JP2006315825A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device, capable of parallel-carrying using a paper feed cassette that houses a plurality of recording material in parallel in the width direction in such a way that width of a plurality of recording material bottom surface support members supporting the bottom surfaces of bundles of the recording materials is adjustable to suit the width of the recording materials housed, in which the size of the recording materials housed is detected. <P>SOLUTION: The paper feed cassette is capable of housing a plurality of recording materials in parallel. The width of the plurality of the recording material bottom surface support members for supporting the bottom surfaces of the bundles of the recording materials is adjustable to suit the width of the recording materials housed. It is provided with side fences 3 to regulate the bundles of the recording material in the width direction, end fences 5a and 5b position-adjustable in accordance with the length of the recording materials to regulate a paper feed direction rear end of the recording materials, a side fence sensor 13 to detect the side fence, and an end fence sensor 14 to detect the end fence. The size of the recording materials is detected based on results of detection by the side fence sensor and the end fence sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a fax machine, and a printer.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a latent image is formed on a photoconductor based on image data, the latent image is converted into a toner image by a developing unit, and the toner image is transferred to a recording body by a transfer unit. An image is formed on the recording medium by fixing with a fixing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, due to the demand for higher speed image forming apparatuses, the speed of image forming processes has been increased by increasing the rotational speed of the photoconductor and increasing the transport speed for transporting the recording body in order to speed up latent image formation. It was. However, in order to maintain the accuracy of image formation, there is a limit to increasing the rotational speed of the photoconductor, and there is a limit to increasing the conveyance speed from the viewpoint of handling the recording medium.

  As a configuration capable of forming an image on a large number of recording bodies in a shorter time, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a parallel transport that transports a plurality of recording bodies side by side in a direction perpendicular to the recording body transport direction There is known a parallel conveyance type image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium that is conveyed in parallel. In such an image forming apparatus, since it is possible to form an image on two or more recording bodies by an image forming operation for one sheet, a large number of recording bodies can be used without difficulty in the rotational speed of the photosensitive body and the conveyance speed of the recording body. It is possible to form an image.

  As a sheet feeding device of a parallel conveyance type image forming apparatus, there are many systems in which a plurality of recording bodies are stored in parallel in one sheet feeding cassette in accordance with the parallel conveyance and are supplied simultaneously. .

  In Patent Document 1, two copies of a recording medium that can be accommodated in parallel in two bundles of recording bodies, and two copy sheet mounting tables that are recording body bottom support members that respectively support the bottom surfaces of the two bundles of recording bodies, There is disclosed a sheet feeding device that has a partition plate that partitions a bundle of two recording bodies between the mounting tables and is movable from a position where the partition plate partitions the bundle of two recording bodies to a retreat position. This is because the two recording media can be fed in parallel with the partition plate separating the two bundles, and the storage space for two copy paper placement tables in the state where the partition plate is moved to the retracted position. Can be secured, and one large recording medium such as A3 can be fed.

  In the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 1, when storing a recording body larger than the width of one copy paper mounting table, such as an A3 size recording body, the partition plate is removed and the recording body is separated into two recording bodies. It is supported by the copy paper placement table and is controlled so that the two copy paper placement tables have the same height. However, since each copy paper placement table is individually controlled to be raised and lowered, if an abnormality occurs in any one of the lifting mechanisms, a recording body larger than the size that can be supported by one copy paper placement table can be fed. could not. Specifically, when one of the lifting mechanisms stops moving, only the remaining one can be lifted, so that only the recording paper having a size that can be supported by one copy paper mounting table can be fed.

  In view of this, the present inventor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-029731 that “a plurality of bundles of recording bodies accommodated in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording bodies can be accommodated in parallel. A plurality of recording body bottom surface supporting members that are arranged in parallel to support the bottom surface of the bundle of recording bodies, and a plurality of the recording body bottom surface supporting members that are pushed up to raise the uppermost portion of the recording body to a feedable position. In the sheet feeding cassette having the recording body lifting / lowering means, the recording body bottom surface support member is connected to or released from the adjacent recording body bottom surface support member, so that the recording body bottom surface support member is pushed up integrally. A paper feeding cassette characterized in that the width can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording medium to be accommodated ”has been proposed. In this paper feed cassette, the recording body bottom support member can be connected to or disconnected from the adjacent recording body bottom support member, so the width of the recording body that accommodates the width of the recording body bottom support member that is pushed up integrally. Can be adjusted to a suitable width. Also, when supporting one type of recording body using a plurality of recording body bottom surface support members and a plurality of lifting means, a plurality of recording body bottom surface support members that support one type of recording body are pushed up integrally, Even if an abnormality occurs in one of the raising / lowering means, the recording body can be pushed up by the force from the raising / lowering means that has not failed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-324429

  Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-029731 uses a paper feed cassette that can adjust the widths of a plurality of recording medium bottom surface supporting members that support the bottom surface of a bundle of recording media to a width suitable for the width of the recording medium. An image forming apparatus that forms an image by changing sheet feeding control according to the size of a recording body to be accommodated is disclosed. The following three types of paper feed control are disclosed. The first is a normal paper feed mode in which only one recording medium P is fed in the same way as a normal paper feeder. The second is a simultaneous parallel feeding mode in which two bundles of recording bodies P are accommodated in parallel and the leading ends of the two recording bodies are aligned and fed in parallel. This is often used when two recording media fed in parallel have the same size. However, in the simultaneous and parallel sheet feeding mode, when the recording media P having different sizes are transported in parallel, an image is formed in accordance with an image that is long in the transporting direction. Occurs. Therefore, the third is an independent parallel sheet feeding mode in which two bundles of recording bodies P are accommodated in parallel and the timing of feeding the two recording bodies is fed in parallel independently of each other. . In the independent parallel paper feeding mode, when two recording media having different sizes are accommodated, paper is fed at an independent timing and an image is formed, thereby preventing time loss due to different image sizes. . In this way, in an image forming apparatus that performs parallel conveyance, it is possible to cope with higher efficiency and higher speed by selecting paper feed control in accordance with the size of the recording medium accommodated. Therefore, in such an image forming apparatus using a paper feed cassette, the size of the stored recording medium is automatically detected when each stored recording medium is set in the image forming apparatus, and is reflected in the selection of the paper feeding control. It is desirable to do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to be able to accommodate a plurality of recording bodies in parallel in the width direction and to support a bottom surface of a bundle of recording bodies. An image that can detect the size of a stored recording medium in an image forming apparatus that performs parallel conveyance of a plurality of recording bodies using a paper feed cassette that can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording medium that stores the width of a support member. A forming apparatus is provided.

To achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is capable of accommodating a plurality of stacked recording bodies in parallel in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording bodies, and in parallel in the width direction. A plurality of recording body bottom surface supporting members arranged and supporting the bottom surface of the bundle of recording bodies, and a plurality of recording bodies that push up the recording body bottom surface supporting member and raise the uppermost portion of the recording body to a feedable position. A sheet feeding cassette having a lifting and lowering means; and a recording medium feeding member for feeding the uppermost recording medium in the sheet feeding cassette; In the image forming apparatus capable of being adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording body, and capable of parallel transport for transporting the plurality of recording bodies in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording body, the recording body Of side fence members that regulate the width direction of An end fence member that can adjust the position according to the length and regulates a rear end portion in the feeding direction of the recording body, a side fence member detection unit that detects the side fence member, and an end fence that detects the end fence member And a member detection unit, which detects the size of the stored recording medium based on the detection result of the side fence member detection unit and the detection result of the end fence member detection unit.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the recording body bottom support member is integrally pushed up by being connected to or disconnected from the adjacent recording base bottom support member. The width of the bottom support member can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording medium that accommodates the bottom support member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the side fence member is disposed at an end portion of the recording body bottom surface support member facing an adjacent recording material bottom surface support member, and the connection At the time of release, the width direction end of a bundle of a plurality of recording bodies accommodated in a state perpendicular to the recording body bottom support surface of the recording body bottom support member is regulated. It is characterized by being able to retreat in a state of being horizontal with the body bottom support surface.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, the position of the recording member feeding member in the width direction of the recording member is determined based on the detection result of the side fence member detecting means. It is possible to move to the position of the central part in the width direction.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the connection is fixed when the recording body bottom surface supporting member is connected to the adjacent recording body bottom surface supporting member. The present invention is characterized in that a connection fixing means is provided.

  6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side fence member detecting means detects a side fence member that regulates an end in a width direction of a bundle of recording bodies stacked on a recording body bottom surface supporting member. Is provided. Further, an end fence member detecting means for detecting an end fence member that regulates a rear end portion in the feeding direction of the bundle of stacked recording bodies is provided. And the width direction length of the recording body loaded from the position of the side fence member detected by the side fence member detection means is obtained. Further, the longitudinal length of the recording body is obtained from the position of the end fence member detected by the end fence member detection means. From these, the size of the accommodated recording medium can be automatically detected.

  According to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of recording medium bottom support members that can accommodate a plurality of recording bodies in parallel in the width direction and support the bottom surface of a bundle of recording bodies are provided. In an image forming apparatus that performs parallel conveyance of a plurality of recording media using a paper feed cassette that can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording media to be stored, there is an excellent effect that the size of the stored recording media can be detected. .

  Embodiments in which the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a drum-shaped photoconductor 22 as an image carrier. Around the photosensitive member 22, a charging device, a developing device, and a cleaning device (not shown) are arranged. The charging device performs a charging process for uniformly charging the surface of the photoreceptor. The developing device visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed by exposing the surface of the photoreceptor 22. The cleaning device removes and collects the toner remaining on the photoreceptor. An exposure device (not shown) that irradiates the surface of the photoconductor 22 with laser light based on image information is provided above the photoconductor 22. These constitute the image forming unit 20 that forms an image on the photosensitive member 22. In addition, a transfer conveyance belt 23 as a transfer device is disposed so as to face the lower portion of the photosensitive member 22. The transfer conveying belt 23 moves endlessly and transfers the image formed on the photosensitive member 22 onto the recording member while conveying the recording member. Further, a fixing device 24 and a paper discharge roller 25 are disposed on the left side of the transfer conveyance belt 23.

  Also, below the image forming unit 20, a multistage sheet feeding cassette 1 is arranged as a recording body accommodation unit on which recording body bundles such as plain paper or OHP sheets as recording bodies P are stacked. The paper feed cassette 1 includes a bottom plate 2 as a mounting table supported by the paper feed cassette 1 so as to be swingable, and a pickup roller 8 for feeding the uppermost recording material of the recording material bundle. Between the image forming unit 20 and the paper feed cassette 1, a paper feed transport path 30 including a paper feed roller 31, a transport roller 32, a registration roller pair 33, and the like is provided as a paper feed device. In the paper feed cassette 1, a recording body bundle of recording bodies is stacked on the bottom plate 2. The bottom plate 2 rises to a position where the uppermost recording body P of the recording body bundle can contact the pickup roller 8.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 22 at a predetermined timing by a known electrophotographic process. On the other hand, in accordance with the timing of toner image formation, among the multi-stage paper feed cassettes 1, the topmost recording material of the recording material bundle is sequentially fed from the selected paper feed cassette 1 by the rotation of the pickup roller 8 one by one. Then, the paper is separated into one sheet by the paper feed roller 31, fed by the rotation of the transport roller 32, and transported to the paper feed transport path 30. Then, it is transported to the registration roller pair 33 arranged on the downstream side of the transport path 30. The recording material P thus separated and conveyed is brought into a standby state after being temporarily stopped by abutting against the nip of the registration roller pair 33. The registration roller pair 33 is controlled to start rotating at a timing so that the positional relationship between the toner image on the photosensitive member 22 and the leading end of the recording body P is a predetermined position. Due to the rotation of the registration roller pair 33, the waiting recording body P is fed again and transported to the transfer transport belt 23 that transports the recording body P to the transfer position. The transfer conveyance belt 23 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 22 while conveying the recording body P onto the recording body, and then conveys it to the fixing roller 24. In the fixing device 24, the toner image is fixed on the recording body, and then the recording body P is discharged by the paper discharge roller 25.

  Further, in this image forming apparatus, it is possible to perform parallel conveyance in which a plurality of recording bodies P are arranged and conveyed in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. A dead space that is not used in the width direction of the conveyance direction of the recording medium P when a printer such as A2 or A3 is capable of forming an image even on a large recording medium P such as A4 or B5. Will exist. If a plurality of recording media P are transported side by side in the width direction and image formation is possible, the dead space in the width direction can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is possible to form an image on a plurality of sheets at the same time, when image formation is performed on a large number of recording media P, the time is shortened.

Next, the paper feed cassette 1 that is a feature of the present invention will be described in more detail.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paper feed cassette 1 having the features of the present invention. By pulling out or mounting in the direction of the arrow in the figure, it is possible to replenish the recording medium, change the recording medium to be accommodated, or the like.
The paper feed cassette 1 includes a first bottom plate 2 a and a second bottom plate 2 b that are partitioned by a side fence member 3 and serve as recording medium bottom surface support members. The side fence member 3 will be described in detail later. Further, as the end fence 5 for regulating the rear end of the recording body to be placed, the first bottom plate 2a is provided with a first end fence 5a, and the second bottom plate 2b is provided with a second end fence 5b. The positions of the first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b can be adjusted according to the length of the recording material to be stacked. Further, as recording body lifting / lowering means for pushing up the recording body bottom support member, support rods 6a and 6b rotated by a lifting motor (not shown) and lift plates 7a and 7b for pushing up the recording body bottom support member by rotation of the support rod are provided. ing. The raising / lowering means for the first bottom plate 2a comprises a first support bar 6a and a first raising plate 7a, and the raising / lowering means for the second bottom plate 2b comprises a second support bar 6b and a second raising plate 7b. Further, a recording medium that feeds one sheet at a time from the top of a bundle of recording bodies P placed on each of the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b at the end of the sheet feeding cassette 1 on the sheet feeding direction side. A first pickup roller 8a and a second pickup roller 8b are provided as feeding members. Hereinafter, the recording body placed on the first bottom plate 2a is called a first recording body Pa, and the recording body P placed on the second bottom plate 2b is called a second recording body Pb.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the lifting control of the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b.
As the elevation control, the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b are respectively controlled by the respective raising motors of the first support bar 6a and the second support bar 6b. As the first support rod 6a and the second support rod 6b connected to each of the raising motors rotate, the first raising plate 7a and the second raising plate 7b use the first and second support rods 6a and 6b as axes. Angled. When the first ascending plate 7a and the second ascending plate 7b are angled, the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b are pushed up and become a mechanism that rises.
When bundles of first recording bodies Pa and second recording bodies Pb of various sizes are stacked on the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b, they are fed by the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b by the lifting means. The bundle of the respective recording bodies is raised to the position where the recording is performed. Thereby, the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b can control the height of the bundle of the first recording bodies Pa and the second recording bodies Pb stacked, and feed the recording bodies P at independent timings. Can do.

  The first pick-up roller 8a and the second pick-up roller 8b as the recording medium feeding means are rotated by the driving force of a main motor (not shown), and the rotation control is performed by controlling the connection of the paper feed clutch. The first pickup roller 8a is controlled to rotate by the first sheet feeding clutch 9a, and the second pickup roller 8b is controlled to rotate by the second sheet feeding clutch 9b. By controlling the connection of the first paper feed clutch 9a and the second paper feed clutch 9b, the first recording body P1 and the second recording body P2 as recording bodies P of each size accommodated in the paper feeding cassette 1 are provided. Can be fed out at independent timings.

  Further, a third bottom plate 2c, which is a third recording member support member, is provided between the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b. The third bottom plate 2c can be connected to or disconnected from the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b, and is configured to be pushed up integrally with another recording medium support member by being connected. In FIG. 2, the third bottom plate 2c is connected to the first bottom plate 2a. When the first bottom plate 2a is pushed up by the first rising plate 7a, the third bottom plate 2c is pushed up integrally with the connected first bottom plate 2a. .

  Although details will be described later, the paper feed cassette 1 has a configuration in which the size of the recording material P to be accommodated can be changed. When the recording bodies P of each size housed in the paper feed cassette 1 are fed out, the position where the force in the paper feeding direction from the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b works is the recording body P of each size. If a force is applied to a position shifted from the central portion instead of the central portion, the recording body P may rotate in the skew direction and be conveyed in an oblique feed due to a difference in left and right pressure when the recording body P is fed out. . In order to prevent such oblique feeding and to reliably convey the recording medium P, the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b can be translated in the direction of the rotation axis, that is, in the width direction of the recording medium P. A mechanism is provided. By parallelly moving the positions of the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b to the vicinity of the central portion of the recording material P of each size, it becomes possible to pick up from the central portion of the transfer paper of each size.

  In the case of feeding a large recording medium P in which all of the first bottom plate 2a, the second bottom plate 2b, and the third bottom plate 2c are connected and placed, the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8a Each position of the pickup roller 8b is set to be equidistant from the central portion in the width direction of the recording paper P.

Next, the width adjustment of the first bottom plate 2a, the second bottom plate 2b, and the third bottom plate 2c and the side fence member 3 according to the size of the recording body P to be accommodated will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 shows the paper feed cassette 1 when the recording material P to be accommodated is A2 size.
In the sheet feeding cassette 1, each bottom plate includes a side fence member 3 at an end in the width direction facing an adjacent bottom plate. Specifically, the first bottom plate 2a includes first side fences 3a1 and 3a2 at the end in the width direction facing the third bottom plate 2c. The second bottom plate 2b includes second side fences 3b1 and 3b2 at the end in the width direction facing the third bottom plate 2c. Further, the third bottom plate 2c includes third side fences 3c1 and 3c2 at the width direction end facing the first bottom plate 2a, and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2 and 3d3 at the width direction end facing the second bottom plate 2b. It has. These side fence members 3 function as a side fence as a regulating member by being closed and retracted so as to be in a horizontal state with the bottom plate and opened so as to be in a state perpendicular to the bottom plate, as will be described in detail later. Can be fulfilled.

  Further, the third bottom plate 2c is provided with two first partition locks 4a1, 4a2 for connecting or disconnecting with the first bottom plate 2a, and two for connecting or disconnecting with the second bottom plate 2b. Second partition locks 4b1 and 4b2 are provided.

  When placing the A2 size, all the partition locks of the first partition locks 4a1, 4a2 and the second partition locks 4b1, 4b2 are connected. The first side fences 3a1, 3a2, the second side fences 3b1, 3b2, the third side fences 3c1, 3c2, and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2 are all closed so as to be in a horizontal state with the bottom plate. Further, the first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b are aligned with the position of the rear end of the A2 size. When the A2 size paper is fed, the first bottom plate 2a, the second bottom plate 2b, and the third bottom plate 2c are all raised in a connected state. As the elevation control, in order to uniformly raise the connected bottom plates, the rising angles of the first rising plate 7a and the second rising plate 7b are set so that the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b have the same angle. Adjust the lift motor to raise. At this time, the third bottom plate 2c is connected to the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b and rises together with the first bottom plate 2a and the second bottom plate 2b.

  As described above, when the A2 size is placed, all of the first side fences 3a1, 3a2, the second side fences 3b1, 3b2, the third side fences 3c1, 3c2, and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2 are horizontal with the bottom plate. Close to a proper state. The first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b are aligned with the position of the rear end of the A2 size. When the transfer paper of each size is set, the lateral width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting such a side fence member, and the vertical width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting the position of the end fence member. Thereby, when the transfer paper of each size is set, it can be detected that the size of the transfer paper automatically placed is A2.

  Further, the size of the transfer paper is automatically detected, and based on the detected size of the transfer paper, the positions of the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b are respectively from the central portion in the width direction of the A2-size recording paper P. Translate in the axial direction so that the distance is the same. Then, the first paper feeding clutch 9a and the second paper feeding clutch 9b are connected at the same timing, and the A2 size transfer paper is fed out by rotating the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b at the same timing.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the paper feed cassette 1 when two bundles of A4 sizes are placed as the first recording body Pa and the second recording body Pb.
When placing two bundles of A4 size, the first partition locks 3a1, 3a2 are released to release the connection between the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c. The second partition locks 4b1 and 4b2 are connected to connect the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c. Regarding the side fences, the first side fences 3a1, 3a2 and the third side fences 3c1, 3c2 are opened to be in a state perpendicular to the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c. Then, the A4-sized first recording body Pa on the first bottom plate 3a and the A4-sized second recording body Pb placed on the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c are partitioned, and the end portions are separated. regulate. The second side fences 3b1, 3b2 and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2, 3d3 can be closed, and the A2-sized second recording body Pb can be placed on the upper surfaces of the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c. A mounting surface is formed. The first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b are installed so as to match the position of the rear end of the A4 size.

  As the lifting control when accommodating two bundles of A4 size, the height of the bottom of the bundle of the first recording bodies Pa is raised by the difference in consumption between the first recording body Pa and the second recording body Pb. This is different from the height for lifting the bottom surface of the bundle of second recording bodies Pb. Therefore, the ascending angle of the first ascending plate 7a and the second ascending plate 7b is controlled separately with respect to each bottom plate. At this time, the third bottom plate 2c is connected to the second bottom plate 2b and ascends integrally with the second bottom plate 2b. The raising / lowering means provided with the first raising plate 7a controls the raising / lowering of the first bottom plate 2a, and the raising / lowering means provided with the second raising plate 7b controls the raising / lowering of the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c. in this way. Even without providing a lifting means for controlling the lifting and lowering of the third bottom plate 2c, the lifting control of the sheet feeding cassette having a layout according to the size of the recording material P to be placed using the three bottom plates is less than the number of the bottom plates. Two lifting means can be used.

  As described above, when two bundles of A4 sizes are placed, the first side fences 3a1, 3a2 and the third side fences 3c1, 3c2 are opened so as to be in a state perpendicular to the bottom plates 2a, 2c. Try to fulfill the function. Further, the second side fences 3b1, 3b2 and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2 are all closed so as to be in a horizontal state with the bottom plate. The first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b are aligned with the position of the rear end of the A4 size. When the transfer paper of each size is set, the lateral width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting such a side fence member, and the vertical width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting the position of the end fence member. Thereby, when the transfer paper of each size is set, it can be detected that the size of the automatically placed transfer paper is two bundles of A4.

  Further, based on the detected size of the transfer paper, the axial positions of the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b are picked up, and the centers of the A4 size first recording body Pa and the second recording body Pb in the width direction are picked up. To translate in the axial direction. Then, the simultaneous parallel feeding mode in which the leading ends of the two sheets are aligned and fed in parallel is selected. Specifically, the first paper feed clutch 9a and the second paper feed clutch 9b are connected at the same timing, and the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b are rotated at the same timing. As a result, two A4 size transfer sheets are fed out simultaneously to form an image.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the paper feed cassette 1 when an A3 size is accommodated as the first recording body Pa and an A5 size is accommodated as the second recording body Pb.
In order to accommodate the A3 size first recording body Pa, the first partition locks 4a1 and 4a2 are connected to connect the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c. The second partition locks 4b1 and 4b2 are released to release the connection between the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c. As for the side fence, the first side fences 3a1, 3b2 and the third side fences 3c1, 3c2 are closed, and the first recording body Pa is placed on the upper surfaces of the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c in A3 size. The mounting surface which can be formed is formed. Further, the second side fences 3b1, 3b2 and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2, 3d3 are opened to be in a state perpendicular to the second bottom plate 2b and the third bottom plate 2c. And it is set as the control member which partitions off between the A5 size 2nd recording body Pb on the 2nd bottom plate 2b, and the A3 size 1st recording body Pa mounted on the 1st bottom plate 2a and the 3rd bottom plate 2c. . Further, the first end fence 5a is installed so as to match the position of the rear end of the A3 size, and the second end fence 5b is installed so as to match the position of the rear end of the A5 size.

  As the elevation control when accommodating the A3 size and the A5 size, the height at which the bottom surface of the bundle of the first recording bodies Pa is lifted by the difference in consumption between the first recording body Pa and the second recording body Pb, This is different from the height for lifting the bottom surface of the bundle of two recording bodies Pb. Therefore, the ascending angle of the first ascending plate 7a and the second ascending plate 7b is controlled separately with respect to each bottom plate. At this time, the third bottom plate 2c is connected to the first bottom plate 2a and ascends integrally with the first bottom plate 2a. The raising / lowering means provided with the second raising plate 7b controls the raising / lowering of the second bottom plate 2b, and the raising / lowering means provided with the first raising plate 7a controls the raising / lowering of the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c.

  Thus, when mounting A3 size and A5 size, 2nd side fence 3b1, 3b2 and 4th side fence 3d1, 3d2, 3d3 will be in the state perpendicular | vertical to 2nd bottom plate 2b and 3rd bottom plate 2c. The function as a restricting member is achieved by opening the cover in such a manner. Further, all of the first side fences 3a1, 3a2 and the third side fences 3c1, 3c2 are closed so as to be in a horizontal state with the bottom plate. The first end fence 5a is aligned with the rear end position of the A3 size, and the second end fence 5b is aligned with the rear end position of the A5 size. When the transfer paper of each size is set, the lateral width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting such a side fence member, and the vertical width of the transfer paper is detected by detecting the position of the end fence member. Thereby, when the transfer paper of each size is set, it can be detected that the size of the transfer paper automatically placed is A3 and A5.

  Further, based on the detected size of the transfer paper, the first pickup roller 8a moves in the axial direction so as to pick up the center in the width direction of the A3-sized first recording material Pa. Further, based on the detected size of the transfer paper, the second pickup roller 8b moves in the axial direction so as to pick up the center in the width direction of the A5 size second recording material Pb. Then, an independent parallel feeding mode is selected in which the feeding timings of the two recording media are fed in parallel independently of each other. Specifically, the first paper feed clutch 9a and the second paper feed clutch 9b are connected at different timings, and the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b are rotated at independent timings. As a result, two transfer sheets of A5 size and A3 size are fed at independent timings to form an image. Therefore, it is possible to prevent time loss due to different image sizes.

  Next, the partition lock will be described. The first partition locks 4a1 and 4a2 and the second partition locks 4b1 and 4b2 have the same structure except that they are attached to the bottom plate. Therefore, the first partition locks 4a1 and 4a2 will be described as the partition lock 4a1. FIG. 7 is an enlarged explanatory view of the first partition lock 4a1. As shown in FIG. 7, the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c are provided with a recess having a shape that can accommodate the first partition lock 4a1. A first partition lock 4a1 is attached to the recess on the first bottom plate 2a side by a lock rotation shaft 13. On the other hand, a lock pin 10 for hooking the first partition lock 4a1 at the time of connection is provided in the recess on the third bottom plate 2c side. The first partition lock 4a1 is rotated in the direction of arrow B, and the first partition lock 4a1 is hooked on the lock pin 10 as shown in the figure, and the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c are connected. It is. From this state, the connection is released by rotating the first partition lock 4a1 in the direction of arrow C in the figure. According to the configuration including the partition lock, a plurality of bottom plates can be connected to each other or can be released depending on the size of the recording material P, and the recording materials P of various sizes are supported. It becomes possible.

  In addition, if the lock is a top surface lock of only the first partition locks 4a1 and 4a2, the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c that are joined may come off. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the first lower surface partition lock 11a is provided and locked together with the partition lock 4a1 at a position facing the first partition lock 4a1 across the first bottom plate 2a and the third bottom plate 2c. . If the upper and lower surfaces are firmly locked, the combined first bottom plate 2a and third bottom plate 2c will not come off. Similarly, the first lower surface partition lock 11a2 and the second lower surface partition locks 11b1, 11b2 are also provided at positions facing the first partition lock 4a2 and the second partition locks 4b1, 4b2. As described above, by using the upper partition lock and the lower partition lock, the plurality of bottom plates can be reliably connected to each other according to the size of the recording medium P.

  Next, the side fence will be described. The first side fences 3a1, 3a2, the second side fences 3b1, 3b2, the third side fences 3c1, 3c2 and the fourth side fences 3d1, 3d2, 3d3 differ only in the direction of mounting on the bottom plate, and the mechanism is the same. Therefore, it demonstrates as the 1st side fence 3a1 below. FIG. 8 is an enlarged explanatory view of the first side fence 3a1. As shown in FIG. 8, the first bottom plate 2a is provided with a recess having a shape that can accommodate the first side fence 3a1. The first side fence 3a1 is in the open state shown in FIG. 8, and regulates the widthwise end of the bundle of the first recording bodies Pa placed on the first bottom plate 2a. In addition, the state of being tilted in the direction of the arrow D from the state of FIG. 8 is a closed state, and when the recording body Pa wider than the width of the first bottom plate 2a is connected to the third bottom plate 2c, By closing the one side fence 3a1, the recording body Pa can be placed, and a placement surface is formed. Further, the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment includes a side fence sensor 13 as a side fence detection unit for detecting the first side fence 3a1. The side fence sensor 13 detects that the first side fence is closed when the first side fence 3a1 is closed, and automatically detects the width of the placed transfer paper.

  Next, the end fence will be described. Since the mechanisms of the first end fence 5a and the second end fence 5b are the same, the following description will be given as the first end fence 5a. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the first end fence 5a. The first end fence 5a is inserted into the first bottom plate 2a according to the transfer paper to be placed. Further, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an end fence sensor 14 as an end fence detection unit for detecting the first end fence 5a1. The end fence sensor 14 detects when the first end fence 5a is inserted into the bottom plate 2a, and automatically detects the vertical width of each size.

  Such a side fence sensor 13 and an end fence sensor 14 are provided, and the size of the recording material placed automatically can be detected based on these detection results.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the sheet feeding cassette 1 can adjust the width of the bottom plate as the recording body bottom support member pushed up integrally to a width suitable for the width of the recording body P to be accommodated. Various types of recording media P can be accommodated and fed. Further, a side fence member 3 that regulates the widthwise end of the bundle of stored recording bodies and an end fence member 5 whose position can be adjusted according to the length of the recording body are provided. The side fence sensor 13 detects the position of the side fence member 3, and the end fence sensor 14 detects the position of the end fence member 5, thereby detecting the length in the width direction and the length in the vertical direction of the stored recording body. Thereby, the size of the loaded recording medium can be automatically detected.
Further, the bottom plate 2 can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording body that accommodates the width of the bottom plate that is integrally pushed up by being connected to or released from the adjacent bottom plate.
Further, the side fence member 3 is disposed at the end of the bottom plate 2 facing the adjacent bottom plate, and when the connection is released, the width of the bundle of recording bodies accommodated in a state perpendicular to the support surface of the bottom support member. It functions as a side fence member that regulates the direction end. Further, when connected to adjacent bottom plates, the bottom plate can be retracted in a horizontal state. Thereby, it can be set as the position suitable for the width | variety of the recording body which accommodates a side fence member.
Further, based on the detection result of the side fence sensor, the first pickup roller 8a and the second pickup roller 8b are movable according to the position of the central portion in the width direction of the recording medium P that accommodates the position in the width direction. Since the force from the pickup roller can be applied to the central portion of the recording body P, the feeding pickup roller does not rotate in the skew direction, and stable feeding of the recording body P can be performed automatically. .
Further, when the bottom plate is connected to the adjacent bottom plate by the first partition locks 4a1, 4a2 and the second partition locks 4b1, 4b2, the second lower surface partition locks 11a1, 11a2 and the second are fixed. Lower surface partition locks 11b1 and 11b2 are provided. Locking the connection in this way prevents the connected bottom plate from coming off.

1 is a schematic diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of a paper feed cassette. Explanatory drawing of the raising / lowering control of a baseplate. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a paper feed cassette when a recording medium to be stored is A2 size. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a paper feeding cassette when a recording body to be accommodated is two bundles of A4 size. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a paper feeding cassette when recording bodies to be stored are A3 size and A5 size. Explanatory drawing of a partition lock. Explanatory drawing of a side fence. Explanatory drawing of an end fence.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feed cassette 2 Bottom plate 2a 1st bottom plate 2b 2nd bottom plate 2c 3rd bottom plate 3 Side fence member 3a1, 3a2 1st side fence 3b1, 3b2 2nd side fence 3c1, 3c2 3rd side fence 3d1, 3d2, 3d3 4th Side fences 4a1, 4a2 1st partition lock 4b1, 4b2 2nd partition lock 5a 1st end fence 5b 2nd end fence 6a 1st support bar 6b 2nd support bar 7a 1st rising plate 7b 2nd rising plate 8 Pickup roller 8a 1st pick-up roller 8b 2nd pick-up roller 9a 1st paper feed clutch 9b 2nd paper feed clutch 10 Lock pin 11a1, 11a2 1st lower surface partition lock 11b1, 11b2 2nd lower surface partition lock 12 Lock rotating shaft 13 Side fence sensor 14 End face Susensa 14a first end fence sensor 14b second end fence sensor 20 imaging unit 22 photoreceptor 23 transfer conveyance belt 24 fixing device 25 the sheet discharge roller 30 sheet transportation path 31 the paper feed roller 32 conveying rollers 33 a pair of registration rollers

Claims (5)

A plurality of stacked recording bodies can be accommodated in parallel in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording bodies, and are arranged in parallel in the width direction, and support a bottom surface of the bundle of recording bodies A paper feed cassette having a recording body bottom surface support member and a plurality of recording body lifting / lowering means for pushing up the recording body bottom surface support member and raising the uppermost portion of the recording body to a feedable position; A recording body feeding member that feeds the topmost recording body, and can be adjusted to a width suitable for the width of the recording body that accommodates the width of the bottom support member that is pushed up integrally, In an image forming apparatus capable of parallel conveyance in which the plurality of recording bodies are arranged and conveyed in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording bodies,
A side fence member that regulates the width direction of the bundle of recording bodies, an end fence member that can adjust the position according to the length of the recording body to be accommodated and regulates the rear end portion in the feeding direction of the recording body, A side fence member detection means for detecting the side fence member; and an end fence member detection means for detecting the end fence member. The detection result of the side fence member detection means and the detection result of the end fence member detection means An image forming apparatus for detecting a size of a stored recording medium.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording body bottom surface supporting member accommodates a width of the recording body bottom surface supporting member that is integrally pushed up by being connected to or disconnected from the adjacent recording body bottom surface supporting member. An image forming apparatus capable of being adjusted to a width suitable for the width of a recording medium.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side fence member is disposed at an end portion of the recording body bottom surface supporting member facing an adjacent recording body bottom surface supporting member, and when the connection is released, A width direction end of a bundle of a plurality of recording bodies accommodated in a state perpendicular to the recording body bottom support surface is regulated, and at the time of the connection, the recording body bottom support member is in a horizontal state with the recording body bottom support surface. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the image forming apparatus can be retracted.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the recording material feeding member in the width direction can be moved to the position of the central portion in the width direction of the recording material based on the detection result of the side fence member detecting means. An image forming apparatus.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising connection fixing means for fixing the connection when connecting the recording body bottom surface supporting member to the adjacent recording body bottom surface supporting member. An image forming apparatus.

Images