JPH11278738A - Sheet material discharging device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the lowering of operability of a device by forming the device so that the sheet material stacked on a sheet material discharging tray provided in a back surface of a device main body is easily taken out. SOLUTION: A device has rear paper discharging rollers 29 for discharging the sheet material out of the device, a rear sheet material discharging tray 28 capable of being moved between a sheet material stacking position for stacking the sheet material and a sheet material taking-out position for taking out the sheet material, a paper discharging tray driving means for moving the rear sheet material discharging tray 28, tray position sensors 41, 42 for detecting position of the rear sheet material discharging tray 28, and a control means for controlling the movement of the rear sheet material discharging tray 28. The rear sheet material discharging tray 28 is arranged in a back surface of a device main body so that it can be moved in the nearly vertical direction along the back surface, and the sheet material position of the rear sheet material discharging tray 28 is positioned at an upper part of the back surface of the device main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet discharging apparatus for discharging and stacking sheet materials, and more particularly to a sheet discharging apparatus applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a feeding cassette is provided at a lower portion of the apparatus main body in order to reduce the size of the apparatus main body, and a sheet material on which an image is formed is formed at an upper or lower part of the apparatus main body. A so-called wingless apparatus layout in which a sheet stacking tray for discharging and stacking is provided is mainly used. For example, when the sheet stacking tray is provided at the lower portion of the apparatus main body, there is known a configuration in which the sheet stacking tray is configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body so that the sheet material on the sheet stacking tray is easily taken out. ing.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional image forming apparatus. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 201 denotes a feeding cassette provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body 200 in the direction of arrow X in FIG. The sheet material P stacked in the feeding cassette 201 is
After the images formed in the image forming section 203 are transferred and separated one by one by the
The sheet is fixed at 204, and is stacked in a sheet material stacking tray 205. The sheet stacking tray 205 is configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body 200 in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. 10, and by pulling out from the apparatus main body 200, it is possible to take out the stacked sheet materials after image formation.

Further, in order to improve the user's convenience, after the sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking tray 205, the sheet stacking tray 205 is moved to the sheet unloading position (the position pulled out from the apparatus main body 200). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-213453 discloses a device which is automatically moved to (1).

On the other hand, as functions become more complex, so-called multifunction machines having a copying function, a facsimile function, a printer function and the like have appeared. In the case of such a multifunction peripheral, the types and sizes of sheet materials used are diversified, and various measures have been taken to cope with this.

For example, in order to cope with a user who uses a sheet material longer than the length of the apparatus main body in the sheet conveying direction, the conveying direction of the sheet material is set to the depth direction of the apparatus, and the feeding cassette is moved to the rear side of the apparatus main body. Alternatively, it is configured to protrude forward. Accordingly, a user who uses only a small-sized sheet material can reduce an occupied area of the apparatus by using a short feed cassette in a depth direction. Advantages such as cost reduction by downsizing the main body can be provided.

Further, in order to accommodate a user who temporarily uses a sheet material of a different type or size, a manual feeding unit 206 is provided as shown in FIG. The convenience has been improved.

Further, in order to cope with a user who uses a special sheet material such as thick paper or thin paper, the rear side of the apparatus main body (see FIG.
10), a second discharge port 207 is provided at the
6, image forming section 203, fixing means 204, and second discharge port 207
Are formed in a substantially linear path.
Accordingly, when a special sheet material such as thick paper or thin paper is used, the manual feeding unit 206 and the second discharge port 20 on the rear side are used.
The use of No. 7 prevents the sheet material from jamming in the U-turn portion of the normal sheet path. In this case, the sheet material after image formation is discharged and stacked on the second sheet material stacking tray 208 provided on the back side.

[0009]

However, in the above conventional example, when the sheet material discharged onto the second sheet material loading tray 208 from the second discharge port 207 on the back side of the apparatus main body is taken out, the side face of the apparatus or the back side is used. The sheet material ejected onto the second sheet material stacking tray 208 is difficult to remove because the device must be wrapped around and taken out, or if it cannot be wrapped around, the hand must be reached from the top side to the back side of the apparatus and taken out. Was likely to occur. In particular, as shown in FIG. 10, when the document reading device 209 is disposed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 200, the distance from the upper surface side of the apparatus to the second sheet material loading tray 208 on the rear side is long, and in some cases, the rear side There is a possibility that the sheet material on the second sheet material stacking tray 208 cannot be reached.

On the other hand, if an image is formed in a state where the sheet material loading tray 205 provided at the lower portion of the apparatus main body is at the sheet material take-out position (position pulled out from the apparatus main body 200), the sheet material is discharged into the apparatus main body. This may make it difficult to take out the sheet material. Further, if the sheet material loading tray 205 is returned to the sheet material loading position (a position as shown in FIG. 10) without noticing that the sheet material has been discharged into the apparatus main body, the sheet material loading tray 205
May be caught on the sheet material discharged into the apparatus main body, and the sheet material and the apparatus main body 200 may be damaged. In particular, when the apparatus has a function of a facsimile or a network printer, it is difficult to know when to receive image data.

After the image formation, the sheet stacking tray 20
5 is automatically moved to the sheet material take-out position, but in the case of a multifunction machine having a facsimile function or the like, the operator of the apparatus and the sheet material
The recipient of the sheet material may be different, for example, there is a case where it is necessary to operate the apparatus in a state where the sheet material loading tray 205 is at the sheet material take-out position, in this case, the operability of the apparatus is impaired, It was inconvenient.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to make it easy to take out the sheet material stacked on a sheet material stacking tray provided on the back side of the apparatus main body, and to prevent the operability of the apparatus from being lowered.

It is a second object of the present invention to prevent abnormalities in operations such as reception and image formation regardless of the position of a sheet material stacking tray.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a representative sheet material discharging apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sheet material discharging means for discharging a sheet material outside the apparatus, and a stack of the sheet material. A sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material loading position, a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material, a tray moving means for moving the position of the sheet material loading tray, and detecting a position of the sheet material loading tray Tray position detecting means for controlling the movement of the sheet material stacking tray, and the sheet material stacking tray is disposed on the back side of the apparatus main body and is movable substantially vertically along the back side. The sheet material take-out position of the sheet material stacking tray is located at the upper portion on the rear side of the apparatus main body.

A sheet material discharging means for discharging the sheet material out of the apparatus; a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material; and a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. A tray moving unit that moves a position of the sheet material stacking tray, a tray position detecting unit that detects a position of the sheet material stacking tray, and a control unit that controls movement of the sheet material stacking tray, The sheet material stacking tray is arranged on the back side of the apparatus main body, and is rotatable around a rotation axis provided on the sheet material discharge means side in a direction in which the sheet material stacking surface approaches / separates from the back surface. The sheet material take-out position of the sheet material stacking tray is a position where at least a part of the stacked sheet materials comes to the upper portion on the rear side of the apparatus main body.

A sheet material discharging means for discharging the sheet material to the outside of the apparatus; a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material; and a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. Tray moving means for moving the position of the sheet material stacking tray, tray position detecting means for detecting the position of the sheet material stacking tray, control means for controlling movement of the sheet material stacking tray, and A sheet material presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet material on the tray, and when it is detected that there is no sheet material on the sheet material loading tray when the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material takeout position, The sheet material loading tray is moved to a sheet material loading position.

A sheet material discharging means for discharging the sheet material out of the apparatus; a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material; and a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. A tray moving unit that moves a position of the sheet material stacking tray, a tray position detecting unit that detects a position of the sheet material stacking tray, and a control unit that controls movement of the sheet material stacking tray, When discharging the sheet material to the sheet material loading tray, if it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position.

In order to achieve the above object, a typical image forming apparatus of the present invention has a structure in which a sheet material after image formation or image reading is discharged outside the apparatus and stacked. A sheet discharging device, further having a memory for storing image data, and when receiving the image data when the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position, storing the image data in the memory. Features.

Further, when image data is stored in the memory and it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material loading position, the image data in the memory is output to the sheet material, and then the sheet material loading tray is loaded. It is characterized by loading.

[0020]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet discharging apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[First Embodiment] A sheet discharging apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, as the order of the description, the overall configuration of the facsimile apparatus as the image forming apparatus and the operation mechanism of the rear sheet discharge tray constituting the sheet discharge apparatus will be described.

{Overall Configuration of Facsimile Apparatus} First, FIG.
A general facsimile apparatus will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus configured according to the present invention with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a facsimile machine, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the facsimile.

First, an outline of the entire facsimile apparatus will be described. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body; 2, an original mounting table configured to stack a plurality of originals S; 3, an image reading unit that reads image information of the original S;
Reference numeral 4 denotes a main body of an electrophotographic recording apparatus for recording an image on the sheet material P; 5, an operation unit including a display unit and input keys; 6, a document conveying unit; 7, a document pressing unit; A sensor, 9 is a document discharge tray, 10 is a laser scanner, 11 is an image forming unit, 12 is a cassette sheet feeding unit, and 13 is a structure capable of stacking a plurality of sheets P on an upper cover of the apparatus main body 1. Upper sheet material discharge section, 14 is a cartridge cover, 15 is an ADF (auto document feeder) cover, 16 is an outer document guide, 18 is an inner document guide,
20 is a control unit of the facsimile machine, 21 is a sheet conveying unit, 22
Denotes a front cover, 23 denotes a paper ejection cover, 25 denotes an MP (multi-paper) paper feeding unit, and 50 denotes a double-sided conveying unit.

The image reading section 3 separates the originals S stacked on the original placing table 2 one by one by a separation roller 6b pressed against the separation pad 6a, and separates the conveyance rollers 6 pressed against the conveyance roller 6c.
By d, a U-turn sheet path constituted by a part of the outer document guide 16 and a part of the inner document guide 18 is conveyed. Further, the document S is conveyed to the contact image sensor 8 by a sheet feed roller 6f or the like that is in pressure contact with the sheet feed roller 6e, and the image information of the document S is read while the document S is pressed against and brought into close contact with the contact image sensor 8 by the document pressing section 7. . Thereafter, the document S is discharged onto the document discharge tray 9 by a discharge roller 6h pressed against the discharge roller 6g. During this time, the original S is guided by the outer original guide 16 and the inner original guide 18.

The document table 2 is provided with a slider 2a slidable in a direction (width direction of the document S) orthogonal to the direction of conveyance of the document S. The slider 2a is mounted on the document table 2 by the slider 2a. Both sides of the document S can be aligned. Further, an extension document tray 2b that can extend in the transport direction of the document S is provided on the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable. When the document S is a long document, the extension document tray 2b is opened to open the document S. The rear end portion can be prevented from protruding from the document table 2 and hanging down.

The contact type image sensor 8 has a light source L
The image information surface of the document S is irradiated with light from the ED array, and the reflected light reflected on the image information surface is reflected by a selfoc lens (trademark).
And reads image information by forming an image on the sensor element.

The cassette sheet feeding section 12 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 1. The sheet materials P stacked on the sheet feeding cassette 12a are separated and conveyed one by one by a sheet feeding roller 12b and a separation pad 12c.

The separated sheet material P is applied to a pair of registration rollers.
After the skew of the sheet material P is corrected by 24a, the sheet material P is reversed by the sheet transport U-turn guide.

Further, the sheet material P being fed is supplied to the TOP sensor 24.
f, and the image output timing is adjusted so that the leading edge of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11a and the leading edge of the sheet material P coincide with each other.
f and the photosensitive drum 11a.

A front cover 22 arranged on the front of the apparatus main body 1 is configured to be openable and closable.
An MP (multi-paper) paper feed unit 25 is arranged inside 22. When the front cover 22 is opened, the MP tray 25
f becomes an oblique posture that becomes lower toward the sheet conveying direction, and a state in which a plurality of sheet materials P can be stacked on the MP tray 25f is obtained. By pulling out the MP extension tray 25e, the sheet material of a size that cannot be stacked on the MP tray 25f prevents the rear end of the sheet material from protruding from the MP tray 25f and hanging down. MP middle plate 25c
Is urged upward by the MP middle leaf spring 25h,
Since the MP middle plate 25c is depressed in the standby state by a cam (not shown), the sheet P can be stacked.

When a signal for starting the MP sheet feeding is transmitted from the control means 20 of the facsimile apparatus, pressing means (not shown) presses the sheet material P stacked on the MP intermediate plate 25c.
Is pressed by the MP feed roller 25a, and the MP separation pad 25b
Are separated and transported one by one. After the position of the leading end of the separated sheet material P is detected by the TOP sensor 24f, the image output timing is adjusted so that the leading end of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11a and the leading end of the sheet material P coincide. Is transferred between the transfer charger 11f and the photosensitive drum 11a.

The MP sheet feeding section 25 is provided with a sheet regulating plate 25i mounted so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet material P. The sheet material P has its side end face regulated by the sheet regulating plate 25i, and skew or unevenness is prevented. Feeding does not occur. In addition, MP
The presence or absence of the sheet material P in the sheet feeding unit 25 is detected by the MP sensor 25d.

The recording apparatus main body 4 emits image light from the laser scanner 10 based on the image signal output from the control means 20, and outputs the image light to the photosensitive drum 11 of the image forming section 11.
a, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11a, the electrostatic latent image is converted into a toner image by a developing unit 11c, and the toner image is fed from the cassette feeding unit 12 to the image forming unit 11. The toner image is transferred to the sheet material P.

The photosensitive drum 11a is integrated with the charging means 11b, the developing means 11c and the cleaning means 11d in the process cartridge 11e, and is detachable from the apparatus main body 1.

A transfer charger 11f is arranged below the photosensitive drum 11a of the image forming section 11, and a heat fixing unit 11g is arranged on a sheet conveying path downstream of the photosensitive drum 11a.

After the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11a is transferred to the sheet material P by the transfer charger 11f, the sheet material P is conveyed along the sheet conveying unit 21, and the toner image is fixed by the heat fixing unit 11g. .

Here, the sheet material P on which the toner image is fixed
If the paper is not transported to the duplex transport unit 50,
The sheet material transport path can be either a U-turn sheet path toward the upper discharge port 27 provided at the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 or a straight sheet path toward the rear paper discharge port 30 provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 1. Is switched to. That is, by the switching operation of the discharge flapper 26, the sheet P is discharged from the upper sheet discharge section 13 disposed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 1 and the rear sheet discharge section 13 disposed on the back side of the apparatus main body 1. Tray 28
Is selectively discharged. The discharge flapper 26 performs a switching operation in accordance with a signal from the control unit 20.

The MP sheet feeding section 25, the photosensitive drum 11a, the heat fixing device 11g, and the rear sheet ejection port 30 are arranged at substantially the same height, and a sheet material from the MP sheet feeding section 25 to the rear sheet ejection port 30 is provided. The transport path is configured to be linear or gently curved. For this reason, when a nonstandard sheet material such as thick paper or thin paper is used, the sheet is fed from the MP sheet feeding unit 25 and discharged onto the rear sheet discharge tray 28, so that the apparatus main body is configured. Jamming of the sheet material inside can be prevented.

As described above, the sheet material P discharged to the upper sheet material discharge unit 13 is stacked with the image information facing downward, and the sheet material P discharged to the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is the image information. Is configured so as to be stacked with the top facing.

The double-sided conveying section 50 is detachably disposed at the rear of the apparatus main body 1, and converts the sheet material P conveyed through the thermal fixing device 11 g based on an image signal output from the control means 20.
By switching the flapper 51, the sheet material P can be conveyed to the double-sided conveyance unit 50. The flapper 51 is switched, and the sheet material P conveyed to the double-sided conveyance unit 50 is conveyed to the switchback roller 53 as conveyance means. Switchback roller
The sheet material P conveyed to 53 is once conveyed onto a cover 12g arranged above the paper feed cassette 12a, and stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1.

Thereafter, when the rear end of the sheet material P is conveyed to the vicinity of the switchback roller 53, the rear end of the sheet material P is detected by a sensor (not shown), and before the sheet material P exits the switchback roller 53. The transport stops once. Then, the sheet material P is conveyed by the reverse rotation of the switchback roller 53 to the sheet re-feeding unit 54 arranged below the rear part of the duplex conveying unit 50.

The skew of the sheet material P conveyed to the sheet re-feeding section 54 is corrected by a plurality of rollers disposed in the sheet re-feeding section 54, and then reaches the sheet re-feeding roller 55, where the sheet P is fed to the sheet feeding cassette 12a. Is transported again to the apparatus main body 1 through the inside of the device.

{Operation Mechanism of Rear Sheet Discharge Tray} Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the operation mechanism and control of the rear sheet discharge tray 28 constituting the sheet discharge device will be described. 3 and 4 show the rear sheet material discharge tray 28.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of functions.

The rear sheet discharge tray 28 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical wall 28a and the sheet material loading surface 28b have a substantially L-shape. An arm 28c is provided integrally with the rear sheet discharge tray 28, and has an elongated hole 28d in the lateral direction.
Is provided. The dowels 28e provided on the arm 28c are engaged with guide rails 32 provided on the left and right side surfaces inside the apparatus main body, and the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is movably mounted along the guide rails 32.

The discharge tray driving means 33 is constituted by a driving gear 34, a pulley 35, and a timing belt 36 passed between the driving gear 34 and the pulley 35, and a dowel 37 is fixed to the timing belt 36. ing. The dowel 37 is engaged with an elongated hole 28d provided in the arm 28c of the rear sheet discharge tray 28.

When the drive gear 34 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the timing belt 36 is driven, and the dowel 37 moves upward in FIG. Move up along 32. When the drive gear 34 further rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, the dowel 37 moves downward in FIG. 4 beyond the uppermost position, and as the dowel 37 descends, the rear sheet discharge tray 28 moves along the guide rail 32. To move down.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a transmission gear for transmitting power to the discharge tray driving means 33, which rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3 upon receiving a driving force from a driving system of the apparatus main body. This transmission gear 38
A spring clutch 39 is provided between the transmission gear 38 and the driving gear 34, and transmits and separates a driving force from the transmission gear 38 to the driving gear 34. Reference numeral 40 denotes a solenoid for locking and unlocking the control ring 39a of the spring clutch 39. When the control ring 39a is locked by the operation of the solenoid 40, the driving force from the transmission gear 38 to the drive gear 34 is cut off, and when the control ring 39a is unlocked, the drive from the transmission gear 38 to the drive gear 34 is performed. Power is transmitted.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a tray position sensor for detecting that the rear sheet discharge tray 28 has reached the sheet pickup position, which is the highest position. Reference numeral 42 denotes the lowest position of the rear sheet discharge tray 28. This is a tray position sensor that detects that the sheet has reached the sheet material stacking position.

A sheet material presence / absence detection sensor 43 for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet material is provided on the rear sheet material ejection tray 28. When the image forming operation is completed, the sheet material presence / absence detection sensor 43 removes the sheet material. Upon detection, the control means 20 drives the main motor 44 (see FIG. 5) of the apparatus main body, activates the solenoid 40, and unlocks the control ring 39a of the spring clutch 39. When the lock of the control ring 39a is released, the drive is transmitted to the drive gear 34 by the action of the spring clutch 39, and the rear sheet discharge tray 28 moves up along the guide rail 32. When the tray position sensor 41 detects that the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 has risen to the highest position, the control means 20 stops driving the main motor 44. As a result, the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is located at the uppermost position of the apparatus main body 1, and the user can easily take out the sheet stacked on the rear sheet discharge tray 28.

When the tray position sensor 41 detects that the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is at the highest position, and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 43 detects that no sheet is present, the control means 20 causes the main motor 44 to operate. The control ring 39a of the spring clutch 39 is unlocked by driving again and operating the solenoid 40. As a result, when the drive is transmitted to the timing belt 36, the dowel 37 starts to descend beyond the uppermost position, and the rear sheet discharge tray 28 also descends along the guide rail 32. When the tray position sensor 42 detects that the rear sheet discharge tray 28 has moved down to the lowest position, the control means 20 stops driving the main motor 44.

Under the above-described control, when the image forming operation is completed and the sheet material is discharged onto the rear sheet material discharge tray 28, the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is automatically raised to the uppermost sheet. Since the user stops at the material take-out position, the user can easily take out the sheet materials stacked on the rear sheet material discharge tray. Further, when the user takes out the sheet material on the rear sheet material discharge tray 28, the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is automatically lowered to stop at the lowest sheet material stacking position. Preparation for operation is completed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 32 for guiding the movement of the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is engaged with the dowel 28e when the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is at the standby position of the sheet stacking position. Immediately above the mating position, it is bent in a crank shape toward the back side of the apparatus main body 1. Therefore, when the rear sheet discharge tray 28 moves up from the sheet stacking position to a position (left side in FIG. 4) that does not interfere with the rear discharge roller 29, the rear sheet discharge roller 29
And rises to the sheet material take-out position. Also, when descending from the sheet ejection position, the rear sheet ejection tray 28 descends across the rear ejection roller 29 without interfering with the rear ejection roller 29, and then moves to the right in FIG. To complete the movement to the sheet material loading position.

Therefore, when the movement to the sheet material stacking position is completed, the outer peripheral surface of the rear discharge roller 29 protrudes leftward in FIG. 4 from the vertical wall 28a of the rear sheet discharge tray 28. . For this reason, even if the sheet material discharge speed is relatively low, the rear end of the sheet material is not
Without climbing over the upper end of the vertical wall 28a, and is correctly loaded on the sheet material loading surface 28b.

Next, when the rear image output signal arrives while the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is being lifted and stopped at the uppermost position of the sheet material take-out tray, and the rear discharge port 30 is selected, the rear part of the rear sheet discharge port 30 is selected. The operation of the sheet discharge tray 28 will be described.

When the next image forming signal arrives while the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is being lifted and the rear discharge port 30 is selected, the control means 20 sets the rear sheet discharge tray 28 to the highest position. The main motor 44 is not stopped even if the tray position sensor 41 detects that it has risen to the upper position, and when the tray position sensor 42 detects that the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 has descended to the lowest position, the spring clutch 39 The control ring 39a is locked, and the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is stopped at the sheet material stacking position, which is the lowest position.

On the other hand, if the next image forming signal is received while the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is stopped at the uppermost position of the sheet pickup position and the rear discharge port 30 is selected, the control means 20 is activated. Is controlled by releasing the lock of the control ring 39a of the spring clutch 39 while driving the main motor 44, and controlling the spring clutch 39 when the tray position sensor 42 detects that the rear sheet material ejection tray 28 has been lowered to the lowest position. The ring 39a is locked, and the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is stopped at the sheet material stacking position, which is the lowest position.

Thereafter, the control means 20 starts the paper feeding operation and forms an image. The time T1 from the start of the sheet feeding operation to the time when the leading edge of the sheet material reaches the rear discharge port 30 and the time T2 required for the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 to descend from the uppermost position to the lowermost position are considered. The rear sheet material output tray 28
The sheet feeding operation may be started after waiting for a predetermined time (T2-T1) or more after the tray position sensor 41 detects that has reached the top position.

In parallel with the movement of the rear sheet discharge tray 28, the control means 20 stores the image data in a memory (not shown), and the rear sheet discharge tray 28 reaches the sheet stacking position. The image data stored in the memory later may be recorded on the sheet material. According to this, it is not necessary to wait for the reception of the image data until the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 reaches the sheet material stacking position, and the communication cost can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the sheet material is discharged to the rear sheet discharge tray 28, after the sheet material is discharged, the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is moved to the upper part of the apparatus main body 1. To the sheet material take-out position. Therefore, the user can easily take out the sheet material stacked on the rear sheet material discharge tray 28.

When the sheet material on the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 is taken out, the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 automatically moves to the sheet material stacking position and waits. The material does not drop to the rear side of the apparatus main body, and there is no need to wait for image formation until the rear sheet discharge tray 28 returns to the sheet material stacking position.

Further, if the next image forming signal arrives while the rear sheet discharging tray 28 is being lifted and stopped at the sheet removing position, and the rear discharging port 30 is selected, the rear sheet discharging is performed. Since the image formation is performed after the tray 28 returns to the sheet material stacking position after passing the sheet material removal position,
The sheet material does not fall on the back side of the apparatus main body 1.

In this embodiment, when the sheet is fed from the MP sheet feeding unit 25, the rear sheet discharge tray 28 is selected, but the present invention is not limited to this. Not something. For example, copy function, facsimile function,
In the case of a multifunction device having various functions such as a printer function, the upper sheet material discharge section 13 and the rear sheet material discharge tray are classified according to functions.
28, and any one or more of the sheet material recorded by the facsimile function, the sheet material copied by the copy function, and the sheet material printed by the printer function are attached to the rear. The sheet may be discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 128.

When double-sided recording is selected, the rear sheet discharge tray 28 may be selected so that the page order of the sheet is not reversed. Further, the upper sheet material discharge section 13 and the rear sheet material discharge tray 28 may be configured to be selected according to recorded contents such as confidential communication and management reports.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a sheet discharging device and an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of the sheet material discharging device portion in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Since the overall configuration of the facsimile apparatus as the image forming apparatus is substantially the same as that of the above-described embodiment,
In the following description, the operation mechanism of the rear sheet discharge tray constituting the sheet discharge device will be described.

In the figure, reference numeral 60 denotes a rear sheet discharge tray provided below the rear discharge port 30 on the rear side of the apparatus main body 1. The rear sheet output tray 60 is a vertical wall as shown in FIG.
It has a substantially L-shape comprising a sheet material loading surface 60b and a sheet material loading surface 60b. The rear sheet discharge tray 60 is attached to the apparatus main body 1 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 62 provided above the vertical wall 60a and outside the discharge cover 61. The position of the rotation shaft 62 of the rear sheet discharge tray 60 is located below the upper end 60c of the vertical wall 60a, and the distance L1 between the rotation shaft 62 and the upper end 60c of the vertical wall 60a is equal to the discharge distance. The paper cover 61 is arranged so as to be longer than the distance L2 between the vertical wall 60a (FIG. 9).
(A)). A dowel 60e is integrally provided on a side surface of the rear sheet material discharge tray 60.

In the figure, 63 is a rear sheet discharge tray.
A disk-shaped drive member for driving the rotary shaft 63
It is configured to be rotatable about b. The driving force from the apparatus main body side is transmitted to and cut off from the driving member 63 by the spring clutch 39 as in the first embodiment described above. Further, a dowel 63a is integrally provided on a side surface of the driving member 63.

In the figure, reference numeral 64 denotes a link member for connecting the driving member 63 and the rear sheet discharge tray 60,
a is the dowel 63a of the driving member 63 and the rear sheet material discharge tray 60.
With the dowels 60e.

The rest of the configuration of the sheet material discharging device according to this embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

When the driving force is transmitted to the driving member 63 by the action of the spring clutch 39, the rear sheet discharging tray 60 is pulled by the link member 64 with the rotation of the driving member 63. 7 and moves up in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 to move to the sheet material take-out position shown in FIG. When the drive member 63 further rotates, the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is pushed by the link member 64 and the weight of the rear sheet material discharge tray 60, so that the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. And moves to the sheet material loading position shown in FIG. The sheet material take-out position is a position where a part of the sheet materials P stacked on the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 comes to the upper part on the rear side of the apparatus main body, as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 will be described.

When the sheet material detection sensor 43 detects the sheet material in a state where the image forming operation is completed, the control means 20 drives the main motor 44 of the apparatus main body 1 and operates the solenoid 40 to control the spring clutch 39. Unlock the ring 39a. When the lock of the control ring 39a is released and the drive is transmitted to the drive member 63 by the action of the spring clutch 39, the rear sheet discharge tray 60 is pulled by the link member 64 and the rotation of the rotation shaft 62 is centered. Rotate clockwise during 7 and get up. When the tray position sensor 41 detects that the rear sheet material ejection tray 60 has risen to the uppermost position, the control means 20
Stops the drive of the main motor 44. As a result, since the front end side of the sheet material stacked on the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 approaches the front side and the upper surface side of the apparatus main body, the user can easily take out the sheet material P on the rear sheet material discharge tray 60. be able to.

The tray position sensor 41 detects that the rear sheet ejection tray 60 is at the highest position (sheet ejection position), and the sheet material detection sensor 43.
When the control means 20 detects that there is no sheet material, the control means 20 drives the main motor 44 again and activates the solenoid 140 to unlock the control ring 39a of the spring clutch 39.
When the drive is transmitted to the driving member 63, the rear sheet discharge tray 60 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 8 around the rotation shaft 162 to the sheet loading position shown in FIG. Moving. When the tray position sensor 42 detects that the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 has moved to the sheet material stacking position, the control means 20 stops driving the main motor 44.

With the above-described control, when the image forming operation is completed and the sheet material is stacked on the rear sheet material discharge tray 60, the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 automatically rises up.
Since the sheet is stopped at the highest sheet material take-out position (see FIG. 8), the user can easily take out the sheet material P on the rear sheet material discharge tray 60.

Further, when the user operates the rear sheet discharge tray 60,
When the upper sheet is removed, the rear sheet output tray 60
Automatically rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8 and stops at the sheet stacking position, so that the preparation for the next image forming operation is completed.

In the rotating operation of the rear sheet material discharging tray 60, the rotating shaft 62 of the rear sheet material discharging tray 60 is
The rotating shaft 62 and the vertical wall are arranged below the upper end 60c of the 60a.
The distance L1 between the upper end 60c of 60a and the upper end 60c is determined by the distance between the paper discharge cover 61 and
Because the distance is greater than the distance L2 from the vertical wall 60a, the upper end of the vertical wall 60a
60c enters the inside of the discharge cover 61 (FIG. 9).
(A)). Therefore, there is no gap between the apparatus main body 1 and the rear sheet discharge tray 60, and the sheet material P discharged onto the rear sheet discharge tray 60 falls to the rear side of the apparatus main body 1. Never.

In the present embodiment, the position of the rotation shaft 62 of the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is arranged outside the discharge cover 61, but the rotation shaft 62 is positioned inside the discharge cover 61. 9B, the rotating shaft 62 of the rear sheet discharge tray 60 is disposed below the upper end 60c of the vertical wall 60a, and the rotating shaft 62 and the vertical wall 60a are arranged as shown in FIG. L3 from the upper end 60c
However, it may be arranged so as to be longer than the distance L4 between the paper discharge cover 61 and the vertical wall 60a.

In the present embodiment, the position of the rear sheet discharge tray 60 in the standby state is set to the state shown in FIG. 7, but the state in which the rear sheet discharge tray 60 is most raised (see FIG. 8) is set in the standby state. It may be located. According to this,
For a user who does not use the rear sheet discharge tray 60, the installation space of the apparatus main body 1 can be further reduced.

According to the present embodiment, even when the state in which the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is most raised (see FIG. 8) is set to the standby position, the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is in the most raised state. Also, since the rear discharge roller side of the rear sheet material output tray 60 is located below the rear paper output port 30, the movement of the rear sheet material output tray 60 to the sheet material stacking position has not been completed. Also, the sheet material is discharged onto the rear sheet discharge tray 160. At this time, the control means 20
When the paper feed operation starts, the rear sheet output tray 60
Should be started to the sheet material loading position. Normal,
It takes several seconds to several tens of seconds for the leading edge of the sheet material to reach the rear discharge port 30 from the start of the sheet feeding operation, so that the rear sheet discharge tray 60 is set to a level that does not hinder the stacking of the sheet material. Since the sheet is inclined, the loadability of the sheet material is not hindered.

If the conveying speed of the sheet material is high and there is a possibility that the stackability of the first sheet material may be impaired,
As shown in FIG. 9, a concave portion 60d for guiding the sheet material is provided on the sheet material stacking surface 60b of the rear sheet material discharge tray 60,
What is necessary is just to comprise so that the front-end | tip of a sheet material may be guided upwards in FIG. According to this, when the conveyance speed of the sheet material is high, even if the state in which the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is raised (the state of FIG. 8) is set to the standby state, the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 is used together with the start of image formation. Starts moving to the sheet material stacking position, the leading end of the first sheet material is guided upward in FIG. 9 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9A), which impairs the stackability of the sheet material. There is no fear. Note that it takes another few seconds to several tens of seconds for the leading edge of the second sheet material to reach the rear sheet ejection port 30, so that the rear sheet material ejection tray 60 is at the sheet material stacking position, or Even when the first sheet material is on the rear sheet discharge tray 60, the sheet material stacking property is not hindered even when the sheet material is sufficiently close to the sheet material stacking position.

In this embodiment, the link member 64 is engaged with the rear sheet discharge tray 60 and the driving member 63 by a long hole.
Because the engagement is made between the dowels 64a, the dowels 60e and the dowels 63a, the rear sheet discharge tray 60 can be folded around the rotation shaft 62 even when the driving member 63 is stopped. Therefore, the space occupied by the apparatus main body during transportation is small, and the transportation cost is reduced. For a user who does not use the rear sheet material discharge tray 60, the installation space of the apparatus main body can be reduced by folding the rear sheet material discharge tray 60. Further, even when the apparatus main body is temporarily moved, the rear sheet material discharge tray 60 does not interfere.

[Other Embodiments] The effect of the control for moving the sheet material discharge tray to the sheet material take-out position after the sheet material is discharged, and the sheet material discharge when the sheet material is removed from the sheet material discharge tray. The effect of the control for returning the paper tray to the sheet material stacking position, the next image forming signal when the sheet material ejection tray is not at the sheet material stacking position (while the sheet material ejection tray is being raised or stopped at the sheet material unloading position) For the effect of the control of forming an image after returning the sheet material discharge tray to the sheet material stacking position when
There is no particular limitation on the arrangement position and the moving direction of the sheet material discharge tray. That is, the sheet material discharge tray located on the back side of the apparatus main body described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is not limited to the one that moves up and down or rotates, and for example, as in the conventional example, The sheet discharge tray disposed below (or above) the apparatus main body is located on the front side (or side) of the apparatus main body.
The same effect can be obtained even if the object moves to the position.

In the above-described embodiment, a facsimile apparatus having various functions is exemplified as an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other image forming apparatuses such as a scanner, a printer, and a copying machine may be used. May be
A similar effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet material discharging device used in the image forming apparatus.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sheet material discharging device for discharging and stacking the sheet material such as the recording paper as the recording target is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet material discharging device for discharging and stacking a sheet material such as a document as a document.

In the above-described embodiment, the electrophotographic method is exemplified as the recording method. However, the recording method is not limited to this, and another recording method such as an ink jet method may be used.

[0086]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The sheet stacking tray movable to a sheet stacking position and a sheet unloading position is disposed on a back side of the apparatus main body, and is movable substantially vertically along the back, and the sheet stack of the sheet stacking tray is movable. Since the take-out position is configured to be at the upper portion on the rear side of the apparatus main body, the sheet materials stacked on the sheet material stacking tray can be easily taken out, and the operability of the apparatus main body is not impaired.

Further, in the sheet material loading tray, the wall surface in contact with the rear end in the sheet material transport direction at the sheet material loading position is located upstream of the outer peripheral surface of the sheet material discharge means in the sheet material transport direction. Therefore, even if the discharging speed of the sheet material is low, the sheet material does not run on the wall surface, and the stacking property of the sheet material can be kept good. On the other hand, at the time of moving to the sheet material take-out position, the sheet material is moved so as not to interfere with the sheet material discharging means, so that there is no obstacle to the movement of the sheet material stacking tray. Can be compatible.

The sheet stacking tray is arranged on the rear side of the apparatus main body and rotates around a rotation shaft provided on the sheet discharging means side in a direction in which the sheet stacking surface approaches / separates from the rear side. It is possible to move the sheet material stacking tray so that at least a part of the stacked sheet material comes to an upper position on the rear side of the apparatus main body. The stacked sheet materials can be easily taken out, and the operability of the apparatus main body is not impaired. Further, since the sheet material discharging means side of the sheet material loading tray is always located below the sheet material discharging means, the sheet material is discharged onto the sheet material loading tray regardless of the position of the sheet material loading tray. You. As a result, it is not necessary to wait for another operation (for example, an image forming operation or an image reading operation) until the sheet stacking tray returns to the sheet stacking position.

Further, in the sheet material stacking tray, the end of the wall supporting the lower end of the sheet material at the sheet material take-out position is located inside the exterior surface of the apparatus main body. Even when the tray is at the sheet material removal position, there is no gap between the sheet material loading tray and the apparatus main body, and even if the sheet material loading tray rises toward the sheet material removal position, the sheet material is loaded. It can be prevented from dropping from the tray.

The sheet stacking tray has a guide portion for guiding the sheet discharged by the sheet discharging means to the sheet stacking surface side during the movement to the sheet stacking position or the sheet stacking position. Therefore, when the leading end of the sheet material to be discharged first reaches the sheet material stacking tray, even if the sheet material stacking tray is moving to the sheet material taking out position or the sheet material loading position, the sheet The material is guided to the sheet material loading surface by the guide portion, and there is no possibility that the material is damaged or turned over.

Since the sheet stacking tray is foldable while the tray moving means is stopped, for example, the image forming apparatus sets the state in which the sheet stacking tray is at the sheet stacking position as a standby state. In this case, the sheet stacking tray can be folded even when the apparatus main body is not driven. As a result, the volume occupied by the apparatus main body during transportation is reduced, and distribution costs can be reduced. Further, even when the apparatus main body is temporarily moved, the sheet material stacking tray does not interfere. Further, when the sheet material stacking tray is not used, the area occupied by the apparatus can be reduced.

[0092] The apparatus further includes sheet material presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet material on the sheet material loading tray. When the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material take-out position, the sheet material loading tray has When it is detected that there is no sheet material, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position, so that, for example, at the next image formation or image reading, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position. There is no need to wait until returning, and no unnecessary time is spent on the user.

Further, when it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position when discharging the sheet material to the sheet material loading tray, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position. For example, when an image forming or image reading command is issued while the sheet material loading tray is moving or the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material removing position, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position. To move to
The sheet material is discharged and stacked on the sheet material stacking tray. As a result, there is no danger that the sheet material will not be discharged into the apparatus main body or fall to the rear side of the apparatus main body, and it will not be difficult to take out the sheet material or to damage the sheet material or the apparatus main body.

In the image forming apparatus having the sheet material discharging device having the above structure, the image forming apparatus has a memory for storing the image data. Since the image data is stored in the memory, the reception of the image data is not rejected even if the sheet material stacking tray is at the sheet material take-out position. Also, when the image data is received when the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position, and when the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position, the image is not displayed until the movement of the sheet material loading tray is completed. There is no need to wait for data reception, the network can be used efficiently, and communication costs can be reduced.

Further, when image data is stored in the memory and it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material loading position, the image data in the memory is output to the sheet material, and then the sheet material loading tray is loaded. Since they are stacked, there is no need to perform an operation to output image data stored in the memory. Also, when image data is received when no one is present, such as at night, there is no danger that the memory will become full because the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position. It is not. Furthermore, it is not necessary to increase the memory capacity unnecessarily, and the cost of the apparatus can be kept low.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration sectional view of a facsimile apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism of a tray driving unit in the sheet discharging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of a rear sheet discharge tray in the sheet discharge apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control function of a rear sheet ejection tray in the sheet ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism of a tray driving unit in a sheet material discharging device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a rear sheet discharge tray in the sheet discharge apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a rear sheet discharge tray in the sheet discharge apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a vertical wall of a rear sheet discharge tray and a discharge cover in the sheet discharge device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 P: Sheet material S: Document 1: Device body 2: Document mounting table 2a: Slider 2b: Extended document tray 3: Image reading unit 4: Recording device body 5: Operation unit 6: Document transport unit 6a: Separation pad 6b: Separation Roller 6c: Conveyance roller 6e: Feed roller 6f: Feed roller 6g: Discharge roller 6h: Discharge roller 7: Document pressing section 8: Contact image sensor 9: Document discharge tray 10: Laser scanner 11: Image formation Unit 11b Charging unit 11c Developing unit 11d Cleaning unit 11e Process cartridge 11f Transfer charger 11g Thermal fixing unit 12 Cassette paper feed unit 12a Paper feed cassette 12b Paper feed roller 12c Separation pad 12g Cover 13… Upper sheet material discharge section 14… Cartridge cover 15… ADF cover 16… Outer document guide 18… Inner document guide 20… Control means 21… Sheet transport section 22 Front cover 23 Paper discharge cover 24a Register roller pair 25 MP paper feed section 25a Paper feed roller 25b MP separation pad 25c MP middle plate 25d MP sensor 25e MP extension tray 25f MP Tray 25h… Medium leaf spring 25i… Sheet regulating plate 26… Discharge flapper 27… Upper discharge outlet 28… Rear sheet discharge tray 28a… Vertical wall 28b… Sheet loading surface 28c… Arm 29… Rear discharge Roller 30… Rear discharge port 32… Guide rail 33… Discharge tray drive means 34… Drive gear 35… Pulley 36… Timing belt 38… Transmission gear 39… Spring clutch 39 a… Control ring 40… Solenoid 41… Tray position sensor 42 … Tray position sensor 43… Sheet material detection sensor 44… Main motor 50… Double-sided conveyance section 51… Flapper 53… Switchback roller 54… Refeed section 60… Rear sheet Material discharge tray 60a ... vertical wall 60b ... sheet material loading surface 60c ... upper end 60d ... recess 60e ... dowel 61 ... discharge cover 62 ... rotating shaft 63 ... driving member 63a ... dowel 63b ... rotating shaft 64 ... link member 64a … A long hole

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Naoyuki Tomura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Haruo Ishizuka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. Inside

Claims (11)

[Claims] A sheet material discharging means for discharging the sheet material out of the apparatus; a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material; and a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. A tray moving unit that moves the position of the sheet material stacking tray; a tray position detecting unit that detects a position of the sheet material stacking tray; and a control unit that controls movement of the sheet material stacking tray. The sheet material loading tray is disposed on the back side of the apparatus main body, and can be moved substantially vertically along the back surface, and the sheet material take-out position of the sheet material loading tray is an upper part on the back side of the apparatus body. Sheet material discharging device. 2. A sheet material loading tray, wherein a wall surface in contact with a rear end portion of the sheet material in a sheet material transport position is located upstream of an outer peripheral surface of the sheet material discharge means in a sheet material transport direction at a sheet material loading position. 2. The sheet material discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material discharging device moves so as not to interfere with the sheet material discharging means when moving to the material removing position. 3. A sheet material discharging means for discharging a sheet material to the outside of the apparatus, a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material, and a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. A tray moving unit that moves the position of the sheet material stacking tray; a tray position detecting unit that detects a position of the sheet material stacking tray; and a control unit that controls movement of the sheet material stacking tray. The sheet material stacking tray is arranged on the back side of the apparatus main body, and is rotatable around a rotation axis provided on the sheet material discharge means side in a direction in which the sheet material stacking surface approaches / separates from the back surface. The sheet material stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material loading position of the sheet material stacking tray is a position where at least a part of the stacked sheet materials comes to an upper portion on the back side of the apparatus body. 4. The sheet stacking tray according to claim 3, wherein the end of the wall supporting the lower end of the sheet at the sheet removing position is located inside the outer surface of the apparatus main body. Sheet material discharging device. 5. The sheet material loading tray has a guide portion for guiding the sheet material discharged by the sheet material discharging means to the sheet material loading surface side while moving to the sheet material take-out position or the sheet material loading position. The sheet material discharging device according to claim 3, wherein 6. The sheet discharging device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet loading tray is foldable while the tray moving unit is stopped. 7. A sheet material discharging means for discharging a sheet material out of the apparatus, a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material, and a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. Tray moving means for moving the position of the sheet material stacking tray; tray position detecting means for detecting the position of the sheet material stacking tray; control means for controlling movement of the sheet material stacking tray; A sheet material presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet material on the tray, wherein when it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading tray when the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material removal position Wherein the sheet stacking tray is moved to a sheet stacking position. 8. A sheet material discharging means for discharging a sheet material out of the apparatus, a sheet material loading tray movable to a sheet material loading position for loading the sheet material, and a sheet material removing position for removing the sheet material. A tray moving unit that moves the position of the sheet material stacking tray; a tray position detecting unit that detects a position of the sheet material stacking tray; and a control unit that controls movement of the sheet material stacking tray. When discharging the sheet material to the sheet material loading tray, when detecting that the sheet material loading tray is not at the sheet material loading position, the sheet material loading tray is moved to the sheet material loading position. Sheet material discharging device. 9. An image forming apparatus having one or both of an image reading means for reading an image of a sheet material to be read and an image forming means for recording and forming an image on a sheet material to be read. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet material discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, as a means for discharging and stacking the sheet material after the completion of the above operation. 10. A memory having a memory for storing image data,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when image data is received when the sheet stacking tray is not at the sheet stacking position, the image data is stored in the memory. 11. When there is image data in the memory and it is detected that the sheet material loading tray is at the sheet material loading position, the image data in the memory is output to the sheet material and then the sheet material loading tray The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatus is loaded.