JP2008081246A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device with a manual inserting function in which even thick and stiff recording paper such as postcards other than standard paper can be smoothly fed without preventing the size of the device body from being reduced by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming device A comprises a manual inserting tray 31 for recording paper at the side of the device body 1, and a manual inserting and feeding passage P2 formed to immediately raise at a sharp angle diagonally upward and feed the recording paper separated and delivered from the manual inserting tray by the operation of a manual inserting/separating/feeding device 34. The manual inserting tray can be tilted relative to the device body side part by an angle variable mechanism 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a printer (including these multifunction machines), and more particularly, to an improvement of an image forming apparatus having a manual sheet feeding function.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, in addition to a configuration in which recording paper is fed from a paper feeding unit having a paper feeding cassette or the like, non-standard recording paper such as postcards, recording paper that cannot be stored in a paper feeding cassette, or a small number There is known a configuration in which a manual feed tray on which a sheet of recording paper or the like is placed is attached to the side of the apparatus main body, and paper is fed from the manual feed tray.
In an image forming apparatus equipped with such a manual feed tray, the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray is separated and fed out one by one by the action of a separation feed roller and a friction separation pad, and formed on the downstream side thereof. A configuration is adopted in which the paper is fed toward the manual feed path, merged with the main feed path for feeding the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette or the like, and fed toward the image recording section. ing.

Recently, there has been a demand for downsizing and space saving of the apparatus main body. In particular, in an image forming apparatus having a manual feed tray that protrudes from the side of the apparatus main body during use, the protrusion amount In order to suppress this, at the time of use, it is configured to be held in an inclined state with respect to the apparatus main body.
For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the manual feed tray is configured to be held obliquely with respect to the apparatus main body when used, and the manual feed path is further separated. After separating and feeding out the recording paper by the action of the paper feed roller and the friction separation pad, it is configured to rise and feed at an acute angle obliquely upward, thereby reducing the size of the apparatus body, that is, the separation paper feed roller and Minimizing the straight line in the horizontal direction of the manual feed path formed from the downstream side of the friction separation pad, and shortening the length of the main unit in the recording paper feed direction, and reducing the size of the main unit In addition, a space saving of the apparatus main body can be achieved by a configuration in which the manual feed tray is held in an inclined state with respect to the apparatus main body.

  That is, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the recording sheet is fed obliquely downward from the manual feed tray held in an inclined state toward the separation sheet feeding roller and the friction separation pad. It is configured to be fed up at a steep angle obliquely upward from the separation paper feed roller and the friction separation pad. According to this, although the size of the device main body and the space saving of the device main body can be achieved, the separation Since paper is fed in an arc before and after separation feeding between the paper feed roller and the friction separation pad, recording paper other than standard paper, for example, thick and strong postcards are often placed. When feeding from the difference tray, postcards and the like are curled, and there is a possibility that the recording paper will be jammed in the apparatus main body without feeding the feeding path well. In addition, since the paper is fed obliquely downward from the manual feed tray toward the separation paper feed roller and the friction separation pad, thick recording paper such as a postcard is strong and does not feed well to the separation paper feed roller. There was a risk of intrusion.

Also, when feeding thick recording paper such as postcards, the separation feeding action of the separation paper feed roller and friction separation pad, which is set mainly according to the coefficient of friction between the standard paper, does not work well. In order to solve this problem, in Patent Document 2, the manual feed tray can change the height position and angle of the support shaft in accordance with the type of paper. As a configuration, when plain paper is fed, the tilt of the manual feed tray is made almost horizontal and the height of its support shaft is lowered, while paper with strong stiffness such as thick paper is fed. When performing this, an image forming apparatus has been proposed that reduces the conveyance load by increasing the inclination of the manual feed tray and increasing the height of the support shaft so as to convey linearly toward the separation mechanism. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-141022 (FIGS. 1 to 3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-46895 (FIGS. 1 to 3)

  However, in the image forming apparatus proposed in Patent Document 2, the feeding path fed from the manual feed tray toward the image recording unit via the pickup roller and the sheet feeding roller has a linear shape, When applied to an image forming apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, the apparatus main body is not configured to be small, and when paper that is strong such as thick paper is fed, Since it is configured to increase the inclination of the manual feed tray in order to contribute to the conveyance force of the pickup roller, when applied to the image forming apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, the curling of the recording paper is further performed. There was a risk of paper jam in the main body.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to record thick and strong recordings such as postcards other than the standard paper without obstructing the downsizing of the apparatus main body with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a manual feed function capable of smoothly feeding paper.

  In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a manual paper feed tray on the side of the main body of the apparatus, and is separated and fed out from the manual feed tray by the operation of the manual feed device. An image forming apparatus provided with a manual feed path formed so that a recording sheet immediately after it is raised and fed obliquely upward at a steep angle, the manual feed tray being The angle with respect to the side of the apparatus main body is variable.

In the present invention, the angle variable mechanism is introduced at a large angle with respect to the manual feed tray, the standard position, and the manual feed path immediately after the separation and feeding of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray. Manual feed tray holding means for holding at least one non-standard position. Further, the manual feed tray is formed at both ends on the downstream side in the feeding direction, and includes a hinge portion having a guide groove and at least two locking pieces constituting the manual feed tray position holding means,
The apparatus main body includes a hinge shaft that is loosely fitted in the guide groove and a restricting member that restricts the locking piece, and the angle variable mechanism is configured to perform relative sliding between the hinge shaft and the guide groove. Accordingly, the manual feed tray is moved to release one of the locking pieces from the restricting member, and the other one of the locking pieces is restricted by the restricting member. The angle of the difference tray may be variable.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, an image is provided with a manual feed path formed so that the recording paper immediately after being separated and fed from the manual feed tray is fed obliquely upward and fed at a steep angle. The forming device is equipped with a variable angle mechanism that allows the angle of the manual feed tray to the side of the main body of the device to be variable, so depending on the paper quality such as the thickness, basis weight, stiffness of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray The angle of the manual feed tray can be changed, and the recording paper can be fed smoothly without hindering downsizing of the apparatus main body.
Further, the manual feed tray is held at the standard position and at least one non-standard position where the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray is introduced at a large angle with respect to the manual feed path immediately after separation feeding. If the angle variable mechanism is provided with a manual feed tray position holding means, it is possible to position the manual feed tray according to the quality of the recording paper.
Still further, the manual feed tray is moved with relative sliding between the hinge shaft of the apparatus main body and the guide groove of the hinge part of the manual feed tray, and the manual feed tray of the hinge part is moved from the regulating member of the apparatus main body. An angle in which one of the locking pieces constituting the position holding means is released and the other one of the locking pieces is regulated by the regulating member to vary the angle of the manual feed tray. If the variable mechanism is used, the angle variable mechanism has a simple configuration and good operability.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a manual sheet feeding portion provided in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory views for explaining an angle variable mechanism of the manual feed unit.

The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 exemplifies a printer having an electrophotographic recording unit. However, the image forming apparatus A is not limited to this, and is a copier or facsimile apparatus having an image reading function or a so-called composite having these functions. The present invention can also be applied to various apparatuses including an ink ribbon method, an ink jet method, and a recording unit of various color recording methods. .
The apparatus main body 1 of the image forming apparatus A shown in the figure discharges a recording paper (paper) feeding section 2, an image recording section 3 for recording an image on the recording paper by an electrophotographic method, and a recording paper after printing. The discharge unit 4 is configured to be stacked in the height direction in this order.

Specifically, the recording paper feed unit 2 includes a detachable paper feed cassette 2a capable of accumulating and storing a large number of recording papers, and a separation paper feed roller 2b installed at the front end in the paper feed direction of the paper feed cassette 2a. And a separation pad 2c that elastically contacts the peripheral surface of the separation paper feed roller 2b.
Note that an optional cassette (not shown) may be further provided under the paper feed cassette 2a to form a multi-cassette system having two or more stages. Further, the separation sheet feeding method in the sheet feeding cassette 2a is not limited to the separation pad method, and may be a retard roller method.

The image recording unit 3 includes a process unit in which an exposure unit 7, a development unit 8, a transfer roller 9, and a cleaning device 10 including a charger 6, an LED, and the like are arranged in this order around the photosensitive drum 5, and a downstream side thereof. And a fixing device 14 disposed in the housing.
These process units, except for the exposure unit 7 and the transfer roller 9, are a drum unit 50 in which the photosensitive drum 5, the charger 6, and the cleaning device 10 are integrated, a developing unit housing 81, stirring / conveying screws 82 and 83, and a supply paddle 84. And an image forming process unit 60 including a developing unit 80 in which the developing roller 85 and the like are integrated. The drum unit 50 and the developing unit 80 are individually or both of a predetermined amount from the front side of the apparatus main body 1. It is detachably mounted in a state of being coupled by the coupling means.
In addition, all the process units except the exposure unit 7 and the transfer roller 9 can be collectively used as the image forming process unit 60. These image forming process units 60 are appropriately replaced with new ones as consumables. Here, the front side of the apparatus main body 1 refers to the front side of the sheet in FIG. 1, and the paper feed cassette 2 a is also removable from the front side of the apparatus main body 1.

A toner cartridge 20 and a buffer tank 19 are installed at a position apart from the developing unit 80.
The toner cartridge 20 includes a supply hopper 21 in which toner is pre-filled and accommodated, and a waste toner collection hopper 22 disposed below the toner cartridge 20 and containing waste toner conveyed from a cleaning device 10 described later. It is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 1 from the front side.
The supply hopper 21 includes a supply hopper housing 21 a, a toner conveying screw 11 disposed above the supply hopper housing 21 a, and an agitator 23 that agitates the toner and supplies the toner to the toner conveying screw 11. Toner is conveyed toward the buffer tank 19.
The buffer tank 19 temporarily stores the toner supplied from the supply hopper 21 before replenishing the toner to the developing unit 80, and the back side of the toner cartridge 20 of the apparatus main body 1 (the back of the page in FIG. 1). When the toner sensor in the developing device housing 81 detects that the toner concentration in the developing device housing 81 is lowered by the magnetic sensor 86 attached to the developing device housing 81, the toner stored in the developing device housing 81 is passed through the toner conveyance path 12. Then, the developer unit 80 is supplied.

A registration roller pair 15 is provided in the vicinity of the upstream side of the developing device 8, and the recording paper separated and fed one by one from the paper feed cassette 2 a or the manual paper feed unit 30 described later is registered by the registration roller pair 15. Thus, the configuration is such that the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 9 are introduced into the mating portion.
Further, on the downstream side of the fixing device 14, a switching gate 4a, a discharge roller pair 4b, and a discharge tray 4c are connected in series, and the discharge portion 4 is configured by these.

In the image forming apparatus A configured as described above, image information transmitted from an external terminal such as a facsimile or a personal computer is converted into optical information by the exposure unit 7 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 uniformly charged by the charger 6. As a result, an electrostatic latent image based on optical information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 8 and is sequentially transferred as a toner image on the recording paper into which the resist is introduced by the transfer roller 9.
Specifically, at the time of development, toner is attracted to the photosensitive drum 5 due to a potential difference with the developing device 8 at a portion where the potential has changed due to light irradiation to become a black portion, and toner is attracted to other portions. As a whole, a black and white toner image based on the image information is formed and transferred to the recording paper.

The toner image transferred onto the recording paper as described above is fixed as a permanent image by the fixing device 14, and the recording paper on which the permanent image is formed pushes up the switching gate 4a and discharges the tray 4c via the discharge roller pair 4b. To be discharged.
The feeding of recording paper from this series of paper feed cassettes 2a rises substantially vertically (vertically) immediately after feeding from the paper feed cassette 2a, and the discharge roller pair 4b has a feed direction from the paper feed cassette 2a of about 180. It is made along the main feeding path P formed to make a U-turn in the direction of the degree. With such a layout configuration, the entire apparatus can be made compact.

As described above, a slight amount of toner remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 after the toner image is transferred to the recording paper, and this residual toner is removed and collected by the cleaning device 10 to be waste toner. As a result, the toner is transported to the waste toner collection hopper 22 through the waste toner transport path 13 connected to the cleaning device 10.
As described above, the waste toner collection hopper 22 forms a part of the toner cartridge 20, and includes a waste toner collection hopper housing 22a that stores the waste toner, and a waste toner that is fed into the waste toner collection hopper housing 22a. And a toner feeding screw 24.
For example, when the toner filled in the supply hopper 21 runs out, the waste toner stored in the waste toner collection hopper 22 is detached from the apparatus main body 1 together with the supply hopper 21 as the toner cartridge 20 and is collected and discarded. The
The waste toner collection hopper 22 and the supply hopper 21 are not integrated into the toner cartridge 20, but may be configured as separate units, and each may be detachable from the apparatus main body 1.

The image forming apparatus A shown in the figure further includes a double-sided recording function, and the reversal that circulates and joins the main feeding path P upstream of the registration roller pair 15 from the position where the switching gate 4a of the main feeding path P is attached. A feeding path P1 is formed. That is, the discharge roller pair 4b is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and the reverse feeding path P1 is provided with the transport roller pairs 16 and 17, and when performing double-sided recording, single-sided recording is performed as described above. When the recording paper is fed along the main feeding path P and the trailing edge of the recording paper reaches the discharge roller pair 4b, the discharge roller pair 4b temporarily stops and nips the trailing edge of the recording paper. Next, the discharge roller pair 4 b is reversed, and the recording paper is conveyed from the rear end thereof by the conveying roller pairs 16 and 17 through the reverse feeding path P 1, joined to the main feeding path P, and reaches the registration roller pair 15.
In the same manner as described above, the resist is introduced into the mating portion between the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 9, and the toner image is transferred to the back surface thereof, fixed, and discharged.
The reverse feeding path P1 is formed so as to extend up and down substantially in parallel with the main feeding path P as shown in the figure, and the layout of the whole apparatus can be made compact.

Next, the manual sheet feeding unit 30 provided in the image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The manual paper feed unit 30 is provided on the side of the apparatus body 1 so as to be openable and closable, a flapper 32 provided on the downstream side of the manual feed tray 31, and a downstream side of the flapper 32. The friction separation pad 33, the manual separation feeding roller 34 which is disposed above the friction separation pad 33 and constitutes the manual separation paper feeding device, and the manual feeding path P2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the angle of the manual feed tray 31 with respect to the side of the apparatus main body 1 is variable by an angle variable mechanism 40 described later.

Specifically, the flapper 32 is formed to have substantially the same width as a manual feed tray 31 to be described later, and swings on a pin 1c protruding from the apparatus main body 1 via pin receiving portions 32b formed at both ends on the upstream side in the feeding direction. The downstream side in the feeding direction is pivotally supported so as to be movable, and is always elastically biased upward by two to four flapper springs 32a disposed downward along the longitudinal direction.
Cam followers 32c and 32c that receive the action of rotating cams 34b and 34b fixed at predetermined positions of a drive shaft 34a around which a manual feed roller 34 to be described later is provided at both ends on the downstream side in the feed direction of the flapper 32. Is formed.

The friction separation pad 33 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and functions as a resistance member that prevents double feeding of the fed recording paper. The friction separation pad 33 is supported by the pad support 33a and disposed below the pad support 33a. The pad spring 33b is elastically urged so as to be in elastic contact with the circumferential surface of the upper manual feed roller 34 at all times.
The manual sheet feeding roller 34 is formed of an elastic and high friction coefficient member such as urethane foam, and is provided around the center of the drive shaft 34a that is horizontally supported and supported in the apparatus main body 1. The rotating cams 34b and 34b are fixed to the drive shaft 34a at positions separated from each other, that is, at positions aligned with the cam followers 32c and 32c in plan view.

As shown by the arrow W in FIG. 1, the manual feed tray 31 can be expanded and contracted in the paper feeding direction according to the size of the recording paper and the like, and is used for positioning the recording paper loaded. A manual feed tray main body 31a having width-adjusting guides 31d and 31d slidable in the orthogonal direction, a first telescopic tray 31b that is slidably inserted into the manual feed tray main body 31a, and a first telescopic tray 31b A three-stage structure including a first telescopic tray 31b and a second telescopic tray 31c inserted and fitted into the manual feed tray main body 31a.
Further, the manual feed tray 31 is formed to have a width larger than, for example, the width of the A-type 3 size recording paper, and the width-adjusting guides 31d and 31d are attached to the recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 31. It is configured such that it can be adjusted to a size other than the standard paper, for example, a width of a small recording paper such as a postcard so as to be pressed on both sides.
Further, when the manual feed tray 31 is not used, the first extendable tray 31b and the second extendable tray 31c are stored in the manual feed tray main body 31a in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. It is pivoted about the hinge shaft 1b and is held so that it can be stowed in the housing part 1a formed on the side of the apparatus body 1 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The paper is opened and stretched appropriately according to the size of the recording paper.
Although not shown, the manual feed tray main body 31a is internally provided with a pinion, a rack and the like for interlocking the side guides 31d and 31d.

Furthermore, the manual feed tray 31 includes hinge portions 41 and 41 that constitute the variable angle mechanism 40 at both ends on the downstream side in the feeding direction.
The hinge portion 41 is formed in a circular shape as shown in the figure, and forms a guide groove, and a long hole 42 for loosely fitting the hinge shaft 1b formed in the housing portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1 extends from the center to the outer periphery. The engaging pieces 43a and 43b formed in a fan shape that are opened and faced to constitute a manual feed tray position holding unit and are regulated by a regulating member 44 projecting from the housing portion 1a are projected along the outer periphery thereof. ing.
In the variable angle mechanism 40 configured as described above, the manual tray 31 is held at the standard position shown in FIG. 4A by the manual tray position holding means, that is, the locking pieces 43a and 43b and the regulating member 44. The recording paper fed from the manual feed tray 31 is held at the non-standard position shown in FIG. 4B where it is introduced at a large angle with respect to the manual feed path P2 immediately after the separation feeding.
That is, at the standard position, the angle formed by the manual feed tray 31 and the manual feed path P2 is θ, and at the non-standard position, the angle formed by the manual feed tray 31 and the manual feed path P2 is θ ′. Therefore, the configuration is such that θ ′> θ.

In the angle varying mechanism 40 configured as described above, in order to vary the angle of the manual feed tray 31 with respect to the side of the apparatus main body 1, the manual feed tray 31 is rotated counterclockwise around the axis of the hinge shaft 1b. While slightly rotating, the latch piece 43a is released from the restricting member 44 by moving the hinge shaft 1b and the long hole 42 in the white arrow Y direction shown in FIG. Then, the manual feed tray 31 is rotated in the white arrow Z direction about the hinge shaft 1b, and the locking piece 43b is regulated by the regulating member 44 to be changed to the non-standard position shown in FIG. To do.
On the other hand, when returning from the non-standard position to the standard position or the storage position in the storage portion 1a, the manual feed tray 31 is rotated with respect to the hinge shaft 1b. Thus, the manual feed tray 31 can be changed smoothly.
That is, when the manual feed tray 31 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 4B, the arc portion of the locking piece 43a formed in a fan shape slides on the restricting member 44, and in the long hole 42. As the hinge shaft 1b slides in the guide space, the locking piece 43a can smoothly pass the regulating member 44 and the manual feed tray 31 can be rotated about the hinge shaft 1b.
According to such a configuration, the angle variable mechanism 40 with a simple configuration and good operability is obtained. Also, the angle of the manual feed tray 31 can be changed according to the paper quality such as the thickness, basis weight, stiffness, etc. of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray 31, and can be held between the standard position and the non-standard position. The recording paper can be fed smoothly without hindering the downsizing of the main body 1.

The contact position between the regulating member 44 and the locking pieces 43a and 43b is configured to be located in the centrifugal direction of the hinge shaft 1b as in this embodiment, and the position of the long hole 42 is the position of the manual feed tray 31. It is preferable to form at the downstream end in the feeding direction. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the vertical displacement between the recording paper placing surface of the manual feed tray 31 and the upper surface of the flapper 32 at the standard position and the non-standard position.
Moreover, the shape and arrangement | positioning location of the long hole 42 which comprises the hinge part 41 or a guide groove, the locking pieces 43a and 43b, and the control member 44 are not restricted to what was illustrated, for example, it is not the long hole 42 as a guide groove. A configuration in which a concave groove is provided may be employed. Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which provides the latching pieces 43a and 43b which comprise a manual-feed tray position holding means in the apparatus main body 1 side, and provides the control member 44 in the hinge part 41 side. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the number of the locking pieces is two, but three or more may be provided.

Further, the configuration of the angle variable mechanism 40 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be a configuration in which the angle of the manual feed tray 31 is variable with respect to the side portion of the apparatus main body 1. The manual feed tray 31 is moved away from the standard position by a protrusion that is elastically biased by an elastic member and is configured to protrude from the side wall of the housing portion 1a and a protrusion fixed to a predetermined side wall below the side wall. It is good also as a structure hold | maintained to a standard position.
Further, the angle formed by the manual feed tray 31 and the manual feed path P2 at the standard position and the non-standard position is not limited to the illustrated one, and depends on the feeding property of the recording paper and the paper quality of the manual paper feed unit 30. What is necessary is just to set suitably.

  In the manual paper feed section 30 configured as described above, the flapper 32 causes the cam followers 32c and 32c to act on the rotary cams 34b and 34b when the drive shaft 34a around which the manual paper feed roller 34 is provided rotates. In response to the resilience of the flapper spring 32a, the pin 1c is pivoted counterclockwise in FIG. 3, that is, is pushed down to enter a paper feed standby state (state in the solid line position in FIG. 3). Further, when the rotating cams 34b and 34b are removed from the working area of the cam followers 32c and 32c with the rotation of the drive shaft 34a, they are rotated clockwise around the pin 1c by the elasticity of the flapper spring 32a, that is, pushed up. Then, the recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 31 comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the manual feed paper feed roller 34 to be fed (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3).

When recording an image on a postcard, for example, a postcard that is not thick and strong, using the manual feed unit 30 described above, the handle 31e is rotated and the manual feed tray 31 is rotated to the non-standard position as described above. In the state where the first telescopic tray 31b and the second telescopic tray 31c are stored in the manual feed tray main body 31a, the postcard is placed and the side guides 31d and 31d are moved to position the postcard. Thereafter, the drive shaft 34a is actuated by an appropriate start operation to push up the flapper 32 as described above, so that the upper surface on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the postcard placed on the uppermost layer contacts the manual feed roller 34. Then, the leading edge of the postcard is brought into the nip portion n between the manual feed roller 34 and the friction separation pad 33 by the rotation of the manual feed roller 34 accompanying the rotation of the drive shaft 34 a.
At this time, if a plurality of sheets overlap each other due to electrostatic adsorption or moisture between the stacked postcards and enter the nip portion n, the friction between the surface of the manual feed roller 34 and the recording paper (postcard). Due to the magnitude relationship between the coefficient μ1, the friction coefficient μ2 between the recording papers, and the friction coefficient μ3 between the recording papers and the friction separation pad 33 (μ1>μ2> μ3), the lower layer postcards are prevented from entering, and only the uppermost postcard is present. Separated and fed to the manual feed path P2.

  In addition, when recording an image on a standard size recording paper such as Type A No. 3, the manual feed tray 31 is rotated to the standard position, and the first extendable tray 31b and the first tray as described above according to the size of the recording paper. 2 Extend the telescopic tray 31c, place the recording paper on it, move the side guides 31d, 31d to position the recording paper, and then manually feed the feed path P2 by an appropriate start operation as described above. Recording paper is fed into the printer.

The manual feed path P2 is formed so that the recording paper immediately after being separated and fed by the operation of the manual feed roller 34 is raised and fed obliquely upward at a steep angle and fed as described above. The postcards and recording paper fed to the manual feed path P2 join the main feed path P on the downstream side and reach the registration roller pair 15. With such a configuration, the apparatus main body 1 can be reduced in size, that is, the straight line portion in the horizontal direction of the manual feed path P2 formed from the downstream side of the manual separation feed roller 34 and the friction separation pad 33 can be minimized. Thus, the length of the apparatus main body 1 in the recording paper feeding direction can be shortened, and the apparatus main body 1 can be downsized.
In the same manner as described above, the resist is introduced into the mating portion between the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 9, and the toner image is transferred to the back surface thereof, fixed, and discharged.

Here, in the present embodiment, when feeding a postcard, the position of the manual feed tray 31 is set to a non-standard position where the angle with respect to the manual feed path P2 is larger than the standard position. The placed postcard is smoothly fed toward the manual feed path P2 via the flapper 32 and the friction separation pad 33, and compared with a case where the postcard is fed from the manual feed tray 31 at the standard position. By increasing the angle, the radius of curvature of the feed path from the manual feed tray 31 to the manual feed path P2 is increased, and curling of the postcard can be reduced, and the recording paper jams on the downstream side. Can be reduced.
Further, when a recording sheet having a short feeding direction length such as a postcard is placed, the first telescopic tray is also placed at a non-standard position, that is, a position where the protruding amount from the apparatus main body 1 is larger than the standard position. If the 31b and the second telescopic tray 31c are used in the state of being housed in the manual feed tray main body 31a, they can be used without hindering the space saving of the apparatus main body 1.

On the other hand, when a standard-size recording paper is fed, the recording paper is smoothly fed due to its paper quality even when the standard position where the angle between the manual feed path P2 and the manual feed tray 31 is small. At the same time, the manual feed tray 31 is held in an inclined state even when the first telescopic tray 31b and the second telescopic tray 31c are extended, so that it can be used without hindering the space saving of the apparatus main body 1. .
As described above, according to the manual paper feed unit 30 provided with the angle variable mechanism 40 according to the present embodiment, postcards other than the standard paper are not obstructed by a simple configuration without reducing the size and space saving of the apparatus main body 1. Thus, it is possible to achieve both paper feeding performance of thick and strong recording paper and standard size recording paper.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a manual sheet feeding unit provided in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 2. (A), (b) It is explanatory drawing explaining the angle variable mechanism of the manual paper feed part which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Device body 1b Hinge shaft (variable angle mechanism)
31 Manual feed tray 34 Manual feed roller (manual feed device)
40 Angle variable mechanism 41 Hinge (angle variable mechanism)
42 Long hole (variable angle mechanism, guide groove)
43a Locking piece (angle variable mechanism, manual tray position holding means)
43b Locking piece (variable angle mechanism, manual tray position holding means)
44 Restricting member (variable angle mechanism, manual tray position holding means)
A Image forming device P2 Manual feed path

Claims (3)

A manual feed tray for recording paper is attached to the side of the main body, and the recording paper immediately after being separated and fed from the manual feed tray by the operation of the manual feed device is raised at a steep angle upward and fed. An image forming apparatus provided with a manual feed path formed to
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manual feed tray has an angle variable with respect to the side of the apparatus main body by an angle variable mechanism. In claim 1,
The variable angle mechanism includes at least one place where the manual feed tray is introduced at a large angle with respect to a standard position and a manual feed path immediately after the separation feeding of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray. An image forming apparatus comprising manual tray position holding means for holding at a non-standard position. In claim 2,
The manual feed tray is formed at both ends on the downstream side in the feed direction, and includes a hinge portion having a guide groove and at least two locking pieces constituting the manual feed tray position holding means,
The apparatus main body includes a hinge shaft that is loosely fitted in the guide groove, and a regulating member that regulates the locking piece,
The variable angle mechanism moves the manual feed tray with relative sliding between the hinge shaft and the guide groove to release one of the locking pieces from the restricting member. An image forming apparatus, wherein the angle of the manual feed tray is varied by restricting the other one of the pieces with the restricting member.

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