JP2008007302A - Sheet feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeder allowing direct and easy grasping of the receiving capacity of replenishing sheets at the time of sheet replenishment, extremely usable for determining the replenishment timing. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet feeder 1 is provided with a placement table 11 for placing sheet P on the top face and a lifting/lowering means 30 for lifting/lowering the placement table 11. In the vicinity of the lifting/lowering means 30, an additional stackable sheet amount display mechanism 40 having a slide member 41 vertically moved in conjunction with lifting/lowering of the placement table 11, a wire 45 with one end connected to the slide member 41 and an instruction piece 48 moved along with the movement of the wire 45 is arranged. The additional stackable sheet amount display mechanism 40 directly displays the thickness of a sheet bundle corresponding to the amount of sheet additionally stackable with respect to the placement table 11 as movement length of the instruction piece 48. Thus, at the time of sheet replenishment, it is possible to directly and easily grasp the remaining capacity of replenish sheet P in a sheet storage part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper supply device such as a cut paper, which can be applied to an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer.

  The paper supply device is indispensable for an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer. In the case where the paper is cut paper, the paper supply device often supplies the paper separately from the uppermost layer of the paper stacked in the paper storage unit. Such a paper supply device is used for a cassette type paper feeding unit, a manual paper feeding unit, a document feeding unit, and the like of an image forming apparatus.

  As a method of feeding paper from the paper supply device to the outside, a roller supply method is generally widely used. In the roller supply method, a pickup roller presses against the uppermost layer of the sheet bundle and delivers the sheet to a downstream sheet feeding roller, and the sheet is fed out of the sheet feeding apparatus by the sheet feeding roller. As a method of pressing the uppermost layer of the sheet bundle against the pickup roller, the loading table and the lift plate on which the sheets are stacked are lifted from below by a driving means such as a motor and by a biasing means such as a spring. There is a method.

Here, some paper supply devices display the remaining amount of paper accommodated therein. Examples thereof can be found in Patent Documents 1 to 3. In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the remaining amount of paper is displayed in three stages of “high”, “medium”, and “low” by detecting the upward movement of the paper storage unit by the position sensor. I have to. In the paper feed cassette described in Patent Document 2, a paper remaining amount confirmation window is provided in front of the paper feed cassette so that the remaining amount of paper can be directly confirmed. In the paper remaining amount display device of the paper feed tray described in Patent Document 3, light emission means is provided on the front surface of the paper feed tray, and the light emission pattern of the light emission means is changed according to the paper remaining amount, thereby reducing the paper remaining amount. It can be grasped step by step.
JP-A-10-147439 (5th page, FIG. 5) JP 2001-310830 A (2nd page, FIG. 1) JP 2006-103947 A (page 6-7, FIG. 2-3)

  In the paper storage unit and the paper feed tray (paper supply device) of the image forming apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the user can grasp the remaining paper amount during printing by the remaining paper amount display device or the like. When a shortage occurs, it is possible to quickly respond and replenish. However, these remaining paper amount display devices display how much paper remains in the paper storage unit and paper feed tray before printing is started or during printing. It does not indicate how much paper is left. By subtracting the remaining amount from the number of sheets that can be accommodated, it may be possible to determine how much paper is left, but it is not straightforward and it is not easy to grasp the exact quantity. Therefore, for example, it is not possible to determine whether or not all sheets can be stored at one time before unsealing a sheet bundle packaged in units of 500 sheets or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. In a paper supply apparatus that raises a mounting table on which paper is placed and supplies paper, it is possible to directly determine how much paper remains when paper is supplied. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper supply apparatus that can be easily grasped and is easy to use in measuring the timing of replenishment.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a mounting table on which paper is mounted on an upper surface, and a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the mounting table. In a paper supply device that separates and supplies paper one by one from the top layer of the loaded paper bundle, the thickness of the paper bundle corresponding to the remaining stackable number on the mounting table is directly displayed as the moving length of the indicator piece A mechanism for indicating the number of remaining stackable sheets is provided.

  Further, in the paper supply device having the above-described configuration, the remaining stackable number display mechanism is disposed at a position near the position of the mounting table when the paper is full, and is moved up and down in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the mounting table. A slide member that moves to the slide member, a stopper that prevents the slide member from moving upward beyond a predetermined amount, a wire that has one end connected to the slide member, and the instruction that is attached to the wire and moves as the wire moves A piece and a display unit for displaying the movement of the indication piece are provided.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, in the paper supply apparatus that separates the paper one by one from the uppermost layer of the paper bundle placed on the placement table after the placement table is raised by the elevating means, the remaining stacking on the placement table Since it is equipped with a remaining stackable number display mechanism that directly displays the thickness of the sheet bundle corresponding to the possible number of sheets as the moving length of the indicator, it is possible to directly determine how much paper will remain when paper is replenished. Can be easily grasped. This makes it possible to determine whether or not all sheets can be stored at one time before opening a bundle of sheets packed, for example, in units of 500 sheets, so that the remaining sheets cannot be stored in the vicinity. Can be prevented. In this way, it is possible to provide a paper supply device that is easy to use in measuring the timing of paper supply.

  The remaining stackable number display mechanism is disposed at a position near the position of the mounting table when the paper is full, and a slide member that moves up and down in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the mounting table, and the slide A stopper that prevents the member from moving upward beyond a predetermined amount, a wire with one end connected to the slide member, an indicator piece attached to the wire and moving as the wire moves, and the movement of the indicator piece displayed Therefore, the thickness of the sheet bundle corresponding to the remaining number of sheets that can be stacked on the mounting table can be directly displayed as the moving length of the pointing piece. . The remaining stackable number display mechanism can be configured without using an electrical functional member, does not require complicated control, and can suppress an increase in cost. Therefore, it is possible to directly and easily grasp how much paper is left when a paper is replenished by a simple mechanism with a low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an outline of the structure of a paper supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the paper supply device, FIG. 2 is a front view of a vertical section of the paper supply device, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper supply device with an exterior cover removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet supply apparatus 1 includes a sheet storage unit 10, a sheet feeding unit 20, an elevating unit 30, and a remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 inside the exterior cover 2.

  The paper storage unit 10 is surrounded by a plurality of frames, thereby forming a box shape having an open upper surface. The paper P is stacked and stored from the top surface direction of the paper storage unit 10 through the opening. As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 3 is placed on the upper surface of the paper supply device 1, but the drawing of the lid 3 is omitted in FIG. 1.

  A placement table 11 is provided inside the paper storage unit 10. The sheets P are placed on the placing table 11 and stacked. The paper P is sent leftward from the upper part of the paper storage unit 10 in FIG. 2 by the paper supply means 20 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2).

  The paper feeding means 20 is provided at the downstream side of the paper storage unit 10 in the paper supply direction, that is, at the upper left in FIG. The paper feed unit 20 includes a pickup roller 21, a paper feed roller 22, and a separation roller 23.

  The pick-up roller 21 is provided on the upper downstream side of the mounting table 11. When the sheet bundle stacked on the mounting table 11 is lifted by the lifting / lowering means 30, the uppermost layer of the sheet bundle is pressed against the pickup roller 21 from below. The paper P is delivered to the paper feed roller 22 by the pickup roller 21, and is sent out of the paper supply device 1 by the paper feed roller 22.

  The paper feed roller 22 is disposed on the downstream side of the pickup roller 21. The paper feed roller 22 is connected to a motor (not shown) and rotated, but the pickup roller 21 is not connected to the motor. A drive mechanism (not shown) is provided between the paper feed roller 22 and the pickup roller 21. When the paper feed roller 22 is rotated by a motor by this drive mechanism, the pickup roller 21 is also in the same direction as the paper feed roller 22. It can be rotated at the same peripheral speed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the separation roller 23 is provided below the paper feed roller 22 and is in pressure contact with the paper feed roller 22 by the action of an urging means (not shown). The paper P is inserted through a nip formed by the separation roller 23 and the paper feed roller 22 being pressed against each other. A motor is not connected to the separation roller 23. Since the separation roller 23 is in pressure contact with the paper feed roller 22, the separation roller 23 is rotated according to the rotation of the paper feed roller 22.

  The separation roller 23 is provided with a torque limiter (not shown) on its shaft portion. When the sheet P does not exist in the nip formed by the pressure contact between the separation roller 23 and the sheet feeding roller 22 or when only one sheet P enters, the separation roller 23 is subjected to a torque greater than the torque set by the torque limiter. The separation roller 23 rotates in the direction of feeding the paper P according to the paper feed roller 22. However, when a plurality of sheets of paper P enter the nip, the torque applied to the separation roller 33 does not exceed the torque limiter set torque, and the separation roller 23 stops rotating. As a result, the overlapped lower side paper P is not sent out, so that it is possible to prevent the problem of double feeding in which the paper P is overlapped and sent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a lifting / lowering means 30 for the mounting table 11 is provided around the sheet storage unit 10. The lifting / lowering means 30 is provided at the front frame 4 and the back frame 5 in the frame surrounding the paper storage unit 10. The lifting / lowering means 30 moves the mounting table 11 in the vertical direction. When the paper is supplied, the lifting / lowering unit 30 lifts the mounting table 11 together with the paper bundle, and guides the paper stack to a paper supply position where the uppermost layer of the paper bundle presses against the pickup roller 21 from below. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism 40 is provided in front of the front frame 4 and in the vicinity of the lifting means 30. The remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 is linked to the mounting table 11 that is lifted and lowered by the lifting / lowering means 30, and displays how much can be stacked on the mounting table 11, that is, how many sheets can be stored in the paper storage unit 10. Mechanism.

  Next, detailed configurations of the elevating means 30 and the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the lifting / lowering means and the remaining stackable number display mechanism of the paper supply apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the elevating / lowering means 30 includes a wire 31, a reel 32, a drive shaft 33, a fixed pulley 34, a moving pulley 35, and a support member 36.

  One wire 31 is provided at each of two locations, the outer side of the front surface of the paper storage unit 10 and the outer side of the back surface. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of each wire 31 is connected to the reel 32 and the other end is connected to the upper part of the front frame 4 or the back frame 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, two reels 32 are provided, one on each of the front side and the back side of the sheet storage unit 10. Further, these two reels 32 are attached to a common drive shaft 33 provided in the lowermost part of the paper storage unit 10 and extending in the front-rear direction of the paper supply device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wire 31 installed between the upper part of the front frame 4 or the rear frame 5 and the reel 32 is hung on the fixed pulley 34 and the movable pulley 35 as shown in FIG. Yes. The fixed pulley 34 is provided on the outer upper part of the frame. The movable pulley 35 is provided on a support member 36 attached to the side surface of the mounting table 11. In addition, in the location of this support member 36, the front frame 4 and the back frame 5 are provided with openings 4a and 5a extending in the vertical direction. As a result, the movable pulley 35 moves up and down along the openings 4 a and 5 a in accordance with the winding / unwinding of the wire 31.

  The drive shaft 33 is connected to a motor which is a drive means (not shown). The motor is provided on the back side of the sheet storage unit 10, and the drive shaft 33 and the reel 32 can be rotated by driving the motor. When the wire 31 is wound around the reel 32 by the lifting / lowering means 30, the mounting table 11 is raised via the movable pulley 35, and when the wire 31 is drawn out, the mounting table 11 is lowered.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 is disposed at one position in the vicinity of the lifting / lowering means 30 in the position of the front frame 4 surrounding the sheet storage unit 10. In FIG. 3, only the arrangement position of the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 is drawn by a two-dot chain line, and details of the mechanism are drawn in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 includes a slide member 41, a lifting spring 42, a stopper 43, an engagement protrusion 44, a wire 45, a tension spring 46, a fixed pulley 47, an instruction piece 48, and a display unit. 49.

  The slide member 41 is arranged in the vicinity of the support member 36 of the elevating means 30 and at the position of the mounting table 11 when the paper P is full in the paper storage unit 10, that is, at the lowermost position. The slide member 41 has a block shape and can be moved only in the vertical direction by a guide member (not shown) extending in the vertical direction.

  The pulling spring 42 is disposed above the slide member 41. The pulling spring 42 is constituted by a tension coil spring, and its upper end is attached to the front frame 4 and its lower end is attached to the upper surface of the slide member 41. The lifting spring 42 urges the slide member 41 upward.

  The stopper 43 is disposed above the slide member 41 and on the movement path of the slide member 41. The stopper 43 prevents the slide member 41 urged upward by the lifting spring 42 from moving upward beyond a predetermined amount.

  Such a slide mechanism of the slide member 41 can also be realized by a slide unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the slide unit. The slide unit 50 includes a slide member 51, a guide groove 52 in which the slide member 51 moves up and down, and a stopper portion 53 that prevents the slide member 51 from moving upward.

  On the other hand, the support member 36 of the lifting / lowering means 30 is provided with an engagement protrusion 44. The engaging protrusion 44 is positioned above the slide member 41 and is attached so as to engage with the upper surface of the slide member 41 when the mounting table 11 descends and approaches the lowest position. Therefore, the slide member 41 moves up and down the mounting table 11 in the range from the position of the stopper 43 to the lowermost position of the mounting table 11 by the action of the engagement protrusion 44, the lifting spring 42, and the stopper 43. Move up and down in conjunction with.

  The wire 45 extends from the position of the slide member 41 toward the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, that is, rightward in FIG. One end of the wire 45 is connected to the bottom surface of the slide member 41, and the other end is connected to one end of the tension spring 46. The other end of the tension spring 46 is connected to the front frame 4 and generates tension so that the wire 45 does not slack. The elastic force generated in the tension spring 46 is smaller than that generated in the pulling spring 42. Therefore, the slide member 41 is not pulled down by the action of the tension spring 46. Further, instead of the tension spring 46, a weight may be connected to the end of the wire 45.

  The wire 45 installed between the slide member 41 and the tension spring 46 is hung on three fixed pulleys 47 provided on the front frame 4 as shown in FIG. Yes. One fixed pulley 47 is attached below the slide member 41, and the other two are attached just below the upper end of the front frame 4. Between the two fixed pulleys 47 attached immediately below the upper end of the front frame 4, the wire 45 extends substantially horizontally along the upper end of the front frame 4.

  An indicator piece 48 is provided on the wire 45 where the wire 45 extends substantially horizontally near the upper end of the front frame 4. The indicator piece 48 has a block shape and is attached to the wire 45. Thereby, the indicator piece 48 moves in a substantially horizontal direction between the two fixed pulleys 47 together with the movement of the wire 45.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a display unit 49 is provided above the location where the instruction piece 48 moves in a substantially horizontal direction. The display unit 49 has an opening provided on the upper surface of the front frame 4 and displays the movement of the pointing piece 48. As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 49 can also be confirmed from above the paper supply apparatus 1 with the lid 3 opened, and an opening is provided in the lid 3 so that the movement of the indication piece 48 can be confirmed. I do not care.

  In addition, on the upper surface of the display unit 49 shown in FIG. 4, the notation “3/4” is given at the left end and the notation “4/4” is given at the right end. This indicates that the number of sheets stacked on the mounting table 11 is 3/4 to 4/4 (full) with respect to the sheet storage capacity of the sheet storage unit 10. In other words, the thickness of the sheet P corresponding to the remaining stackable number, which is ¼ of the whole, is directly displayed on the display unit 49 as the moving length of the indication piece 48. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the user of the paper supply device 1 applies a package PK of a new packaged paper P to the display unit 49, so that how much paper P is put into the paper storage unit 10. Can be confirmed directly.

  Next, the operation of the remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 in addition to FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the lifting / lowering means and the remaining stackable number display mechanism of the paper supply apparatus similar to FIG. 4 and shows a state immediately before the paper is full, and FIG. 6 is also the lifting means of the paper supply apparatus. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism, showing a state where the paper is full. Note that drawing of the paper P is omitted in FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which about half of the number of sheets that can be stacked on the mounting table 11 is stacked with respect to the sheet storage capacity of the sheet storage unit 10. In this state, the mounting table 11 and the support member 36 of the lifting / lowering means 30 are located at substantially the center in the vertical direction. In the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40, the slide member 41 is not engaged with the engagement protrusion 44 attached to the support member 36. Therefore, the slide member 41 is pulled upward by the action of the lifting spring 42 and caught by the stopper 43. is doing.

  Therefore, since the wire 45 is pulled toward the slide member 41, the indicating piece 48 has moved to the left in FIG. 4, that is, to the position indicated by “3/4” on the display unit 49. This indicates that the number of sheets stacked on the mounting table 11 is 3/4 or less of the sheet storage capacity of the sheet storage unit 10. For example, when the paper storage capacity of the paper storage unit 10 is 2000 sheets, it indicates that it is 1500 sheets or less. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that one or more packs can be loaded if the package PK is a new sheet P packaged in units of 500 sheets that are generally commercially available.

  When the paper P is supplied to the paper storage unit 10 of the paper supply device 1 from the state of FIG. 4, the mounting table 11, the lifting / lowering means 30, and the remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 are in the state shown in FIG. The support member 36 moves downward together with the mounting table 11, and the engagement protrusion 44 engages with the slide member 41. As a result, the slide member 41 moves downward against the elastic force of the pulling spring 42.

  When the slide member 41 moves, the wire 45 also moves, and the indication piece 48 moves to a position between the notation “3/4” and “4/4” on the display unit 49. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the package PK of new paper P cannot be loaded in one pack at a time.

  Subsequently, when the paper P is supplied to the paper storage unit 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper storage unit 10 becomes full and the mounting table 11 is positioned at the lowermost position. The indication piece 48 of the remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism 40 also moves, and moves to a position indicated by “4/4” on the display unit 49. By viewing the display on the display unit 49, the user can confirm that the paper P in the paper storage unit P is full.

  As described above, in the paper supply apparatus 1 that separates and supplies the paper P one by one from the uppermost layer of the paper stack placed on the placement table 11 after raising the placement table 11 by the lifting means 30. 11 is provided with a remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism 40 that directly displays the thickness of the sheet bundle corresponding to the remaining stackable sheet number as the moving length of the indication piece 48. It is possible to easily grasp directly whether P is entered. As a result, it is possible to determine whether or not all of the paper bundles packed in units of 500 sheets can be stored at one time before opening, so that the paper P cannot be stored and the remaining paper P is left around the paper supply apparatus 1. It is possible to prevent such a situation from being caused. In this way, it is possible to provide the paper supply device 1 that is excellent in usability in measuring the timing of paper supply.

  The remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 is arranged at a position near the position of the mounting table 11 when the paper P is full, and is a sliding member that moves up and down in conjunction with the elevation of the mounting table 11. 41, a stopper 43 that prevents the slide member 41 from moving upward beyond a predetermined amount, a wire 45 having one end connected to the slide member 41, and attached to the wire 45, and moves as the wire 45 moves. Since the indication piece 48 and the display unit 49 that displays the movement of the indication piece 48 are provided, the thickness of the sheet bundle corresponding to the remaining number of sheets that can be stacked on the mounting table 11 is easily indicated by a simple mechanism. It is possible to directly display the movement length of the piece 48. The remaining stackable number display mechanism 40 can be configured without using an electrical functional member, does not require complicated control, and can suppress an increase in cost. Therefore, it is possible to directly and easily grasp how much paper P is left when the paper is replenished by a simple mechanism in which cost is reduced.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the moving range of the slide member 41 and the instruction piece 48 is set to 1/4 of the paper storage capacity of the paper storage unit 10 (3/4 to 4/4 (full) range). Other moving ranges such as 1/2 of the storage capacity (range of 1/2 to 2/2 (full)) and 1/10 (range of 9/10 to 10/10 (full)) may be used.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a sheet supply apparatus that supplies a sheet by raising a mounting table on which a sheet is mounted by an elevating unit.

1 is a perspective view of a paper supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the paper supply device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where an outer cover of the paper supply device of FIG. 1 is removed. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an elevating unit and a remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism of the paper supply device. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the lifting / lowering means and the remaining stackable number display mechanism of the paper supply apparatus similar to FIG. 4 and shows a state immediately before the paper is full. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the lifting / lowering means and the remaining stackable number display mechanism of the paper supply apparatus similar to FIG. 4, showing a state where the paper is full. It is a perspective view of a slide unit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper supply apparatus 4 Front frame 5 Rear frame 10 Paper storage part 11 Mounting stand 20 Paper feed means 21 Pickup roller 30 Lifting means 36 Support member 40 Remaining stackable number display mechanism 41 Slide member 42 Lifting spring 43 Stopper 44 Engagement protrusion 45 Wire 48 Pointer 49 Display section

Claims (2)

The apparatus includes a placing table on which paper is placed on an upper surface, and an elevating unit that raises and lowers the placing table, and after raising the placing table by the elevating unit, removes paper from the uppermost layer of the sheet bundle placed on the placing table. In the paper supply device that separates and supplies one sheet at a time,
A paper supply apparatus comprising: a remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism that directly displays the thickness of a sheet bundle corresponding to the remaining stackable sheet number on the mounting table as a moving length of the pointing piece.   The remaining stackable sheet number display mechanism is arranged at a position near the position of the mounting table when the paper is full, and a slide member that moves up and down in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the mounting table, and the slide member A stopper for preventing upward movement exceeding a predetermined amount, a wire having one end connected to a slide member, the indicating piece attached to the wire and moving as the wire moves, and the movement of the indicating piece are displayed. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display the display unit.

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