JP2001287840A - Sheet feeding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a sheet feeding device capable of preventing the displacement of sheets in the case of the addition of the sheets. SOLUTION: The sheet feeding device 5 is mounted in such a manner as to open the downstream side in a sheet-feeding direction on the second bottom plate 54 installed within a sheet storage part 30 housed in such a manner as to be free to be pulled out within a casing 2. The device 5 is provided with a pair of guide fences 55, the one end side of which is fixed to the plate 54 and the other end side of which is extended upwards, and fixing members 65, 66, a part of which is fixed to the fence 55b on the pull-out side and another part of which is fixed to the fence 55a on the storage side. Consequently, the interval between the fences 55 is kept constant by the member 65, 66 even when the storage part 30 is slid in the direction approximately orthogonal to the sheet-feeding direction for the inertia force of the sheets to act on the fences 55.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a sheet feeder and an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, a multifunction machine thereof, a printing machine, etc., a bottom plate for holding and stacking sheets and a plurality of sheets stacked on the bottom plate are used. 2. Description of the Related Art There is a paper feeding device that accommodates a paper storage unit having a paper feeding member that separates and feeds one sheet at a time in a main body of the apparatus so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to a paper feeding direction.

[0003] Such a paper feeder is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-29.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 09-934 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-144600, 1
A first bottom plate for stacking the mountain sheets and a second bottom plate for receiving the replenishment of the second sheet by the operator are provided in the paper storage unit. In some cases, the second pile of paper stacked on the second bottom plate is transferred onto the first bottom plate. This makes it possible to stack and hold two sheets of paper in a single paper storage unit, and to reduce the frequency of paper replenishment even when a large amount of paper is consumed.

[0004] In particular, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-144600 discloses a sheet feeding device provided with a pair of side fences having one end attached to a second bottom plate and regulating both sides in the sheet feeding direction. According to the technique disclosed in the publication, it is possible to suppress the inertial force acting on the paper stacked on the bottom plate by the side fence when the paper storage unit is pulled out.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 290934, when pulling out or storing the paper storage unit with a large amount of papers stacked on the bottom plate, inertia acts on the papers. It is out of position, or
There is a concern that a situation in which the stacked sheets collapse may occur.

In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-144600, the side fence is fixed at one end on the second bottom plate side. If excessive inertial force is applied from the upper sheet located away from the fixing portion between the side fence and the second bottom plate when the sheet is stored, the side fence will bend and the folded paper will be in the proper position. It will deviate from.

[0007] If the paper is shifted from the normal position, 2
At the time of the transfer of the mountain paper, a part of the paper interferes with the surrounding members, and the paper cannot be transported. If the paper is displaced from the normal position, the operator must return the position of the paper in the paper storage unit to an original position, and the operation becomes complicated.

In addition, according to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-144600, since the side fence is fixed to the bottom plate, a gap is formed between the side fence and the paper depending on the size of paper stacked in the paper storage unit. Therefore, when the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored, the paper is displaced from a normal position.

For this reason, when laminating sheets of various sizes, side fences must be prepared for each size, and the number of parts and the work of replacing the side fences increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus which can prevent a sheet from shifting when refilling a sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a sheet from being displaced when replenishing a sheet and improving an operator's workability in replenishing the sheet. And

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeder and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a sheet from being displaced when refilling a sheet without specially securing a space for providing a reinforcing member and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus which can prevent misalignment of sheets of various sizes when replenishing sheets.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding device, wherein a casing, a sheet storage portion which is housed in the casing so as to be freely drawn out, and a paper storage portion are arranged in parallel in the sheet storage portion. First to hold and stack paper independently
And a second bottom plate, a sheet feeding member that separates the sheets stacked on the first bottom plate one by one, and feeds the sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to a drawing direction of the sheet storage unit; and a second bottom plate. A transfer member for transferring the sheet stacked thereon onto the first bottom plate, and a regulating member provided to interfere with a transfer path of the sheet by the transfer member and for restricting movement of the sheet in the sheet storage unit. A retracting unit for retracting the regulating member from the moving path during the transfer of the sheet by the transfer member; and a second bottom plate for pulling out the sheet storage unit during a sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding member. And a pair of guide fences that open the downstream side in the paper feeding direction by the paper feeding member and have one end fixed to the second bottom plate and the other end extended upward. Part is fixed to the guide fence drawer side comprises a fixing member another part is fixed to the guide fence of the housing side.

Therefore, regardless of whether the paper feeding operation is performed or not, the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored, so that even when the inertia force of the paper stacked on the second bottom plate is applied to the guide fence, The fixing member keeps the distance between the guide fences constant. Further, when the sheet stacked on the second bottom plate is transferred by the transfer member, the restricting member is retracted from the transfer path by the retracting means. Accordingly, it is possible to hold the sheet stacked on the second bottom plate, which is the second mountain of sheets stacked in the sheet storage unit in order to stack a large amount of sheets, at a predetermined position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeder of the first aspect, the fixing between the fixing member and the guide fence is releasable.

Therefore, the fixing between the fixing member and the guide fence is released, for example, when replenishing paper.
This makes it possible to smoothly replenish the paper by removing the fixing member that has been released when replenishing the paper.

The third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
In the paper feeder described above, the fixing member is provided above the guide fence, and can be released from being fixed to the guide fence on the drawer side, and is rotatable with respect to the guide fence on the storage side. Attached to.

Therefore, for example, when replenishing paper, the fixing of the fixing member and the guide fence on the drawer side, which is on the near side to the operator, is released, and the fixing position of the guide fence on the storage side is rotated. It is rotated around the center. This makes it possible to prevent the fixing member from being lost even when the fixing between the fixing member and the guide fence is released in order to secure a work space for replenishing sheets.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper feeder, wherein a casing, a paper storage section which is housed in the casing so as to be freely drawn out, and a paper storage section which are arranged in parallel in the paper storage section.
First and second bottom plates for independently holding and stacking sheets, and separating the sheets stacked on the first bottom plate into individual sheets and feeding the sheets in a direction substantially orthogonal to the drawing direction of the sheet storage unit. A sheet feeding member for feeding a sheet, a transfer member for transferring the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate onto the first bottom plate, and a sheet storage member provided to interfere with a transfer path of the sheet by the transfer member. A regulating member that regulates the movement of the sheet in the unit, a retracting unit that retracts the regulating member from the moving path during the transport of the sheet by the transporting member, and the sheet during a sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding member When pulling out the storage portion, a slide lock mechanism that allows only the second bottom plate to be pulled out, and a downstream side in the paper feeding direction by the paper feeding member is opened, one end side is fixed to the second bottom plate, and the other end side is opened. Upward A pair of extended guide fences, at least a part of which is fixed to the guide fence on the storage side, and another part is provided on the inner wall surface of the casing when the paper storage unit is stored in the casing. And a shock absorbing member to be abutted.

Therefore, even if the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored regardless of whether or not the paper feeding operation is performed, even when the inertia of the paper stacked on the second bottom plate is applied to the guide fence, The inertial force acting on the guide fence is absorbed by the shock absorbing member. Further, when the sheet stacked on the second bottom plate is transferred by the transfer member, the restricting member is retracted from the transfer path by the retracting means. Thereby, even when it is difficult to provide the reinforcing member due to the layout of the apparatus, the paper stacked on the second bottom plate, which is the second pile of paper stacked in the paper storage unit to stack a large amount of paper. It is possible to reduce the shock and vibration generated in the device due to the inertia force of the device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeder of the fourth aspect, the guide fence on the storage side is displaceable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a paper feeding direction of the paper.

Therefore, the guide fence on the storage side is displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, for example, in accordance with the size of sheets to be stacked. This makes it possible to reduce the impact and vibration generated in the apparatus due to the inertial force of the paper stacked on the second bottom plate when the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored, regardless of the size of the paper to be stacked. Become.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and an image forming section for forming a predetermined image on a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device. And.

Therefore, for example, when replenishing paper,
The operation according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is realized.
This makes it possible to improve the convenience of the device.

[0026]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
A description will be given with reference to FIG. This embodiment is an example of application to a copying machine 1 as an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a copying machine 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the casing 2 of the copying machine 1, an image reading unit 3 disposed above the casing 2, an image forming unit 4 disposed below the image reading unit 3, and a lower part inside the casing 2. And a paper feed unit 5 as a paper feed device.

The image reading unit 3 is provided with a contact glass 6 on which a document is placed on the upper surface. An illumination lamp 7 and a mirror 8 are provided below the contact glass 6.
And a second traveling body 12 on which mirrors 10 and 11 are mounted are provided so as to be movable at a speed ratio of 2: 1 in the sub-scanning direction by a motor (not shown). . The imaging lens 1 is provided on the optical path reflected from the mirror 11.
The CCD 14 is arranged via the reference numeral 3.

In the image forming unit 4, there is formed a paper guide path 18 for guiding the paper fed from the paper feed unit 5 to the paper output tray 17 via the image forming unit 15 and the fixing device 16. . A photoconductor 19 is disposed in the image forming unit 15. Around this photoconductor 19, a charger 20 for uniformly charging the surface of the photoconductor 19, an exposure device 21 for forming a latent image by exposing and scanning the surface of the photoconductor 19, and a toner for the latent image A developing device 22 that forms a toner image by attaching the toner image, a transfer device 23 that transfers the toner image to a sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 5, a pair of rollers 24,
A transport belt 26 that is wound around 25 and transports the sheet in a predetermined direction, and a cleaner 27 that removes toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 19 are provided. Image forming unit 15
The paper on which the toner image has been transferred is pressed and heated by the fixing device 16 so that the toner image is fixed.

In the paper supply unit 5, a paper supply tray 28 is slidably housed in front of the paper surface in FIG.
29 and a large-volume paper feed tray 30 are provided. Detailed description of the paper feed trays 28 and 29 is omitted,
The large-volume paper feed tray 30 is slidably supported by a pair of slide rails 31 extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper-supply direction, thereby enabling the large-volume paper supply tray 30 to slide. In this embodiment, the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is a paper storage unit.

The paper sheets stacked and held on the paper feed trays 28 and 29 and the large-volume paper feed tray 30 are located on the downstream side in the paper feed direction (FIG. 1).
Each sheet is separated and fed toward the image forming unit 4 by a sheet feeding unit 32 provided as a sheet feeding member provided on each of the (middle right) sides.

The paper feed unit 32 is provided with a pickup roller 3 for feeding the uppermost pressed paper sheet downstream in the paper feed direction.
3. It is formed by separation rollers 34 and 35 for separating the paper fed by the pickup roller 33 one by one.

Although the large-volume paper feed tray 30 will be described later, the paper feed trays 28 and 29
The sheet is pressed against the pickup roller 33 by urging the sheet upward by an urging member 36 provided below the sheet.

The sheet separated by the sheet feeding section 32 is conveyed by a conveying roller 37 through a predetermined conveying path in the sheet feeding unit 5 and discharged to the image forming unit 4.

Next, the high-volume paper feed tray 30 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 shows a large-volume paper feed tray 30 of the paper feed unit 5.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a part of the large-volume paper feed tray 30, and FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof.

In the large-volume paper feed tray 30, a first storage section 38 and a second storage section 38, each of which independently holds and stacks a plurality of sheets, are provided.
It is divided into a storage part 39 and two parts.

The first storage section 38 has a lifting mechanism 4 to be described later.
0 (see FIG. 5), there is provided a first bottom plate 41 which is capable of moving up and down by means of a paper feed unit 32 for stacking and holding sheets.

The first bottom plate 41 is provided with a pair of first side fences 50 for regulating the position of the sheet on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, that is, on the drawer side and the storage side of the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30. Have been. 1st side fence 5
Numeral 0 is slidably provided by a rack-and-pinion mechanism 51 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction.

An L-shaped end fence 53 as a regulating member is provided on the back side of the first side fence 50 facing the sheet. The end fence 53 is attached at one end to be rotatable in a direction away from the first side fence 50 about a support shaft 52 provided on the first side fence 50 as a center of rotation. The other end (on the left side) is bent toward the inside of the large-volume paper feed tray 30.

In this embodiment, the end fence 53
Is slidable along a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, corresponding to the sliding of the first side fence 50.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the elevating mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. Below the first bottom plate 41 on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction,
Bottom plate raising shafts 43 having rollers 42 attached to both ends are provided in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. To the roller 42, one ends of two bottom plate rising wires 44 around which the rollers R1 and R2 are wound are respectively attached. The other end of one bottom plate rising wire 44 is connected to the first bottom plate 41.
Are attached to both ends of a support member 45 provided at a lower side in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The other end of the other bottom plate raising wire 44 is attached to a support member 46 provided substantially parallel to the support member 45 below the first bottom plate 41. A pin 47 orthogonal to the axial direction of the bottom plate raising shaft 43 is attached to one end of the bottom plate raising shaft 43. This pin 47 is engaged with a coupling 49 attached to a motor 48 fixedly provided in the casing 2.

The second storage section 39 is provided with a second bottom plate 54 on which sheets replenished by the operator are stacked.
The drawer side and the storage side of the second bottom plate 54 have one end fixed to the second bottom plate 54 and the other end extending upward,
A pair of second side fences 55 (55a, 55b) are provided as guide fences for restricting the movement of the sheets stacked on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction.

A pressing member 56 slidable along the paper feeding direction is provided upstream of the second storage section 38 in the paper feeding direction. The pressing member 56 is attached to the slider 63. The slider 63 has a timing belt 6 wound around a driving pulley 58 driven by a DC motor 57 so as to be rotatable forward and backward and driven pulleys 59, 60 and 61.
2 are connected. In the present embodiment, the pressing member 5
6. The DC motor 57, the driving pulley 58, and the driven pulleys 59, 60, 61 are transfer members.

In this embodiment, the pressing member 56 can be displaceably mounted on the slider 63, and the mounting position of the pressing member 56 can be changed according to the size of the paper to be stacked. It is possible.

The slider 63 has a projecting piece 64 formed thereon. The high-volume paper feed tray 30 is provided with a detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the projecting piece 64. In the present embodiment, the position where the protruding piece 64 is detected by the detection sensor is the home position of the pressing member 56.

The fixing members 65 and 66 are provided on the end face of the second side fence 55 opposite to the first side fence 50 and on the upper side of the second side fence 55.
A part of the fixing member 65 is screwed to the second side fence 55a, and another part is screwed to the second side fence 55b. In addition, a part of the fixing member 66 is the second member.
Screwed to the side fence 55a, another part is the second
It is screwed to the side fence 55b. The material forming the fixing members 65 and 66 may be any material that does not expand or contract when a predetermined external force is applied, and there is no particular limitation on a synthetic polymer material such as plastic or a special material such as metal.

Further, a lock mechanism 6 serving as a slide lock mechanism for restricting the slide of the first storage section 38 in the large-volume paper feed tray 30 according to whether or not the image forming operation is performed.
7 are provided. The lock mechanism 67 includes a solenoid 68 fixedly provided in the casing 2, a first lock claw 69, a connecting member 70, and a second lock claw 72. The first lock claw 69 is swung by ON / OFF of the solenoid 68, so that the solenoid 68
Is engaged with a part of the first storage portion 38 in the ON state.
The second lock claw 72 is rotatably provided around a support shaft 71 provided in the first storage section 38 as a center of rotation. Second
The lock claw 72 is swung through the connecting member 70 by ON / OFF of the solenoid 68 so that the solenoid 68
In the state of FF, the first storage section 38 and the second storage section 39 are integrated by being engaged with a part of the second storage section 39.

In addition, although not particularly shown, the copying machine 1 has a control unit, and the control unit drives and controls the image reading unit 3, the image forming unit 4, and the sheet feeding unit 5.

When the sensor (not shown) detects that the first storage unit 38 has run out of paper, the control unit drives the motor 48 to rotate, thereby causing the coupling 49 to rotate.
The bottom plate raising wire 44 wound around the roller 42 is extended by rotating the pin 47 engaged with the roller 42. As a result, the first bottom plate 41 is lowered while maintaining the horizontal state.

The control unit also controls the first bottom plate 41 until the height of the sheet stacking surface of the first bottom plate 41 becomes equal to or lower than the height of the sheet stacking surface of the second bottom plate 54 as shown in FIG. At the time of lowering, the end fence 53 is rotated in a direction away from the first side fence 50 about the support shaft 52 as a rotation center. Thereby, the first storage section 38 and the second storage section 39 are completely communicated. Here, evacuation means is realized.

Note that the control unit restricts the rotation of the end fence 53 except when the paper stacked on the second bottom plate 54 is transferred onto the first bottom plate. Thus, even when the sheet on the second bottom plate 54 unexpectedly moves downstream in the sheet feeding direction during transfer, as shown in FIG. 3, further movement is restricted by the end fence 53,
It is possible to prevent the sheet feeding by the sheet feeding unit 32 from being hindered.

Further, the control section rotates the end fence 53 so that the first storage section 38 and the second storage section 39 are rotated.
Is completely communicated, the DC motor 57 is driven to rotate, and this driving force is transmitted to the slider 63 via the timing belt 62. Thereby, the slider 63 is slid along the sheet feeding direction, and the pressing member 56 attached to the slider 63 transfers the sheet on the second bottom plate 54 onto the first bottom plate 41. After the sheet is transferred, the projecting piece 64
DC motor 5 up to the position where is detected by the detection sensor
7 is driven in reverse rotation. As a result, the pressing member 56 returns to the home position.

In addition, when the transfer of the paper is completed, the control unit controls the movement of the paper stacked and held on the large-volume paper feed tray 30 by rotating the end fence 53, and also controls the motor 48 in the lifting mechanism 40. Are driven in reverse rotation, so that the top paper is
The first bottom plate 41 is raised again until the first bottom plate 41 is pressed against.

The control unit turns on the solenoid 68 of the lock mechanism 67 depending on whether or not the image forming operation is being performed.
/ OFF is controlled. More specifically, during the non-image forming operation, the solenoid 68 is turned off, the first storage portion 38 and the second storage portion 39 are integrated by the second lock claw 72, and the image forming operation in the image forming unit 4 is performed. Inside the solenoid 6
8 is turned on and the first storage portion 3 is
Restrict only 8 slides. This makes it possible to accept replenishment of sheets to the large-volume paper feed tray 30 in either case during the image forming operation or in the standby state.

The manner of replenishing sheets in the large-volume sheet feeding tray in such a configuration will be described. When replenishing paper, the operator first pulls out the large-volume paper feed tray 30 toward the front of the paper in FIG. 1 and stacks paper on the second bottom plate 54 with the large-volume paper supply tray 30 pulled out. The paper feed tray 30 is stored in the casing 2. At this time, due to the inertia force of the laminated paper itself, a force acts to shift the laminated paper on the second bottom plate 54 toward the near side, but the second side fence 5 is fixed by the fixing members 65 and 66.
Since the intervals of 5 are kept constant, it is possible to prevent the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54 from shifting.

On the other hand, the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is
In the position where the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is stopped completely, a force to shift the paper toward the storage side is exerted by the inertia force of the paper, but the second side fence 55 is fixed by the fixing members 65 and 66. Is kept constant, it is possible to prevent the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54 from shifting.

Since the sheets stacked on the first bottom plate 41 are pressed against each other by the pickup roller 33, the sheets are displaced or broken even when an inertia force acts on the sheets when the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30 slides. No.

In this embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to the copying machine 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a facsimile or an ink jet printer, or a combination of a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer may be used. It may be applied to a printing machine or a printing machine.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the fixing member 66
Is different from that of the first embodiment in that the fixing of can be released freely.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a high-volume paper feed tray 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the fixing member 66 is provided so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum 73 provided on the second side fence 55a side in the direction away from the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30. A protrusion 74 protruding downward is formed at an end of the fixing member 66 on the second side fence 55b side. When the fixing member 66 fixes the sheet, the projection 74
It is engaged with a hole 75 formed on the upper surface of the side fence 55b.

The manner of replenishing sheets in the large-volume paper feed tray 30 in such a configuration will be described. When replenishing paper, first, the operator needs to press the second side fence 55.
b is disengaged from the projection 74 of the fixing member 66, and the fixing member 66 is pivoted about the fulcrum 73 as the rotation center.
The second bottom plate 54 is completely opened by rotating in a direction away from the second bottom plate 54. In this state, the paper is laminated on the second bottom plate 54,
Again, the hole 75 and the fixing member 66 of the second side fence 55b
And the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is housed in the casing 2. At this time, a force acts to shift the sheet to the near side due to the inertia force of the sheet.
Hole 75 of side fence 55b and protrusion 7 of fixing member 66
4, the distance between the second side fences 55 is reliably kept constant.

Thus, even when the sheets are stacked high on the second bottom plate 54, the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54 can be stored in the casing 2 without being displaced. it can.

Further, the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is
In the position where the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is stopped completely, a force to shift the paper toward the storage side is exerted by the inertia force of the paper, but the hole 75 of the second side fence 55b and the fixing member 66 are engaged with the projections 74,
The interval between the second side fences 55 is reliably kept constant.

Thus, even when the sheets are stacked high on the second bottom plate 54, the displacement of the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54 is prevented, and the workability in replenishing the sheets is improved. Can be.

In the present embodiment, the fixing member 66 on the side of the second side fence 55a is always integral with the main body even when paper is replenished.
A more convenient copying machine 1 can be provided.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the fixing member 65
Is different from the first embodiment in that an elastic member is attached to the housing side of the casing 2 of the second side fence 55a (the left rear side of the paper surface in FIG. 7).

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a large-volume paper feed tray 30 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the large-volume paper feed tray 30 according to the third embodiment, the second side fence 55a
An elastic member 77 is attached via a support member 76 to the housing side of the casing 2. The support member 76 has holes (not shown) formed on the upper and lower sides of the support member 76,
The holes formed on the upper and lower sides of the second side fence 55a are overlapped and screwed to the second side fence 55a at a position facing the holes, whereby the second side fence 55a is fixed to the second side fence 55a. The elastic member 77 can completely store the large-volume paper feed tray 30 in the casing 2 after replenishing the paper.
At a position where 0 stops, it is attached to the inner wall surface of the casing 2 with a predetermined contact force. In the present embodiment, the support member 76 and the elastic member 77 are shock absorbing members.

The elastic member 77 may be made of any material having a predetermined elasticity, such as rubber or urethane. Further, the shock absorbing member formed by the support member 76 and the elastic member 77 may be any as long as it comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the casing 2 in a state where the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is completely housed in the casing 2. There is no special designation of the shape and shape.

The manner of replenishing sheets in the large-volume paper feed tray 30 in such a configuration will be described. When replenishing the sheets, the sheets are stacked on the second bottom plate 54 in a state where the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is pulled out to the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 1, and the large-volume paper supply tray 30 is stored in the casing 2. At this time, at the position where the large-volume paper feed tray 30 is stopped by completely accommodating the large-volume paper feed tray 30 in the casing 2, the force for pressing the second side fence 55b acting by the inertia force of the paper toward the storage side is not sufficient. Is absorbed by the elastic member 77. Also, by contacting the elastic member 77 with a high-strength structural member such as the inner wall surface of the casing 2, the second side fence 55b acting by the inertial force of the sheet
Can be more reliably reduced.

Therefore, for example, when the thickness of the second side fence is small, it is difficult to provide a new reinforcing member for restricting the movement of the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54 in the layout of the apparatus. Also in this case, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet from being shifted due to shock, vibration, or the like generated in the apparatus due to the slide of the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30.

In the present embodiment, the elastic member 77 is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the casing 2 when the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30 is completely stored in the casing 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the large-volume paper feed tray 30 having the upper surface opening is used, the support member 76 and the support member 76 are provided between the second side fence 55a and the inner wall surface of the large-volume paper supply tray 30 facing the second side fence 55a. The elastic member 77 may be provided so that the elastic member 77 always contacts the second side fence 55a and the inner wall surface of the large-volume sheet feeding tray 30 facing the second side fence 55a.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the third embodiment is characterized in that the elastic member 77 can absorb the inertia of the paper even when the second side fence 55a is slid according to the size of the paper to be stacked. It is different from the form.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a part of a large-volume paper feed tray 30 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the second side fence 55a is provided so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. One end of the second side fence 55a is detachably attached to the other end of a support member 76 having an elastic member 77 attached to one end. In the fourth embodiment, the support member 76 is a positioning member.

The support member 76 has the second side fence 55
Two holes (not shown) are formed at the top and bottom along the sliding direction of a. Either one of the two holes formed on the upper side and the hole formed on the lower side is selected depending on the size of the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate 54. In the present embodiment, the second side fence 55a is located at a position corresponding to two types of paper sizes, that is, B5 size paper and A4 size paper.
Can be displaced.

Here, FIG. 8 (a) shows the second bottom plate 54 having B5
Second side fence 55 when stacking paper of different sizes
FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing an attached state of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an attached state of a second side fence 55a when A4 size sheets are stacked in a four-shape. 4th
In the embodiment of the present invention, since two holes (not shown) are formed in the support member 76 in the vertical direction along the sliding direction of the second side fence 55a, the second bottom plate is formed as shown in FIG. The mounting position of the second side fence 55a is adjusted in two stages according to the size of the paper stacked on the paper 54.

In such a configuration, when the state of stacking B5 size sheets is changed to the state of stacking A4 size sheets, the displacement state of the second side fence 55a and the state in which Will be described. First, the operator displaces the second side fence 55a to a position corresponding to the sheet size to be refilled. Next, the second side fence 55a changed from the distance a to the distance b by the displacement of the second side fence 55a.
The hole formed in the support member 76 is selected in accordance with the distance between the support member 76 and the casing 2. And the selected hole and the second
A screw formed in the side fence 55a is screwed. In this way, by changing the hole to be screwed to the second side fence 55a with the support member 76 in accordance with the change in the size of the paper to be stacked on the second bottom plate 54, the second
Even when the size of the paper laminated on the bottom plate 54 is changed,
There is no gap between the second side fence 55a and the inner wall surface of the casing 2 in a state where the large-volume sheet tray 30 is stored in the casing 2.

Accordingly, even when it is difficult to attach a reinforcing member to the second side fence 55, for example, when the thickness of the second side fence 55 is thin, It is possible to reliably prevent the sheet from shifting due to shock, vibration, or the like generated by housing the paper tray 30 in the casing 2.

In the fourth embodiment, the support member 7
6, the mounting position of the support member 76 can be adjusted stepwise by forming two holes vertically in the sliding direction of the second side fence 55a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the mounting position of the support member 76 is formed by forming a long hole 78 whose longitudinal direction is the sliding direction of the second side fence 55 a on the upper and lower sides of the support member 76. May be adjusted steplessly. Thereby, it is possible to cope with a wider variety of paper sizes.

[0079]

According to the paper feeding apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored irrespective of whether the paper feeding operation is performed or not, so that the paper stacked on the second bottom plate is obtained. Even when the inertial force of the second member acts on the guide fence, the fixing member keeps the distance between the guide fences constant, so that the second pile of sheets is stacked in the sheet storage portion for stacking a large amount of sheets. Since the sheets stacked on the second bottom plate can be held at a predetermined position, it is possible to prevent the sheets from shifting when refilling the sheets.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeder according to the first aspect, the paper can be smoothly replenished by removing the fixing member released from being fixed when replenishing the paper. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being displaced when the sheet is replenished, and to improve the operability in replenishing the sheet for the operator.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeder according to the first or second aspect, for example, when replenishing paper, the fixing member and the guide on the drawer side which is on the front side with respect to the operator. Release the fixing to the fence and rotate it around the fixing position with the guide fence on the storage side as a rotation center, so that the fixing member and the guide fence are fixed to secure a work space when replenishing paper. Is released, it is possible to prevent the fixing member from being lost, so that a highly convenient sheet feeding device can be obtained.

According to the paper feeder of the invention described in claim 4,
Even if the paper storage unit is pulled out or stored regardless of whether or not the paper feeding operation is performed, even if the inertia force of the paper stacked on the second bottom plate acts on the guide fence, the guide fence is provided by the shock absorbing member. Even when it is difficult to provide a reinforcing member due to the layout of the apparatus by absorbing the inertial force acting on the second sheet, the second pile of sheets stacked in the sheet storage unit for stacking a large amount of sheets. (2) Shock and vibration generated in the apparatus due to the inertial force of the paper stacked on the bottom plate can be reduced. Shift can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeder according to the fourth aspect, the guide fence on the storage side is displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feeding direction according to, for example, the size of the paper to be stacked. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the impact and vibration generated in the apparatus due to the inertial force of the paper stacked on the second bottom plate when pulling out or storing the paper storage unit without depending on the paper size to be stacked. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misalignment of sheets of various sizes at the time of sheet replenishment.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the operation described in any one of the first to fifth aspects is realized at the time of, for example, replenishment of a sheet.
An image forming apparatus with improved convenience can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a copying machine 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a large-volume paper feed tray of the paper feed unit is pulled out to the near side in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a large-volume paper feed tray.

FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a lifting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a large-volume paper feed tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a large-volume paper feed tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a large-volume paper feed tray according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image forming apparatus 2 casing 5 paper feeder 15 image forming unit 30 paper storage unit 32 paper feed member 41 first bottom plate 53 regulating member 54 second bottom plate 56 to 61 transfer member 65, 66 fixing member 67 slide lock mechanism 76, 77 Shock absorbing member 76 Positioning member 77 Elastic member

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A casing, a paper storage unit that is housed in the casing so as to be able to be pulled out, and first and second bottom plates that are arranged in parallel in the paper storage unit and that independently stack and hold paper. A sheet feeding member that separates the sheets stacked on the first bottom plate one by one and feeds the sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the drawing direction of the sheet storage unit; and a sheet feeding member stacked on the second bottom plate. A transfer member for transferring the sheet onto the first bottom plate, a regulating member provided to interfere with a transfer path of the sheet by the transfer member, and restricting movement of the sheet in the sheet storage unit; Evacuation means for evacuation of the regulating member from the movement path during transfer of the sheet; and withdrawing only the second bottom plate when extracting the sheet storage portion during sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding member. A pair of guide fences that open the downstream side in the paper feeding direction by the paper feeding member and have one end fixed to the second bottom plate and the other end extended upward. And a fixing member having a portion fixed to the guide fence on the drawer side and another part fixed to the guide fence on the storage side. 2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing between the fixing member and the guide fence is releasable. 3. The fixing member is provided on the upper side of the guide fence, and can be released from being fixed to the guide fence on the drawer side, and is rotatably attached to the guide fence on the storage side. Claim 1
Or the paper feeder according to 2. 4. A casing, a paper storage unit that is housed in the casing so as to be able to be pulled out, and first and second bottom plates that are arranged in parallel in the paper storage unit and that independently hold and stack paper. A sheet feeding member that separates the sheets stacked on the first bottom plate one by one and feeds the sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the drawing direction of the sheet storage unit; and a sheet feeding member stacked on the second bottom plate. A transfer member for transferring the sheet onto the first bottom plate, a regulating member provided to interfere with a transfer path of the sheet by the transfer member, and restricting movement of the sheet in the sheet storage unit; Evacuation means for evacuation of the regulating member from the movement path during transfer of the sheet; and withdrawing only the second bottom plate when extracting the sheet storage portion during sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding member. A pair of guide fences that open the downstream side in the paper supply direction by the paper supply member, one end of which is fixed to the second bottom plate, and the other end of which is extended upward; A shock absorbing member, a part of which is fixed to the guide fence on the storage side, and another part of which is in contact with an inner wall surface of the casing when the paper storage unit is stored in the casing. Paper feeder. 5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the guide fence on the storage side is displaceable in a direction substantially orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction of the sheet. 6. An image forming apparatus, comprising: the sheet feeding device according to claim 1; and an image forming unit that forms a predetermined image on a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device.