Paper feeding device

Abstract

Reduces paper alignment issues on the output tray. [Solution] The system includes a paper output tray 51 on which printed paper is ejected, a pair of side fences 53 erected on the paper output tray 51 and slidably moving in a direction perpendicular to the paper output direction, and rotatably mounted on the paper output tray 51 around a predetermined axis of rotation, an end fence 52 erected at the rear of the paper output direction on the paper output tray 51 and rotatably mounted on the paper output tray 51 around a predetermined axis of rotation, a paper sensor 44 provided on the upstream side of the paper output tray 51 for detecting paper being ejected to the paper output tray 51, and based on the detection results from the paper sensor 44, the sliding and rotating movements of the side fences 53 and the rotating movement of the end fence 52 are controlled to eliminate misalignment of the ejected paper.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper discharge device that reduces the disorder of paper alignment on a paper discharge table.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a paper discharge device provided in a printing device that discharges and stacks printed papers. In the paper discharge device, it is required that the paper discharge alignment is good.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a paper discharge device having a pair of side fences arranged on both outer sides in the width direction of the paper discharged from the paper discharge port to the paper discharge table and provided movably in the width direction, and an end fence provided movably at the tip of the paper discharge direction of the paper discharge table.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, although it has a pair of side fences and an end fence, each does not have a rotating mechanism. Therefore, when the paper reaches the paper discharge table obliquely, the paper is discharged while colliding with the side fence, so that the discharge direction is changed, and there is a problem that the alignment of the papers placed on the paper discharge table is disturbed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a paper discharge device that reduces the disorder of paper alignment on the paper discharge table.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the first feature of the paper discharge device according to the present invention is: The output tray from which the printed paper is ejected, A pair of side fences are erected on the paper output tray, are slidably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the paper output direction, and are rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, An end fence is erected at the rear of the paper output tray in the paper output direction and is rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, A detection means provided on the upstream side of the paper output tray for detecting paper being ejected to the paper output tray, Based on the detection results from the detection means, the sliding and rotating movements of the side fences and the rotating movement of the end fence are controlled to eliminate any misalignment of the paper being ejected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the paper output device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the misalignment of paper on the paper output tray. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the configuration of the paper discharge section 5 included in the schematic configuration diagram of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the paper discharge unit 5 included in the schematic configuration diagram of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the paper discharge section 5A of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, identical or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from reality. Furthermore, there are parts where the dimensional relationships and proportions differ between drawings.

[0011] Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and the like for realizing the technical concept of this invention, and the technical concept of this invention is not limited to the arrangement of each component as described below. The technical concept of this invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

[0012] <Example 1> An embodiment of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 to which the paper output device according to the present invention is applied will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the paper discharge and transport section of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the wing of the paper discharge and transport section and the paper of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0014] In the following explanation, the front of the paper in Figure 1, where the user is located, is defined as the right direction, and the back of the paper is defined as the left direction. Also, in Figure 1, the top and bottom are defined as the up and down direction from the user's perspective. The paper PA transport direction is defined as the front and back direction. In the following explanation, upstream means forward, and downstream means backward.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes a paper feeding unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a paper discharge unit 5, and a control unit 6.

[0016] The paper feeding unit 2 picks up one sheet of paper PA at a time from the top of the paper tray (not shown) and feeds it to the image forming unit 3.

[0017] The image forming unit 3 forms an image by ejecting inks of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) from the nozzles of an inkjet head while conveying the paper PA at a predetermined conveying speed. The nozzles form nozzle rows linearly arranged in the left-right direction (main scanning direction).

[0018] The paper discharging unit 5 includes a paper discharging conveying unit 4 and a paper discharge tray 51.

[0019] The paper discharging conveying unit 4 discharges the paper PA conveyed from the image forming unit 3 at a predetermined conveying speed to the paper discharge tray 51. The paper discharging conveying unit 4 has conveying rollers 41 to 43, and conveys the paper PA by the conveying rollers 41 to 43 and discharges it to the paper discharge tray 51.

[0020] The paper sensor 44 is provided on the upstream side (front side) of the paper discharge tray 51. The paper sensor 44 is a line sensor consisting of a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), and can detect the skew of the conveyed paper PA by detecting the paper position in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) of the paper PA conveyed by the paper discharging conveying unit 4.

[0021] The paper discharge tray 51 places the paper PA conveyed by the paper discharging conveying unit 4.

[0022] On the paper discharge tray 51, there are an end fence 52, a side fence 53, and a gear 54 and a motor 55 for rotating the end fence 52 and sliding and rotating the side fence 53 in the left-right direction are provided below the paper discharge tray 51.

[0023] The control unit 6 controls the sliding movement and rotational movement of the paper discharge tray 51 so as to eliminate the positional deviation of the discharged paper PA based on the detection result by the detection means. Thereby, the sliding movement and rotational movement of the side fence 53 provided on the paper discharge tray 51 and the sliding movement and rotational movement of the end fence 52 provided on the paper discharge tray 51 can be controlled.

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the paper discharge section 5 included in the schematic configuration diagram 1 of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0025] The side fences 53 are erected in pairs on the paper output tray 51 in the left-right direction and are provided to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the paper output direction (rear direction) (left-right direction).

[0026] When the motor 55 is driven by an instruction from the control unit 6, rotational drive is transmitted to the gear 54 via the gear 55a provided on the drive shaft of the motor 55. As a result, the working rod 54a, which is fixed to the gear 54 and inserted into the guide hole 51a provided in the paper output tray 51, moves in the circumferential direction of the gear 54. This causes the paper output tray 51 to rotate in direction A around the rotation axis 51b provided in the paper output tray 51. As the paper output tray 51 rotates in direction A around the rotation axis 51b, the side fence 53 also rotates in direction A accordingly.

[0027] The end fence 52, like the side fence 53, is erected at the rear of the paper output tray in the paper output direction (rear direction). When the paper output tray 51 rotates in direction A around the rotation axis 51b, the end fence 52 also rotates in direction A accordingly.

[0028] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the paper discharge unit 5 included in the schematic configuration diagram 1 of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3(a), suppose the paper PA being transported by the paper output transport unit 4 is skewed for some reason. When the paper PA is transported in this state, the leading edge of the paper PA will collide with the side fence 53 in region R1.

[0030] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(a), the control unit 6 rotates the motor 55 based on the detection result from the paper sensor 44 to correct the misalignment of the paper PA being ejected. As a result, the paper output tray 51 rotates in direction A around the rotation axis 51b, and the end fence 52 and side fence 53 provided on the paper output tray 51 also rotate in direction A.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3(c), by rotating the paper output tray 51 in direction A, even if the paper PA is transported at an angle, the leading edge of the paper PA can be properly transported onto the paper output tray 51 without colliding with the side fence 53.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(d), suppose the paper PA being transported by the paper output transport unit 4 is biased to the left for some reason. When the paper PA is transported in this state, the leading edge of the paper PA will collide with the side fence 53 in region R2.

[0033] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(e), the control unit 6 slides the paper output tray 51 in the B direction to correct any misalignment of the paper PA being ejected, based on the detection results from the paper sensor 44. As a result, the end fence 52 and side fence 53 provided on the paper output tray 51 also slide in the B direction.

[0034] In this way, as the paper output tray 51 slides in direction B, even if the paper PA is biased to the right or left, the leading edge of the paper PA can be properly transported onto the paper output tray 51 without colliding with the side fence 53.

[0035] <Example 2> In Example 1, an end fence 52 and a side fence 53 were provided on the paper output tray 51 and a configuration in which they rotate and slide together was described, but the invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0036] In Example 2, an inkjet printing apparatus in which the end fence 52 and the side fence 53 are rotated and slid independently will be used as an example.

[0037] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the paper discharge section 5A included in the schematic configuration diagram 1 of the inkjet printing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0038] The paper discharge unit 5 comprises a paper discharge transport unit 4, a paper discharge tray 511, a paper discharge tray 512, and a paper discharge tray 513. The paper discharge transport unit 4 has the same configuration as the paper discharge transport unit 4 provided in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, so its description is omitted.

[0039] An end fence 52 is provided on the paper output tray 511. To rotate the end fence 52, a gear 54 and a motor 55 for rotating the gear 54 are provided below the paper output tray 51.

[0040] The control unit 6 controls the sliding and rotating movement of the paper output tray 511 to correct any misalignment of the paper PA being ejected, based on the detection results from the paper sensor 44. This allows the sliding and rotating movement of the end fence 52 provided on the paper output tray 51 to be controlled. Alternatively, the paper output tray 511 may be controlled to rotate only.

[0041] A side fence 53 is provided on the paper output tray 512. A gear 56 and a motor 57 for rotating the gear 56 are provided below the paper output tray 512 in order to slide and rotate the side fence 53 in the left-right direction.

[0042] Based on the detection results from the paper sensor 44, the control unit 6 controls the sliding and rotating movement of the paper output tray 512 to eliminate any misalignment of the paper PA being ejected. This allows the sliding and rotating movement of the side fences 53 provided on the paper output tray 512 to be controlled.

[0043] Similarly, a side fence 53 is provided on the paper output tray 513. A gear 58 and a motor 59 for rotating the gear 58 are provided below the paper output tray 513 in order to slide and rotate the side fence 53 in the left-right direction.

[0044] The control unit 6 controls the sliding and rotating movement of the paper output tray 513 to eliminate any misalignment of the paper PA being ejected, based on the detection results from the paper sensor 44. This allows the sliding and rotating movement of the side fences 53 provided on the paper output tray 513 to be controlled.

[0045] As described above, according to the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, the end fence 52 and the side fence 53 can be rotated and slid independently, so that the paper PA can be smoothly transported onto the output tray 51 according to the transport state.

[0046] In Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention, embodiments of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 to which the paper discharge device according to the present invention is applied have been described in detail. However, the paper discharge device is not limited to these embodiments and can be applied to various types of printing apparatuses, such as laser printers and stencil printing apparatuses. (Note) This application discloses the following invention:

[0047] (Note 1) The output tray from which the printed paper is ejected, A pair of side fences are erected on the paper output tray, are slidably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the paper output direction, and are rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, An end fence is erected at the rear of the paper output tray in the paper output direction and is rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, A detection means provided on the upstream side of the paper output tray for detecting paper being ejected to the paper output tray, Based on the detection results from the detection means, the sliding and rotating movements of the side fences and the rotating movement of the end fences are controlled to eliminate the misalignment of the paper being ejected. A paper output device characterized by the following features.

[0048] This reduces the angle misalignment between the ejected paper and the side fence, and prevents the paper from hitting the side fence while being ejected. As a result, the side fence does not change the orientation of the paper, reducing misalignment of the paper on the output tray. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1. Inkjet printing device 2 Paper feed section 3 Image forming unit 4. Paper output and transport section 5,5A Paper ejection section 6 Control Unit 51 Paper output tray 51a Guide hole 51b Rotation axis 52 End Fence 53 Side fence 54, 56, 58 gears 54a Working rod 55, 57, 59 motors 55a gear 511, 512, 513 Paper output tray

Claims

[Claim 1] The output tray from which the printed paper is ejected, A pair of side fences are erected on the paper output tray, are slidably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the paper output direction, and are rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, An end fence is erected at the rear of the paper output tray in the paper output direction and is rotatably mounted on the paper output tray about a predetermined axis of rotation, A detection means provided on the upstream side of the paper output tray for detecting paper being ejected to the paper output tray, Based on the detection results from the detection means, the sliding and rotating movements of the side fences and the rotating movement of the end fences are controlled to eliminate the misalignment of the paper being ejected. A paper output device characterized by the following features.

Images