JPH11208901A - Paper feed tray and sheet material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a change in operating force of regulation plates of a paper feeding tray due to influence of heat and maintain high grade operability by providing a metallic pressing member imparting frictional braking force to the regulation plates. SOLUTION: By moving either one of regulation plates 101 by a paper feeding tray 100, for instance, a rack 102 coupled with the regulation plates 101 is moved. By transmitting the movement to a pinion 103 and moving the other rack 102 and the regulation plates 101, the two regulation plates 101 are simultaneously conformed to the width of a sheet material loaded on a loading surface of the paper feeding tray 100. By pressing a metallic spring 107 on the racks 102 from the rear side of a tooth flank, frictional resistance force is generated between the racks 102 and a sliding rail 106 and operating force is adjusted. Thus, the metallic spring 107 hardly creeps even if the paper feeding tray 100 is heated, constant operating force can be always obtained and high grade operability can be maintained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding tray provided with a regulating plate for regulating a stacking position of sheet materials, and a sheet for performing image reading / image forming processing on sheet materials fed from the sheet feeding tray. The present invention relates to a material processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus GP and an image reading apparatus GR provided with a paper feed tray 600, respectively, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 600 as viewed from the back.

In the image reading device GR, a sheet-shaped document is placed on the stacking surface of the paper feed tray 600, and the lowermost document is supplied to the paper path P1 by a separation roller 610 and a separation pad 611. Paper.

The document fed to the paper path P1 is transported by a pair of transport rollers 612 and 613 and discharged to the outside of the apparatus. An image reading means disposed between the pair of transport rollers 612 and 613 therebetween. At 614, the image information of the document is read.

The read image information is temporarily stored in a memory, or is simultaneously used as image information for image formation by the image forming apparatus GP.

In the image forming apparatus GP, similarly, the sheet material is placed on the loading surface of the sheet feeding tray 600 and the separation roller 6
The uppermost one sheet material is fed to the paper path P2 by the separation pad 20 and the separation pad 621.

A developing cartridge 622 integrally includes a photosensitive drum 623 and a developing device (not shown).
The exposure device 624 exposes the photosensitive drum 623 to develop the latent image and transfer the toner image to the sheet material conveyed along the paper path P2.

Thereafter, the sheet material enters the fixing device 625, where the toner image is heated and fixed, and is discharged out of the device.

As the image forming means, other well-known image forming means such as an ink jet method can be used in addition to the electrophotographic method as described above.

Next, the paper feed tray 600 will be described in detail.
The paper feed tray 600 includes a regulating plate 601 and a rack 60 that are moved in accordance with the position of the stacked sheet materials in the width direction.
2. It has a pinion 603 and a slide surface 604 formed by a part of the main body or another member.

The paper feed tray 600 is assembled and functions as follows. That is, a part of the regulating plate 601 (or a part of the rack 602) is passed through the sliding groove 605 of the sliding surface 604, and the regulating plate 601 and the rack 603 are joined by screws, snap fit, or the like.
02 on the slide rail 606 and the two racks 602
The pinion 603 is fitted to a boss (not shown) that is located between the two sliding surfaces 604 and protrudes from the sliding surface 604 so that the two racks 602 move in synchronization with each other. It is possible to move it according to the size of the sheet material (paper).

The pinion 603 is fixed by screws or snap fit so as not to come off.

The paper tray 600 is provided on a rack 60.
2, a spring portion 602a is provided by integral molding of a mold, and the spring portion 602a is pressed against the pressing rib 607 to generate a frictional resistance force to adjust (set) the operating force.

Alternatively, the spring portion 602a is formed downward in the figure, and is pressed against the slide surface 604 to generate a resistance force to adjust the operation force.

Incidentally, a POM material is often used for the rack 602 in order to avoid problems such as squealing during sliding. In recent years, the regulating plate 601 and the rack 602 are integrally formed for cost reduction, and the rack 602 may be made of the same material as the exterior material.

[0016]

However, when the frictional force is generated by such a molded spring (spring portion 602a) to adjust the operating force, the spring portion 602a is moved from the fixing device or the electrical component of the apparatus body itself. If the spring 602a is heated by the influence of heat, such as when the room temperature is high or when the room temperature is high, the spring portion 602a may creep, and the originally intended operating force may not be obtained.

Further, there is a case where a difference in operation force occurs between when the heating is performed and when the heating is not performed.

[0018] Therefore, depending on the state of the device, the installed environment, or the use over time, a situation in which the operating force is heavy or light may occur.

If the operating force is reduced unnecessarily, the regulating plate for the purpose of adjusting the sheet material is moved by losing the force (skew) of the sheet material inclining during sheet feeding. The function of the board will be reduced.

Conversely, if the strength of the spring portion 602a is set high in anticipation of creeping from the influence of heat from the beginning, the operating force becomes unnecessarily heavy in the initial state and cannot be moved with one hand. However, it cannot be properly adjusted to the size of the sheet material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to suppress a change in the operation force of the regulating plate of the sheet feeding tray due to the influence of heat, and to realize a high quality operation It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding tray capable of maintaining the sheet feeding property and a sheet material processing apparatus provided with the sheet feeding tray.

[0022]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a loading surface on which a sheet material is loaded and a sheet material loaded on the loading surface are slid.
And a regulating plate for regulating the stacking position of the sheet material, wherein the regulating member is pressed by a sliding member integrally sliding with the regulating plate against a guide portion for sliding the regulating plate. It is characterized in that a metal pressing member for applying a friction braking force to the plate is provided.

Also, a loading surface on which the sheet material is loaded, a pair of regulating plates that slide in accordance with the sheet material loaded on the loading surface and regulate the loading position of the sheet material, and a regulating plate are slid. A sheet tray provided with a rack that slides integrally with the regulation plate with respect to the guide portion, and a pinion that engages with the rack and synchronizes and moves the pair of regulation plates. It is characterized by comprising a metal pressing member that presses to provide a friction braking force to the rack.

[0024] It is also preferable that the pressing member presses the rack in a direction opposite to a pinion in parallel with a slide surface of a regulating plate.

It is also preferable that the pressing member presses the rack in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slide surface of the regulating plate.

Preferably, the pressing member straddles the pinion and presses the two racks in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slide surface of the regulating plate.

Also, a loading surface on which the sheet material is loaded, a pair of regulating plates for sliding in accordance with the sheet material loaded on the loading surface and regulating the loading position of the sheet material, and a regulating plate for sliding. A sheet tray provided with a rack that slides integrally with the regulation plate with respect to the guide portion, and a pinion that engages with the rack and synchronizes and moves the pair of regulation plates. It is characterized by comprising a metal pressing member that presses to apply a friction braking force to the pinion.

Preferably, the pressing member straddles the pinion and presses in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sliding surface of the regulating plate.

The sheet material processing apparatus is provided with processing means for performing processing for reading image information of the sheet material fed from the above-described sheet feed tray or processing for forming an image on the fed sheet material. Features.

[0030]

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding tray 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the back.

As described with reference to FIG. 5, the sheet feed tray 100 includes an image reading device GR that reads image information of a sheet material as a sheet material processing device and an image forming device GP that forms an image on a sheet material. The apparatus has a function of accurately feeding the sheet material to the apparatus main body in the width direction. Note that the configuration and functions of the sheet material processing apparatus are the same as those described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed tray 100 according to the present embodiment has a regulating plate 101 for arranging sheets and a rack 102 which is snap-fitted to a part of the regulating plate 101 passed through a slide groove 105. (Rack section 102 when integrally formed with regulating plate 101) Two racks 1
02, a pinion 103 for synchronizing the movements of the two racks 102, a slide surface 104 constituted by a part of the main body or another component, a slide rail 106 as a guide formed on the slide surface 104, and the like. doing.

The paper feed tray 100 is moved by moving either one (or both) of the regulating plates 101.
1 moves to the rack 102 and the movement is transmitted to the pinion 103.
By moving 01, the two regulating plates 101 are simultaneously adjusted to the width of the sheet material stacked on the stacking surface of the sheet feeding tray 100.

As described above, a force is applied to the regulating plate 101 when the sheet material and the regulating plate 101 are aligned, and the degree of force required at this time is one of the materials for judging the operability of the user. The degree of this force also affects the texture of the apparatus main body, which leads to the value of the apparatus main body being influenced.

The operating force is adjusted using a pressing member such as a spring. In the present embodiment, a metal spring 107 as a metal pressing member for adjusting the operating force is made of a sheet metal member, and is pressed against the rack 102 from behind the tooth surface (in a direction horizontal to the slide surface 104). 1
02 and the sliding rail 106, a frictional resistance is generated to adjust the operating force.

The strength of the metal spring 107 is determined according to the reference operating force, durability, the material of the rack 102 used, and the like. The metal spring 107 is provided on the slide surface 10.
The fixing member such as a screw is not required because the mounting member 108 is mounted so as to be pressed into the gap between the ribs of the mounting portion 108 provided in the mounting member 4.

Although the metal spring 107 is pressed against one rack 102 in FIG. 1, both racks 102 may be pressed.

Accordingly, since the operating force is adjusted by pressing the metal spring 107 against the rack 102, the metal spring 107 hardly creeps even when the sheet feeding tray 100 is heated, so that a constant operating force is always obtained. And high quality operability can be maintained.

Further, the shape of the rack 102 can be simplified (the integrated spring portion 602a as shown in FIG. 6 is not required), and improvement in workability of the rack 102 and cost reduction can be expected. it can.

(Embodiment 2) The second embodiment is shown in FIG.
It will be described based on. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding tray 200 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back.

The basic configuration and operation of the paper feed tray 200 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment is that a metal spring 201 presses the rack 102 from above (in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slide surface 104) to slide the rack 102 against the rack 102. A frictional resistance is generated between the moving rails 106 to adjust the operation force.

The metal spring 201 stretches by pressing the rack 102 and is held by the mounting portion 202, so that a fixing member such as a screw is not required.

In FIG. 2, the metal spring 201 is one rack 1
02, but both racks 102 may be pressed.

(Embodiment 3) FIG.
It will be described based on. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding tray 300 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back.

The basic configuration and operation of the paper feed tray 300 according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The characteristic configuration of the present embodiment is as shown in FIG.
By pressing the two racks 102 across the upper portion of the rack 102, a frictional resistance is generated between the slide rails 106 and the racks 102 to adjust the operating force.

This metal spring 301 has a shape in which two metal springs 201 of the second embodiment are connected to each other so as to face each other.
Is the same as

In the case of the present embodiment, the pinion 103 has the metal spring 301 at the top and does not come off.
The need for a fixing member such as a screw for stopping the operation is eliminated.

(Embodiment 4) FIG.
It will be described based on. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding tray 400 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back.

The basic configuration and operation of the paper feed tray 400 according to this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment is that a pinion 402 is formed by a metal spring 401.
Is pressed from above (in a direction perpendicular to the slide surface 104) to generate a sliding resistance force between the pinion 402 and the slide surface 104 to adjust the operation force.

The shape of the metal spring 401 is substantially the same as that of the metal spring 301 of the third embodiment, except that the portion to be pressed is located at one center. Therefore, the mounting method is the same as that of the metal spring 301.

In the case of the present embodiment, a screw for stopping the pinion 402 becomes unnecessary as in the third embodiment.

Although the first to fourth embodiments have been described using a leaf spring as the pressing member, it is also possible to use a spring of another form such as a wire spring without any problem.

[0056]

As described in the embodiment of the present invention, a constant frictional resistance is applied to a sliding member such as a rack or a pinion without being affected by temperature by a metal pressing member, and a constant frictional force is always applied. Operating force can be obtained, and high-quality operability can be maintained.

Further, the shape of the rack can be simplified, and improvement in workability of the rack and cost reduction can be expected.

By disposing the pressing member over the pinion, it is possible to function to prevent the pinion from coming off.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding tray according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus provided with a paper feed tray and an image reading apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional paper feed tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 200, 300, 400 paper feed tray 101 regulating plate 102 rack 103, 402 pinion 104 slide surface 105 slide groove 106 slide rail (guide portion) 107, 201, 301, 401 metal spring (pressing member) 108, 202 Unit 600 paper feed tray 601 regulating plate 602 rack 602a spring portion 603 pinion 604 slide surface 605 slide groove 606 sliding rail 607 pressing rib GP image forming device (sheet material processing device) GR image reading device (sheet material processing device)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding tray comprising: a loading surface on which a sheet material is loaded; and a regulating plate which slides in accordance with the sheet material loaded on the loading surface and regulates a loading position of the sheet material. A sheet pressing means for pressing a sliding member which slides integrally with the regulating plate against a guide portion for sliding the plate to apply a frictional braking force to the regulating plate; tray. 2. A loading surface on which a sheet material is loaded, a pair of regulating plates that slide in accordance with the sheet material loaded on the loading surface and regulate a loading position of the sheet material, and a regulating plate for sliding the regulating plate. A rack that slides integrally with the regulation plate with respect to the guide portion; and a pinion that engages with the rack and moves the pair of regulation plates in synchronization with each other. A sheet feeding tray comprising a metal pressing member that presses to provide a friction braking force to the rack. 3. The paper feed tray according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member presses the rack against the slide surface of the regulating plate from a side opposite to the pinion. 4. The paper feed tray according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member presses the rack in a direction substantially perpendicular to a slide surface of the regulating plate. 5. The pressing member straddles the pinion.
3. The sheet feeding tray according to claim 2, wherein the tray is pressed against one of the racks in a direction substantially perpendicular to a slide surface of the regulating plate. 6. A loading surface on which a sheet material is loaded, a pair of regulating plates that slide in accordance with the sheet material loaded on the loading surface and regulate a loading position of the sheet material, and a regulating plate for sliding the regulating plate. A rack that slides integrally with the regulating plate with respect to the guide portion, and a pinion that engages with the rack and moves the pair of regulating plates in synchronization with each other. A sheet feeding tray comprising a metal pressing member that presses to apply a friction braking force to the pinion. 7. The paper feeding tray according to claim 6, wherein the pressing member straddles the pinion and presses in a direction substantially perpendicular to a slide surface of the regulating plate. 8. A processing means for reading image information of a sheet material fed from the sheet tray according to any one of 1 to 7, or performing an image forming process on the fed sheet material. A sheet material processing apparatus comprising: