JP2000120843A - Pinion installation device and paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a pinion installation device by which an operation feeling is obtained as desired without the generation of an excessive slide resistance between the shaft and pinion, not relating to the tightening force of a screw, even if the screw for preventing the come out of the pinion is screwed in. SOLUTION: A base plate F for installing a pinion 5 meshed with a rack D, a fixed shaft 1 provided on this base plate F and a slide shaft 2 provided on the outside of this fixed shaft 1 concentrically by forming a gap 4 between this fixed shaft 1 are provided. Or the screw for preventing the come off of the pinion 5 by buring a rigid body threaded in the axial direction in the center part of the fixed shaft 1 and installing to the tip of this fixed shaft 1 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pinion mounting device for mounting a pinion which meshes with a rack, and a rack for a sheet regulating plate which is adapted to the size of a sheet in an image forming apparatus or an image reading apparatus by applying the pinion mounting apparatus. The present invention relates to a paper feeder provided with a pinion that meshes with a paper feeder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 shows a paper feeder to which a conventional pinion mounting device is applied and in which a pinion is engaged with a rack of a pair of paper regulating plates so as to match the size of the paper in an image forming apparatus or an image reading apparatus. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, F denotes a paper feed tray,
Denotes a pair of paper regulating plates disposed on both sides of the front surface of the paper feed tray F, and D denotes a pair of rack plates disposed parallel to the back surface of the paper feed tray.

The paper feed tray F has a pinion C
Is provided, and a long hole Dd is formed on both sides of the shaft A in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. A pair of paper regulating plates E are sliding sides E that move along the paper feed tray surface.
-1 and a vertical side E-2 which is orthogonal to this and has a function of trimming the end of the sheet, and has a projection E-3 penetrating the elongated hole Dd on the back surface of the sliding side E-1. . The pair of rack plates D are arranged in parallel so that the rack portion D-1 meshes with the pinion C, and the engaging portion D-2 at the end thereof is formed with the elongated hole D.
d is engaged with the hole E-3a of the projection E-3 penetrating therethrough.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the operator manually moves one paper regulating plate E in a direction approaching the other paper regulating plate E, for example, the rack plate D with which the projection E-3 of the paper regulating plate E is engaged also moves in the same direction. And the rack rotates the pinion C with this movement. For this reason, the rack D-
The other rack plate D with which the first rack 1 meshes moves in the opposite direction, and as a result, the pair of paper regulating plates E operate in the direction approaching each other, aligning both sides of the bundle of paper 2 to align the bundle of paper in the center of the paper feed tray. Position to.

When one sheet regulating plate E is moved in a direction opposite to the above, the rack plate D with which the projection E-3 of the sheet regulating plate E is engaged also moves in the same direction. The part D-1 rotates the pinion C in the opposite direction. For this reason, the rack portion D-1
The other rack plate D meshed with moves in the direction opposite to the above, and as a result, the pair of sheet regulating plates E operate in a direction away from each other.

The pinion C is supported by a shaft A having a pilot hole B for tightening a screw provided at the center of the sheet feeding tray F. A screw G is screwed into the tip of the shaft A to form a pinion C.
Is prevented from coming off the axis A. In this case, the operating force for operating the sheet regulating plate E is set appropriately by generating sliding resistance between the sheet feeding tray F and the rack plate D by means (not shown) provided on the rack plate D. . At this time, if the gap between the outer diameter of the shaft A and the inner diameter of the pinion C is large, the operational feeling deteriorates, so the gap is 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm.
It was set to be about 3 mm.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, a screw (self-tap) for preventing the pinion from coming off is screwed into the shaft A having the prepared hole B, or the screwing force varies. In addition, there has been a problem that the outer diameter of the shaft A expands and the gap between the outer diameter of the shaft A and the inner diameter of the pinion C disappears.

Further, the pair of paper regulating plates E cannot be aligned well, and as a result, the paper stacked on the paper supply tray cannot be prepared, and the paper is fed while being inclined, causing skew. There were challenges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and even if a screw for preventing the pinion from coming off is screwed in, an extra slide is required between the shaft and the pinion irrespective of the tightening force of the screw. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pinion mounting device that can obtain a desired operation feeling without causing dynamic resistance.

It is another object of the present invention to obtain a paper feeder capable of feeding paper smoothly without skew by applying the pinion mounting device.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a pinion mounting device and a sheet feeding device having the following configurations.

(1) A board on which a pinion that meshes with the rack is mounted, a fixed shaft provided on the board, and a sliding shaft formed concentrically outside the fixed shaft by forming a gap between the fixed shaft and the fixed shaft. And a screw attached to the tip of the fixed shaft and supported by the sliding shaft to prevent the pinion from coming off.

(2) A paper feed tray having an elongated hole on both sides of the central shaft portion perpendicular to the paper feed direction, and a projection provided on one surface of the paper feed tray and provided on the back surface. A pair of rack plates that penetrate the elongated holes and move in opposite directions, a fixed shaft provided on the shaft portion of the paper feed tray, and a gap formed between the fixed shaft and the outside of the fixed shaft. A sheet feeder comprising: a slide shaft provided concentrically; and a screw attached to a tip of the fixed shaft and supported by the slide shaft to prevent the pinion meshing with the rack of the rack plate from coming off.

(3) A board on which a pinion that meshes with a rack is mounted, and a shaft provided on the board and having different diameters at the top and bottom, and a lower large-diameter portion of the shaft is a sliding shaft that supports the pinion, and the shaft is A pinion mounting device, wherein the upper small-diameter portion is a fixed shaft for mounting a screw for preventing the pinion from coming off.

(4) A paper feed tray having a slot formed on both sides of the central shaft portion and orthogonal to the paper feed direction, and a projection provided on one surface of the paper feed tray and provided on the back surface. It has a pair of rack plates that penetrate an elongated hole and move in opposite directions, and shafts having different diameters vertically provided on a shaft portion of the paper feed tray, and a lower large-diameter portion of the shaft supports the pinion. A sheet feeder, wherein a small diameter upper portion of the shaft is a fixed shaft to which a screw for engaging the rack of the rack plate to prevent the pinion from coming off is attached.

(5) A board on which a pinion that meshes with the rack is mounted, a shaft provided on the board, a rigid body with a threaded hole embedded in the center of the shaft in the axial direction, and a screw that is screwed into the threaded hole to attach to the shaft. A screw for preventing the pinion supported from coming off.

(6) A paper feed tray having a long hole perpendicular to the paper feed direction on both sides of the central shaft portion, and a projection provided on one surface of the paper feed tray and provided on the back surface. A pair of rack plates that penetrate the elongated hole and move in opposite directions, a shaft provided on the shaft portion of the paper feed tray, a rigid body having a threaded hole embedded in the center of the shaft in the axial direction, A screw that is screwed into a screw hole and supported by the shaft to prevent the pinion engaging with the rack of the rack plate from coming off.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a paper feeding device to which a pinion mounting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.
1 and 2, F denotes a paper feed tray, E denotes a pair of paper regulating plates disposed on both sides of the front surface of the paper feed tray F, and D denotes a pair of rack plates disposed parallel to the back surface of the paper feed tray. .

The feed tray F has a pinion 5 supported at the center. In order to mount the pinion 5, a fixed shaft 1 provided at the center of the paper feed tray F and a fixed hole 3 for forming a gap 4 between the fixed shaft 1 and tightening a screw are provided. A screw (with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the sliding shaft 2) that is screwed so that the sliding shaft 2 provided concentrically on the outside and the pinion 5 attached to the tip of the fixed shaft 1 and supported by the sliding shaft 2 does not come off. G with a big head or a washer equivalent).

The paper feed tray F has elongated holes Dd on both sides of the fixed shaft 1 provided at the center in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The pair of paper regulating plates E are composed of a sliding side E-1 moving along the surface of the paper feeding tray and a vertical side E-2 orthogonal to the sliding side E-2 and serving to trim the end of the paper. -2, a projection E penetrating through the elongated hole Dd on the back surface
-3. A pair of rack plates D is a rack part D-1.
Are arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich the pinion 5, and an engaging portion D-2 at an end thereof has a projection E penetrating the elongated hole Dd.
-3 hole E-3a.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the operator manually moves one sheet regulating plate E in a direction approaching, for example, the other sheet regulating plate E, the rack plate D with which the projection E-3 of the sheet regulating plate E is engaged also moves in the same direction. And the rack rotates the pinion 5 with this movement. For this reason, the rack portion D-
The other rack plate D with which 1 meshes moves in the opposite direction, and as a result, the pair of sheet regulating plates E operate in a direction approaching each other.

When one of the sheet regulating plates E is moved in the opposite direction, the rack plate D with which the projection E-3 of the sheet regulating plate E is engaged also moves in the same direction. The part D-1 rotates the pinion 5 in the opposite direction. Therefore, the rack portion D-1 is attached to the pinion 5.
The other rack plate D meshed with moves in the direction opposite to the above, and as a result, the pair of sheet regulating plates E operate in a direction away from each other.

According to the first embodiment, the gap 4 is provided between the fixed shaft 1 and the sliding shaft 2 so that the screw G
, The outer diameter of the sliding shaft 2 does not change even if the outer diameter of the fixed shaft 1 changes, so that the sliding resistance generated by another means without affecting the sliding of the pinion 5 The operation feeling can be adjusted arbitrarily.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a sheet feeding device to which the pinion attachment device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG.
In the second embodiment, in order to mount the pinion 5, a shaft 6 having different diameters at the top and bottom provided at the center of the sheet feeding tray F is provided.
, And the upper small-diameter portion 6b of the shaft 6 is a fixed shaft to which a screw G for securing the pinion 5 is secured,
A gap 4 is provided between the upper small diameter portion 6b and the pinion 5.

According to the second embodiment, the gap 4 is provided between the pinion 5 and the upper small-diameter portion 6b as the fixed shaft 1, so that the upper small-diameter portion 6b prevents the pinion 5 from coming off. Even if the upper small-diameter portion expands by screwing in the screw G, the diameter of the lower large-diameter portion 6a supporting the pinion 5 does not change, so that the slidability of the pinion 5 is not affected. The operation feeling can be arbitrarily adjusted by the generated sliding resistance.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a paper feeding device to which the pinion mounting device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG.
In the third embodiment, a pinion 5 is provided on a sliding shaft 2 (also a fixed shaft) in which a rigid body 6 (for example, a bit insert) having a screw hole is embedded and provided in a central portion of a sheet feeding tray F.
Is inserted in a loose fit state, and is fixed by screws G screwed into the screw holes of the rigid body 6.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the rigid body 6 having a threaded hole is embedded in the sliding shaft 2 (also serving as a fixed shaft), even if the screw G is screwed into the threaded hole, The outer diameter of the sliding shaft 2 does not expand and the pinion 5
It does not affect the slidability, so that the operability can be arbitrarily adjusted by the sliding resistance generated by another means.

Embodiment 4 FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an apparatus in which an image forming apparatus and an image reading apparatus to which the sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention is applied are integrated.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 10 denotes a sheet feeding device T of the present invention.
And an image reading apparatus 20 including the sheet feeding device T of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 10 sends out the recording material P from the paper feeding device T to the image transfer position in synchronization with the formation of an image on the image carrier 11 by the image forming process of charging, exposing, and developing. Then, the image is transferred from the image carrier 11 to the recording material P, and after the transfer, the recording material P is discharged outside through the fixing position.

On the other hand, the image reading device 20 passes the document O sent from the sheet feeding device T through the image reading position and reads the image of the document O.

In the above-described embodiment, the sheet bundle 2 is positioned at the center of the sheet feed tray F by using the pair of sheet regulating plates E. Bundle 2
Can be similarly applied to the pinion mounting when the is positioned on one side of the paper feed tray F.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a gap is provided between the fixed shaft and the sliding shaft, or a rigid body with a threaded hole in the axial direction is embedded in the center of the shaft, to prevent the pinion supported by the sliding shaft from coming off, Even if the outer diameter of the fixed shaft changes when a screw is screwed into the end surface of the fixed shaft, the pinion mounting device in which the outer diameter of the sliding shaft does not change is obtained.

Further, since the sheet feeding device is configured by applying the pinion mounting device, the sheet feeding device is not affected by the sliding of the pinion.
An arbitrary operation feeling given to the pair of paper regulating plates can be adjusted, and there is an effect that a desired operation feeling can be stably obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a sheet feeding device to which a pinion attachment device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a sheet feeding device to which the pinion attachment device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a sheet feeding device to which a pinion attachment device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is applied.

6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus in which an image forming apparatus and an image reading apparatus to which a sheet feeding apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention is applied are integrated.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a conventional sheet feeding device.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 fixed shaft, 2 sliding shaft, 4 gap, 5 pinion,
6 Rigid body with screw, 7 Mold shaft, 8 screw pilot hole, C pinion, D rack, E paper regulating plate, F
Input tray.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A board for mounting a pinion that meshes with a rack, a fixed shaft provided on the board, a sliding shaft formed concentrically outside the fixed shaft by forming a gap between the fixed shaft and the fixed shaft. A screw attached to the distal end of the fixed shaft and supported by the sliding shaft to prevent the pinion from coming off. 2. A sheet feeding tray having a slot formed on both sides thereof with a central shaft portion perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, and a projection provided on one surface of the sheet feeding tray and provided on the back surface of the sheet feeding tray. A pair of rack plates that penetrate the hole and move in opposite directions, a fixed shaft provided on the shaft of the paper feed tray, and a gap formed between the fixed shaft and the outer periphery of the fixed shaft. And a screw attached to the tip of the fixed shaft and supported by the sliding shaft to prevent the pinion engaging with the rack of the rack plate from coming off. 3. A board on which a pinion that meshes with a rack is mounted, and a shaft provided on the board and having different diameters on the upper and lower sides. A lower large diameter portion of the shaft is a sliding shaft for supporting the pinion, and A pinion mounting device in which an upper small-diameter portion is a fixed shaft for mounting a screw for preventing the pinion from coming off. 4. A paper feed tray having a slot formed on both sides of a central shaft portion and orthogonal to the paper feed direction, and a projection provided on one surface of the paper feed tray and provided on the back surface of the paper feed tray. A pair of rack plates that penetrate the hole and move in opposite directions to each other, and shafts having different diameters at the top and bottom provided on the shaft portion of the paper feed tray, and a lower large-diameter portion of the shaft supports the pinion. A paper feeder comprising a sliding shaft, and a small-diameter upper portion of the shaft having a fixed shaft to which a screw for preventing the pinion engaging with the rack of the rack plate is secured. 5. A board for mounting a pinion that meshes with a rack, a shaft provided on the board, a rigid body having a threaded hole embedded in the center of the shaft in an axial direction, and screwed into the screw hole to be supported on the shaft. And a screw for preventing the pinion from coming off. 6. A paper feed tray having a slot formed on both sides of a central shaft portion and orthogonal to the paper feed direction, and a projection provided on one surface of the paper feed tray and provided on the back surface of the paper feed tray. A pair of rack plates that penetrate the hole and move in opposite directions, a shaft provided in the shaft portion of the paper feed tray, a rigid body having a screw hole embedded in the center of the shaft in the axial direction, and the screw A screw that is screwed into a hole and supported on the shaft to prevent the pinion engaging with the rack of the rack plate from coming off.