JP2001002264A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding device capable of preventing a double feed phenomenon and capable of smoothly attaching and detaching a paper feeding cassette. SOLUTION: When a paper feeding cassette 23 is pulled out from a printer device, a support member 26 for supporting a placing plate 28 on which paper sheets 30 are to be placed and a friction pad 25 is pushed down to the pushdown position by a cam 27. When the paper feeding cassette 23 is further pulled out, a holding member holds the support member 26 in the pushdown position, a clearance is formed between a friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25, and therefore, a paper sheet jammed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25 is easily removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeder used in a printer, a copying machine, and the like, and in particular, cuts a sheet when a plurality of sheets are fed, and feeds only one sheet. It relates to a paper feeding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a plurality of sheets are fed, conventional techniques of a sheet feeder that cuts sheets and feeds only one sheet are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-5-238576 and JP-A-5-238576. There is a paper feeding device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1740.

As shown in FIG. 15, a paper feeding device 8 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-238576 includes a friction roller 1 provided above a front end of a paper feeding cassette 5 and It has a support member 4 attached to the front end and a friction pad 2 attached to the upper end of the support member 4, and the support member 4 is spring-biased upward by a spring force,
The friction pad 2 resiliently contacts the friction roller, and the paper 3 fed between the friction roller 1 and the friction pad 2 is supplied by the rotation of the friction roller 1.

[0004] As shown in FIG.
When a double feed phenomenon occurs in which two sheets 3 are fed between the friction pad 2 and the friction pad 2, the frictional force between the friction roller 1 and the sheet 3 and the friction between the sheet 3 and the friction pad 2 Since the force is greater than the frictional force between the papers 3, the two papers 3 are cut and separated from each other, and only the upper one paper that comes into contact with the friction roller 1 is fed, and The lower contacting sheet remains on the friction pad 2.

[0005]

A paper feeder is used in printers and facsimile machines, for example, when paper conveyed during use of the printer bends and causes a paper jam or a double feed phenomenon. When this occurs, it is necessary to remove the paper jam by pulling out the paper feed cassette.

In the above-described conventional paper feeder, the paper jam is released by pulling out the paper sandwiched between the friction roller and the friction pad from the state where the paper is sandwiched.
At this time, an excessive force may be applied to the friction roller or the friction pad to cause damage. Also, the paper may be torn during the removal of the jammed paper, making it more difficult to clear the paper jam.

Further, when the paper cassette is pulled out, the friction roller and the friction pad come into contact with each other, so that it is difficult to pull out the paper cassette. When the paper cassette is mounted, the friction pad and the support member are hooked on the friction roller and mounted. It was difficult, and it was difficult to perform smooth loading and unloading operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding apparatus capable of reliably feeding paper one sheet at a time, preventing a duffle feed phenomenon and a paper jam, and smoothly performing a loading / unloading operation of a paper feeding cassette. It is to be.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a paper feeder which is supported so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction over a predetermined mounting position and a pull-out position behind the mounting position, and stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state. A cassette, a support member that is disposed close to the paper cassette when the paper cassette is mounted, is spring-biased upward, supports the friction pad, and is disposed facing the friction pad and is rotatable. A friction roller that is rotatably supported by the roller and conveys the abutting sheet, and in a state where the paper cassette is in the mounting position, the friction pad resiliently abuts the friction roller by a spring force and is stored in the paper cassette. When multiple sheets of paper are fed between the friction pad and the friction roller, the upper sheet that comes into contact with the rotating friction roller is fed, and the lower sheet comes into contact with the friction pad to prevent paper feed. Paper feeder A push-down member that pushes down the support member against the spring force to a push-down position where the friction roller and the friction pad separate from each other, and a holding member that holds the support member at the push-down position. Is a sheet feeding device characterized in that the supporting member is pushed down, the holding member is held at the pushing position by the holding member, and then the sheet cassette is pulled out.

According to the present invention, the sheet cassette accommodates a plurality of sheets in a stacked manner and is supported so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction over a predetermined mounting position and a pull-out position behind the mounting position. The support member supports the friction pad at its upper end, is provided so as to be vertically displaceable, and is spring-biased upward. The friction roller is rotatably supported so as to face above the friction pad, and conveys the abutting sheet in the sheet feeding direction.

The paper feeding device includes a paper feeding cassette, a support member, and a friction roller. When the paper feeding cassette is mounted, the friction pad resiliently contacts the friction roller. When a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet cassette are supplied between the friction pad and the friction roller by the friction roller, the upper sheet abutting on the rotating friction roller is conveyed in the sheet feeding direction, and the friction pad is The lower sheet abutting the sheet is prevented from being fed by the frictional force with the friction pad.
Thus, even if a double feed phenomenon occurs, only one sheet is reliably fed.

The push-down member pushes down the support member against a spring force to a push-down position where the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other, and the holding member holds the support member at the push-down position.

[0013] The paper feeding device includes a press-down member and a holding member. When pulling out the paper feed cassette, the press-down member presses down the support member, holds the support member at the depressed position, and then feeds the paper cassette. Pull out. Therefore, when the sheet cassette is pulled out, the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other, and a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad.

In the related art, when a paper jam occurs due to, for example, bending of a sheet conveyed by a friction roller, or when a double-feed phenomenon occurs in which a plurality of sheets are fed at the same time, a friction roller and a friction roller in the related art are used. Since the paper sandwiched between the pad and the paper was forcibly pulled out and removed, the friction roller and the friction pad were damaged by excessive force and the paper was torn during the paper removal, making subsequent removal work difficult. However, in the paper feeding device of the present invention, when the paper feeding cassette is pulled out, a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad, so that the paper feeding cassette can be drawn out smoothly. The removal of the paper is easy and does not damage the friction roller or the friction pad.

Further, according to the present invention, when the paper feed cassette is mounted, the support member is disposed in front of the paper feed cassette, and the friction roller is located above a front end of the paper feed cassette and a friction pad of the support member. The paper cassette is provided with a loading plate for loading and loading paper, and urging the front end of the loaded paper upward with a spring, and the paper cassette is in the mounting position. The front end of the sheet and the friction pad are resiliently brought into contact with the friction roller, and when the sheet cassette is pulled out, the loading plate is pushed down against the spring force and then pulled out.

According to the present invention, the support member is disposed in front of the paper cassette when the paper cassette is mounted,
The friction roller is disposed so as to face above the front end of the sheet cassette and the friction pad of the support member. Inside the paper feed cassette, the stacked paper sheets are supported from below, are provided vertically displaceably, and are provided with a mounting plate that is urged upward by a spring, so that the friction roller is stacked on the mounting plate. The front end of the cut sheet comes into contact with the friction pad. Therefore, the friction roller can push out the uppermost sheet of paper stacked on the mounting plate and interpose it between the friction roller and the friction pad. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a component for sending out the topmost sheet, and the number of components of the sheet feeding device is reduced, so that cost can be reduced.

When the paper cassette is pulled out, the pushing-down member holds the mounting plate in a state of being pressed down against the spring force, so that the front end of the paper comes into contact with the friction roller during the pulling out of the paper cassette. It is possible to prevent the paper from being soiled due to slippage without contact, and to be able to smoothly pull out the paper.

Further, according to the present invention, an arm member extending rearward below the mounting plate is attached to the supporting member in a state in which a paper feed cassette is mounted, and the pushing-down member includes a mounting plate and an arm member. And the supporting member is pressed down.

According to the present invention, the supporting member is provided with an arm member extending rearward below the mounting plate in a state where the paper feed cassette is mounted, and the pressing member presses down the arm member together with the mounting plate to support the supporting member. Push down the member. That is, when pulling out the paper cassette, the support member is also pressed down in synchronization with the pressing operation of the mounting plate, a gap is reliably formed between the friction pad and the friction roller, and the paper cassette can be pulled out smoothly. it can.

The pressing member is not only a supporting member but also a pressing member.
Since the mounting plate is also pushed down, the number of parts can be suppressed, and the cost of the sheet feeding device can be reduced.

Further, the holding member of the present invention is disposed in front of the support member and is biased backward by a spring. With the paper cassette mounted, the protrusions
When the holding member is pushed forward against the spring force to separate the holding member and the support member from each other and the paper cassette is pulled out, the holding member pushed forward by the protrusion is displaced rearward to the support member. It is characterized in that the support member comes into contact with the support member and is held at the depressed position.

According to the present invention, the holding member faces the front of the support member, is biased rearward by a spring, and is provided with a projection projecting forward at the front end of the sheet cassette.

When the sheet cassette is mounted, the projection pushes the holding member forward against the spring force to separate the holding member from the support member, and the support member is urged upward by the spring force. The friction roller is brought into contact with the friction pad. By simply mounting the paper feed cassette in this way, the paper feed device is set in a state in which the paper feed operation is possible.

When the paper feed cassette is pulled out, the holding member pushed forward by the projection is displaced rearward and abuts on the support member, and the support member is held at the depressed position, and the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other. Thus, a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad. Therefore, for example, when a paper jam occurs, the work of removing the jammed paper can be easily performed.

With such a simple structure, the support member can be held at the depressed position when the paper cassette is pulled out, and when the paper cassette is mounted, the holding state is released to perform the paper feeding operation. Can be set to a possible state.

Further, according to the present invention, the holding member is provided with a first holding portion having an uneven shape facing the support member, and the support member has a second holding portion having an uneven shape facing the holding member. The first holding unit and the second holding unit are engaged with each other when the sheet cassette is pulled out, so that the support member is held at the depressed position.

According to the present invention, the holding member is provided with an uneven first holding portion facing the support member, and the support member is provided with an uneven second holding portion facing the holding member. When the paper feed cassette is pulled out, the unevenness of the first holding portion and the unevenness of the second holding portion are engaged with each other, and the supporting member is held at the pushed-down position by the holding member. Is not released.

Further, the holding member of the present invention is provided with a first holding portion made of a friction material facing the support member,
The support member is provided with a second holding portion made of a friction material facing the holding member, and when the paper feed cassette is pulled out,
The first holding portion and the second holding portion are in contact with each other, and the support member is held at the depressed position by frictional force.

According to the present invention, the holding member is provided with a first holding portion made of a friction material having a high friction coefficient facing the support member, and the support member has a friction member having a high friction coefficient facing the holding member. A second holding portion made of a material is provided. When the paper cassette is pulled out, the support member is held at the depressed position by the frictional force generated between the friction material of the first holding portion and the friction material of the second holding portion. Thus, the support member can be held at the depressed position with a simple structure.

Further, the second holding portion of the support member of the present invention is formed to be longer vertically below the first holding portion of the holding member.

According to the present invention, the second holding portion of the support member is formed to be vertically longer than the first holding portion of the holding member. Therefore, for example, even when the support member is located above the depressed position. The support member can be held at the upper position by the holding member when the sheet cassette is pulled out.

[0032]

FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional view of a printer 21 equipped with a paper feeder 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the vicinity of a friction roller 24. It is a perspective view. The printer device 21 is used, for example, connected to a computer or the like, and performs printing on a sheet based on an instruction from the computer. The printer device 21
The paper feed device 22 feeds the paper 30 and the printing device 68 prints on the fed paper.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet feeding device 22 of the present invention
The paper cassette 23 accommodates a plurality of sheets 30 and is displaceably supported over a predetermined mounting position and a pull-out position behind the mounting position. Friction roller 24, friction roller 24
A friction pad 25 for mutually cutting paper when two or more sheets are fed, and a friction pad 25 for supporting the friction pad 25.
A supporting member 26 that is displaceably supported over a push-up position where the roller 5 contacts the friction roller 24, a push-down position below the pusher 5, and a loading plate 28 on which the leading end side of the paper 30 in the paper feed cassette 23 is placed. An arm member 55 for transmitting the vertical movement to the support member 26, a cam 27 serving as a push-down member for pushing down the mounting plate 28 and the support member 26, and a holding member 42 for holding the support member 26 at the push-down position 78. And a projection 37 for releasing the holding state of the support member 26 and the holding member 42, and a return member 33 for returning the paper on the friction pad 25 to the inside of the paper feed cassette 23.

FIG. 3 shows the paper feed cassette 23 connected to the printer 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet cassette 23 is pulled out from the printer device 21. FIG. Next, with reference to FIGS.
Each member that constitutes will be described.

The paper feed cassette 23 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box opened upward, can store a plurality of sheets of paper 30 in a stacked manner, and has a mounting position shown in FIG. 3 and a pull-out position shown in FIG. Are supported so as to be freely displaceable in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 3 and 4), and can be completely separated from the printer device 1 by further pulling out from the pull-out position 83. Further, a protrusion 37 is provided at a lower portion of the front wall of the sheet cassette 23 so as to protrude forward.
Presses the holding member 42 forward when the paper feed cassette 23 is mounted.

The loading plate 28 is formed in a thin plate shape, is provided inside the paper feeding cassette 23, and a loading surface on which the paper 30 is loaded faces upward, and the rear end thereof is in the width direction of the paper feeding cassette 23 (see FIG. 3) (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper), which are mounted on both side walls 98, 99 so as to be pivotally supported, and the front end is provided to be vertically displaceable.

The mounting plate spring 41 made of a compression coil spring has an upper end mounted on the lower surface of the mounting plate 28 and a lower end mounted on the bottom surface 90 of the paper feed cassette 23. The side is spring biased upward.

A cam 27, which is a pressing member, is provided above the mounting plate 28 in contact with the upper surface of the mounting plate 28, and is rotatably supported on both side walls 98 and 99 of the sheet cassette 23. . The cam 27 has an arc surface 8 centered on the axis of the shaft 57.
6 is formed, and when this arc surface 86 is in contact with the upper surface of the mounting plate 28, as shown in FIG.
8 is pressed downward, and the mounting plate 28 is in a horizontal state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 26 is disposed facing the front wall 71 of the paper feed cassette 23 in a state where the paper feed cassette 23 is mounted, and has a width direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3). ). The support member 26 is
As shown in FIG. 3, a support member main body 75 having a second holding portion 61 formed of saw-toothed irregularities on a wall surface facing forward, a support portion 74 projecting obliquely upward and forward from an upper end portion of the support member main body 75, Arm member 5 extending horizontally rearward from the lower end
5 are integrally formed.

On the upper surface of the support member 74, a friction pad 2 made of an elastic member such as rubber having a thin plate shape and a high friction coefficient is used.
5 is stuck. Further, between the lower surface of the arm member 55 and the bottom surface 77 of the printer device 21, support member springs 39 and 40 formed of a compression coil spring are attached, whereby the support member 26 is biased upward. . Further, with the sheet cassette 23 mounted, the mounting plate 28
Is placed in contact with the upper surface of the arm member 55, so that the mounting plate 28 pressed downward by the cam 27
Is pressed downward against the spring force, and the support member 26 is pushed down to the push-down position shown in FIG.

The holding member 42 faces the front of the support member 26 and is arranged at the center of the printer 21 in the width direction. The holding member 42 has a first holding portion 60 made of saw-toothed irregularities on a wall surface facing rearward, and the length of the first holding portion 60 in the vertical direction is equal to that of the second holding portion 61 of the support member 26. It is formed shorter than the length in the vertical direction. The holding member 42
The holding member spring 38 composed of a compression coil spring is attached between the front wall surface facing the front of the printer device 21 and the front wall 85 of the printer device 21, whereby the holding member 42 is biased rearward. The uneven second holding portion 61 is provided with a support member main body 75.
The first holding portion 60 is formed by projecting a plurality of ridges extending in the width direction from the wall surface. Thereby, each convex line of the first holding portion 60 is fitted into each concave line of the second holding portion, so that the support member 26 can be reliably held at the depressed position.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the paper feed cassette 23 is pulled out, the unevenness of the first holding portion 60 of the holding member 42 and the unevenness of the second holding portion 61 of the support member 26 mesh with each other. , Holding the support member 26 in the depressed position. When the sheet cassette 23 is mounted as shown in FIG. 3, the holding member 42 is pressed forward by the protrusion 37 against the spring force, and the first holding portion 60 of the holding member 42 26 is separated from the second holding portion 61, and the holding state is released.

The return member 33 shown by a virtual line in FIG.
It is arranged in front of the paper feed cassette 23 and on the near side with respect to the plane of FIG. The lower end of the return member 33 is
The first bottom wall 77 is pivotally supported by a shaft 88, and the upper end is formed in a hook shape, and swings in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of friction rollers 24 are provided at intervals in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2), and are fixed to shafts 37 extending in the width direction.
A first paper guide 43 is provided in front of the friction roller 24 to guide the sheet fed by the rotation of the friction roller 24 from below to above along the outer periphery of the friction roller 24. A plurality of support rollers 36 are provided in the first paper guide 43 in parallel with the shaft 32.
The roller is in contact with the friction roller 24 via an opening formed in the roller, and supports the guided sheet with the friction roller 24 interposed therebetween. These support rollers 36 are formed to have a smaller diameter than the friction roller 24, and three support rollers 36 abut on the outer circumference of one friction roller 24.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second paper guide 44
Is disposed rearward above the friction roller 24, and the third paper guide 45 is placed below the second paper guide 44. The paper conveyed upward between the first paper guide 43 and the friction roller 24 is guided between the second paper guide 44 and the third paper guide 45, and further printed by the printing device 68.
Transported to Between the friction roller 24 and the second paper guide 44 and between the first paper guide 43 and the third paper guide 45, a transport path for transporting the fed paper is formed.

A feed roller 48 and a pinch roller 49 are provided on the downstream side of the second paper guide 44 in the transport direction with the transport path interposed therebetween, and the friction roller 24 and the support roller 36 are arranged along the transport path by the friction roller 24 and the support roller 36. Is transported to a position below the printing device 68 by being sandwiched between the feed roller 48 and the pinch roller 49. The paper sent below the printing device 68 is printed by the printing device 68, and the printed paper is discharged onto the discharge tray 46 by being sandwiched between the discharge roller 53 and the star wheel 50.

Next, the operation of feeding the sheet 30 and the operation of preventing double feed will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, in a state immediately after the sheet cassette 23 is mounted, the cam 2 is located inside the sheet cassette 23.
7 presses the mounting plate 28 downward against the spring force of the mounting plate spring 41, and the mounting plate 28 maintains a horizontal state. Further, the mounting plate 28 connects the arm member 55 to the support member springs 39, 40.
Therefore, the support member 26 formed integrally with the arm member 55 is pushed down to the push-down position, and the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25 are separated from each other. Further, since the protrusion 37 presses the holding member 42 forward against the spring force of the holding member spring 38,
The holding member 42 and the support member 26 are separated from each other.

Next, when a printing request based on image information is input to the printer device 21 from a computer (not shown), the cam 27 to which rotational power has been given from the driving device 31.
Starts rotating clockwise around the shaft 57 as viewed from FIG. 3, and the friction roller 24 also starts rotating clockwise as viewed from FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the driving device 31 includes a driving motor 62 as a driving source, a first gear 65 fixed to a shaft of the driving motor 62, a second gear 64 meshing with the first gear 65, and a second gear 64 and a third gear 63 fixed to the shaft 57 of the cam 27. The rotational power of the drive motor 62 is transmitted to the cam 27 via the first gear 65, the second gear 64, and the third gear 63, and the cam 27 rotates around the shaft 57 clockwise as viewed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, while the arc surface 86 of the cam 27 is in contact with the mounting plate 28, the mounting plate 28 is pushed down and maintains a horizontal state.

Further, while the cam 27 rotates 180 ° from the position shown in FIG. 2 as shown in FIG. 5, the downward pressing state of the mounting plate 28 by the cam 27 is released, and the mounting plate spring 41 The plate 28 is spring-biased upward, and its tip is pushed upward. Along with this, the pressed state of the arm member 55 pressed downward by the mounting plate 28 is also released, and the arm member 55 is also urged upward by the support member springs 39 and 40, and the support member 26 is pushed up. Pushed up to position 79. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the front end of the paper 30 placed on the mounting plate 28 is lifted upward, and the paper 66 on the uppermost surface of the paper 30 is
4 is contacted from below. Further, since the support member 26 is pushed up to the push-up position, the friction pad 25 stuck on the support portion 74 is moved forward (to the left in FIG. 5) from the position where the paper 30 and the friction roller 24 come into contact with each other. Abut.

As described above, when the paper 30 comes into contact with the friction roller 24 that rotates clockwise as viewed from FIG. 5, the friction roller 24 presses the paper 30 downward and the friction roller generated by the pressing force. The uppermost sheet 66 is fed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25 by the frictional force between the sheet 24 and the uppermost sheet 66 of the sheet 30. At this time, together with the uppermost sheet 66, the sheet 66
A double feed phenomenon may occur in which paper is fed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25 up to the paper 67 below the sheet.

When the double feed phenomenon occurs, as shown in FIG. 6, in the sheet feeding device 22 of the present invention, the lower sheet 67 of the two fed sheets 66, 67 , The sheet is stopped, and the upper sheet 66
Only the roller 67 is transported to the transport path by the friction roller 24, and the lower sheet 67 remains on the friction pad 25. This is because the frictional force between the friction roller 24 and the paper 66 and the frictional force between the paper 67 and the friction pad 25 are reduced by the paper 66 and the paper 67.
This is because it is much larger than the friction force between them.

The upper sheet 66 thus separated
Is fed between the friction roller 24 and the support roller 36 and is conveyed along the conveyance path by the friction roller 24, but the lower sheet 67 remains on the friction pad 25. Thereafter, the paper 66 conveyed above the friction roller 24 is printed by the printing device 68 as described above, and is discharged to the discharge tray 47.

When the paper 66 is transported along the transport path, the cam 27 rotates clockwise around the shaft 57 to the position shown in FIG. At this time, the mounting plate 28 is pressed downward again by the cam 27, and accordingly, the arm member 5
5 is also pressed downward, and the support member 26 is pushed down to the push-down position. When the support member 26 is pushed down to the pushing position, a gap 89 is formed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25, and the upper sheet 66 and the lower sheet 67 are formed.
Are completely separated from each other as shown in FIG.

When the support member 26 is pushed down to the pushed-down position, the return member 33 is angularly displaced clockwise about the shaft 88 as viewed in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the leading end of the paper 67 remaining on the friction pad 25 is hooked on the hook-shaped portion of the return member 33, and the paper 6
7 is pushed back into the paper feed cassette 23, becomes one of the uppermost sheets of the paper 30, and the return member 33 returns to the position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3 again.

Also, from the state shown in FIG. 3, for a while when the arc surface 86 comes into contact, even if the cam 27 rotates,
Keeps a horizontal state, and the paper 30 on the mounting plate 28 does not contact the friction roller 24, so that no paper is fed during this time. As a result, the double feed phenomenon is prevented without feeding the next sheet while the fed sheet is present in the gap 89 between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25.

When the series of operations described above is completed, the paper feeding device 22 waits until the next print request is made by the computer.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 9 to 11, the operation for pulling out the sheet cassette 23 will be described.

In the state shown in FIG.
First, the cam 27 is rotated by the driving device 31 to push the mounting plate 28 downward against the spring force of the mounting plate spring 41. At this time, the arm member 55 mounted under the mounting plate 28 is also pushed down against the spring force of the support member springs 39 and 40, and the support member 26 is also pushed down to the pushed down position. Therefore, when the sheet cassette 23 is pulled out, the sheet 30 and the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25 and the friction roller 24 are separated from each other, and a gap 89 is formed between the friction pad 25 and the friction roller 24.

Next, in this state, when the sheet cassette 23 is pulled out (moved to the right in FIG. 3), the holding member 42 pressed forward by the protrusion 37 as shown in FIG. The spring member 38 displaces rearward (to the right in FIG. 9), and the holding member 42 and the support member 26 come into contact with each other. FIG.
At this time, the first holding portion 60 having the sawtooth-shaped irregularities formed on the wall surface facing the rear of the holding member 42 at this time.
And the second holding portions 61 having sawtooth-shaped irregularities formed on the wall surface facing the front of the support member 26 mesh with each other, and the holding member 42 holds the support member 26 at the depressed position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, since the length L1 in the front-rear direction of the protrusion 37 is shorter than the length L2 in the front-rear direction of the portion where the mounting plate 28 and the arm member 55 overlap, the paper feed cassette 23 is pulled out. On the way, the holding member 42 and the supporting member 26
The support member is securely held at the push-down position by the mounting plate 28 until the contact is made, and the support member 26 is not pushed up to the push-up position during the drawing.

When the sheet cassette 23 is further pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 9 as shown in FIG. 3, even if the mounting plate 28 and the arm member 55 do not overlap each other, the holding member 42 securely connects the support member 26. Hold in the down position. In this manner, the paper cassette 23 can be pulled out and the paper 30 can be replenished.

When the paper feed cassette 23 is pulled out or when the paper feed cassette 23 is separated, a gap 89 is always formed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25. As a result, the sheet conveyed by the friction roller 24 is bent, and the friction pad 25 and the friction roller 2 are bent.
In the related art, when the paper jam occurs between the paper feeder 4 and the paper feed cassette 4, the paper cassette 23 is detached and then the jammed paper is forcibly pulled out. In some cases, the paper may be broken during the pulling out, making the removal operation difficult. However, in the paper feeding device 22 of the present invention, the paper feeding cassette 23 is pulled out and the gap 89 is removed.
Is formed, and the jammed state of the sheet is released. Therefore, the operation of removing the jammed sheet is easy, and the friction roller 24 or the friction pad 25 is not damaged.

Even if a double feed phenomenon in which a plurality of sheets are fed simultaneously occurs,
A gap 89 is formed between the friction pad 25 and the friction roller 24 by simply pulling out the sheet, and the sheet is released from the pinched state, so that the sheet can be easily removed.

When the paper cassette 23 is pulled out, a gap 89 is formed between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25, so that no frictional force is generated between the friction roller 24 and the friction pad 25, and The paper cassette can be pulled out smoothly.

Next, the mounting operation of the paper cassette 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. A gradient 58 is formed over the entire length in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) on the lower surface at the front end of the mounting plate 28, and the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3) is also formed on the upper surface of the rear end of the arm member 55. A gradient 59 is formed over the entire length. As the sheet cassette 23 is mounted (moved to the left in FIG. 3), the slope 58 of the mounting plate 28 rides on the slope 59 of the arm member 55 as shown in FIG. It is arranged on the arm member 55. As a result, the support member 26 does not remain pushed up to the push-up position.

The state shown in FIG.
When the third member 3 is mounted, the tip of the projection 37 comes into contact with the holding member 42 as shown in FIG. When the paper feed cassette 23 is further mounted, as shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion 37 presses the holding member 42 forward against the spring force of the holding member spring 38, so that the holding member 42 and the support member 26 are engaged with each other. Cancel. In this manner, the mounting operation of the paper feed cassette 23 is completed, and the apparatus stands by until a printing request is made from a computer (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 5, even if the sheet cassette 23 is completely removed with the leading end of the mounting plate 28 being urged upward, the second holding portion of the supporting member 26 is held by the holding member 42. Since the support member 26 is formed to be longer in the vertical direction than the first holding portion, the support member 26 can be held at the push-up position 79.

When the sheet cassette 23 is removed and the sheet cassette 23 is mounted again, even if the supporting member 26
Even if the mounting plate 28 is in a state of being pushed up, the first holding portion 60 and the second holding portion 61 only engage with each other and hold it at the pushed up position.
Since the plate 6 and the mounting plate 28 are only pushed up by the spring force, the support member 26 can be easily pushed down manually, and the arm member 55 can be reliably positioned under the mounting plate 28.

Finally, referring to FIG. 1 again, the outline of the printing process by the printer device 21 will be described. When a printing request is made from the computer based on the image information, the paper is fed to the transport path by the paper feeding device 22 as described above. The fed sheet is conveyed by being sandwiched between the friction roller 24 and each support roller 36, and is then sandwiched between the feed roller 48 and the focus roller 49 and sent out below the printing device 68.

The printing device 68 includes an ink head for ejecting ink, an ink carriage on which a plurality of ink heads are mounted, and an ink carriage holding shaft for facilitating scanning of the ink carriage. The printing device 68 corresponding to the image information input from the computer
Ink is ejected from the various ink heads onto the paper below and is recorded on the paper. At this time, the paper stops temporarily,
When the ink carriage has finished scanning one line, paper corresponding to a plurality of ink nozzles of the ink head is sent. As described above, the above-described processing is intermittently performed in the printing device 68 corresponding to the image information, and the image information is printed on the paper. The printed paper is delivered by a paper discharge roller 5
The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 46 via the third wheel 3 and the star wheel 50.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, the first holding portion 60 and the second holding portion 61 each having the above-mentioned saw-toothed unevenness are replaced with the first holding portion 60 having the corrugated unevenness as shown in FIG. 60a and the second holding portion 61a, or FIG.
First holding portion 60b having trapezoidal irregularities as shown in FIG.
And the second holding portion 61b. Thus, even if the concave and convex shapes of the first holding portion 60 and the second holding portion 61 are corrugated or trapezoidal, the same effect as that of the sawtooth shape can be obtained.

Further, as still another embodiment of the present invention, the first holding portion 60 having an uneven shape formed on the holding member 42 and the second forming portion having an uneven shape formed integrally with the support member 26 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 14, a thin plate-shaped first holding portion 60 made of a material having a high coefficient of friction, such as rubber, is used instead of the holding portion 61.
c and the second holding portion 61c. The first holding portion 60c and the second holding portion 61c made of such rubber
Is used, the holding member 42 can hold the support member 26 when the paper feed cassette 23 is pulled out. Further, if irregularities are formed by polishing the opposing surfaces of the first holding portion 60c and the second holding portion 61c, the holding effect is further enhanced.

[0072]

According to the present invention, according to the present invention, the paper feed cassette stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state, and extends in the front-rear direction over a predetermined mounting position and a pull-out position behind the mounting position. Is displaceably supported. The support member supports the friction pad at its upper end, and is provided so as to be vertically displaceable,
Spring biased upward. The friction roller is rotatably supported so as to face above the friction pad, and conveys the abutting sheet in the sheet feeding direction.

The paper feeder includes a paper feed cassette, a support member, and a friction roller. When the paper feed cassette is mounted, the friction pad resiliently contacts the friction roller. When a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet cassette are supplied between the friction pad and the friction roller by the friction roller, the upper sheet abutting on the rotating friction roller is conveyed in the sheet feeding direction, and the friction pad is The lower sheet abutting the sheet is prevented from being fed by the frictional force with the friction pad.
Thus, even if a double feed phenomenon occurs, only one sheet is reliably fed.

The push-down member pushes down the support member against the spring force to a push-down position where the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other, and the holding member holds the support member at the push-down position.

The paper feeding device includes a pushing-down member and a holding member. When the paper feeding cassette is pulled out, the pushing-down member pushes down the supporting member, holds the holding member at the pushing-down position, and then holds the paper feeding cassette. Pull out. Therefore, when the sheet cassette is pulled out, the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other, and a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad.

For example, when the paper conveyed by the friction roller is bent and the paper jam occurs, or when a double feed phenomenon occurs in which a plurality of papers are fed at the same time, the friction roller and the friction roller in the related art are used. Since the paper sandwiched between the pad and the paper was forcibly pulled out and removed, the friction roller and the friction pad were damaged by excessive force and the paper was torn during the paper removal, making subsequent removal work difficult. However, in the paper feeding device of the present invention, when the paper feeding cassette is pulled out, a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad, so that the paper feeding cassette can be drawn out smoothly. The removal of the paper is easy and does not damage the friction roller or the friction pad.

According to the present invention, when the paper cassette is mounted, the support member is disposed in front of the paper cassette, and the friction roller is provided between the front end of the paper cassette and the friction pad of the support member. It is arranged facing upward. Inside the paper feed cassette, the stacked paper sheets are supported from below, are provided vertically displaceably, and are provided with a mounting plate that is urged upward by a spring, so that the friction roller is stacked on the mounting plate. The front end of the cut sheet comes into contact with the friction pad. Therefore, the friction roller can push out the uppermost sheet of paper stacked on the mounting plate and interpose it between the friction roller and the friction pad. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a component for sending out the topmost sheet, and the number of components of the sheet feeding device is reduced, so that cost can be reduced.

When the paper cassette is pulled out, the pushing-down member holds the mounting plate in a state of being pressed down against the spring force, so that the front end of the paper comes into contact with the friction roller during the drawing of the paper cassette. It is possible to prevent the paper from being soiled due to slippage without contact, and to be able to smoothly pull out the paper.

Further, according to the present invention, the support member is provided with an arm member which extends rearward below the mounting plate in a state where the paper feed cassette is mounted, and the pressing member presses down the arm member together with the mounting plate. Depress the support member. That is, when pulling out the paper cassette, the support member is also pressed down in synchronization with the pressing operation of the mounting plate, a gap is reliably formed between the friction pad and the friction roller, and the paper cassette can be pulled out smoothly. it can.

The pressing member is not only a supporting member but also a pressing member.
Since the mounting plate is also pushed down, the number of parts can be suppressed, and the cost of the sheet feeding device can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the holding member faces the front of the support member and is spring-biased rearward, and the front end of the sheet feeding cassette is provided with a projection projecting forward.

When the sheet cassette is mounted, the projection pushes the holding member forward against the spring force to separate the holding member from the support member, and the support member is urged upward by the spring force. The friction roller is brought into contact with the friction pad. By simply mounting the paper feed cassette in this way, the paper feed device is set in a state in which the paper feed operation is possible.

When the paper feed cassette is pulled out, the holding member pushed forward by the projection is displaced rearward and comes into contact with the support member, and the support member is held at the depressed position, and the friction roller and the friction pad are separated from each other. Thus, a gap is formed between the friction roller and the friction pad. Therefore, for example, when a paper jam occurs, the work of removing the jammed paper can be easily performed.

With such a simple configuration, the support member can be held at the depressed position when the paper cassette is pulled out, and when the paper cassette is mounted, the holding state is released to perform the paper feeding operation. Can be set to a possible state.

Further, according to the present invention, the holding member is provided with the first holding portion having an uneven shape facing the support member, and the support member is provided with the second holding portion having the uneven shape facing the holding member.
When the paper feed cassette is pulled out, the unevenness of the first holding portion and the unevenness of the second holding portion are engaged with each other, and the supporting member is held at the pushed-down position by the holding member. Is not released.

Further, according to the present invention, the holding member is provided with the first holding portion made of a friction material having a high friction coefficient facing the support member, and the support member has a high friction coefficient facing the holding member. A second holding portion made of a friction material is provided.
When the paper cassette is pulled out, the friction material of the first holding portion and the second
The support member is held at the depressed position by the frictional force generated between the holding member and the friction material. Thus, the support member can be held at the depressed position with a simple structure.

Further, according to the present invention, since the second holding portion of the support member is formed to be longer vertically below the first holding portion of the holding member, for example, when the support member is located above the depressed position. However, the support member can be held at the upper position by the holding member when pulling out the sheet cassette.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a printer device 21 equipped with a sheet feeding device 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a friction roller 24.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet feeding cassette is mounted on a printer device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a paper feed cassette is pulled out from a printer mount;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet of paper 30 on a mounting plate abuts on a friction roller 24;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a double feed phenomenon has occurred.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the double feed phenomenon has been eliminated.

FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing a driving device 31.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet cassette 23 is being pulled out.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a holding state of a support member 26;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state where the holding state of the support member 26 is released.

FIG. 12 shows a first holding unit 60a according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second holding unit 61a.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a first holding portion 60b and a second holding portion 61b according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a first holding portion 60c and a second holding portion 61c according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a sheet feeding device 8 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-238576.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 21 printer device 22 paper feed device 23 paper feed cassette 24 friction roller 25 friction pad 26 support member 27 cam 28 mounting plate 30 paper 33 return member 37 protrusion 42 holding member 60, 60a, 60b, 60c first holding portion 61, 61a, 61b, 61c Second holding portion 72 Mounting position 78 Push-down position 79 Push-up position 83 Pull-out position 89 Gap

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Dai Horinaka F-term (reference) in Sharp Co., Ltd. 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 3F343 FA02 FB02 GA03 GB01 GC01 GD01 HB03 JA01 JD08 JD33 LC20 LD25 LD26

Claims (7)

[Claims] A sheet cassette that is supported movably in the front-rear direction over a predetermined mounting position and a pull-out position behind the mounting position, and that stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state; A support member for supporting the friction pad, which is disposed close to the paper feed cassette when it is moved, and which is biased upward, and which is disposed facing the friction pad, rotatably pivotally supported, and abuts against And a friction roller that resiliently abuts the friction roller by a spring force in a state where the paper cassette is in the mounting position, and a plurality of sheets stored in the paper cassette are frictionally patted. When the paper is fed between the roller and the friction roller, the upper sheet that comes into contact with the rotating friction roller is fed, and the lower sheet is brought into contact with the friction pad to prevent sheet feeding. Roller and friction pad A push-down member that pushes down the support member against the spring force to a push-down position where the support member is separated, and a holding member that holds the support member in the push-down position. When the paper cassette is pulled out, the push-down member pushes down the support member. A sheet feeding device for holding a supporting member at a depressed position by a holding member and then pulling out the sheet feeding cassette. 2. In a state in which the sheet cassette is mounted, the support member is disposed in front of the sheet cassette, and the friction roller faces above a front end of the sheet cassette and a friction pad of the support member. The paper cassette is provided with a loading plate for loading and loading paper, and urging the front end of the loaded paper upward with a spring.
When the paper cassette is in the loading position, the front edge of the paper and the friction pad abut elastically against the friction rollers.When pulling out the paper cassette, make sure that the loading plate is pushed down against the spring force and then pulled out. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein 3. An arm member extending rearward below the mounting plate in a state in which a paper cassette is mounted on the supporting member, wherein the pressing member presses down the mounting plate and the arm member. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the supporting member is pushed down. 4. A paper feed cassette, wherein the holding member is disposed in front of the support member and is spring-biased rearward, and a front end of the paper feed cassette is provided with a protrusion projecting forward. In the state in which the holding member is mounted, the protrusion is pushed forward by the protrusion when the holding member is pushed forward against the spring force to separate the holding member and the support member, and when the sheet cassette is pulled out. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is displaced rearward and abuts on the support member to hold the support member at a depressed position. 5. The holding member is provided with an uneven first holding portion facing the support member, and the support member is provided with an uneven second holding portion facing the holding member. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein when the sheet feeding cassette is pulled out, the first holding portion and the second holding portion are engaged with each other to hold the support member at a depressed position. 6. The holding member is provided with a first holding portion made of a friction material facing the support member, and the support member is provided with a second holding portion made of a friction material facing the holding member. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein when the sheet feeding cassette is pulled out, the first holding portion and the second holding portion are in contact with each other, and the supporting member is held at a depressed position by a frictional force. 7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the second holding portion of the support member is formed to be longer vertically below the first holding portion of the holding member.