Patent ID: 8864128

Claim:
A sheet discharge device, comprising: a housing in which a discharge opening through which a plurality of sheets are discharged is formed; a tray configured to define a space including a first area in which the sheets being discharged from the discharge opening move, and a second area which is positioned at a lower side of the first area, and in which the sheets discharged from the discharge opening are fallen and loaded; a discharge mechanism configured to transport the sheets, and discharge the sheets one-by-one from the discharge opening; a pendulum mechanism which includes a free-end portion and a base-end portion, which is pivotably provided such that the free-end portion is displaced in the space of the tray, and which is arranged such that, the free-end portion is lifted up to a stand-by position by the sheets that are discharged from the discharge opening or by the sheets loaded in the space; a signal transmission mechanism configured to transmit a first signal in a case that a height of the free-end portion is lower than a reference position which is set at a position higher than the stand-by position, and to transmit a second signal which differs from the first signal, in a case that the height of the free-end portion is not less than the reference position; a memory configured to store a maximum value of a time interval between two sheets of the sheets discharged consecutively from the discharge opening as a first time interval, the first time interval being a time interval which enables the free-end portion which has once reached a position higher than the reference position upon being lifted up by the former sheet, to maintain a height not lower than the reference position without being lowered below the reference position, by being lifted up by the latter sheet upon being separated from the former sheet; and a controller configured to: receive a signal transmitted by the signal transmission mechanism; judge whether or not a time interval of the two sheets discharged consecutively from the discharge opening exceeds the first time interval; and judge that the sheets are loaded onto the tray up to a height not lower than the reference position, under a condition that the controller judges that the time interval of the two sheets exceeds the first time interval, and under a condition that the signal transmission mechanism continues to transmit the second signal exceeding the first time interval.