide member downward as the basis weight increases.

The invention described in claim 11 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 8 to 10 ,
The conditions include a curl direction and a curl amount.

The present invention relates to a paper transport device comprising :
The rotation control section is characterized in that the rotation control section rotates the upstream end side of the guide member downward as the amount of curl in the upward convex direction increases.

The invention described in claim 13 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
The restricting members are characterized in that three or more restricting members are provided in the width direction.

The invention described in claim 14 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 13 ,
The regulating member is characterized in being movable in the width direction.

The invention described in claim 15 is the paper transport device described in any one of claims 1 to 14 ,
The sheet stacking unit may be provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with a leading edge regulating member for regulating a leading edge of the sheet.

The invention as set forth in claim 16 is the paper transport device as set forth in claim 15 ,
The leading end regulating member is capable of moving in the transport direction.

The invention described in claim 17 is
In an image forming apparatus,
an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
The paper transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , which transports the paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:
The invention described in claim 18 is
18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17,
The printing apparatus further includes a finisher disposed downstream of the paper transport device in the transport direction.
The invention described in claim 19 is
20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18,
The transport section has a path 1 for transporting the paper toward the paper stacking section, and a path 2 for transporting the paper toward the finisher.
The invention described in claim 20 is
20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 19,
The path 1 is located below the path 2.

The present invention makes it possible to improve paper discharge quality with a simple configuration.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a control structure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a buffer. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a buffer. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a state in which a skewed discharged sheet enters a buffer; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a modified example of the rib. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the partition plate. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a configuration in which a guide member is provided. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a configuration in which three or more partition plates are provided. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a configuration in which the partition plate and the end fence are movable. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration in which a plurality of ribs extend only in a predetermined direction inclined toward the downstream side of the conveying direction. FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a state in which a cutting process has been performed on a sheet of paper. 13 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration in which a partition plate is provided in a paper stacking section. FIG. 11 is a side view showing an example of a state in which a sheet leans on a sheet stacking section; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a state in which the leading edge of a sheet is caught on a rib in the sheet stacking section; FIG.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the image forming device 1 according to this embodiment is configured to include a main body 10, a relay unit RU, a post-processing device 20 as a paper transport device, and a finisher FS.

The main body 10 forms a color image by electrophotography based on image data obtained by reading an image from a document or image data received from an external device. The paper on which the image has been formed is discharged to the relay unit RU by a paper discharge roller R1.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the main body 10 is configured to include an operation unit 11, a display unit 12, a document reading unit 13, an image forming unit 14, a paper feeding unit 15, an image forming control unit 16, a memory unit 17, a controller IF (Interface) 18, and an image processing unit 19.

The operation unit 11 includes a touch panel formed to cover the display screen of the display unit 12, as well as various operation buttons such as numeric buttons and a start button, and outputs an operation signal based on a user's operation to the image formation control unit 16.

The display unit 12 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays various screens according to the instructions of a display signal input from the image formation control unit 16.

The document reading unit 13 includes an ADF (automatic document feeder), a scanner, etc., and outputs image data obtained by reading an image of a document to the image formation control unit 16.

The image forming unit 14 forms an image on a sheet of paper supplied from the paper feed unit 15 based on the image data that has been image-processed by the image processing unit 19 .
The image forming unit 14 is configured to include photosensitive drums 141Y, 141M, 141C, and 141K corresponding to each of the colors yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), an intermediate transfer belt 142, a secondary transfer roller 143, and a fixing unit 144.

After being uniformly charged, the photoconductor drum 141Y is scanned and exposed by a laser beam based on yellow image data to form an electrostatic latent image, and then yellow toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 141Y to develop it.
The photoconductor drums 141M, 141C, and 141K are similar to the photoconductor drum 141Y except for the colors they handle, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The toner images of each color formed on the photoconductor drums 141Y, 141M, 141C, and 141K are successively transferred (primary transfer) onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 142. That is, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 142 in which the toner images of the four colors are superimposed.
The color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 142 are transferred all at once onto a sheet of paper by a secondary transfer roller 143 (secondary transfer).

The fixing unit 144 includes a heating roller that heats the paper onto which the color toner image has been transferred, and a pressure roller that pressurizes the paper, fixing the color toner image to the paper by applying heat and pressure.

The paper feed unit 15 includes paper feed trays T11 to T13, and supplies paper to the image forming unit 14. Each of the paper feed trays T11 to T13 stores paper of a paper type and size that is predetermined for that paper feed tray.

The image forming control unit 16 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a memory.
The CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM and, in accordance with the programs, performs centralized control of the operations of the various components of the main body 10. When post-processing is to be performed on the output paper, the CPU issues an instruction to the post-processing device 20 to execute the specified post-processing.
The ROM is configured from a non-volatile semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various processing programs, parameters and files required for executing the programs, and the like.
The memory is configured with a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and temporarily stores various data such as programs and image data related to various image processes.

The storage unit 17 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or semiconductor memory that stores various data such as programs and image data. The storage unit 17 stores data such as program data and various setting data in a manner that allows the image formation control unit 16 to read and write the data.

The controller IF18 receives image data input from an external device.

The image processing unit 19 performs necessary image processing on the image data stored in the memory unit 17, the image data obtained by reading an image from a document using the document reading unit 13, and the image data input from an external device, and transmits the image data after image processing to the image forming unit 14. Image processing includes gradation processing, halftone processing, color conversion processing, etc. Gradation processing is a process that converts the gradation value of each pixel of the image data into a corrected gradation value so that the density characteristics of the image formed on the paper match the target density characteristics. Halftone processing is an error diffusion process, a screen process using an ordered dither method, etc. Color conversion processing is a process that converts each RGB gradation value into each CMYK gradation value.

The relay unit RU is installed between the main body 10 and the post-processing device 20, and has the function of synchronizing with the transport speed of the paper transported from the main body 10.

The post-processing device 20 is a device that performs post-processing as necessary on the paper output from the relay unit RU. Examples of post-processing include slitter processing, gutter slitter processing, CD cutting processing, crease processing, and FD/CD perforation processing. Post-processing is not essential, and the post-processing device 20 performs it only when instructed to do so by the main body unit 10. If no post-processing is required, the post-processing device 20 transports the transported paper directly to the finisher FS.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the post-processing device 20 is configured to include a conveying unit 21, post-processing modules M1 to M4, a paper discharge roller (paper discharge unit) 22 that discharges paper (product) cut to business card/card size by the post-processing modules M1 to M4 to a buffer 23, a buffer (paper stacking unit) 23 that is provided below the paper discharge roller 22 and temporarily stacks the paper discharged by the paper discharge roller 22, a tray 24 that is provided below the buffer 23 and to which the paper temporarily stacked in the buffer 23 is transferred, a purge tray 25 that stacks paper to be purged from the post-processing device 20, and a post-processing control unit 26.

The transport unit 21 transports the paper transported from the relay unit RU to the post-processing modules M1 to M4, and transports the paper that has been post-processed in the post-processing modules M1 to M4 to various trays (tray 24, purge tray 25) or the finisher FS.

The post-processing modules M1 to M4 perform post-processing on the transported paper.
In this embodiment, the most upstream post-processing module M1 is a slitter, the post-processing module M2 is a creaser for performing a crease (creasing) process on the paper, the post-processing module M3 is a gutter slitter for cutting (cutting the gutter) the paper in the center in the CD direction (width direction), and the most downstream post-processing module M4 is a CD cutter for cutting the CD.
In this embodiment, in particular, the slitter (post-processing module M1), the gutter slitter (post-processing module M3), and the CD cutter (post-processing module M4) function as the cutting unit of the present invention. The paper discharge rollers 22 are disposed immediately after the cutting unit (post-processing module M4) located furthest downstream in the conveying direction.

The buffer 23 temporarily holds the paper that has been cut to the size of business cards/cards by the post-processing device 20. A double-door shutter 231 (see FIG. 4) that opens to the upstream and downstream sides in the paper transport direction is provided on the bottom of the buffer 23, and when this shutter 231 is opened, the paper temporarily held in the buffer 23 falls downward and is loaded onto the tray 24. A regulating plate G1 (see FIG. 1) is provided between the buffer 23 and the tray 24 to regulate the movement of the paper in the width direction as it falls, and to guide the paper to the tray 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the buffer 23 has multiple partition plates (regulating members) 232 arranged in the width direction to regulate the width of the paper.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a number of ribs 233 extending vertically are provided on the opposing surfaces of the partition plates 232.

3 and 4, the ribs 233 are provided in different states between a predetermined region E1 including the upstream side in the transport direction and other regions. Specifically, the ribs 233 are provided only in the predetermined region E1. Here, the predetermined region refers to a region that does not come into contact with the paper P when the paper P discharged by the paper discharge roller 22 enters the buffer 23. The expression "not coming into contact with the paper P" includes very slight contact that does not affect the behavior of the paper P even if there is contact.
As a result, even if the paper P is discharged skewed as shown in Fig. 5, the corners of the leading edge of the paper P do not get caught on the ribs 233, so damage to the paper P such as bent corners or dents can be prevented. Also, alignment problems caused by the paper P getting caught on the ribs 233 can be prevented. Also, since there is no rib 233 on the leading edge side of the paper P, which reaches the buffer 23 first, the opening of the receiving section can be made wider. Also, after the paper P is received, the trailing edge side of the paper P falls and moves along the ribs 233 to fit between the opposing ribs 233, so alignment can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rib 233 is formed at a position (reference symbol S1) lower than the upper end 232a of the partition plate 232.

As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end 233a of the rib 233 is formed at an acute angle. In particular, it is preferable that the upper end 233a is formed at an angle of 10° to 20°. If the upper end 233a is less than 10°, the state will be the same as if the rib 233 was not formed, so it is not possible to reduce the contact area between the paper and the partition plate 232, and it is not possible to reduce the friction generated between the paper and the partition plate 232. On the other hand, if the upper end 233a is more than 20°, the paper P will not flow downward and will remain there, causing it to lean, etc.

Further, on the downstream side of the buffer 23 in the transport direction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an end fence (leading edge regulating member) 234 for regulating the leading edge of the paper is provided.
As a result, when the paper enters the stack, the paper comes into contact with the end fence 234, and the position of the leading edge of the paper is regulated, thereby improving the alignment.

The post-processing control unit 26 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a memory.
The CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, and in accordance with the programs, centrally controls the operations of the various parts of the post-processing device 20. For example, the CPU transmits information to and from the image formation control unit 16 of the main body 10.

The Finisher FS has the ability to staple, fold, and punch holes on paper after image formation.

As described above, the paper transport device (post-processing device 20) of the image forming device 1 according to this embodiment includes the transport section 21 that transports paper, the paper discharge section (paper discharge roller 22) that discharges the paper transported by the transport section 21, and the paper stacking section (buffer 23) that is provided below the paper discharge section and stacks the paper discharged by the paper discharge section. In addition, the paper stacking section is provided with a plurality of regulating members (partition plates 232) that regulate the width direction of the paper, and a plurality of ribs 233 extending vertically are provided on the opposing surfaces of the regulating members, and the ribs 233 are provided in different states between a predetermined region including the upstream side of the transport direction and other regions. Specifically, the ribs 233 are provided only in the predetermined region.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, even if the paper is discharged skewed, the corners of the leading edge of the paper do not get caught on the ribs 233, so damage such as bent corners and dents on the paper can be suppressed. Also, since there is no rib 233 on the leading edge side of the paper that reaches the buffer 23 first, the opening of the receiving section can be made wider. Also, after the paper is received, the trailing edge side of the paper falls and moves along the ribs 233 to fit between the opposing ribs 233, so alignment can be improved. Therefore, the paper discharge quality can be improved with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, in the post-processing device 20 according to this embodiment, the upper end portion 233a of the rib 233 is formed at an acute angle.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, the rear end of the paper can be guided downward while flowing, so that the paper can be smoothly placed between the opposing ribs 233, thereby further improving alignment.

Furthermore, in the post-processing device 20 according to this embodiment, the rib 233 is formed at a position lower than the upper end portion 232a of the restricting member.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, since there is no rib 233 at the upper end portion of the buffer 23, the opening of the receiving portion can be made even wider.

Furthermore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, a cutting unit (post-processing modules M1, M3, M4) that cuts the paper is provided upstream of the paper discharge unit in the transport direction.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, even for cut paper that is prone to misalignment and jamming, it is possible to prevent damage such as bent corners and dents, widen the opening of the receiving area, and improve alignment, thereby improving the discharge quality of cut paper.

Further, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, a plurality of cutting units are provided, and the paper discharge unit is disposed immediately after the cutting unit (post-processing module M4) which is furthest downstream in the transport direction.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, even for paper that has been subjected to more complex cutting processes, it is possible to suppress damage such as bent corners and dents, widen the opening of the receiving area, and improve alignment, thereby more reliably improving the paper discharge quality after cutting.

Furthermore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, a leading edge regulating member (end fence 234) that regulates the leading edge of the paper is provided downstream in the transport direction of the paper stacking section.
Therefore, according to the post-processing device 20 of this embodiment, the sheet comes into contact with the end fence 234 when the sheet enters, and the position of the leading edge of the sheet can be regulated, so that the alignment can be further improved.

The above is a detailed explanation based on an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

(Variation 1)
For example, in the above embodiment, the heights of the ribs 233 are equal, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the upper end 233a of the rib 233 may be gradually increased from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction. That is, the height of the rib 233 may be such that the upper end 233a of the most downstream rib 233 in the transport direction is the lowest and the upper end 233a of the most upstream rib 233 is the highest. Note that the symbol TR1 in Fig. 7 indicates the trajectory of the paper passing near the boundary of the insertion allowable range (the range where the paper does not come into contact with the rib 233 when it is inserted) in the embodiment, and the symbol TR2 indicates the trajectory of the paper passing near the boundary of the insertion allowable range in the first modification.
As described above, the upper end 233a of the rib 233 located most downstream in the transport direction is the lowest, and the upper end 233a of the rib 233 located most upstream in the transport direction is the highest, thereby widening the tolerance range for paper acceptance and improving paper discharge quality even if there is skew or offset during paper discharge.

(Other Modifications)
In the above embodiment, the upper end 233a of the rib 233 is formed at an acute angle, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the upper end 232a of the partition plate 232 may be formed at an acute angle.
As described above, the upper end 232a of the regulating member is formed at an acute angle, so that the width of the receiving portion (symbol B1 in FIG. 8) can be made wider, and therefore the paper ejection quality can be improved even if the paper is skewed or misaligned when ejected. Also, when the upper end of the partition plate 232 comes into contact with the side edge of the paper, the paper can be guided inward, so that the alignment can be improved.

9, a guide member 27 may be provided immediately behind the paper discharge roller 22 to guide the paper discharged by the paper discharge roller 22 toward the buffer 23. This guide member 27 is configured to be rotatable, and the post-processing control unit 26 of the post-processing device 20 can rotate the guide member 27 based on the conditions of the paper to guide the leading edge of the paper to the wide area E2 where the ribs 233 are not formed. In other words, the post-processing control unit 26 functions as the rotation control unit of the present invention.
Here, the conditions of the paper include the basis weight, the curl direction, and the curl amount. For example, the post-processing control unit 26 rotates the guide member 27 clockwise (in the negative direction in FIG. 9) more as the basis weight of the paper increases, and rotates the guide member 27 counterclockwise (in the positive direction in FIG. 9) more as the basis weight of the paper decreases. Also, the post-processing control unit 26 rotates the guide member 27 clockwise (in the negative direction in FIG. 9) more as the amount of curl in the upward convex direction increases, and rotates the guide member 27 counterclockwise (in the positive direction in FIG. 9) more as the amount of curl in the downward convex direction increases. That is, the post-processing control unit 26 rotates the guide member 27 clockwise (in the negative direction in FIG. 9) more so as not to obstruct the path of the paper when the condition is such that the straightness of the paper is weak, and the position (angle) is set so that the guide member 27 and the paper do not come into strong contact with each other. On the other hand, when the conditions are such that the paper tends to move in a straight line, the post-processing control unit 26 rotates the guide member 27 counterclockwise (in the + direction in Figure 9) more so as to hinder the paper from moving in a straight line, thereby positioning the guide member 27 at a position (angle) where the paper comes into strong contact with the guide member 27.

As described above, by providing a guide member 27 that is provided immediately after the paper discharge section and guides the paper discharged by the paper discharge section toward the paper stacking section, and a rotation control section (post-processing control section 26) that rotates the guide member 27 based on the conditions of the paper, it is possible to guide the leading edge of the paper to a wide range of openings where ribs 233 are not provided, thereby preventing damage such as bent corners and dents and improving alignment, thereby more reliably improving the paper discharge quality.
Furthermore, as described above, the conditions include basis weight, curl direction and curl amount, and the rotation control unit can adjust the path of the paper according to the straightness of the paper by rotating the guide member 27 clockwise more the greater the basis weight or the greater the amount of curl in the upward convex direction, thereby more reliably guiding the tip of the paper to a wider range of openings.

Also, as shown in FIG. 10, three or more partition plates 232 may be provided in the width direction.
As described above, by providing three or more regulating members in the width direction, the number of paper storage sections can be increased, so that all of the produced paper can be stored.

11, the partition plate 232 may be configured to be movable in the width direction, and the end fence 234 may be configured to be movable in the conveying direction. The partition plate 232 and the end fence 234 may be moved manually or automatically by the post-processing control unit 26.
As described above, by configuring the regulating member to be movable in the width direction and by configuring the leading edge regulating member to be movable in the transport direction, the size of the storage section can be adjusted according to the size of the paper, thereby improving the paper discharge quality for a wide variety of paper.

In the above embodiment, the ribs 233 are configured to extend in the vertical direction, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the ribs 233 may be configured to extend in a predetermined direction inclined toward the downstream side of the conveying direction with respect to the vertical direction. Here, the predetermined direction inclined toward the downstream side of the conveying direction with respect to the vertical direction refers to a direction in which the upper end of each rib 233 is located downstream of the lower end in the conveying direction. Note that this predetermined direction is preferably within an angle of 0° to 45° from the vertical direction (i.e., the angle indicated by the symbol AN1 in FIG. 12 is 0° to 45°). This is because if the angle AN1 exceeds 45°, the paper will be easily caught by the ribs, causing damage or misalignment of the paper.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the post-processing device 20 is described as an example of a paper transport device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the image forming device 1 is configured with only the main body 10 (not including the post-processing device 20, relay unit RU, or finisher FS), the paper discharge roller R1 can be used as the paper discharge section, and a buffer (paper stacking section) having the same configuration as in the embodiment can be newly provided below the paper discharge roller R1, thereby making the image forming device 1 (main body 10) the paper transport device of the present invention.

In addition, the detailed configuration and operation of each device constituting the image forming apparatus may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Main body 11 Operation unit 12 Display unit 13 Document reading unit 14 Image forming unit 15 Paper feeding unit 16 Image forming control unit 17 Storage unit 18 Controller IF
19 Image processing unit 20 Post-processing device (paper conveying device)
21 conveying section 22 paper discharge roller (paper discharge section)
23 Buffer (paper stacking section)
231 shutter 232 partition plate (regulating member)
232a Upper end 233 Rib 233a Upper end 234 End fence (tip restriction member)
24 Tray 25 Purge tray 26 Post-processing control unit (rotation control unit)
M1, M3, M4 Post-processing module (cutting section)
M2 Post-processing module G1 Regulating plate RU Relay unit FS Finisher

Claims (20)

A conveying unit that conveys paper;
a paper discharge section that discharges the paper conveyed by the conveyance section;
a paper stacking section that is provided downstream of the paper ejection section in a paper conveying direction by the conveying section and stacks the paper ejected by the paper ejection section;
Equipped with
a plurality of regulating members for regulating the width direction of the paper are arranged in the paper stacking section in the width direction;
a plurality of ribs extending in a vertical direction are provided on the opposing surfaces of the regulating members in a predetermined region in the transport direction , and the ribs are not provided in a region downstream of the predetermined region in the transport direction,
A paper transport device according to claim 1, wherein upper ends of the plurality of ribs are located below the paper discharge section . 2. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the rib is formed at an acute angle toward the upper side with respect to the regulating member . 3. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the rib is formed at a position lower than an upper end of the regulating member. 4. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , wherein an upper end of the rib located furthest downstream in the transport direction is the lowest, and an upper end of the rib located furthest upstream in the transport direction is the highest. 5. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the regulating member has an upper end formed at an acute angle. 6. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutting section for cutting the paper, the cutting section being disposed upstream of the paper discharge section in the transport direction. The cutting unit is provided in plurality,
7. The paper transport device according to claim 6 , wherein the paper discharge unit is disposed immediately after a cutting unit located most downstream in the transport direction. a guide member provided immediately behind the paper discharge unit and configured to guide the paper discharged by the paper discharge unit toward the paper stacking unit;
a rotation control unit that rotates the guide member based on a condition of the paper;
The paper transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , further comprising: The paper transport device according to claim 8 , wherein the conditions include a basis weight. The sheet transport device according to claim 9 , wherein the rotation control section rotates the upstream end side of the guide member downward as the basis weight increases. 11. The paper transport device according to claim 8 , wherein the conditions include a curl direction and a curl amount. The paper transport device according to claim 11 , wherein the rotation control section rotates the upstream end of the guide member downward as the amount of curl in the upward convex direction increases. 13. The paper transport device according to claim 1, wherein three or more regulating members are provided in the width direction. The paper transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the regulating member is movable in the width direction. 15. The paper transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a leading edge regulating member for regulating a leading edge of the paper, the leading edge regulating member being provided downstream in the transport direction of the paper stacking section. 16. The paper transport device according to claim 15 , wherein the leading edge regulating member is movable in the transport direction. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
The paper transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , which transports the paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a finisher disposed downstream of the paper transport device in the transport direction. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the transport section has a first path for transporting the paper toward the paper stacking section, and a second path for transporting the paper toward the finisher. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first path is located below the second path.

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