JP2005119829A - Hybrid paper supply module and image forming apparatus equipped with such hybrid paper supply module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a feed cassette and an image forming apparatus having the feed cassette capable of simplifying the constitution by reducing the number of components and further compacting the installation space of the image forming apparatus, in a hybrid paper supply module formed by integrating a mechanism unit functioning as a feed cassette and a mechanism unit functioning as a manual-feed tray. <P>SOLUTION: The mechanism unit 6 functioning as the feed cassette and the mechanism unit 7 functioning as the manual-feed tray together form a single integral module, constituting the hybrid paper supply module 5. One feed mechanism 8 is disposed between the feed cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual-feed mechanism unit 7. The position of a pick up roller 85 is moved between a position in contact with the recording paper P in the feed cassette mechanism unit 6 and a position in contact with the recording paper sheet P on the manual-feed mechanism unit 7, thereby enabling an alternative paper feeding operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feed unit provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, and an image forming apparatus provided with the paper feed unit. In particular, the present invention simplifies the configuration by reducing the number of parts with respect to a paper feed unit configured to reduce the installation space of the image forming apparatus and reduce the occurrence frequency of paper jam. For improvements.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions, paper is fed to an image forming unit (printing unit) including a photosensitive drum. A paper feed cassette and a manual feed tray are provided as recording paper storage units (loading units). For example, when several hundred sheets of recording paper are stored in the paper cassette and image formation is performed on the recording paper, the recording paper is sequentially taken out from the paper cassette and fed to the image forming unit. Done. On the other hand, when the user places a recording paper (for example, a postcard) on the manual feed tray and starts an image forming operation, the recording paper on the manual feed tray is fed to the image forming unit.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose an image forming apparatus including the paper feed cassette and the manual feed tray. As disclosed in these patent documents, until now, generally, a paper feed cassette is provided at the bottom of the apparatus, and a paper feed path extends from the paper discharge side of the paper feed cassette to the image forming unit. Is provided. The manual feed tray is attached to the side wall of the image forming apparatus, and communicates with the middle portion of the paper feed path via a paper drawing mechanism for taking out the recording paper on the manual feed tray.

FIG. 9 shows an outline of the internal configuration of a conventional general copying machine. In FIG. 9, a is a paper feed cassette, b is a manual feed tray, c is an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum, d is a paper feed path extending from the paper feed cassette a, and e is a manual feed tray b. This is a paper drawing mechanism for taking out the recording paper.
JP 2001-138576 A JP 2001-333249 A

  As described above, as can be seen from FIG. 9, the layout of the paper feed system when the paper feed cassette a is provided at the bottom of the image forming apparatus and the manual feed tray b is provided at the side wall of the image forming apparatus. A paper feeding mechanism e corresponding to the manual feed tray b is arranged on the side (side wall side of the apparatus) of the paper feed path d extending from the cassette a toward the image forming section c, and the manual feed tray b is arranged on the side. Will be. In other words, the paper feeding mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are sequentially arranged on the side of the paper feed path d toward the outside in the horizontal direction, and because of their presence, the installation space of the image forming apparatus is compact. There was a limit to making it possible. In the case of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the installation space for the apparatus is only the dimension I in the drawing except for the manual feed tray b and the paper call-in mechanism e. Since the mechanism e exists, the installation space for the apparatus requires the dimension II.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a paper feed cassette is disposed at the bottom of the apparatus, and a document reading unit (scanner unit) is disposed at the top, and an image forming unit and a paper discharge unit (paper discharge) are disposed between the paper feed cassette and the document reading unit. In order to reduce the installation space of the apparatus, a tray is provided so that the discharge tray does not protrude to the side of the apparatus.

  FIG. 10 shows a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus laid out in this way. Also in FIG. 10, a is a paper feeding cassette, b is a manual feed tray, c is an image forming unit, d is a paper feeding path, and e is a paper feeding mechanism. Even in the image forming apparatus laid out in this way, the paper drawing mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are sequentially arranged in the peripheral part of the side wall of the apparatus in the horizontal direction. There was a limit to making the space compact.

  In particular, in such a layout, a reverse conveyance path (switchback conveyance path) f for reversing the recording paper when performing double-sided printing must be arranged on the side of the paper feed path d. When the paper drawing mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are arranged to be further to the side than the reversal conveyance path f, the installation space for the apparatus is correspondingly increased. The actual situation is that the merit of reducing the installation space cannot be fully utilized by (the layout in which the paper discharge tray does not protrude to the side of the apparatus). Also in FIG. 10, the necessary installation space when the manual feed tray b and the paper feeding mechanism e are excluded is indicated by I, and the installation space for the apparatus required because the manual feed tray b and the paper feeding mechanism e exist. This is indicated by II.

  Further, in the image forming apparatuses so far, as the paper feed path, the merging position between the transport path of the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette and the transport path of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray is provided. It is set immediately upstream of the image forming unit, and the length of the paper feed path as a whole of the image forming apparatus is long, and accordingly, the configuration inside the apparatus main body is complicated and there are many places where paper jams can occur, It was difficult to reduce the frequency of paper jams.

  In view of these points, the inventors of the present invention can improve the paper feed cassette to reduce the installation space of the image forming apparatus and reduce the occurrence frequency of paper jam. A unit has already been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-312975).

  Specifically, the mechanism unit functioning as a paper feed cassette and the mechanism unit functioning as a manual feed tray are integrated into a unit, and the paper feed cassette mechanism unit and the manual paper feed mechanism unit are arranged adjacent to each other on substantially the same plane. (For example, at the bottom of the image forming apparatus) and a common paper transport path is formed between the two. Accordingly, it is possible to dispose the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit below the conveyance path (sheet feeding path) extending from the sheet feeding cassette toward the image forming unit. In addition, a path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism and a path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism exist in the same unit, and these paths are set inside the unit. It is possible to combine them (conveying paths in common) and to reduce the frequency of paper jams by shortening the length of each path. Each of the paper feed cassette mechanism and the manual paper feed mechanism is provided with a separate paper take-out mechanism. When image formation is requested for paper stored in the paper feed cassette mechanism, this paper feed mechanism is provided. While the paper take-out mechanism of the paper cassette mechanism unit is driven, when the image formation is requested for the paper placed on the manual paper feed mechanism unit, the paper take-out mechanism of the manual paper feed mechanism unit is driven. It has become.

  As described above, by adopting the paper feed unit in which the paper feed cassette mechanism and the manual paper feed mechanism are integrated, the installation space of the image forming apparatus can be reduced to some extent. The inventors of the present invention have studied to achieve further compactness and have arrived at the present invention.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a composite type feeding unit configured integrally with a mechanism unit functioning as a paper feed cassette and a mechanism unit functioning as a manual feed tray. In a paper unit, the number of parts is reduced to simplify the configuration, and thereby the installation space of the image forming apparatus can be further reduced, and the image forming apparatus including the paper feeding cassette Is to provide.

-Summary of invention-
The solving means of the present invention devised to achieve the above-described object is that any mechanism section is provided for a composite type sheet feeding unit configured by unitizing a sheet feeding cassette mechanism section and a manual sheet feeding mechanism section. In addition, a common take-out mechanism capable of taking out the recording medium (recording paper) is provided, so that it is not necessary to separately provide a take-out mechanism in each mechanism unit.

-Solution-
Specifically, the present invention relates to a paper feed cassette mechanism that can store a recording medium for forming an image in an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus, and a manual paper feed mechanism that allows a user to place the recording medium. Are assumed to be a composite paper feeding unit configured as a single unit. This composite type paper feeding unit is provided with a common take-out mechanism capable of selectively taking out the recording medium for both the paper feed cassette mechanism and the manual paper feed mechanism. The common take-out mechanism moves between a “cassette side moving position” for taking out the recording medium from the paper feeding cassette mechanism and a “manual side moving position” for taking out the recording medium from the manual paper feeding mechanism. A possible pickup roller, a mechanism for rolling the recording medium taken out by the pickup roller, and a conveyance path for guiding the recording medium toward the image forming unit are provided.

  According to this specific matter, when the recording medium accommodated in the paper feed cassette mechanism unit is first taken out and image formation is performed, the pickup roller moves to the “cassette side moving position” and the recording medium is moved from the paper feed cassette mechanism unit. After the recording medium is rolled by the winding mechanism, the recording medium is guided toward the image forming section through the conveyance path. On the other hand, when an image is formed by taking out the recording medium placed on the manual paper feed mechanism unit, the pickup roller moves to the “manual feed side moving position” and takes out the recording medium from the manual paper feed mechanism unit. After the recording medium is rolled by the mechanism, the recording medium is guided toward the image forming section through the conveyance path. As described above, the recording medium can be selectively taken out from any mechanism portion by one common take-out mechanism, so that it is not necessary to provide each mechanism portion with a separate take-out mechanism, and the number of parts can be reduced. By reducing the size, the installation space of the image forming apparatus can be made compact.

  Specific examples of the common take-out mechanism include the following. That is, the pickup roller and the whirling mechanism are configured to perform the recording medium take-out operation and the recording medium whispering operation in response to a driving force from a common driving source. Then, when the recording medium is taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism and when the recording medium is taken out from the manual paper feeding mechanism, the driving direction of the drive source is changed to switch the mechanism that is the target for taking out the recording medium. It is assumed that it is configured.

  Due to this specific matter, the recording medium can be taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism and recording from the manual paper feeding mechanism only by changing the driving direction of one driving source (for example, switching the rotational driving direction of the driving motor). It is possible to switch between taking out the medium and selecting a mechanism unit to be taken out of the recording medium with a simple configuration and operation.

  Specific examples of the above-described whirling mechanism include the following. That is, the whirling mechanism is provided with a whirling roller and a whirling plate in contact with the whirling roller. On the other hand, the pickup roller and the roller are connected by a belt so that power can be transmitted. During non-image formation, the pickup roller is maintained at a “neutral position” between the “cassette side moving position” and the “manual feed side moving position”. On the other hand, during image formation, the pick-up roller moves from the “neutral position” to the “cassette side moving position” when the whirling roller is driven to rotate in one direction, whereas the picking roller is driven to rotate in the other direction. Further, the pickup roller moves from the “neutral position” to the “manual feed side moving position”.

  In this case, the following operations are listed as the operation of the board. That is, when the separating plate takes out the recording medium from the paper feeding cassette mechanism section, it becomes a “cassette side inclined posture” that guides the recording medium from the paper feeding cassette mechanism section toward the conveyance path, while the manual tray feeding is performed. When the recording medium is taken out from the paper mechanism unit, the inclination angle can be changed so that the manual feeding mechanism unit guides the recording medium toward the conveyance path.

  As described above, by moving and changing the posture of the pickup roller and the scooping plate, it is possible to smoothly take out the recording medium when taking out the recording medium from either the paper feed cassette mechanism or the manual paper feed mechanism. Further, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of paper jam in the conveyance path, and it is possible to obtain a common take-out mechanism with high reliability.

  The following is listed as a configuration for properly obtaining the orientation of the thatched board. That is, a stopper for maintaining the “cassette side tilt posture” and the “manual side tilt posture” of the straw plate is provided in the vicinity of the straw plate. As a result, the position of the scooping plate is regulated by the stopper in any tilted posture, the posture is maintained at a tilt angle suitable for transporting the recording medium, and a stable recording medium ejecting operation is performed.

  Specific operations after the end of the image forming operation include the following. In other words, after the image forming operation is completed, the drive source for moving the pickup roller is driven in the direction opposite to the driving direction at the start of the image forming operation so that the pickup roller is moved back to the “neutral position”. As described above, by always returning the pickup roller to the “neutral position” after the end of the image forming operation, it is assumed that the sheet feeding mechanism unit to be removed from the recording medium is changed at the start of the next image forming operation. However, it is possible to keep the time required until the recording medium starts to be taken out. For example, if the paper feed mechanism that is the target for taking out the previous recording medium is a paper feed cassette mechanism, the pickup roller is not returned to the “neutral position” after the image forming operation is completed. When the paper feed mechanism that is the target for taking out the recording medium becomes the manual paper feed mechanism, the pickup roller must move from the “cassette side moving position” to the “manual side moving position” via the “neutral position”. It takes a long time to start taking out the medium. In this solution, since the pickup roller is always returned to the “neutral position” after the image forming operation is finished, such a situation does not occur, and the required time can be kept constant.

  As a more specific operation after the image forming operation is finished, as the pickup roller returns to the “neutral position”, the separating plate moves the recording medium from the paper feed cassette mechanism portion toward the conveyance path. It returns to a “neutral posture” between the “cassette side tilt posture” to be guided and the “manual side tilt posture” to guide the recording medium from the manual paper feed mechanism toward the conveyance path. Then, after the image forming operation is completed, the winding plate returns to the “neutral posture” until the belt spanned between the pickup roller and the winding roller makes one turn. According to this, it is possible to shorten the time until the straw plate returns to the “neutral posture”, and suppress the degradation of the face of the straw plate with the shortening of the time during which the firing roller and the straw plate are in sliding contact with each other. It is possible to extend the life of the slats.

  Note that an image forming apparatus provided with any one of the above-described solving means is also within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In other words, the image forming apparatus is configured to form an image on a recording medium supplied to the image forming unit taken out from either the paper feed cassette mechanism unit or the manual paper feed mechanism unit by the common take-out mechanism. .

  In the present invention, it is possible to take out the recording medium from any of the mechanism-type sheet feeding units in which the mechanism section functioning as a sheet feeding cassette and the mechanism section functioning as a manual feed tray are integrated. A common take-out mechanism is provided so that it is not necessary to provide each mechanism with a take-out mechanism individually. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of component parts of the composite type paper feeding unit, thereby reducing the installation space of the image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine having a copy function, a print function, and a facsimile function.

-Description of overall configuration of MFP-
FIG. 1 schematically shows the internal configuration of a multifunction machine 1 as an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a scanner unit 2, a printing unit 3 as an image forming unit, and an automatic document feeder 4. Hereinafter, each part will be described.

<Description of Scanner Unit 2>
The scanner unit 2 reads image of a document placed on a document table 41 made of transparent glass or the like, or a document image fed one by one by the document automatic sheet feeding unit 4 to generate image data. It is. The scanner unit 2 includes an exposure light source 21, a plurality of reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24, an imaging lens 25, and a photoelectric conversion device (CCD: Charge Coupled Device) 26.

  The exposure light source 21 emits light to a document placed on the document table 41 of the automatic document feeder 4 or a document conveyed through the automatic document feeder 4. Each reflecting mirror 22, 23, 24 reflects the reflected light from the document once in the left direction in the drawing, as shown by an alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. Reflected in the right direction in the figure so as to go to 25.

  As a document image reading operation, when a document is placed on the document table 41 (when used as a “sheet fixing method”), the exposure light source 21 and the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 are connected to the document table 41. The image of the entire document is read by scanning in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when reading a document conveyed by the automatic document feeder 4 (when used as a “sheet moving method”), the exposure light source 21 and the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 are fixed at the positions shown in FIG. Then, the image is read when the document passes through a document reading unit 42 of the automatic document feeder 4 described later.

  The light reflected by the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 and passing through the imaging lens 25 is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 26, and the reflected light is converted into an electric signal (original image data) by the photoelectric conversion element 26. It is like that.

<Description of Print Unit 3>
The printing unit 3 includes an image forming system 31 and a paper transport system 32.

  The image forming system 31 includes a laser scanning unit 31a and a photosensitive drum 31b as a drum type image carrier. The laser scanning unit 31a irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b with laser light based on the document image data converted by the photoelectric conversion element 26. The photosensitive drum 31b rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b by being irradiated with laser light from the laser scanning unit 31a.

  In addition to the laser scanning unit 31a, a developing device (developing mechanism) 31c, a transfer unit 31d constituting the transfer mechanism, a cleaning device (cleaning mechanism) 31e, and a static eliminator (not shown) are provided around the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 31b. The charging units 31f are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction. The developing device 31c develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b into a visible image with toner (visualizing substance). The transfer unit 31d transfers a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b onto a recording paper P as a recording medium. The cleaning device 31e removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b after the toner transfer. The static eliminator removes residual charges on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b. The charging unit 31f charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b before the electrostatic latent image is formed to a predetermined potential.

  Therefore, when an image is formed on the recording paper P, the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is charged to a predetermined potential by the charging unit 31f, and the laser scanning unit 31a emits laser light based on the document image data to the photosensitive drum. Irradiate the surface of 31b. Thereafter, the developing device 31c develops a visible image with toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b, and the toner image is transferred onto the recording paper P by the transfer unit 31d. Further, after that, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is removed by the cleaning device 31e, and the residual charge on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is removed by the static eliminator. Thereby, one cycle of the image forming operation (printing operation) on the recording paper P is completed. By repeating this cycle, it is possible to continuously form images on a plurality of recording sheets P.

  On the other hand, the paper transport system 32 transports the recording paper P of the paper feed cassette mechanism unit 6 or the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 provided in the composite type paper feed unit 5 to be described later one by one by the image forming system 31. In addition to performing image formation, the recording paper P on which the image has been formed is discharged to a paper discharge tray 35 as a paper discharge portion.

  The paper transport system 32 includes a main transport path 36 and a reverse transport path 37. The main conveyance path 36 has one end facing the discharge side of the composite paper feeding unit 5 and the other end facing the discharge tray 35. One end of the reverse conveyance path 37 is connected to the main conveyance path 36 on the upstream side (lower side in the drawing) of the transfer unit 31d, and the other end is downstream of the transfer unit 31d. (Upper side in the figure) is connected to the main transport path 36. In this embodiment, a part of the reverse conveyance path 37 passes through the inside of the composite type paper feeding unit 5. For this reason, a guide member 37 b for forming the reverse conveyance path 37 is provided in the composite type paper feeding unit 5.

  The recording paper P can be intermittently fed to the printing unit 3 one by one from any one of the mechanism units 6 and 7 by driving the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 or the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7. It has become.

  A registration roller 51 provided in the composite type paper feeding unit 5 is disposed upstream of the position where the transfer unit 31 d is disposed in the main conveyance path 36. The registration roller 51 conveys the recording paper P while aligning the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b with the recording paper P. That is, the registration roller 51 temporarily stops the conveyance of the recording paper P in a state where the recording paper P is fed, and adjusts the timing at which the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b and the recording paper P are aligned. Thus, the recording paper P is supplied between the photosensitive drum 31b and the transfer unit 31d. The registration roller 51 may be disposed not on the composite paper feeding unit 5 side but on the main body side of the multifunction machine 1.

  A fixing device 39 including a pair of fixing rollers 39a and 39b for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording paper P by heating is disposed downstream of the position where the transfer unit 31d is disposed in the main conveyance path 36. It is installed. Further, a discharge roller 36 e for discharging the recording paper P to the paper discharge tray 35 is disposed at the downstream end of the main transport path 36.

  A branching claw 38 is disposed at a connection position at the upstream end of the reverse conveyance path 37 with respect to the main conveyance path 36. The branch claw 38 is rotated about the horizontal axis between the first position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the second position that rotates counterclockwise from the first position to open the reverse conveyance path 37. It is free to rotate. When the branching claw 38 is at the first position, the recording paper P is conveyed toward the paper discharge tray 35, and when it is at the second position, the recording paper P can be supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37. A conveyance roller 37a is disposed in the reverse conveyance path 37, and when the recording paper P is supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37 (when the recording paper P is supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37 by so-called switchback conveyance). The recording paper P is transported by the transport roller 37a, and the recording paper P is reversed upstream of the registration roller 51 and transported again through the main transport path 36 toward the transfer unit 31d. That is, an image can be formed on the back surface of the recording paper P.

<Description of Automatic Document Feeder 4>
Next, the automatic document feeder 4 will be described. The automatic document feeder 4 is configured as a so-called automatic duplex document feeder. The automatic document feeder 4 can be used as a sheet moving type, and includes a document tray 43 as an original placement unit, an intermediate tray 44, a document discharge tray 45 as a document discharge unit, and trays 43, 44, A document transport system 46 is provided for transporting a document between 45.

  The document transport system 46 includes a main transport path 47 for transporting a document placed on the document tray 43 to the intermediate tray 44 or the document discharge tray 45 via the document reading unit 42, and the document on the intermediate tray 44. And a sub-transport path 48 for supplying the main transport path 47 to the main transport path 47.

  A document pick-up roller 47a and a separating roller 47b are disposed at the upstream end of the main conveyance path 47 (a portion facing the discharge side of the document tray 43). A separation plate 47c is disposed below the separation roller 47b, and one of the documents on the document tray 43 is placed between the separation roller 47b and the separation plate 47c as the document pickup roller 47a rotates. Is fed to the main transport path 47. PS rollers 47e and 47e are disposed on the downstream side of the joining portion (B portion in the figure) of the main transport path 47 and the sub transport path 48. The PS rollers 47 e and 47 e adjust the leading edge of the document and the image reading timing of the scanner unit 2 and supply the document to the document reading unit 42. That is, the PS rollers 47e and 47e temporarily stop the conveyance of the document while the document is supplied, and adjust the timing to supply the document to the document reading unit 42.

  The document reading unit 42 includes a platen glass 42a and a document pressing plate 42b. When the document supplied from the PS rollers 47e and 47e passes between the platen glass 42a and the document pressing plate 42b, the exposure light source 21 is provided. Is irradiated to the original through the platen glass 42a. At this time, the document image data is acquired by the scanner unit 2. A biasing force by a coil spring (not shown) is applied to the back surface (upper surface) of the document pressing plate 42b. Thereby, the document pressing plate 42b is in contact with the platen glass 42a with a predetermined pressing force, and prevents the document from floating from the platen glass 42a when passing the document reading unit 42.

  On the downstream side of the platen glass 42a, a conveyance roller 47f and a document discharge roller 47g are provided. The document that has passed over the platen glass 42a is discharged to the intermediate tray 44 or the document discharge tray 45 through the transport roller 47f and the document discharge roller 47g.

  An intermediate tray swinging plate 44 a is disposed between the document discharge roller 47 g and the intermediate tray 44. The intermediate tray swinging plate 44a swings between a position 1 indicated by a solid line in the figure and a position 2 that is flipped upward from the position 1 with the end on the intermediate tray 44 side being the center of swinging. It is possible. When the intermediate tray swinging plate 44 a is at position 2, the document discharged from the document discharge roller 47 g is collected to the document discharge tray 45. On the other hand, when the intermediate tray swinging plate 44a is at the position 1, the document discharged from the document discharge roller 47g is discharged to the intermediate tray 44. When the sheet is discharged onto the intermediate tray 44, the edge of the document is sandwiched between the document discharge rollers 47g and 47g. It is supplied to the transport path 48 and is sent again to the main transport path 47 via the sub-transport path 48. The reverse rotation operation of the document discharge roller 47g is performed by adjusting the document delivery to the main conveyance path 47 and the image reading timing. Thus, the image on the back side of the document is read by the document reading unit 42.

-Basic operation of MFP-
As an operation of the MFP 1 configured as described above, first, when the MFP 1 functions as a printer, it receives print data (image data or text data) transmitted from a host device such as a personal computer. The received print data (print data) is temporarily stored in a buffer (memory) (not shown). Along with storing the print data in the buffer, the print data is sequentially read from the buffer, and based on the read print data, an image is formed on the recording paper P by the image forming operation of the print unit 3 described above.

  When the multifunction machine 1 functions as a scanner, scanned image data of a document read by the scanner unit 2 is temporarily stored in a buffer. Along with storing the scan image data in the buffer, the scan image data is sequentially transmitted from the buffer to the host device, and the image is displayed on the display or the like of the host device. When the multifunction machine 1 functions as a facsimile, the transmission destination of the scanned image data is a general public line.

  Further, when the multifunction machine 1 functions as a copying machine, an image is formed on the recording paper P by the image forming operation of the printing unit 3 based on the original image data read by the scanner function.

-Description of the composite paper feeding unit 5-
Next, the composite type paper feeding unit 5 which is a characteristic part of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 of the composite type sheet feeding unit 5 provided in the multifunction machine 1 is omitted. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic configuration inside the composite type paper feeding unit 5.

  As shown in these drawings, the composite type paper feeding unit 5 is configured such that the paper feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual paper feeding mechanism unit 7 are accommodated in a unit casing 52 that forms the casing of the unit 5. Yes. The paper feed cassette mechanism unit 6 includes a paper feed cassette 61 that can accommodate a large number of sheets (for example, 500 sheets) of recording paper P. On the other hand, the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is one sheet by manual operation by the user. Alternatively, a manual feed tray 71 on which several recording sheets can be placed is provided. That is, the sheet feeding cassette 61 and the manual feed tray 71 are accommodated in the unit casing 52 and unitized to constitute the composite sheet feeding unit 5. Hereinafter, each mechanism part 6 and 7 is demonstrated.

<Description of Paper Feed Cassette Mechanism 6>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 includes the paper feed cassette 61 configured in a container shape that is open at the top. A rotating plate 62 as a paper storage plate is rotatably supported. The paper feed cassette 61 can be pulled out to the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the multi-function device 1 with respect to the unit casing 52. With the paper feed cassette 61 being pulled out, The recording paper can be replenished to the paper feed cassette 61.

  The rotation plate 62 is supported so as to be rotatable up and down around a rotation axis extending in the width direction of the paper feed cassette 61 (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 3). A lift plate 63 to which rotational force is applied is in contact. That is, the rotating plate 62 always receives an upward biasing force by the biasing force from the lift plate 63. A coil spring may be provided instead of the lift plate 63, and an upward biasing force may be applied to the rotating plate 62 by the biasing force from the coil spring.

  Further, one end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 3) inside the paper feed cassette 61 is provided with a paper leading edge aligning claw (not shown) for contacting the leading edge of the recording paper P and aligning the recording paper P. The leading edge of the recording paper P is pressed from above by the paper leading edge aligning claw. For this reason, when the recording paper P is loaded in the paper feed cassette 61, the rotating plate 62 is rotated upward by the urging force of the lift plate 63, and the rotational position is the front end corner of the recording paper P. Is regulated to a position where it is in contact with the paper leading edge aligning claw. In this state, the sheet feeding cassette 61 is inserted into the unit casing 52, whereby a large number of recording sheets are set in the sheet feeding cassette mechanism section 6.

  In addition, a sheet trailing edge guide member 64 for positioning the trailing edge position of the recording sheet P in the sheet feeding direction is slidable (or detachable) along the sheet feeding direction of the recording sheet P. The position can be changed freely. On the other hand, paper side end guide members 65 and 65 for positioning both end edge positions on the side orthogonal to the paper feeding direction of the recording paper P are also slidably provided. Note that the composite type paper feeding unit 5 according to this embodiment accommodates the recording paper P on the basis of the paper width direction center. For this reason, the paper side end guide members 65 and 65 are supported by a slide mechanism (not shown) so as to slide in a direction approaching and separating from each other in synchronization with each other.

<Description of Manual Feeding Mechanism 7>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the manual feed mechanism unit 7 includes the manual feed tray 71 that can be pulled out to the side of the multi-function device 1 (right side in FIG. 1) with respect to the unit casing 52. . As shown in FIG. 3, the manual feed tray 71 includes a tray base 72 supported so as to be movable along a groove 52 a formed in the unit casing 52, and a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction with respect to the tray base 72. , And a manual feed tray body 73 supported rotatably.

  Further, the manual feed tray main body 73 includes a first tray 74 rotatably supported by a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction with respect to the tray base 72, and a leading end portion of the first tray 74 (the storage shown in FIG. 3). And a second tray 75 that is rotatably supported with respect to the upper end portion in the state.

  Thus, when paper is fed from the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7, the first tray 74 is rotated to the side of the apparatus with respect to the tray base 72 (arrow α in FIG. 6), and the second tray 75 is rotated to the side of the apparatus with respect to the first tray 74 (arrow β in FIG. 6). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner surfaces of the first tray 74 and the second tray 75 are flush with each other and the recording paper P is placed (manually fed) from the first tray 74 to the second tray 75. ) Is possible. Note that the first tray 74 is provided with a gripping portion 74a as a developing gripping portion located on the outer surface side of the apparatus in the storage state shown in FIG. 3, and the user grips the gripping portion 74a so that the device By tilting the first tray 74 to the side, the first tray 74 is opened. The gripping portion 74a is formed by a small protrusion formed at the center of the outer surface of the first tray 74, and the user hooks a finger on the gripping portion 74a to rotate the first tray 74 downward. As a result, only the first tray 74 is expanded (rotated) without sliding the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7.

  Further, the manual feed tray 71 comes into contact with each edge in the width direction of the recording paper P to be placed (an edge extending in the transport direction in the recording paper P to be placed), thereby causing the recording paper P to come into contact. A pair of guide members 79, 79 (see FIG. 1) that regulate the mounting position is provided, and these guide members 79, 79 are slidably supported on the manual feed tray 71. The recording paper P is also placed on the manual feed tray 71 based on the center in the width direction. For this reason, each guide member 79, 79 is supported by a slide mechanism (not shown) so as to slide in a direction toward and away from each other in synchronization with each other.

  Further, on the tray base 72, a guide plate 76 for guiding the recording paper P placed on the manual feed tray 71 to a paper feeding mechanism 8 described later is rotatably supported. The guide plate 76 is supported so as to be pivotable up and down about a pivot shaft extending in the width direction of the tray base 72 (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 3), and on the lower surface thereof, an upward rotational force is provided. A lift plate 77 configured to be able to be applied (for example, turning power using a driving source such as an electromagnetic solenoid) is in contact. As shown in FIG. 5, the lift plate 77 is tilted when paper is fed from the paper feed cassette mechanism 6 so as not to apply upward turning force to the guide plate 76, while FIG. As shown in the drawing, when the paper is fed from the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7, the paper is rotated upward to apply an upward rotational force to the guide plate 76. In this way, the guide plate 76 receives the upward turning force, so that the recording paper P placed on the manual feed tray 71 can be guided to the paper feed mechanism 8.

  In addition, the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 in this embodiment can automatically open the first tray 74. Specifically, a small metal piece 74b is attached to the tip of the inner surface of the first tray 74 (the upper surface in the open state shown in FIG. 6), while the unit casing 52 or the side surface of the multifunction device main body side. An electromagnetic magnet 52b is provided at a position facing the metal piece 74b when the first tray 74 is stored. The electromagnetic magnet 52b is connected to a DC power source and becomes an electromagnet when energized, and maintains the retracted state of the first tray 74 by electromagnetically attracting the metal piece 74b. On the other hand, when the user requests the sheet feeding from the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 by operating the operation panel of the multifunction device 1 or the like, the electromagnetic magnet 52b is deenergized, and the metal piece 74b is electromagnetically attracted. The state is released, and the first tray 74 is rotated from the retracted state to the opened state by its own weight.

  Further, a second gripping portion 71 a as an opening movement gripping portion is formed at the lower end portion of the manual feed tray 71. The grip portion 71a is formed as a concave portion that is recessed upward in the retracted state of the first tray 74 shown in FIG. 3, and a user inserts a hand into the grip portion 71a to place the manual feed tray 71 on the side of the apparatus ( By pulling it out to the right side in FIG. 3, the entire manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is pulled out, and the inside of the composite paper feed unit 5 is opened to the outside (see FIG. 7). Specifically, the second gripping portion 71a is composed of a small protrusion provided at the lower end of the inner surface of the first tray 74, and the user's gap between the inner surface of the first tray 74 and the gripping portion 71a. It forms a hand insertion space. Then, when the user inserts a hand into the insertion space and pulls the first tray 74 to the side, the entire manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is pulled out (slidably moved) in the composite type paper feed unit 5. The inside is open to the outside. This open state will be described later.

<Paper feed mechanism>
Next, the paper feed mechanism 8 as a common take-out mechanism, which is a characteristic part of the composite type paper feed unit 5, will be described. This composite type paper feeding unit 5 is provided with only one paper feeding mechanism 8, and this paper feeding mechanism 8 is used when paper is fed from either the paper feeding cassette mechanism 6 or the manual paper feeding mechanism 7. Is driven to feed out the taken recording paper P to the main transport path 36. Details will be described below.

  A paper feed path (conveyance path) 83 in the paper feed mechanism 8 is formed by first and second guide members 81 and 82. The first guide member 81 is configured by a plate that curves upwardly from the paper discharge side of the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6. On the other hand, the second guide member 82 is formed of a plate that curves upward from the paper discharge side of the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. With this configuration, the feeding of the recording paper P taken out from one of the paper feed cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 between the first guide member 81 and the second guide member 82 is directed upward. A paper path 83 is formed. That is, the recording paper P taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 passes through the paper feed path 83 and is then introduced into the main transport path 36 to reach the print unit 3. A predetermined image forming operation is performed in the printing unit 3.

  Accordingly, there is only one path (sheet feeding path 83) as a discharge path for the recording paper P from the complex type sheet feeding unit 5 to the printing unit 3. Two paths for the manual feed tray are not necessary. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the length of the conveyance path of the multifunction device 1 as a whole, not only simplifying the internal configuration of the multifunction device 1, but also reducing the number of paper jams that can occur. Can be reduced in frequency.

  Inside the paper feed path 83 is provided a paper transport unit 84 configured to be able to take out the recording paper P from either the paper feed cassette 61 or the manual feed tray 71. FIG. 4 is a view of a part of the sheet transport unit 84 as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis of the winding roller 86a. Hereinafter, the paper transport unit 84 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  The paper transport unit 84 is provided with a pickup roller 85 and a paper handling mechanism 86.

  The paper-sheet-spreading mechanism 86 includes a page-roller 86a and a sheet-plate 86b that is disposed below the sheet-roller 86a and contacts the page-roller 86a. The separating plate 86b is set so that the frictional force with the recording paper P on the upper surface (contact surface with the recording paper P) is larger than the frictional force between the recording papers P and P. Further, in the rolling roller 86a, the frictional force between the rolling roller 86a and the recording paper P is larger than the frictional force between the upper surface of the winding plate 86b and the recording paper P and the frictional force between the recording papers P and P. It is set to be. Therefore, even if a plurality of recording papers P, P,... Are taken out from the paper feed cassette 61 or the manual feed tray 71 and sent to the paper handling mechanism 86, the plurality of recording papers P, P are collected by the paper separation roller 86a. Are separated so that only the uppermost recording sheet P can be sent out to the conveyance path 83.

  Pulleys 86c and 85a are respectively provided on the rotating shafts of the roller 86a and the pickup roller 85, and a belt 87 is stretched between the pulleys 86c and 85a. A driving motor 88 capable of reversible rotation is connected to the driving shaft of the rolling roller 86a through gears G1 and G2 so that power can be transmitted. The driving force of the driving motor 88 is transmitted to the rolling roller 86a. The roller 86a rotates (forward or reverse depending on the driving of the driving motor 88). As a result, the motor driving force transmitted to the separating roller 86a is transmitted to the pickup roller 85 via the belt 87, and the pickup roller 85 rotates in synchronization with the separating roller 86a (forward rotation according to the driving of the driving motor 88). Or reverse).

  Further, the rotation shafts of the rolling roller 86a and the pickup roller 85 are supported by the same support plate 89 (not shown in FIG. 3), and the driving force of the driving motor 88 is transmitted to the rolling roller 86a. The support plate 89 is configured to rotate (see arrow C in FIG. 3) about the rotation axis of the roller 86a.

  The drive motor 88 can rotate reversibly as described above. When the drive motor 88 is driven to rotate in one direction, the support plate 89 is unidirectional (for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 3) about the rotation axis of the roller 86a. The pickup roller 85 comes into contact with the upper surface of the recording paper P in the paper feed cassette 61 (FIG. 5 shows the state after this rotation: “cassette side moving position” in the present invention. ). At this time, both the pickup roller 85 and the separating roller 86a are rotated in the counterclockwise direction (the direction in which the recording paper P is taken out and conveyed) in FIG. In other words, as the drive motor 88 rotates in one direction, the pickup roller 85 comes into contact with the recording paper P in the paper feeding cassette 61, takes out the recording paper P from the paper feeding cassette 61, and feeds the paper. As a result, the recording paper P is loaded, and only one recording paper P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 61 to the paper feed path 83.

  On the other hand, when the drive motor 88 is driven to rotate in the other direction, the support plate 89 rotates in the other direction (for example, the clockwise direction in FIG. 3) about the rotation axis of the roller 86a, and the pickup roller 85 is manually fed. This is in contact with the upper surface of the recording paper P on the tray 71 (FIG. 6 shows a state after this rotation: “manual feed side moving position” in the present invention). At this time, both the pickup roller 85 and the separating roller 86a are rotated in the clockwise direction (the direction in which the recording paper P is taken out and conveyed) in FIG. That is, as the drive motor 88 rotates in the other direction, the pickup roller 85 comes into contact with the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71, and the recording paper P is taken out from the manual feed tray 71 and recorded by the paper handling mechanism 86. The sheet P is loaded and only one recording sheet P is sent out from the manual feed tray 71 to the sheet feeding path 83.

  Further, the striking plate 86b swings as the driving motor 88 is driven. The mechanism will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the center portion of the winding plate 86b is supported by a swing shaft extending in parallel to the drive shaft of the roller 86a. The torque limiter 8A having a gear G3 is provided on the swing shaft. Is provided integrally with the rotation. On the other hand, a gear G4 meshing with the gear G3 of the torque limiter 8A is provided integrally with the driving shaft of the rolling roller 86a, and the gears G4 and G3 and the torque limiter 8A are connected with the rotation of the rolling roller 86a. Power is transmitted to the swing shaft of the facing plate 86b. The transmission plate 86b is rotated so as to incline in one direction by the power transmission to the swing shaft. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when the drive motor 88 is driven so that the pickup roller 85 is in contact with the upper surface of the recording paper P in the paper feed cassette 61, the paper feed cassette 61 on the separating plate 86 b. The striking plate 86b rotates so that the end portion on the side is inclined downward. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 6, when the drive motor 88 is driven so that the pickup roller 85 is in contact with the upper surface of the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71, the end of the separating plate 86b on the manual feed tray 71 side. The striking plate 86b is rotated so that is inclined downward.

  Further, the paper feed mechanism 8 is provided with a pair of stoppers 8B and 8B for regulating the maximum inclination angle of the separating plate 86b. When the torque limiter 8A is activated when it comes into contact with one of the stoppers 8B and the whirling roller 86a rotates, the whirling plate 86b does not rotate any further. The position of the stopper 8B is such that the angle of inclination of the separating plate 86b when the tip of the separating plate 86b is in contact with the stopper 8B, the axis of the pickup roller 85 and the axis of the separating roller 86a at that time Are set so that the inclination angle of the straight line connecting the two substantially coincides. That is, the conveyance direction when the recording paper P is taken out is set so as to overlap with the extending direction of the upper surface of the separating plate 86b. Therefore, the taken recording paper P can be smoothly guided to the paper feed path 83 along the upper surface of the separating plate 86b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when taking out the recording paper P from the paper feed cassette 61, the taken out recording paper P is guided by the upper surface of the separating plate 86b and the second guide member 82 to be fed. Guided to the paper path 83. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when taking out the recording paper P from the manual feed tray 71, the taken-out recording paper P is guided by the upper surface of the separating plate 86 b and the first guide member 81 to feed the paper. To be guided to.

  The first guide member 81 is supported by the unit casing 52, while the second guide member 82 is provided integrally with the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. That is, when the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 shown in FIG. 7 is pulled out, the second guide member 82 is also pulled out from the unit casing 52 together with the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. For this reason, the paper feed path 83 configured with the first guide member 81 is opened, and the paper removal operation when a paper jam occurs in the paper feed path 83 can be easily performed. It can be done. In FIG. 7, among the recording papers P in the jammed state, the state indicated by the solid line indicates the state where the recording paper P sent out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 has jammed, and the state indicated by the alternate long and short dash line indicates the manual paper feeding mechanism. The recording paper P sent out from the section 7 is jammed.

  Further, the second guide member 82 is provided with a swing mechanism (not shown), and when the manual paper feed mechanism portion 7 is not pulled out as shown in FIGS. While extending in the vertical direction to form the paper feed path 83, when the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 7, the second guide member 82 is on the side of the manual tray 71. Thus, the space in which the user's hand can be inserted when the jammed paper is removed is expanded (in FIG. 7, the insertion direction of the user's hand is indicated by an arrow).

<Paper feeding operation>
Next, the sheet feeding operation by the composite sheet feeding unit 5 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step ST1, when a printing request is made by the user operating the operation panel of the multifunction device 1 (or operating the connected host device), the printing condition (recording paper P of the recording paper P) is determined in step ST2. It is determined whether or not an input of a paper source is selected. If the print condition has not been input yet (No in step ST2), the process proceeds to step ST3, and a message for prompting the input of the print condition is displayed on the operation panel.

  When the printing condition is input (Yes in step ST2), the process proceeds to step ST4, where it is determined whether or not the paper feed source of the selected printing condition is the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. To do. When this determination is YES, the process proceeds to STEP 5 and it is determined whether or not the manual feed tray 71 is opened and the recording paper P is placed on the manual feed tray 71. If this determination is No, the process moves to step ST6, and a message for prompting the placement (paper supply) of the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71 is displayed on the operation panel.

  If the determination in step ST5 is Yes, the process proceeds to step ST7, where the lift plate (lift-up member) 77 is operated to rotate the guide plate 76 upward. Thereafter, in step ST8, the driving motor 88 is driven to rotate the whirling roller 86a and the pick-up roller 85, and the pick-up roller 85 is rotated onto the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71 by the rotating operation of the support plate 89. Abut (move to paper feed point). With this operation, as shown in FIG. 6, the straw plate 86b is rotated so that the end portion on the manual feed tray 71 side is inclined downward (becomes the “manual-side inclined posture” in the present invention). (Step ST9). In this state, the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71 is taken out, the recording paper P is removed by the paper handling mechanism 86, and only one recording paper P is sent out from the manual feed tray 71 to the paper feed path 83 (step ST10). ).

  In step ST11, it is determined whether or not the leading end (downstream side end) of the recording paper P delivered to the paper feed path 83 has reached the registration roller 51. When the registration roller 51 is reached, printing is performed in step ST12. After the processing is executed and image formation is performed on the recording paper P in the printing unit 3, the paper discharge operation to the paper discharge tray 35 is performed.

  After the printing operation is performed on one recording sheet P in this way, it is determined in step ST13 whether or not there is next printing (next printing information), and steps ST4 to ST13 are performed until there is no next printing information. Repeat the operation. When the next print information is lost, the multifunction device 1 returns to the standby state. In this standby state, the drive motor 88 is driven in the opposite direction to the operation in step ST8, the support plate 89 returns to the initial position, and the state shown in FIG. Standing state not in contact with P: “neutral position” in the present invention). Further, the striking plate 86b returns to the “neutral posture” between the “cassette side tilt posture” and the “manual feed side tilt posture”. The return to the “neutral position” of the whirling plate 86b is completed by the time the belt 87 spanned between the pickup roller 85 and the whirling roller 86a makes one turn.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step ST4, it is determined in step ST14 that the paper feed source of the print condition selected in the print condition is the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6, and the operation proceeds to step ST15 and subsequent steps. .

  First, in step ST15, it is determined whether or not the recording paper P is stored in the paper feed cassette 61. If this determination is No, the process moves to step ST16, and a message for prompting the storage (paper supply) of the recording paper P in the paper feed cassette 61 is displayed on the operation panel.

  If the determination in step ST15 is Yes, the process moves to step ST17, and the driving motor 88 is driven to rotate the whirling roller 86a and the pickup roller 85, and the support plate 89 is rotated. The pickup roller 85 is brought into contact with the recording paper P in the paper feed cassette 61 (movement to the paper feed point). Along with this operation, as shown in FIG. 5, the separating plate 86b is rotated so that the end on the paper feed cassette 61 side is inclined downward (becomes the “cassette side inclined posture” in the present invention). (Step ST18). In this state, the recording paper P in the paper feeding cassette 61 is taken out, the recording paper P is turned by the paper handling mechanism 86, and only one recording paper P is sent out from the paper feeding cassette 61 to the paper feeding path 83 ( Step ST19).

  In step ST20, it is determined whether or not the leading end (downstream side end) of the recording paper P sent to the paper feed path 83 has reached the registration roller 51. When the registration roller 51 is reached, printing is performed in step ST21. After the processing is executed and image formation is performed on the recording paper P in the printing unit 3, the paper discharge operation to the paper discharge tray 35 is performed.

  After the printing operation is performed on one recording sheet P in this way, it is determined in step ST13 whether or not there is next printing (next printing information), and steps ST4 and ST14 are performed until there is no next printing information. -The operations of ST21 and ST13 are repeated. When the next print information is lost, the multifunction device 1 returns to the standby state. In this standby state, as in the above case, the drive motor 88 is driven in the opposite direction to the operation in step ST17, and the support plate 89 returns to the initial position and is in the state shown in FIG. (Standing state in which the pickup roller 85 does not contact the recording paper P).

-Effect of the embodiment-
As described above, in this embodiment, the paper feed mechanism 8 capable of taking out the recording paper P from any of the paper feed cassette mechanism 6 and the manual paper feed mechanism 7 is provided, and each mechanism 6, 7 is provided. This eliminates the need to separately provide a take-out mechanism. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the composite type paper feeding unit 5, thereby reducing the installation space of the multifunction device 1.

  In this embodiment, the composite paper feeding unit 5 is configured by integrating the paper feeding cassette mechanism 6 and the manual paper feeding mechanism 7. For this reason, it becomes possible to arrange the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 in a position where it overlaps in the vertical direction with respect to the main conveyance path 36 and the reverse conveyance path 37 extending toward the printing unit 3 of the multifunction machine 1, and as a result, The size of the multifunction device 1 can be shortened, and this can also reduce the installation space.

  Further, according to the composite type paper feeding unit 5, a path for conveying the recording paper P taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism section 6, and a path for conveying the recording paper P taken out from the manual paper feeding mechanism section 7. Is made common within the unit 5, the length of the entire path can be shortened. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the length of the sheet conveyance path of the entire apparatus, and it is possible to stably perform the image forming operation of the apparatus by reducing the number of possible sheet jams.

-Other examples-
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the multifunctional image forming apparatus (multifunction machine) 1 having functions as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to an image forming apparatus having only one function and other image forming apparatuses.

  Further, the manual feed tray 71 of the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is foldable and can be adjusted in length in two stages. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is configured in a drawer type and can be adjusted in length. Or the length can be adjusted in three or more stages.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an internal configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view in which a part of a composite paper feeding unit is omitted. It is a figure which shows typically the schematic structure inside a composite-type paper feed unit. FIG. 6 is a view of a part of the paper transport unit as seen from a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the winding roller. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a state of paper feeding from a paper feeding cassette. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a state of feeding from the manual feed tray. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a pulling state of the manual sheet feeding mechanism when a paper jam occurs. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a sheet feeding operation of the composite sheet feeding unit. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an internal configuration of a conventional general copying machine. It is a figure which shows the outline of the internal structure of the other conventional copying machine.

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP (image forming device)
3 Print section (image forming section)
5 Compound type paper feed unit 6 Paper feed cassette mechanism 7 Manual paper feed mechanism 8 Paper feed mechanism (common take-out mechanism)
83 Paper feed path (conveyance path)
85 Pickup Roller 86 Paper Rolling Mechanism 86a Rolling Roller 86b Rolling Plate 87 Belt 8B Stopper P Recording Paper (Recording Medium)

Claims (8)

The image forming unit of the image forming apparatus is configured as one unit including a sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit that can store a recording medium for image formation and a manual sheet feeding mechanism unit on which a recording medium can be placed by a user. In the combined type paper feeding unit
A common take-out mechanism capable of selectively taking out the recording medium for both the paper feed cassette mechanism and the manual feed mechanism;
The common take-out mechanism is movable between a “cassette side moving position” for taking out the recording medium from the paper feed cassette mechanism and a “manual side moving position” for taking out the recording medium from the manual paper feed mechanism. A composite type paper feeding unit comprising: a pickup roller; a mechanism for rolling a recording medium picked up by the pickup roller; and a conveyance path for guiding the recording medium toward an image forming unit. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 1,
The pickup roller and the rolling mechanism are configured to perform a recording medium take-out operation and a recording medium rolling operation in response to a driving force from a common driving source.
When the recording medium is taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism and when the recording medium is taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism, the drive direction of the drive source is changed so that the mechanism unit from which the recording medium is taken out is switched. A composite type paper feeding unit characterized by being configured. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The whirling mechanism includes a whirling roller and a whirling plate that contacts the whirling roller, while the pickup roller and the whirling roller are connected by a belt so as to be able to transmit power,
During non-image formation, the pickup roller is maintained at a “neutral position” between the “cassette side moving position” and the “manual side moving position”.
During image formation, the pick-up roller moves from the “neutral position” to the “cassette side moving position” when the whirling roller is driven to rotate in one direction, whereas the pick-up roller picks up when the whirling roller is driven to rotate in the other direction. A composite type paper feeding unit, wherein the roller is configured to move from a "neutral position" to a "manual feed side moving position". The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 3,
When the recording plate is taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism, the separating plate is in a “cassette side inclined posture” that guides the recording medium from the paper feed cassette mechanism toward the conveyance path. When the recording medium is taken out from the printing unit, the inclination angle can be changed so that the manual feeding mechanism unit guides the recording medium toward the conveyance path. Combined type paper feeding unit. In the composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 4,
A composite type paper feeding unit, characterized in that a stopper for maintaining the “cassette side tilting posture” and “manual feeding side tilting posture” of the straw board is provided in the vicinity of the straw board. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 3,
After the image forming operation is completed, the drive source for moving the pickup roller is driven in the direction opposite to the driving direction at the start of the image forming operation so that the pickup roller is moved back to the “neutral position”. A composite paper feeding unit characterized by that. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 6,
After the completion of the image forming operation, as the pick-up roller returns to the “neutral position”, the scooping plate guides the recording medium from the paper feed cassette mechanism to the conveyance path. And the “neutral posture” between the manual feed mechanism and the “manual-side inclined posture” that guides the recording medium toward the conveyance path,
After completion of the image forming operation, the separating plate is configured to return to the above-mentioned “neutral position” until the belt spanned between the pickup roller and the separating roller makes one round. Paper unit. An image forming apparatus comprising the composite sheet feeding unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image configured to form an image on a recording medium supplied to an image forming unit taken out by a common take-out mechanism from either a paper feed cassette mechanism unit or a manual paper feed mechanism unit. Forming equipment.

Images