Sheet discharge device and image formation apparatus provided with sheet discharge device
The sheet ejection device addresses the challenge of preventing large sheets from falling and ensuring proper alignment and tidiness by using an auxiliary tray and tidying members that automatically deploy when sheets are ejected, enhancing operational efficiency and user convenience.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023165971
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-08
AI Technical Summary
Existing sheet ejection devices in image forming devices, such as printers, struggle to automatically prevent large size sheets from falling and ensure proper alignment and tidying of sheets, especially when multiple sheets are ejected.
The sheet ejection device includes an auxiliary tray that can be moved between a deployment position and a storage position, and a pair of tidying members that automatically protrude to align and support sheets, preventing them from falling and improving tidiness without user intervention.
The solution effectively prevents sheets from falling and improves tidiness by automatically deploying the auxiliary tray and tidying members when sheets are ejected, reducing user effort and ensuring proper alignment and stacking.
Smart Images
Figure 2025056476000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet discharge device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the sheet discharge device. [Background technology]
[0002] In image forming devices such as printers, copiers, and multifunction devices, sheets on which images have been formed are discharged from a discharge port onto a discharge tray and stacked. In general, the discharge tray is formed so that sheets of a frequently used size, such as A4 size, can be stacked. Therefore, when a sheet of a large size, such as A3 size or legal size, is discharged, the sheet may fall off the discharge tray.
[0003] In addition, the discharge tray is generally formed larger than the sheet size to facilitate the discharge of the sheets, so that when multiple sheets are discharged, the side edges of the sheets along the discharge direction are not aligned, and the user must remove the sheets from the discharge tray and realign them.
[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet stacking device that helps to solve the above problem. The sheet stacking device of Patent Document 1 includes a main sheet stacking tray, an extension sheet stacking tray, and a pair of side edge alignment members that align both side edges of the sheets along the discharge direction. The extension sheet stacking tray is configured to be rotatable between a position where the main sheet stacking tray is extended in the sheet discharge direction and a position where the extension sheet stacking tray is turned upside down and overlaps the main sheet stacking tray. The pair of side edge alignment members are provided on the surface that becomes the upper side of the extension sheet stacking tray when it overlaps the main sheet stacking tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-168891 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] In the sheet stacking device of Patent Document 1, when printing on large-sized sheets, the extension sheet stacking tray is rotated to a position that extends the main sheet stacking tray in the sheet discharge direction. However, the extension sheet stacking tray needs to be rotated by the user, which causes a problem that it is time-consuming for the user to open the tray. In addition, at this time, the pair of side edge alignment members are located on the side of the extension sheet stacking tray opposite to the side on which the sheets are stacked, which causes a problem that the side edges of the sheets along the sheet transport direction cannot be aligned.
[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a sheet discharge device that can automatically prevent sheets from falling and improve the organization of sheets, and an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet discharge device. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The sheet discharge device of the present invention includes an outlet for discharging sheets having images formed thereon, an output tray for stacking the sheets discharged from the outlet, an auxiliary tray movable between an extended position for extending the output tray in the sheet discharge direction and a stored position, a pair of arranging members that appear and disappear from the upper surface of the output tray and align both side edges of the sheets discharged onto the output tray in the sheet discharge direction, and an operating unit that operates the auxiliary tray and the arranging members. When a sheet is discharged onto the output tray, the operating unit moves the auxiliary tray to the extended position and causes the arranging members to protrude from the upper surface of the output tray.
[0009] The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the sheet discharging device described above. Effect of the Invention
[0010] According to the sheet discharge device and the image forming apparatus including the sheet discharge device of the present invention, it is possible to automatically prevent the sheets from falling, and to improve the tidying up of the sheets. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a left side view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus including a sheet ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus of FIG. 2 with the auxiliary tray unfolded. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the sheet ejection device shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 10] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 11] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 12] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. [Figure 13] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sheet ejection device of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.
[0013] First, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a left side view showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In the following, the up-down direction is defined as the up-down direction when the image forming apparatus 1 is installed in a state for general use as shown in Fig. 1, and the front-rear direction is defined as the side on which a user generally stands as the front side. The direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction.
[0014] The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a device for forming an image, such as a printer, a copier, a multifunction machine, etc. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a feed section 3, an image forming section 4, a fixing section 5, a sheet discharge device 10, and a control section (not shown) inside a substantially box-shaped image forming apparatus main body 2.
[0015] The feeding unit 3 stores sheets S, picks up the stored sheets S, and supplies them to the image forming unit 4. The image forming unit 4 forms an image on the sheets S with toner. The fixing unit 5 fixes the toner image developed on the sheets S. The sheet discharging device 10 discharges the sheets S on which the images have been formed by the image forming unit 4 to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The control unit controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1.
[0016] Next, the sheet discharge device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing an image forming apparatus 1 equipped with the sheet discharge device 10 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14 are stored, and Fig. 3 shows a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 is unfolded and the arranging member 14 is protruded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the sheet discharge device 10 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet discharge device 10 of Fig. 2. Note that the vertical cross-sectional view is a cross-sectional view cut along a vertical plane along the front-rear direction.
[0017] 2 and 3, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an outlet 11 for discharging sheets S (see FIG. 1) on which an image has been formed, and a paper output tray 12 for stacking the sheets S discharged from the outlet 11, at the top of the image forming apparatus main body 2. In this embodiment, the top front part 2a of the image forming apparatus main body 2 serves as the paper output tray 12. The outlet 11 and the paper output tray 12 have any known configuration.
[0018] The sheet discharge device 10 is a device that conveys and stacks the sheet S on which an image has been formed from the discharge outlet 11 to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The sheet discharge device 10 includes the discharge outlet 11 and a paper output tray 12 that are provided in the image forming apparatus 1. The sheet discharge device 10 is provided near the discharge outlet 11 inside the image forming apparatus main body 2.
[0019] The sheet discharge device 10 includes a discharge outlet 11 for discharging a sheet S having an image formed thereon, a paper discharge tray 12 for stacking the sheet S discharged from the discharge outlet 11, an auxiliary tray 13, a pair of sorting members 14, and an operating unit 20.
[0020] As described above, the discharge port 11 and the paper discharge tray 12 have the same configuration as the discharge port 11 and the paper discharge tray 12 provided in any known image forming apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the paper discharge tray 12 is formed at the front with a pair of orderly member holes 121 through which the pair of orderly members 14 can appear and disappear. The pair of orderly member holes 121 have a size that allows the orderly members 14 to appear and disappear. The pair of orderly member holes 121 are formed spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction by the width (left-right length) of a typical sheet S.
[0021] Further, the discharge tray 12 is formed at the front with an actuating member hole 122 through which an actuating member 21 (described later) of the actuating unit 20 can appear and disappear. The actuating member hole 122 has a size that allows the actuating member 21 to appear and disappear. The actuating member hole 122 is formed between the pair of arrangement member holes 121.
[0022] The auxiliary tray 13 is a tray that extends the sheet discharge tray 12 in the sheet discharge direction (forward). The auxiliary tray 13 is movable between an extended position (position in FIG. 3) where the sheet discharge tray 12 is extended in the sheet discharge direction and a stored position (position in FIG. 2) where the auxiliary tray 13 is stored in the image forming apparatus main body 2.
[0023] 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the auxiliary tray 13 has a hollow, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the auxiliary tray 13 is stored in the image forming apparatus main body 2, the upper and lower rear surfaces are open. The width (length in the left-right direction) of the auxiliary tray 13 is configured to be shorter than the width (length in the left-right direction) of the paper discharge tray 12. In addition, when the auxiliary tray 13 is in the deployed position where the paper discharge tray 12 is extended, the auxiliary tray 13 has a length in the front-rear direction that allows a sheet S of the maximum size that can be used in the image forming apparatus 1 to be held by the paper discharge tray 12 and the auxiliary tray 13 without falling.
[0024] The auxiliary tray 13 is provided at the upper front of the image forming apparatus body 2 so that when in the stored position, the front surface 2b of the image forming apparatus body 2 and the front surface 13a of the auxiliary tray 13 are substantially flat, and when in the deployed position, the upper surface (front surface) 13a of the auxiliary tray 13 is located on the same horizontal plane as the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12. The auxiliary tray 13 is attached to the image forming apparatus body 2 so as to be rotatable between the deployed position and the stored position by shafts (not shown) extending from both the left and right side surfaces 13b.
[0025] The arranging members 14 protrude from and retract into the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12, and align both side edges (left and right side edges) along the sheet discharge direction of the sheets S discharged onto the paper discharge tray 12. The arranging members 14 are configured as a pair, and are movable between a protruding position (position in FIG. 3) where the sheets S protruding from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12 are aligned, and a stored position (position in FIG. 2) where the sheets are recessed below the paper discharge tray 12 and stored in the image forming apparatus main body 2.
[0026] In this embodiment, the arranging member 14 has a plate shape. The arranging member 14 has a size that allows it to appear and disappear through the arranging member appearance hole 121 formed in the paper discharge tray 12 and to align the multiple stacked sheets S in a state where it protrudes from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12.
[0027] The operating unit 20 operates the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14. When the sheets S are discharged to the paper discharge tray 12, the operating unit 20 moves the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position and causes the arranging member 14 to protrude from the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 12.
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the operating section 20 includes an operating member 21, an auxiliary tray operating spring 22, a rotating shaft 23, a rotating shaft operating spring 24, and a locking / unlocking mechanism 30.
[0029] The actuating member 21 appears and disappears from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12, and actuates the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14. The actuating member 21 is movable between a protruding position (position in FIG. 2) where it protrudes from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12, and a recessed position (position in FIG. 3) where it is recessed below the paper discharge tray 12. The actuating member 21 is pushed by the sheets S discharged from the discharge opening 11 and recesses below the paper discharge tray 12, thereby moving the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position and causing the arranging member 14 to protrude above the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12.
[0030] The actuating member 21 has a plate shape. The actuating member 21 has a size that allows it to appear and disappear through an actuating member appearance hole 122 formed in the paper discharge tray 12. In addition, the actuating member 21 has a thickness that allows the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 11 to press against it.
[0031] The auxiliary tray operating spring 22 moves the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position. The auxiliary tray operating spring 22 is configured as a torsion spring having a coil portion 221 in the center and two arm portions 222 extending in opposite directions from the coil portion 221 in the tangential direction. The auxiliary tray operating spring 22 is attached inside the image forming apparatus main body 2 so that one arm portion 222 abuts against the inner surface of the front surface (upper surface) 13a of the auxiliary tray 13. When the auxiliary tray 13 is in the stored position, one arm portion 222 of the auxiliary tray operating spring 22 is curved and abuts against the front surface 13a of the auxiliary tray 13, and the arm portion 222 returns from a state rotated in the winding direction of the coil portion 221 to move the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position.
[0032] The rotating shaft 23 is a shaft that rotates the operating member 21 and the arranging member 14. The rotating shaft 23 has a cylindrical shape. The rotating shaft 23 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 2 inside the image forming apparatus main body 2.
[0033] An actuating member 21 and a pair of arranging members 14 are attached to the rotating shaft 23. The pair of arranging members 14 are attached spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction by the width (left-right length) of a typical sheet S. The actuating member 21 is attached between the pair of arranging members 14. The actuating member 21 and the pair of arranging members 14 are attached such that the direction of their plate thickness is along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23.
[0034] The actuating member 21 and the pair of arranging members 14 are attached to the rotating shaft 23 at a distance of approximately 90° from each other in the circumferential direction. That is, when the actuating member 21 is located above the rotating shaft 23, the pair of arranging members 14 are located at the rear side of the rotating shaft 23, and when the actuating member 21 is located at the front side of the rotating shaft 23, the pair of arranging members 14 are located at the upper side of the rotating shaft 23. At this time, the actuating member 21 and the pair of arranging members 14 protrude from the upper surface 12a of the paper output tray 12 when located above the rotating shaft 23, and are buried below the paper output tray 12 when located at the front or rear side of the rotating shaft 23. As a result, when the actuating member 21 protrudes above the upper surface 12a of the paper output tray 12, the pair of arranging members 14 are buried below the paper output tray 12. Then, when pushed by the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 11, the operating member 21 rotates about the pivot shaft 23, causing the operating member 21 to sink below the paper discharge tray 12, and a pair of sorting members 14 attached to the pivot shaft 23 protrude above the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12.
[0035] The pivotal shaft operating spring 24 moves the pivotal shaft 23 so as to move the operating member 21 to the protruding position. The pivotal shaft operating spring 24 is attached near the pivotal shaft 23 inside the image forming apparatus main body 2. The pivotal shaft operating spring 24 is configured so that the operating member 21 can be rotated by the force of the sheet S pushing the operating member 21 when the sheet S is discharged from the discharge port 11, and the operating member 21 moves to the protruding position by its own restoring force when the sheet S is removed from the paper discharge tray 12.
[0036] The locking / unlocking mechanism 30 switches the auxiliary tray 13 between a locked state and an unlocked state in conjunction with the operation of the actuating member 21. When in the locked state, the locking / unlocking mechanism 30 maintains the auxiliary tray 13 in the stored position. The locking / unlocking mechanism 30 enters the unlocked state when the actuating member 21 is pushed by the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 11 and rotates about the rotating shaft 23. When the locking / unlocking mechanism 30 enters the unlocked state, the auxiliary tray actuating spring 22 moves the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position by its own restoring force.
[0037] In this embodiment, the locking / unlocking mechanism 30 includes a fixed member 31 , a sliding member 32 , a locking / unlocking member 33 , a cam member 34 , a locking member 35 , a sliding member actuating spring 36 , and a locking member actuating spring 37 .
[0038] The fixed member 31 serves as a base for sliding the sliding member 32. The fixed member 31 is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 2 at a position inside the image forming apparatus main body 2, below the operating member 21 and behind the auxiliary tray 13 in the storage position. The fixed member 31 is formed in a substantially plate shape, and has a holding member 311 on one surface (the front surface in FIG. 5) that slidably holds the sliding member 32.
[0039] The sliding member 32 links the operation of the operating member 21 with the cam member 34. The sliding member 32 is slidably attached to the fixed member 31. The sliding member 32 is formed in a substantially plate-like shape. The sliding member 32 is provided with a spring attachment hole 321 for accommodating a sliding member actuating spring 36. The sliding member 32 has a size that extends from the vicinity of the rotating shaft 23 provided at the top of the image forming device main body 2 to the cam member 34 provided below the auxiliary tray 13 provided at the front of the image forming device main body 2 inside the image forming device main body 2. The sliding member 32 is slidable in a direction approaching the rotating shaft 23 and a direction approaching the cam member 34.
[0040] The locking / unlocking member 33 switches the auxiliary tray 13 between a locked state and an unlocked state. The locking / unlocking member 33 is formed in a substantially plate shape. The locking / unlocking member 33 is attached to the rotating shaft 23 inside the image forming apparatus main body 2. When the operating member 21 is in the protruding position, the locking / unlocking member 33 abuts against the upper end of the sliding member 32 and presses the sliding member 32 down toward the cam member 34. The locking / unlocking member 33 rotates so as to be released from abutment with the sliding member 32 by the rotation of the rotating shaft 23 when the operating member 21 rotates from the protruding position to the recessed position.
[0041] The cam member 34 slides the sliding member 32. The cam member 34 is located inside the image forming apparatus main body 2 below the auxiliary tray 13 in the storage position, and is rotatably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 2. The cam member 34 has a block shape extending in the left-right direction, and has a structure that can push the sliding member 32 up toward the rotation shaft 23 side and lower the sliding member 32 toward the cam member 34 side by rotating. The cam member 34 is formed with a locking member mounting hole 341 for mounting the locking member 35 and the locking member actuating spring 37. With the locking member 35 and the locking member actuating spring 37 attached, the cam member 34 rotates from a first position (position in FIG. 5) where the locking member 35 engages with the auxiliary tray 13 to a second position (position in FIG. 7) where the locking member 35 is disengaged from the auxiliary tray 13 in the forward direction, and to a third position (position in FIG. 9) where the sliding member 32 is closest to the cam member 34 in the rearward direction. At this time, the third position to which the cam member rotates is a position where the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13, which has been pushed slightly rearward from the storage position, can engage with the lock member 35 attached to the cam member .
[0042] The locking member 35 engages with the auxiliary tray 13 to hold the auxiliary tray 13 in the storage position. The locking member 35 is formed in a substantially plate-like shape. When the cam member 34 is in the first position, the locking member 35 is attached inside the image forming apparatus main body 2 in a state in which the lower end portion is inserted into the locking member attachment hole 341 of the cam member 34 and the tip portion (upper end portion) is inserted into the interior of the auxiliary tray 13 from below the auxiliary tray 13 in the storage position. When the cam member 34 is in the first position, the locking member 35 abuts against the inner surface of the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 to hold the auxiliary tray 13 in the storage position.
[0043] The sliding member actuation spring 36 presses the sliding member 32 down toward the cam member 34. The sliding member actuation spring 36 is composed of a coil spring. The sliding member actuation spring 36 is attached to the spring attachment hole 321 provided in the sliding member 32 with its axial direction aligned with the direction connecting the rotation shaft 23 along which the sliding member 32 extends and the cam member 34. At this time, the sliding member actuation spring 36 has an upper end attached to the holding member 311 of the fixed member 31 and a lower end attached to the inner surface of the spring attachment hole 321 of the sliding member 32, and is housed in the spring attachment hole 321 in a compressed state. In other words, the sliding member actuation spring 36 always biases the sliding member 32 in a direction pressing down toward the cam member 34.
[0044] The lock member actuating spring 37 pushes the lock member 35 upward. The lock member actuating spring 37 is made of a coil spring. The lock member actuating spring 37 is housed and attached inside the lock member mounting hole 341 of the cam member 34. The lock member actuating spring 37 has a length that allows it to be completely housed inside the lock member mounting hole 341 at its natural length, and also allows the lower end of the lock member 35 to be held in the upper part of the lock member mounting hole 341.
[0045] In this embodiment, the auxiliary tray operating spring 22 and the sliding member operating spring 36 are configured so that the biasing force of the auxiliary tray operating spring 22 that moves the auxiliary tray 13 from the storage position to the deployed position is greater than the biasing force of the sliding member operating spring 36 that presses the sliding member 32 toward the cam member 34.
[0046] Next, the operation of the sheet discharge device 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 13. Figs. 6 to 13 are vertical cross-sectional views of the sheet discharge device of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14 are in the storage position. Fig. 6 shows a state in which the operating member 21 is pressed by the sheet S. Fig. 7 shows a state immediately before the auxiliary tray 13 is unlocked. Fig. 8 shows a state immediately after the auxiliary tray 13 is unlocked. Fig. 9 shows a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 is in the deployed position. Fig. 10 shows a state in which the sheet S has been removed from the paper discharge tray 12. Fig. 11 shows a state in which the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 abuts against the front surface of the locking member 35 when the auxiliary tray 13 is stored. Fig. 12 shows a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 presses down the locking member 35 when the auxiliary tray 13 is stored. Fig. 13 shows a state in which the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 has passed the locking member 35 when the auxiliary tray 13 is stored.
[0047] When the auxiliary tray 13 and the arrangement member 14 shown in FIG. 5 are in the storage position, the rotary shaft actuation spring 24 causes the actuation member 21 to be in a protruding position protruding from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12. At this time, the auxiliary tray actuation spring 22 biases the auxiliary tray 13 in a direction to move the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployment position. That is, the force of the arrow F1 in FIG. 5 is applied to the auxiliary tray 13, and the torque of the arrow M1 is applied to the cam member 34. On the other hand, the sliding member actuation spring 36 biases the sliding member 32 in a direction to push the sliding member 32 down toward the cam member 34. That is, the force of the arrow F2 in FIG. 5 is applied to the sliding member 32, and the torque of the arrow M2 is applied to the cam member 34. Although the biasing force of the auxiliary tray actuation spring 22 (arrow F1) is greater than the biasing force of the sliding member actuation spring 36 (arrow F2), the locking / unlocking member 33 and the sliding member 32 are in contact with each other, so the sliding member 32 is maintained in a pushed-down state. As a result, the cam member 34 does not rotate, and the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 and the lock member 35 are engaged, so that the auxiliary tray 13 is held in the stored position. In addition, since the pair of organization members 14 are attached to the rotating shaft 23 at a distance of 90° from the operating member 21 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 23, when the operating member 21 is in the protruding position, they are buried below the paper discharge tray 12 and in the stored position.
[0048] When the sheet S is discharged from the discharge port 11, the sheet S pushes the operating member 21 forward as shown in Fig. 6. The sheet S causes the operating member 21 to rotate about the rotating shaft 23, causing the operating member 21 to sink below the paper discharge tray 12. At the same time, the rotating shaft 23 rotates, causing the pair of sorting members 14 attached to the rotating shaft 23 to protrude from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12. In addition, the locking / unlocking mechanism 30 becomes unlocked, and the auxiliary tray operating spring 22 moves the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position.
[0049] Specifically, the force (arrow F1) of the auxiliary tray actuation spring 22 moving the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position is greater than the force (arrow F2) of the sliding member actuation spring 36 pushing the sliding member 32 down toward the cam member 34. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6, when the locking / unlocking member 33 is disengaged from the sliding member 32 and enters the unlocked state, the auxiliary tray actuation spring 22 moves the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position. As a result, as shown in Fig. 7, the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 pushes the locking member 35 forward, and the force of the locking member 35 being pushed down causes the cam member 34 to rotate forward. This operation of the cam member 34 pushes the sliding member 32 up toward the rotation shaft 23.
[0050] Thereafter, when the auxiliary tray actuation spring 22 continues to move the auxiliary tray 13 to the deployed position, the auxiliary tray 13 is disengaged from the locking member 35 as shown in Fig. 8. When the auxiliary tray 13 is disengaged from the locking member 35, the sliding member 32 is pressed down toward the cam member 34 by the biasing force of the sliding member actuation spring 36. Then, as shown in Fig. 9, the auxiliary tray 13 moves to the deployed position, and the cam member 34 and the locking member 35 move to a third position where the sliding member 32 is pressed down to the maximum by the sliding member actuation spring 36.
[0051] When the discharge of the sheets S is completed and the sheets S stacked on the paper discharge tray 12 are removed, the biasing force of the pivot actuating spring 24 causes the operating member 21 to rotate to a protruding position protruding from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12, as shown in Fig. 10. At the same time, since the pair of arrangement members 14 are attached to the pivot shaft 23 at a distance of 90° from the operating member 21 in the circumferential direction of the pivot shaft 23, the rotation of the pivot shaft 23 causes the arrangement members 14 to sink below the paper discharge tray 12. In addition, since the cam member 34 is in the third position and a slight gap is formed between the locking / unlocking member 33 and the upper end of the sliding member 32, the rotation of the pivot shaft 23 naturally moves the locking / unlocking member 33 to a position where it can come into contact with the sliding member 32.
[0052] Thereafter, when the user pushes the auxiliary tray 13 back to the storage position, the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 hits the locking member 35 as shown in Fig. 11, and the locking member 35 is pushed downward by the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 as shown in Fig. 12. If the auxiliary tray 13 is pushed back slightly rearward from the storage position as it is, as shown in Fig. 13, when the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 passes the locking member 35, the locking member operating spring 37 returns the locking member 35 to a position where it engages with the inner surface of the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13, and as shown in Fig. 5, the rear surface 13c of the auxiliary tray 13 engages with the locking member 35, and the auxiliary tray 13 is held in the storage position.
[0053] As described above, in the sheet discharge device 10 of the present invention, when the sheet S is simply discharged from the discharge opening 11, the sheet S pushes down the operating member 21, the auxiliary tray 13 automatically moves to the deployed position, and the pair of arrangement members 14 protrude from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12. As a result, even if multiple sheets S are discharged, the discharged sheets S can be arranged by the arrangement members 14. Furthermore, even if the sheet S is large in size, it is supported by the auxiliary tray 13 and can be prevented from falling from the paper discharge tray 12. As a result, the sheets S can be automatically prevented from falling, and the arrangement of the sheets S can be improved.
[0054] In addition, in the sheet discharge device 10 of the present invention, the auxiliary tray 13 automatically moves to the extended position and the pair of sorting members 14 protrude from the upper surface 12a of the paper discharge tray 12, so that the user does not need to open the auxiliary tray 13, thereby reducing the user's workload.
[0055] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all components shown in the embodiments. The drawings may be shown mainly in a schematic manner, with each component being the main component, to facilitate understanding. The number of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual number for the convenience of drawing. In addition, each component shown in the above embodiments is an example, and is not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.
[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14 are configured to be movable between the deployed position or the protruding position and the stored position by rotating, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary tray 13 and the arranging member 14 may be configured to be movable between the deployed position or the protruding position and the stored position by moving in parallel.
[0057] In the above embodiment, the operating unit 20 is configured to be mechanical, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operating unit 20 may be configured to be electrical. In this case, the operating unit 20 is configured to include an electric circuit, and may operate an actuator that moves the auxiliary tray 13 and the sorting member 14 to the deployed position or the protruding position by, for example, detecting the sheet S with a sensor or receiving a signal to eject the sheet S such as a printout. [Industrial Applicability]
[0058] The present invention can be used in the fields of sheet ejection devices and image forming devices. [Explanation of symbols]
[0059] 1. Image forming device 10 Sheet ejection device 11 Outlet 12 Output tray 12a Top of the output tray 13 Auxiliary Tray 14 Organizing materials 20. Operating Part 21 Actuating member 22 Auxiliary tray operating spring 23 Rotating shaft 30 Locking / unlocking mechanism S Seat
Claims
1. a discharge port for discharging the sheet on which the image is formed; a sheet discharge tray for stacking the sheets discharged from the discharge port; an auxiliary tray that is movable between an extended position in which the discharge tray extends in a sheet discharge direction and a stored position; a pair of arranging members that appear and disappear from an upper surface of the sheet discharge tray and align both side edges of the sheets discharged onto the sheet discharge tray in a sheet discharge direction; an operating unit that operates the auxiliary tray and the arranging member; Equipped with The operating portion is a sheet ejection device that moves the auxiliary tray to a deployed position and causes the arranging member to protrude from an upper surface of the sheet ejection tray when the sheets are ejected onto the sheet ejection tray.
2. the actuation section includes an actuation member that is provided so as to be capable of appearing and disappearing from an upper surface of the paper discharge tray, The sheet ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the operating member is pushed by the sheets ejected from the ejection outlet and sinks below the ejection tray, thereby moving the auxiliary tray to an expanded position and causing the sorting member to protrude from the upper surface of the ejection tray.
3. the actuation unit further includes an auxiliary tray actuation spring that moves the auxiliary tray to an expanded position, a rotation shaft that rotates the actuation member, and a locking / unlocking mechanism that switches the auxiliary tray between a locked state and an unlocked state in conjunction with the operation of the actuation member, The pair of arranging members are attached to the rotating shaft, the actuating member is pushed by the sheets discharged from the discharge outlet and rotates about the rotation shaft, thereby causing the pair of arrangement members attached to the rotation shaft to protrude from an upper surface of the sheet discharge tray and causing the locking / unlocking mechanism to be in the unlocked state; 3. The sheet ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary tray actuation spring moves the auxiliary tray to the deployed position when the locking / unlocking mechanism is in the unlocked state.
4. 4. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet ejection device according to claim 1.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Sheet loading device and image forming apparatus
JP2006168891A