JP2018008759A - Sheet supply apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet supply device and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a long sheet from sliding off a sheet supply tray without holding the trailing end of the long sheet in a spiral shape. about. A side fence 50 regulates the position of a long sheet S placed on a manual feed tray 32 in a width direction X orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction Y. The roller arm 61 is rotatably supported by the side fence 50. The presser roller 62 is pivotally supported by the roller arm 61 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis 64 along the width direction X. The torsion coil spring 65 urges the roller arm 61 so that the pressing roller 62 is pressed against the upper surface of the long sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 32. [Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a long sheet longer than a standard sheet may be placed on a sheet supply tray as a document or recording paper and supplied to the image forming apparatus. In this case, if the length of the long sheet in the sheet feeding direction is longer than that of the sheet supply tray, the rear end of the long sheet (the upstream end in the sheet feeding direction) protrudes from the sheet supply tray. . For this reason, if the rear end portion of the long sheet is not supported by hand, the long sheet may fall off the sheet supply tray.

  In order to prevent the trailing end of the long sheet from dripping from the sheet supply tray, an image forming apparatus provided with an auxiliary member for holding the trailing end of the long sheet in a spiral shape is provided on the sheet supply tray. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By using such an auxiliary member, it is possible to prevent the long sheet from slipping off the sheet supply tray.

JP 2002-362786 A

  However, when the rear end portion of the long sheet is held in a spiral shape by the auxiliary member, the rear end portion of the long sheet is curled. In addition, there is a risk that the curling will hinder the conveyance of the long sheet. Further, when the long sheet is thick, it is difficult to deform the rear end portion into a spiral shape, and therefore the rear end portion cannot be held by the auxiliary member.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet supply device and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the long sheet from sliding off the sheet supply tray without holding the trailing end of the long sheet in a spiral shape. Is to provide.

  A sheet supply apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a sheet supply tray, a feeding unit, and a regulating member. A sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray. The feeding unit feeds the sheet. The restricting member includes a base plate along the upper surface of the sheet supply tray, and a side plate standing from the base plate. The regulating member is movable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and the regulating surface of the side plate abuts on the side surface of the sheet placed on the sheet supply tray so that the sheet in the width direction is Regulate the position. The restricting member includes a support arm, a rotating member, and an urging member. The support arm is supported by the restriction surface of the side plate so that one end thereof can swing. The rotating member is pivotally supported on the other end of the support arm so as to be rotatable around a first axis along the width direction. The biasing member biases the support arm so that the rotating member is pressed against an upper surface of a sheet placed on the sheet supply tray.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the sheet supply device and an image forming unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device.

  According to the present invention, a sheet supply device and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the long sheet from sliding off the sheet supply tray without holding the trailing end of the long sheet in a spiral shape. Is provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the sheet feeding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Drawing 3 is a figure which looked at the pressing member of the press state concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the upper part. FIG. 4 is a side view of the pressing member in a pressed state according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of the holding member in the separated state according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the arm stopper in the locked state according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the arm stopper in the unlocked state according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  With reference to FIG. 1, a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 including a sheet supply device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The image forming apparatus 10 prints an input image on a sheet using a printing material such as toner. For example, a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine having these functions is a typical example. It is. The image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a scanner 12 for reading an image of a document at the top and an electrophotographic image forming unit 14 at the bottom. The image forming unit 14 includes a plurality of sheet supply trays 16, a plurality of feeding units 17, a conveyance unit 18, a transfer device 19, a fixing device 20, a sheet supply device 30, and the like.

  In the image forming apparatus 10, the toner image is transferred to the sheet fed from the sheet supply tray 16 or the sheet supply apparatus 30 based on the image data, and the toner image is fused to the sheet by the fixing device 20. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 21. The image forming unit 14 that operates in this manner has a conventionally known configuration except that it includes a sheet supply device 30. Therefore, in the present specification, detailed description regarding the configuration other than the sheet supply device 30 is omitted. The image forming unit 14 is not limited to an electrophotographic type, and may operate based on an inkjet type or other printing type.

  The sheet supply device 30 holds a sheet on which an image is printed. The sheet feeding device 30 is configured to be able to place a long sheet S (an example of the “sheet” of the present invention) that is long in the sheet feeding direction Y. Specific examples of the long sheet S include a sheet having a width of 297 mm and a length of 1200 mm, and a sheet having a width of 297 mm and a length of 900 mm. The long sheet S may be made of paper or resin.

  A sheet supply device 30 is provided on the right side surface 35 (the right side surface in FIG. 1) of the image forming unit 14. The sheet supply device 30 includes a manual feed tray 32 (an example of the “sheet supply tray” in the present invention) on which a sheet to be supplied to the image forming unit 14 is placed. The sheet placed on the manual feed tray 32 is supplied to the image forming unit 14 through the sheet supply port 36 provided on the right side surface 35 of the image forming unit 14, and an image is formed on the sheet.

  A feeding unit 17 is provided in the vicinity of the sheet supply port 36. The feeding unit 17 includes a pickup roller 17 </ b> A, a feed roller 17 </ b> B, and a retard roller 17 </ b> C. . The long sheet S fed by the feeding unit 17 is conveyed to the discharge tray 21 by the conveying unit 18 via the transfer device 19 and the fixing device 20 on the downstream side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the manual feed tray 32 includes a tray main body (mounting plate) 37 and a pair of side fences 50 (an example of the “regulatory member” of the present invention) erected on the tray main body 37. . The pair of side fences 50 are supported by the tray body 37 so as to be slidable in the width direction X (direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction Y). The pair of side fences 50 regulates the position in the width direction X of the long sheet S placed on the upper surface of the tray body 37. Specifically, the pair of side fences 50 sets a center position in the width direction X of the long sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 32 to a predetermined reference position (for example, the width direction X of the manual feed tray 32). (Middle) is regulated to match.

  In addition, as a slide mechanism of a pair of side fence 50, the well-known rack & pinion mechanism comprised by the pinion not shown supported by the back surface of the tray main body 37 and the rack not shown provided in each side fence 50 is shown. Is adopted. Thus, when one of the pair of side fences 50 is slid, the other slides in conjunction with the operation.

  Each of the pair of side fences 50 is provided with a seat upper guide 53 (an example of the “upper guide member” of the present invention), a presser member 60, and an arm stopper 70 (an example of the “locking member” of the present invention). It has been. In addition, each structure of a pair of side fence 50 is the same. Therefore, hereinafter, only one side fence 50, that is, the rear side fence 50 (first side fence in FIG. 2) in the width direction X will be described, and the other side fence 50 (second side fence). Description of is omitted.

  3 is a view of the pressing member 60 in the pressed state as viewed from above, FIG. 4 is a view of the pressing member 60 in the pressed state as viewed from the side, and FIG. 5 illustrates the pressing member 60 in the separated state. It is the figure seen from the side. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the side fence 50 stands from the base plate 51 parallel to the placement surface of the tray body 37 (an example of the “upper surface of the sheet supply tray” of the present invention) and the base plate 51. And a side plate 52 provided. The side plate 52 has a regulating surface 52A that comes into contact with the end surface of the sheet placed on the placement surface. On the downstream portion of the side plate 52 of the side fence 50 (downstream portion in the sheet feeding direction Y), an on-sheet guide 53 for preventing the long sheet S placed on the tray body 37 from rising. It protrudes from the restriction surface 52A.

  By the way, if the length of the long sheet S in the sheet feeding direction Y is longer than the manual feed tray 32, the rear end portion of the long sheet S (on the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction Y) as shown in FIG. End) protrudes from the manual feed tray 32. For this reason, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the long sheet S may fall off the manual feed tray 32 unless the rear end of the long sheet S is supported by hand. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the long sheet S can be prevented from slipping from the manual feed tray 32 by including the pressing member 60 described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in the side plate 52 of the side fence 50, a pressing member 60 is provided on the upstream side of the sheet upper guide 53. The pressing member 60 includes a roller arm 61 (an example of the “supporting arm” of the present invention), a pressing roller 62 (an example of the “rotating member” of the present invention), and an operation handle 63 (an example of the “operation piece” of the present invention). With.

  The roller arm 61 is swingably supported by the side fence 50. Specifically, the base end portion of the roller arm 61 (an example of the “one end portion” of the present invention) protrudes inward along the width direction X from the restriction surface 52A of the side fence 50 to the restriction surface 52A of the side fence 50. It is supported so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis 54 provided. The rotation shaft 54 is located in the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the sheet upper guide 53.

  A rotary shaft 64 (an example of the “first axis” of the present invention) along the width direction X is provided at the tip of the roller arm 61 (an example of the “other end” of the present invention). The roller arm 61 is rotatably supported around the rotation shaft 64. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the roller arm 61 has a U-shaped cross section along the width direction X, and the pressing roller is pressed by side plates facing each other at both ends in the width direction X. 62 is pivotally supported. That is, the presser roller 62 is located between the both side plates of the roller arm 61. When the roller arm 61 rotates about the rotation shaft 54 in the clockwise direction D <b> 1 shown in FIG. 4, the presser roller 62 approaches the upper surface of the tray body 37. On the other hand, when the roller arm 61 rotates about the rotation shaft 54 in the counterclockwise direction D <b> 2 shown in FIG. 5, the presser roller 62 is separated from the upper surface of the tray body 37.

  A torsion coil spring 65 (an example of the “biasing member” of the present invention) is attached to the rotation shaft 54. One end of the torsion coil spring 65 is supported by the on-sheet guide 53 located on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the roller arm 61, and the other end of the torsion coil spring 65 is supported by the roller arm 61. The torsion coil spring 65 biases the roller arm 61 in the clockwise direction D1 shown in FIG. That is, the torsion coil spring 65 urges the roller arm 61 so that the presser roller 62 is pressed against the upper surface of the long sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 32.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, both end portions in the width direction X of the long sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 32 are pressed against the tray body 37 by the presser rollers 62. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the long sheet S to slide off the manual feed tray 32. Further, since the presser roller 62 can rotate around the rotation shaft 54, it is possible to suppress an increase in conveyance load when the sheet supply roller 39 supplies the long sheet S to the image forming unit 14.

  In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the presser roller 62 is made of rubber so that a sufficient frictional force is generated between the presser roller 62 and the long sheet S. The presser roller 62 is provided with a one-way mechanism such as a one-way clutch. Therefore, the presser roller 62 can rotate only in the direction in which the long sheet S that contacts the presser roller 62 moves downstream in the sheet feeding direction Y (that is, the clockwise direction D1 shown in FIG. 4). . Thereby, the movement of the long sheet S to the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction Y is restricted, and the long sheet S can be more reliably prevented from sliding off the manual feed tray 32.

  An operation handle 63 is provided at the tip of the roller arm 61 so as to extend from the roller arm 61 toward the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction Y. The operation handle 63 is fixed to the roller arm 61. When the user pulls the operation handle 63 upward, the roller arm 61 rotates in the counterclockwise direction D2 shown in FIG. 5, and as a result, the presser roller 62 is separated from the upper surface of the tray main body 37. When placing the long sheet S on the manual feed tray 32, the user inserts the front end portion of the long sheet S toward the sheet supply port 36 with the operation handle 63 pulled up. When a stiff sheet such as cardboard is placed on the manual feed tray 32, the front end of the sheet is inserted between the tray body 37 and the presser roller 62 without lifting the operation handle 63 upward. It is also possible to place them.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the width W2 of the roller arm 61 in the width direction X is the same as the width W1 of the on-sheet guide 53 in the width direction X. In the present embodiment, the operation handle 63 is provided so as to extend from the roller arm 61 toward the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction Y. Therefore, the roller arm 61 and the operation handle 63 do not protrude inside the sheet upper guide 53 (that is, the center side in the width direction X of the manual feed tray 32). Therefore, for example, even when the user sets the long sheet S from the upper side with respect to the manual feed tray 32 in a state where the pair of side fences 50 are separated to the maximum in the width direction X, the roller arm 61 or the operation handle 63 is used. Can be prevented from coming in contact with the end of the long sheet S in the width direction X. Even if the width W2 of the roller arm 61 is less than the width W1 of the on-sheet guide 53, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, a flexible resin arm stopper 70 is provided on the outer surface of the side plate 52 of the side fence 50 (the surface opposite to the regulating surface 52A). 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views of the arm stopper 70 along the width direction X. FIG. The arm stopper 70 is provided on the side opposite to the roller arm 61 (that is, outside) with respect to the side plate 52 of the side fence 50.

  The arm stopper 70 has a flat lever portion 71 extending in the vertical direction and a locking projection 72. As shown in FIG. 6A, the lower end portion of the lever portion 71 is fixed by a fixing portion 55 provided on the side plate 52 of the side fence 50, and the lever portion 71 can swing around the lower end portion. It has become.

  A locking protrusion 72 that protrudes from the intermediate portion toward the roller arm 61 is formed at the intermediate portion of the lever portion 71. The side plate 52 of the side fence 50 is provided with an opening 56 that penetrates the side plate 52, and a locking projection 72 can be inserted into the opening 56.

  The arm stopper 70 locks the roller arm 61 at a separation position where the presser roller 62 is separated from the manual feed tray 32 (that is, the position shown in FIG. 5), and resists the urging force of the torsion coil spring 65. It can be displaced to a locking position (position shown in FIG. 6 (A)) to be held at the separated position and a retracted position (position shown in FIG. 6 (B)) to release the locking of the roller arm 61.

  Specifically, when the user pulls up the roller arm 61 in the contact position with the operation handle 63, the locking projection 72 is pressed outward by the roller arm 61, the arm stopper 70 is elastically deformed, and the locking projection 72. Retracts to the outside of the roller arm 61. When the roller arm 61 is further lifted to a position higher than the upper surface 73 of the locking projection 72 from this state, the locking projection 72 is opened to the opening 56 provided in the side plate 52 of the side fence 50 by the elastic force of the arm stopper 70. It protrudes to the roller arm 61 side through. Thereafter, when the user releases the operation handle 63, as shown in FIG. 6A, the roller arm 61 and the upper surface 73 of the locking projection 72 come into contact with each other, and the roller arm 61 is held at the separated position.

  Specifically, the inner side surface of the locking projection 72 is an inclined surface 74 so as not to prevent the movement of the roller arm 61 from the lower side of the locking projection 72 to the upper side of the locking projection 72. When the roller arm 61 moves from the lower side of the locking projection 72 to the upper side of the locking projection 72, the inclined surface 74 is pushed outward by the roller arm 61, the arm stopper 70 is elastically deformed, and the locking projection 72 is moved outward. Displace.

  The upper end portion of the lever portion 71 protrudes above the upper surface 57 of the side plate 52 of the side fence 50. When the user pushes the upper end portion of the lever portion 71 outward, the lever portion 71 is elastically deformed so as to bend outward with the lower end portion as the center, as shown in FIG. 6B. As a result, the locking projection 72 is retracted from the restricting surface 52A (that is, the locking projection 72 is displaced outward), the locking of the roller arm 61 is released, and the roller arm 61 moves below the locking projection 72. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the arm stopper 70 as described above is provided, when the long sheet S is placed on the manual feed tray 32, the roller arm 61 can be easily obtained by simply pulling up the operation handle 63. Can be retracted to the separated position. Further, after the long sheet S is placed on the manual feed tray 32, the long sheet S can be easily pressed by the pressing member 60 simply by pushing the upper end of the lever portion 71 outward.

  In addition, since the roller arm 61 can be retracted to the separation position by the arm stopper 70, when it is not necessary to press the sheet with the pressing member 60 as in the case where the fixed sheet is placed on the manual feed tray 32. The roller arm 61 can be retracted to the separated position. Therefore, the pressing member 60 does not get in the way when placing the regular sheet on the manual feed tray 32. The roller arm 61 retracted to the separated position has the same function as that of the upper sheet guide 53, that is, the end portion in the width direction X of the long sheet S placed on the manual feed tray 32. It also has a function to guide to.

  In this embodiment, the pressing member 60 is provided in each of the pair of side fences 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pressing member 60 may be provided only in one side fence 50. .

  Further, in this embodiment, the presser roller 62 is supported by the roller arm 61 that is rotatable (swingable) around the rotation shaft 54, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in another embodiment, the presser roller 62 may be supported by a support portion that can reciprocate (oscillate) in the vertical direction. In this case, instead of the torsion coil spring 65, for example, a compression spring that urges the support portion downward may be used as the urging member that urges the support portion.

  In the present exemplary embodiment, the sheet supply device 30 that supplies a sheet (printing sheet) to the image forming unit 14 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the sheet supply that supplies a sheet (original) to the scanner 12 is described. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 14 Image forming part 30 Sheet supply apparatus 32 Manual feed tray 36 Sheet supply port 39 Sheet supply roller 50 Side fence 53 Sheet upper guide 55 Fixing part 56 Opening part 60 Pressing member 61 Roller arm 62 Pressing roller 63 Operation handle 65 Torsion coil Spring 70 Arm stopper 71 Lever part 72 Locking protrusion S Long sheet

Claims (7)

A sheet supply tray on which sheets are placed;
A feeding unit for feeding the sheet;
A base plate extending along an upper surface of the sheet supply tray; and a side plate erected from the base plate. The base plate is movable in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction, and the regulation surface of the side plate is the sheet. A regulating member that regulates the position of the sheet in the width direction by contacting the end surface of the sheet placed on the supply tray,
The regulating member is
A support arm that is supported by the restriction surface of the side plate so that one end of the side plate is swingable;
A rotating member that is rotatably supported around the first axis along the width direction at the other end of the support arm;
A biasing member that biases the support arm so that the rotating member is pressed against an upper surface of a sheet placed on the sheet supply tray;
A sheet supply apparatus comprising: The rotating member is rotatable only in a direction in which a sheet in contact with the rotating member moves downstream in the sheet feeding direction.
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1. The support arm further includes an operation piece projecting from the other end portion toward the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction.
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The regulating member is
A locking position for locking the support arm at a separation position where the rotating member is separated from the sheet supply tray, and holding the support arm at the separation position against a biasing force by the biasing member; The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member that is displaceable to a retracted position for releasing the locking of the support arm. The locking member has a lower end fixed to the outer surface opposite to the regulating surface of the side plate, and a lever portion that can swing around the lower end.
Having a locking projection protruding from the intermediate portion of the lever portion toward the support arm;
The side plate penetrates the side plate and has an opening through which the locking projection can be inserted,
When the locking member is in the locking position, the locking projection protrudes from the restriction surface through the opening, and the locking member is bent to the outside by bending the lever portion outward. In response to displacement from a member to the retracted position, the locking projection retracts from the restricting surface;
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 4. An upper guide member provided on the regulating member on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the support arm, and preventing the sheet placed on the sheet supply tray from being lifted;
The width of the support arm in the width direction is equal to or less than the width of the upper guide member in the width direction.
The sheet supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images