JP2008110834A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device with excellent mountability for a recording sheet material in an in-barrel paper sheet discharge part, even when the recording sheet material is greatly curled or is a carton, and having excellent stackability rich in array and alignment properties. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming device 10 in which the recording sheet material P with an image formed by an image forming part is discharged from a discharge part 70 into the in-barrel paper sheet discharge part 60 provided with a paper sheet discharge tray 72 includes a division part 74 for dividing the paper sheet discharge tray 72 into an upstream tray 76 and a downstream tray 78, when viewed from a discharge direction of the recording sheet material P. The paper sheet discharge tray 72 is formed to make the upstream tray 76 turnable around the division part 74 as a fulcrum. The upstream tray 76 is fixed in a free end side of the upstream tray 76 to keep a prescribed angle with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a composite machine thereof, and in particular, records such as plain paper and cardboard on a cylinder discharge tray arranged in a cylinder space. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with an in-cylinder discharge type discharge unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an in-cylinder discharge unit) that discharges various recording sheet materials (recording media) such as paper, OHP sheets, and labels.

In the conventional image forming apparatus as the background of the present invention, the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit is discharged and stacked on the in-body discharge unit provided above the image forming unit. A plurality of stages of paper discharge trays that allow the discharged sheet to be taken out from the front side of the apparatus main body, and a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet to a sheet processing apparatus mounted on a side portion of the apparatus main body. The front side of the transport unit is rotatably mounted around a rotation fulcrum on the opposite side of the sheet take-out side so that the transport surface is opened. There is one in which a space is formed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In this conventional image forming apparatus, the entire upper discharge tray can be rotated counterclockwise about the rotation axis. Therefore, when a jam occurs in the lower discharge portion and the vicinity thereof, the upper discharge tray Is retracted upward, it is possible to secure a large space for jamming in the transport section of the in-body sheet discharge section. In addition, since the sheet take-out direction is the same as the insertion direction of the hand for jam processing, it is possible to easily perform jam processing, and workability when taking out the sheet discharged to the lower discharge tray. Has also been improved.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of relevant parts showing an example of an in-body paper discharge unit according to another conventional image forming apparatus as the background of the present invention. The in-body paper discharge unit 9 of the conventional image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper discharge tray 3 on which the paper P on which an image is formed by an image forming unit (not shown) is discharged. An in-body finisher 5 is disposed above the discharge tray 3. A pair of paper discharge rollers 7 a and 7 b are disposed on the upstream side of the paper discharge tray 3 when viewed in the paper discharge direction. The paper P passes through between the paper discharge rollers 7a and 7b and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-306614 (FIGS. 4 and 5)

However, in the conventional image forming apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, stock properties on curled paper and cardboard have not been sufficiently considered. In the case of internal discharge, stackability with excellent alignment and consistency could not be obtained.
On the other hand, in the conventional image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the in-cylinder finisher 5 is disposed above the discharge tray 3, so that the bottom surface 5 a of the in-cylinder finisher 5 and the discharge tray 3 A paper discharge space provided between the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P stacked on the upper surface has a low height when viewed in the vertical direction. In such an in-body sheet discharge portion of the conventional image forming apparatus 1, the paper P discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3 is curled in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (paper discharge direction) of the paper P. If there is, the paper P is not easily bent in the transport direction (paper discharge direction) of the paper P.
Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus 1 in which the in-cylinder finisher 5 is disposed in the in-cylinder paper discharge unit 9, the paper P is particularly curled so as to be curved in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (paper discharge direction). As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of having, large size, cardboard, etc., as the load amount of the paper P loaded on the paper discharge tray 3 increases, the paper is placed on the bottom surface 5 a of the in-body finisher 5. When P hits, the conveyance of the paper P discharged from the pair of paper discharge rollers 7a and 7b to the conveyance path 9 is sequentially obstructed. Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus 1 as described above, there is a high possibility that defects such as stock defects and jams may occur in the in-body sheet discharge unit. For this reason, in such a conventional image forming apparatus 1, the alignment / alignment property of the paper P in the in-body paper discharge unit is poor, and good stackability cannot be obtained.

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide excellent stackability of the recording sheet material in the in-cylinder sheet discharge portion and excellent alignment and alignment even when the recording sheet material has large curl or thick paper. An image forming apparatus is provided.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which a recording sheet material on which an image is formed by an image forming unit is discharged from a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus to an in-body discharge unit having a discharge tray. The discharge tray has a stacking surface for stacking the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion, and the discharge tray discharges in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion. An image forming apparatus characterized in that an angle changing means is provided for making the angle of the loading surface closer to the part side variable.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the angle changing means can appropriately change the angle of the stacking surface near the discharge portion of the discharge tray with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion. That is, in the present invention according to claim 1, by appropriately changing the stacking angle closer to the discharge portion of the discharge tray by the angle changing means in accordance with the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of the recording sheet material, It is possible to stack the recording sheet materials sequentially discharged from the discharge unit on the stacking surface of the discharge tray in a substantially flat horizontal state. In this case, for example, the space between the bottom surface of the in-body finisher and the uppermost surface of the recording sheet material stacked on the discharge tray is widened as compared with the case of the conventional image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. It is possible. Therefore, according to the present invention of claim 1, the stock property of the recording sheet material in the in-body sheet discharge portion is improved, and a good stack property with excellent alignment / alignment is obtained, and a stock defect, jam, etc. There is also very little risk of this problem.
The present invention according to claim 2 is an invention dependent on the invention according to claim 1, wherein the angle changing means is configured to change the discharge tray into the upstream tray and the downstream tray when viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material. An upstream tray including a dividing portion to be divided, the upstream tray being pivotally formed with the dividing portion as a fulcrum, and the upstream tray being maintained at a desired angle with respect to the recording sheet discharge direction. An image forming apparatus, wherein a free end side of a side tray is fixed.
In the present invention according to claim 2, the portion including the downstream side of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion is stacked on the downstream tray, and the portion including the upstream side of the recording sheet material is stacked on the upstream tray. . Further, the upstream tray is formed so as to be rotatable with the dividing portion as a fulcrum, and is maintained at a desired angle with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material. Depending on the degree, the angle of the upstream tray with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion can be appropriately changed. Therefore, the present invention according to claim 2 has the same effect as the invention according to claim 1 described above.
The present invention according to claim 3 is an invention dependent on the invention according to claim 1, wherein the sheet discharge tray is separated from the discharge portion by a predetermined interval when viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material. A main discharge tray having a first stacking surface on which a portion including the downstream side of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion is stacked; and an upstream side of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion. A second stacking surface on which the recording sheet material is stacked, and adjusting the stacking angle of the recording sheet material stacked on the second stacking surface to a desired angle with respect to the recording sheet discharge direction. An assist tray is an image forming apparatus that is detachably provided as a separate member between a recording sheet material discharge portion side and a main discharge tray.
In this invention concerning Claim 3, the part containing the downstream of the recording sheet material discharged | emitted from a discharge part is loaded on the main paper discharge tray which has a 1st stacking surface, and the upstream of the said recording sheet material is carried out. The included portion is stacked on the assist tray having the second stacking surface. The assist tray is detachably disposed between the recording sheet material discharge portion side and the main paper discharge tray according to the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of recording sheet material, and discharges the recording sheet material. With respect to the direction, the stacking angle of the recording sheet material stacked on the second stacking surface of the assist tray is adjusted to be changeable to a desired angle. For this reason, the present invention according to claim 3 also has the same effect as the invention according to claim 1 described above.
The present invention according to claim 4 is an invention dependent on the invention according to claim 3, wherein the assist tray is movable in a freely movable manner between the recording sheet material discharge portion side and the main discharge tray. An image forming apparatus is provided.
In the present invention according to claim 4, in comparison with the invention according to claim 3 described above, in particular, the assist tray is movable so as to be freely advanced between the discharge portion side of the recording sheet material and the main discharge tray. It has become. Therefore, according to the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of recording sheet material, the assist tray is advanced toward the recording sheet material discharge portion side and the main paper discharge tray, so that the recording sheet material It becomes possible to adjust and change the stacking angle of the recording sheet material stacked on the second stacking surface of the assist tray to a desired angle with respect to the discharge direction. Therefore, the present invention according to claim 4 has the same effect as the invention according to claim 3 described above.

  According to the present invention, even when the recording sheet material has a large curl or thick paper, the recording sheet material has excellent stackability in the in-body sheet discharge section, and has good stackability with excellent alignment and alignment. A device is obtained.

  The above-described object, other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entirety of an example of an embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an internal configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. Note that arrows shown by solid lines in FIG. 2 indicate examples of the conveyance directions and conveyance paths of various recording sheet materials P such as recording paper such as plain paper and thick paper, OHP sheets, labels, and the like.
First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The image forming apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 12. A cassette type paper feed unit 14 is disposed on the lower side of the apparatus main body 12. The paper feed unit 14 includes, for example, upper and lower two-stage paper feed cassettes 16a and 16b. Recording sheet materials P such as plain paper before printing (before image recording) are stacked and accommodated in the paper feed cassettes 16a and 16b. The recording sheet material P accommodated in the sheet feeding cassettes 16a and 16b is fed out one by one by the pickup rollers 18a and 18b, respectively. Are respectively sent to the downstream side.

  In addition, a manual feed type multi-feed unit 22 is disposed outside the upper right side of the apparatus main body 12. In the manual feed type multi-feed unit 22, a plain paper having a different size from the recording sheet material P stored in the paper feed cassettes 16a and 16b, or a sheet to be fed one by one such as an OHP sheet is appropriately determined. The number is placed. The recording sheet material P placed on the multi-feed unit 22 is fed out one by one by a pickup roller 24, and the fed recording sheet material P is further fed by a pair of paper feeding rollers 26a and 26b, respectively. It is sent out downstream.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 10, recording sheet material conveying portions L 1 and L 2 are disposed in the apparatus main body 12. The recording sheet material conveying portion L1 includes a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 28, and is disposed on the left side that is the sheet feeding direction of the sheet feeding cassettes 16a and 16b as viewed in FIG. In addition, the recording sheet material conveyance unit L <b> 2 includes a plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 30, and is disposed on the left side that is the sheet feeding direction of the multi-sheet feeding unit 22. In this case, the recording sheet material P fed from the pair of paper feeding rollers 20a and 20b is conveyed upward from the paper feeding cassettes 16a and 16b via the respective conveying rollers 28 of the recording sheet material conveying portion L1. Then, it is sent to the image transfer unit 34 side described later. Further, the recording sheet material P sent out by the sheet feeding rollers 26a and 26b is conveyed from the multi-sheet feeding unit 22 substantially horizontally toward the left side via the conveying roller 30 of the recording sheet material conveying unit L2. The image is sent to the image transfer unit 34 described later.

  Further, the apparatus main body 12 of the image forming apparatus 10 includes a pair of resists on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording sheet material P of the recording sheet material conveyance units L1 and L2 and immediately upstream of the image transfer unit 36. A roller 32 is provided. The pair of registration rollers 32 corrects the skew feeding of the recording sheet material P and synchronizes with a toner image formed by an image forming unit 34 to be described later, toward the image transfer unit 36. P is sent out.

  On the other hand, a document feeder 37 is disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12 of the image forming apparatus 10, and an optical unit (not shown) is disposed below the document feeder 37. When a user copies a document, a document having image data such as characters, figures, and patterns is placed on the document feeding unit 37, and the document is separated and sent out one by one from the document feeding unit 37. The image data of the document is read by the unit (illustrated).

In the image forming apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, an image forming unit 34 and an image transfer unit 36 are provided on the downstream side of the registration roller 32 in the conveyance direction of the recording sheet material P.
The image forming unit 34 includes, for example, a photosensitive drum 38 as an image carrier. Around the photosensitive drum 38, a main charging device 40, an exposure device 42, a developing device 44, and a cleaning device 46 are arranged in this order along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 38.

  The photosensitive drum 38 is formed to be rotatable by driving means such as a motor (not shown) so that its peripheral speed is synchronized with the conveyance speed of the recording sheet material P, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 38 is the main charging. The device 40 is uniformly charged with a predetermined polarity and potential. The exposure device 42 converts the modulation signal generated based on the image data of the original read by the optical unit (not shown) into a laser beam and outputs it, and outputs the electrostatic latent image of the original image on the photosensitive drum 38. It forms an image.

The developing device 44 charges toner that is a developer with the same polarity as the charging polarity of the photosensitive drum 38, supplies the charged toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 38, and electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 38. Is developed to form a toner image. The toner image is transferred to the recording sheet material P before printing (before image recording) sent in synchronization by the registration roller 32 in the image transfer unit 36.
In this case, the image transfer unit 36 includes a transfer roller 48 disposed to face the photoconductor drum 38, and the toner on the photoconductor drum 38 is transferred to the recording sheet material P conveyed between the photoconductor drum 38 and the transfer roller 48. The image is to be transferred. Further, after the toner image is transferred to the recording sheet material P, the residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 38 is cleaned and collected by the cleaning device 46. Then, the recording sheet material P to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 50 described later through the recording sheet material conveyance path L3.

A fixing unit 50 having a heat roller 52 including a heat source therein and a pressure roller 54 disposed opposite to the heat roller 52 is provided on the downstream side of the image transfer unit 36. The recording sheet material P carrying the unfixed toner image by the image transfer unit 36 is fed between the heat roller 52 and the pressure roller 54, and the toner image is fixed by the heat roller 52.
Thereafter, the recording sheet material P is guided by, for example, a pair of discharge rollers 58a and 58b disposed on the downstream side of the transfer path switching guide piece 56 by the transfer path switching guide piece 56, and then discharged. It passes between the rollers 58a and 58b and is discharged to the in-body discharge section 60.

  Further, the recording sheet material P that has been subjected to the fixing process is discharged onto a stack tray 62 disposed outside the apparatus main body 12 as necessary. In this case, the recording sheet material P conveyed along the recording sheet material conveyance path L3 is guided toward the other sheet discharge rollers 64a and 64b by the conveyance path switching guide piece 56, and then the sheet discharge roller 64a. And 64b is discharged onto the stack tray 62.

Further, when images are formed on both sides of the recording sheet material P, a conveyance path switching guide is used to record the image on the other side (back side) of the recording sheet material P on which the image is recorded on one side (front side). The sheet 56 reverses the recording sheet material P from the recording sheet material conveyance path L3 toward the recording sheet material conveyance path L4 provided with a plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 68.
That is, the recording sheet material P conveyed along the recording sheet material conveyance path L3 and having an image recorded on one surface (front surface) thereof is guided toward the discharge rollers 64a and 64b by the conveyance path switching guide piece 56. Is done. Then, the recording sheet material P is further guided toward the recording sheet material conveyance path L4 by another conveyance path switching guide piece 66. After that, after passing between the respective conveying rollers 68 of the recording sheet material conveying path L4, the recording sheet material conveying path L1 is joined, and after being fed to the pair of registration rollers 32 via the conveying rollers 28 on the downstream side. Then, it is conveyed again to the image transfer unit 36.
After the image is recorded on the other side (back side) of the recording sheet material P by the image transfer unit 36, the recording sheet material P again passes through the recording sheet material conveyance path L <b> 3 to the fixing unit 50. Be transported.

Next, the in-body discharge unit 60 according to the present embodiment will be described below with particular reference to FIG.
In the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the recording sheet material P on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 34 is transferred from a discharge port 70 serving as a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus 10 to a cylinder as illustrated in FIG. The paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 72 of the inner paper discharge unit 60. A pair of paper discharge rollers 58a and 58b are disposed at the discharge port 70, and the recording sheet material P is discharged from between the paper discharge rollers 58a and 58b through the discharge port 70 in the discharge direction. It has become. In this case, the pair of paper discharge rollers 58 a and 58 b are supported in the apparatus main body 12 by, for example, a box-shaped discharge box B having a discharge port 70.

On the other hand, the in-body discharge unit 60 includes an in-body finisher F and a discharge tray 72 on which the recording sheet materials P discharged from the discharge port 70 are sequentially placed and stacked. The sheet discharge tray 72 is provided with angle changing means for making the angle of the sheet discharge tray 72 closer to the discharge port 70 side variable with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P discharged from the discharge port 70.
The angle changing unit includes a dividing unit 74 that divides and sorts the paper discharge tray 72 at an appropriate position in the discharge direction (conveyance direction) of the recording sheet material P discharged from the discharge port 70. The paper discharge tray 72 is divided and divided into an upstream tray 76 and a downstream tray 78 by a dividing unit 74. The upstream tray 76 and the downstream tray 78 are respectively provided with stacking surfaces 76a and 78a on the upper surface, and a portion including the upstream side of the recording sheet material P is stacked on the stacking surface 76a, and recording is performed on the stacking surface 78a. A portion including the downstream side of the sheet material P is stacked.

  Further, the upstream side tray 76 is rotatably supported with respect to the upstream side portion of the downstream side tray 78 by using, for example, a shaft portion 80 provided in the dividing portion 74 as a fulcrum. Yes. Further, the upstream side tray 76 that is rotatably supported is maintained at a desired angle with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P (a free end side) on the upstream end side of the upstream side tray 76. Is fixed. In the present embodiment, for example, a fixing member 82 having an L-shaped cross section, for example, is disposed in the discharge box B, and between this fixing member 82 and the upstream end portion (free end side) of the upstream tray 76. In addition, a plurality of locking structures (not shown) that can lock each other and release the locking are arranged along the rotation direction of the upstream tray 76.

In the structure of the in-body discharge unit 60 shown in FIG. 3 described above, the upstream tray 76 is configured to be rotatable with the dividing unit 74 as a fulcrum, and the upstream tray 76 is discharged from the recording sheet material P. Since the desired angle with respect to the direction can be maintained, the inclination angle of the stacking surface 76a of the upstream tray 76 with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P discharged from the discharge port 70 can be appropriately changed.
Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus 10 including the in-body discharge unit 60 illustrated in FIG. 3, the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of the recording sheet material P are appropriately handled, and the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P is The stacking angle of the recording sheet material P stacked on the stacking surface 76a of the upstream tray 76 located closer to the discharge portion of the discharge tray 72 can be changed as appropriate. Accordingly, the recording sheet materials P to be discharged can be sequentially stacked from the discharge port 70 onto the stacking surface 76a of the upstream tray 76 and the stacking surface 78a of the downstream tray 78 in a substantially flat horizontal state. .

  That is, in the image forming apparatus 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the in-body finisher F and the upstream tray of the paper discharge tray 72 are compared with the case of the conventional image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 6. The paper discharge space 84 between the stacking surface 76a of 76 and the uppermost surface of the recording sheet material P stacked on the stacking surface 78a of the downstream tray 78 can be widened. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 10, it is possible to greatly reduce the possibility of problems such as stock defects and jams in the in-body sheet discharge unit 60. Therefore, the stock property of the recording sheet material P in the in-body discharge unit 60 is improved, and a good stack property with excellent alignment and alignment is obtained.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a principal part showing another example of the in-body sheet discharge portion according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in particular in the structure of the paper discharge tray and the configuration of the angle changing means in the in-body paper discharge section 60.
That is, the paper discharge tray according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is arranged to extend in the horizontal direction with a predetermined interval downstream from the discharge port 70 when viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P. A paper discharge tray 86 is included. The main paper discharge tray 86 is provided with a stacking surface 86a as a first stacking surface on which a portion including the downstream side of the recording sheet material P discharged from the discharge port 70 is stacked. The main paper discharge tray 86 is held in the discharge box B by a holding member 88.

The holding member 88 includes, for example, a fixed bracket 90 having an L-shaped cross section that is fixed to the side wall portion of the discharge box B and has a placement surface 90a on the upper surface thereof. The downstream end portion 92 of the fixed bracket 90 and the upstream end portion 94 of the main paper discharge tray 86 are connected by a connecting bracket 96. The connecting bracket 96 has a mounting surface 96 a on the upper surface thereof, and an end portion 92 on the downstream side of the fixed bracket 90 from the upstream end portion 94 of the main paper discharge tray 86 when viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P. That is, it is provided so as to be inclined toward the lower side of the discharge port 70. The fixed bracket 90 and the connecting bracket 96 are integrally formed.
Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, a recess G is provided on the upper side of the holding member 88 between the upstream end portion 94 of the main discharge tray 86 and the lower side of the discharge port 70.

  Further, the angle changing means according to this embodiment includes an assist tray 98 that is detachably disposed as a separate member in the recess G between the discharge port 70 side of the recording sheet material P and the main paper discharge tray 86. Including. The assist tray 98 is provided with a stacking surface 98a as a second stacking surface on which the portion including the upstream side of the recording sheet material P discharged from the discharge port 70 is stacked. It is formed in the inclined surface which inclines from the site | part of a downstream end to the site | part of an upstream end. Further, the maximum height of the assist tray 98 when viewed in the stacking direction of the recording sheet material P is set to be lower than the maximum height of the recess G.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the assist tray 98 is placed and disposed on the placement surface 90 a of the fixed bracket 90 and the placement surface 96 a of the connecting bracket 96 of the holding member 88. In this case, by arranging the assist tray 98 in the concave portion G, the height of the concave portion G when viewed from the height in the stacking direction of the recording sheet material P can be appropriately adjusted. Therefore, the assist tray 98 can be adjusted so that the stacking angle of the recording sheet material P stacked on the stacking surface 98a can be changed to a desired angle with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P. Yes.

That is, in this embodiment, by appropriately changing the height of the assist tray 98 disposed in the recess G and the inclination angle of the stacking surface 98a according to the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of the recording sheet material P, With respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P, the stacking inclination angle of the recording sheet material P discharged onto the stacking surface 98a of the assist tray 98 can be adjusted to a desired angle. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the recording sheet material P can be stacked on the stacking surfaces of the main discharge tray 86 and the assist tray 98 in a substantially flat and horizontal state.
Therefore, also in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to prevent defects such as a stock defect or jam of the recording sheet material P in the in-body sheet discharge unit 60. it can. Therefore, the stock property of the recording sheet material P in the in-body discharge unit 60 is improved, and a good stack property with excellent alignment and alignment is obtained.

FIG. 5 is an essential part cross-sectional view showing still another example of the in-body discharge section according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in the structure of the holding member and the configuration of the angle changing means.
That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the holding member 88 has a surface structure including a fixed bracket 90 having a mounting surface 90 a on its upper surface and a connecting bracket 96 having a mounting surface 96 a on its upper surface. However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the holding member 88 has a frame structure having an opening (not shown).

  Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the assist tray 98 as a main component of the angle changing means is configured to be detachably disposed in the recess G, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. The assist tray 100 is provided so as to be movable toward the concave portion G so as to freely advance. That is, the assist tray 100 according to the present embodiment is a recording sheet as viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material P and the horizontal surface 100a that can move in a reciprocating manner in the horizontal direction along the lower surface side of the main discharge tray 86. And an inclined surface 100b inclined to the upstream side in the discharge direction of the material P. In this case, a portion of the inclined surface 100b of the assist tray 100 is located between the discharge port 70 side of the recording sheet material P and the main paper discharge tray 86 via an opening (not shown) of the holding member 88 having a frame structure. It is the structure which can move slidably toward the recessed part G of this.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the assist tray 100 is advanced toward the concave portion G according to the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of the recording sheet material, and the region of the concave portion G with respect to the discharging direction of the recording sheet material P. By correcting the upstream bending angle of the recording sheet material P stacked on the recording sheet material P, the recording sheet material P is stacked on the stacking surfaces of the main discharge tray 86 and the assist tray 100 in a substantially flat horizontal state. be able to. In this case, the degree of advancement to the recess G of the inclined surface 100b of the assist tray 100 is adjusted in accordance with the direction and degree of curl that varies depending on the type of recording sheet material.
Therefore, also in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to prevent defects such as stock defects and jams in the in-body paper discharge unit 60 as in the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In addition, it is possible to improve the stockability of the recording sheet material P in the in-body discharge unit 60, and to obtain a good stacking property with excellent alignment and alignment.

It is a perspective view showing the whole example of an embodiment concerning the invention in this application. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating an internal configuration of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an essential part cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an in-body sheet discharge unit according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating another example of the in-body discharge unit according to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing still another example of the in-body discharge section according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating an example of an in-body sheet discharge unit according to a conventional image forming apparatus as a background of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Apparatus main body 14 Paper feed part 16a, 16b Paper feed cassette 18a, 18b, 24 Pickup roller 20a, 20b, 26a, 26b Paper feed roller 22 Multi paper feed part 28, 30, 68 Transport roller 32 Registration roller 34 Image forming unit 36 Image transfer unit 37 Document feeding unit 38 Photosensitive drum 40 Main charging device 42 Exposure device 44 Developing device 46 Cleaning device 48 Transfer roller 50 Fixing unit 52 Heat roller 54 Pressure roller 56, 66 Transport path switching guide piece 58a, 58b, 64a, 64b Paper discharge roller 60 In-body paper discharge part 62 Stack tray 70 Discharge port 72 Paper discharge tray 74 Dividing part 76 Upstream tray 76a, 78a, 86a, 98a Stacking surface 78 Downstream tray 80 Shaft part 82 Fixing member 84 Output space 86 Main output Ray 88 holding member 90 fixed brackets 90a, 96a mounting surface 96 connecting bracket 100 assists tray 100a horizontal plane 100
b Inclined surface B Discharge box F In-body finisher G Recess P Recording sheet material

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus in which a recording sheet material on which an image is formed by an image forming unit is discharged from a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus to an in-body discharge unit including a discharge tray.
The paper discharge tray has a stacking surface for stacking the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge unit,
An angle changing means is provided for making the angle of the stacking surface of the discharge tray closer to the discharge portion side with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion. , Image forming apparatus. The angle changing means includes a dividing unit that divides the discharge tray into an upstream tray and a downstream tray when viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material,
The upstream tray is formed such that the upstream tray is rotatable with the dividing portion as a fulcrum, and the upstream tray is maintained at a desired angle with respect to the discharge direction of the recording sheet material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a free end side of the image forming apparatus is fixed. The paper discharge tray is
The recording sheet material is disposed at a predetermined interval downstream from the discharge portion as viewed in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material, and a portion including the downstream side of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion is stacked. A main discharge tray having a single stacking surface, and a second stacking surface on which a portion including the upstream side of the recording sheet material discharged from the discharge portion is stacked, and in the discharge direction of the recording sheet material An assist tray for adjusting the stacking angle of the recording sheet material stacked on the second stacking surface to a desired angle.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the assist tray is detachably provided as a separate body between the recording sheet material discharge portion side and the main discharge tray. .   The image according to claim 3, wherein the assist tray is provided so as to be movable forwardly between the recording sheet material discharge portion side and the main paper discharge tray. Forming equipment.

Images