JP2010173807A - Sheet feeder and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent breaking of a pinion gear shaft, by preventing a stress concentration on the root of the pinion gear shaft. <P>SOLUTION: An intermediate plate 7 is movably arranged in the vertical direction in a cassette body 10A, and moves to a lowering position when a cassette 10 is extracted from a device body. A pair of side end regulating members are arranged in the cassette body 10A, to regulate a side end in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction of a sheet stacked on the intermediate plate 7. A rack is respectively arranged in the pair of side end regulating members, and pinion gears 21 and 22 meshing with the rack and interlocking and moving the pair of side end regulating members, are rotatably supported by the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 erected on a bottom surface 10a of the cassette body 10A. The intermediate plate 7 is formed with fitting holes 71b and 72b for fitting the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 when the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowering position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus having a cassette that can move in conjunction with a pair of side end regulating members provided with a rack by a pinion gear supported by a pinion gear shaft, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding apparatus About.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a complex machine of these includes a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet to an image forming unit. This sheet feeding apparatus includes a cassette that can store sheets of various sizes. The cassette is supported by the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus so as to be detachable in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. In the cassette body of the cassette, a pair of side end regulating members that regulate the side end portions in the width direction of the sheet are arranged. In order to interlock the pair of side end regulating members in the width direction, each side end regulating member is provided with a rack, and the cassette body is rotatably supported by a pinion gear shaft standing on the bottom surface. A pinion gear is provided. When one side end regulating member of the pair of side end regulating members is moved, the other side end regulating member is moved by the rack and the pinion gear. As a result, sheets of various size widths can be stored in the cassette body based on the center.

  Since the pair of side end regulating members are movable in the width direction, a lock mechanism that locks the side end regulating members to the cassette body is provided to regulate the movement of the side end regulating members after positioning the side end regulating members. The thing provided is proposed (refer patent document 1). This type of locking mechanism is configured to lock by directly fixing one of the side end regulating members to the cassette body, and the other side end regulating member is indirectly locked via a rack and a pinion gear. ing.

  Assuming that the operator operates the side end regulating member on the near side in the cassette mounting direction, the side end regulating member on the near side is locked to the cassette body, and the side end regulating member on the far side is the rack and pinion gear. It has become the mainstream to lock indirectly via.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-59921

  However, since the above-described cassette is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, when the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body, the sheet bundle loaded in the cassette is It will collide with the back side side regulating member due to the inertial force. In the case of a mechanism that locks the front side end regulating member to the cassette body, the back side side regulating member is pressed in the mounting direction, so the rack provided on the back side side regulating member. The force at the time of collision acts on the pinion gear shaft that supports the pinion via. Since the pinion gear shaft is erected on the cassette body, there is a problem that stress concentrates on the root portion of the pinion gear shaft and the pinion gear shaft breaks.

  Even in the case of a mechanism that locks the rear side end regulating member to the cassette body, when the cassette is mounted, the sheet bundle that collides with the back side end regulating member and rebounds collides with the front side side regulating member. As a result, there was a problem that the pinion gear shaft was broken as described above.

  In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to lock both side end regulating members to the cassette body, but the operability is extremely low and not practical.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and prevents the stress from concentrating on the root portion of the pinion gear shaft and prevents the pinion gear shaft from breaking. An object of the present invention is to provide a forming apparatus.

  The sheet feeding apparatus of the present invention is detachable from the apparatus main body, and includes a cassette having a cassette main body for storing sheets, and a sheet feeding unit for feeding sheets stored in the cassette. In the sheet feeding apparatus, the cassette is provided in the cassette body so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is provided in the cassette body and an intermediate plate that moves to a lowered position as the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus body. A pair of side end regulating members that regulate side end portions in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate and are movable in the width direction; and the pair of side end regulating members Each of the racks, a pinion gear that meshes with the rack and moves the pair of side end regulating members in conjunction with each other, and is erected on the bottom surface of the cassette body. A pinion gear shaft that is rotatably supported, and the middle plate is formed with a fitting portion into which an upper end of the pinion gear shaft is fitted when the middle plate moves to the lowered position. It is characterized by.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device.

  According to the present invention, when the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body, since the upper end of the pinion gear shaft is fitted into the fitting portion of the intermediate plate, both ends of the pinion gear shaft are fixed, and the pinion gear shaft is fixed. It is possible to prevent the stress from concentrating on the root part of the. Therefore, breakage of the pinion gear shaft can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a case where the image forming apparatus is a multifunction machine functioning as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus may be a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1000 denotes an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 1000 includes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus main body) 900 and a scanner 2000 that is arranged on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 900 and reads a document. I have.

  The scanner 2000 stores a scanning optical system light source 201, a platen glass 202, a document pressure plate 203 that opens and closes, a lens 204, a light receiving element (photoelectric conversion) 205, an image processing unit 206, and an image processing signal processed by the image processing unit 206. The memory unit 208 and the like are provided.

  When reading the original, the original (not shown) placed on the platen glass 202 is read by irradiating light with the scanning optical system light source 201. If the scanner 2000 is equipped with an automatic document feeder 250 as shown by a two-dot chain line instead of the original pressure plate 203, the original can be automatically read. Then, the read document image is processed by the image processing unit 206, converted into an electrically encoded electric signal 207, and transmitted to the laser scanner 111 as an image forming unit. Note that image information processed and encoded by the image processing unit 206 may be temporarily stored in the memory unit 208 and transmitted to the laser scanner 111 as necessary by a signal from the controller 120 described later.

  The apparatus main body 900 includes an image forming unit 901, a sheet feeding device 1001 that feeds the sheet S, and a sheet conveying device 902 that conveys the sheet S fed by the sheet feeding device 1001 to the image forming unit 901. ing. In addition, a controller 120 serving as a control unit for controlling the entire image forming apparatus 1000 is provided.

  Here, the sheet feeding apparatus 1001 includes a cassette 10 that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 900, and a sheet feeding unit 16 that includes a pickup roller 11, a feed roller 12, and a retard roller 13.

  The sheets S in the cassette 10 are separated and fed one by one by the action of the pickup roller 11 that moves up and down / rotates at a predetermined timing, the feed roller 12 and the retard roller 13. A paper feed sensor 14 is provided in the vicinity of the feed roller 12 and the retard roller 13 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and the paper feed sensor 14 can detect the passage of the sheet S.

  The sheet conveying device 902 includes a conveying roller pair 15 and a registration roller unit including a pre-registration roller pair 130 and a registration roller pair 110. The sheet S fed from the sheet feeding apparatus 1001 is once abutted against the stopped registration roller pair 110 by the conveying roller pair 15.

  Then, by once abutting against the resist roller pair 110 that has stopped in this way, the skew that occurs in the sheet S during sheet feeding and conveyance is corrected, and thereafter, the resist roller pair 110 rotates, The sheet S is conveyed to the image forming unit 901.

  The image forming unit 901 includes a photosensitive drum 112, a laser scanner 111, a developing device 114, a transfer charger 115, a separation charger 116, and the like. When forming an image, the laser beam from the laser scanner 111 is turned back by the mirror 113 and irradiated onto the photosensitive drum that rotates clockwise, thereby forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum. Further, the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum in this way is thereafter visualized as a toner image by the developing device 114.

  The irradiation position of the laser beam can be changed via a laser writing position control circuit by a control signal from the controller 120, whereby the longitudinal direction on the photosensitive drum 112, the so-called main running direction. The latent image forming position can be changed.

  Thereafter, the toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer charger 115. Further, the sheet S on which the toner image is transferred in this manner is electrostatically separated from the photosensitive drum 112 by the separation charger 116 and then conveyed to the fixing device 118 by the conveyance belt 117 to fix the toner image. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged by the discharge roller 119.

  In the present embodiment, apparatus main body 900 and scanner 2000 are separate bodies, but apparatus main body 900 and scanner 2000 may be integrated. The apparatus main body 900 is a multi-function machine that functions as a copier that inputs a processing signal of the scanner 2000, regardless of whether it is separate from or integrated with the scanner 2000. Further, the apparatus main body 900 forms an image on a sheet if a reception signal is input from another facsimile, and conversely, if a processing signal of the image processing unit 206 of the scanner 2000 is input, a transmission signal is output to the other facsimile. This is a multifunction machine that functions as a facsimile machine. Furthermore, it is a multi-function device that also functions as a printer when an output signal of a personal computer is inputted.

  Next, the cassette 10 of the sheet feeding apparatus 1001 will be described in detail.

  2 is a perspective view of the schematic configuration of the cassette 10, FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing the main part of the cassette 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows the middle plate of the cassette 10 shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary top view which shows the principal part which abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette 10 can be pulled out in a pulling direction indicated by an arrow A orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and the pulled cassette 10 is loaded in an attachment direction indicated by an arrow B opposite to the arrow A. Is supported by the apparatus main body 900 (FIG. 1). Note that an arrow C in FIG. 2 indicates the sheet feeding direction. That is, the cassette 10 is detachably supported in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction with respect to the apparatus main body 900.

  The cassette 10 includes a cassette body 10A that stores sheets of various sizes. The cassette body 10A is formed in a bowl shape with an open top. The cassette 10 includes a pair of side end regulating members 5 and 6 that are provided in the cassette main body 10A and regulate the position of the side end in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. Further, the cassette 10 includes an intermediate plate 7 that is provided in the cassette body 10A and is rotatably supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction around a rotation center axis 8 formed on the side wall portion of the cassette body 10A. Yes. Sheets are stacked on the intermediate plate.

  The pair of side end regulating members 5, 6 are arranged at positions that do not affect the turning operation of the intermediate plate 7. Each of the side end regulating members 5 and 6 is a member formed so as to be bent in a substantially L shape, and includes a bottom portion 5a and 6a disposed on the bottom surface of the cassette body 10A and a wall portion rising from the bottom portion 5a and 6a. 5b, 6b. And as for the one side end control member 5, the wall part 5b is arrange | positioned at the near side of a mounting direction, and as for the other side end control member 6, the wall part 6b is arrange | positioned at the back | inner side of a mounting direction. The bottom part 5a of the side end regulating member 5 is formed to extend toward the wall part 6b, and the bottom part 6a of the side end regulating member 6 extends to the wall part 5b side so as to sandwich the bottom part 5a as shown in FIG. It is formed by branching into two.

  Two racks 51a and 51b extending in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction are formed on the bottom portion 5a of the side end regulating member 5, and the bottom portion 6a of the side end regulating member 6 faces the rack 51a. A rack 61a and a rack 61b facing the rack 51b are formed.

  The cassette includes a pinion gear 21 that meshes with the racks 51a and 61a and a pinion gear 22 that meshes with the racks 51b and 61b.

  By the two pinion gears 21 and 22 meshing with these racks 51a, 61a, 51b and 61b, the pair of side end regulating members 5 and 6 are separated from or approach each other in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction according to the sheet size. Can be moved in conjunction with each other. That is, when one side end regulating member 5 shown in FIG. 2 is moved in the direction of arrow A, the other side end regulating member 6 is moved in the direction of arrow B in conjunction with this, and conversely, one side end regulating member is moved. When the member 5 is moved in the arrow B direction, the other side end regulating member 6 is moved in the arrow A direction in conjunction with this. As a result, sheets of various size widths can be stored in the cassette body 10A based on the center.

  Then, the one side end regulating member 5 on the near side is directly locked to the cassette body 10A by a lock mechanism (not shown). The other side end regulating member 6 which is the back side is indirectly locked via racks 51a and 51b, pinion gears 21 and 22 and racks 61a and 61b shown in FIG. Thereby, both the side end regulating members 5 and 6 are locked.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the middle plate 7 is disposed on the bottom portions 5 a and 6 a of the side end regulating members 5 and 6, and both sides of the middle plate 7 are arranged so that the walls 5 b and 6 b do not hit the middle plate 7. Is arranged.

  Here, the middle plate 7 is provided in the cassette body 10A so as to be rotatable (movable up and down) in the vertical direction around a rotation center axis (not shown). The intermediate plate 7 is a pickup roller 11 (FIG. 1) by a lifter mechanism 9 provided with a pressure feeding unit 9A as a pressure driving unit provided on the apparatus main body side and an intermediate plate lifter 9B provided on the cassette side. ) Side is pushed up.

  The intermediate plate lifter 9B shown in FIG. 3 is provided below the intermediate plate 7 so as to be rotatable between the bottom surface of the cassette body 10A and the intermediate plate 7. 2 has a motor (not shown) and the like, and is connected (engaged) to the middle plate lifter 9B when the cassette 10 is mounted on the apparatus main body.

  Then, after the pressure feeding unit 9A and the middle plate lifter 9B are connected, when the pressure feeding unit 9A is driven, the driving force of the pressure feeding unit 9A is changed to the middle plate lifter 9B. The intermediate plate lifter 9B rotates upward while contacting the intermediate plate 7 from below. Accordingly, the intermediate plate 7 rotates toward the pickup roller 11 (FIG. 1), so that the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate 7 come into pressure contact with the pickup roller 11.

  Further, when the cassette 10 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 900, the pressure feeding unit 9A and the middle plate lifter 9B are disconnected, so that the middle plate 7 moves to the lowered position by its own weight. That is, as the cassette 10 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 900, the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowered position. When the sheet is replenished with the cassette 10 pulled out, the intermediate plate 7 is held at the lowered position by its own weight and the weight of the sheet. Even while the cassette 10 is being mounted on the apparatus main body 900, the intermediate plate 7 is held at the lowered position by its own weight and the weight of the sheet. When the cassette 10 is completely attached to the apparatus main body 900, the pressure feeding drive unit 9A and the middle plate lifter 9B are connected, so that the middle plate 7 is moved up and down by the pressure feeding drive unit 9A. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 10 in a state where the intermediate plate 7 is moved to the lowered position along the line V-V in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a cross-section along the line VI-VI in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the cassette 10 in the state which the board 7 has moved to the falling position.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, pinion gear shafts 31, 32 that rotatably support the pinion gears 21, 22 are provided upright on the bottom surface 10 a of the cassette body 10 </ b> A. The pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are formed integrally with the cassette body 10A. That is, the lower ends 31a and 32a that are the bases of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fixed to the cassette body 10A.

  By the way, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are not fixed to the cassette body 10A. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to reinforce the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32, when the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowered position, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted as fitting portions. Joint holes 71 b and 72 b are formed in the intermediate plate 7.

  More specifically, the intermediate plate 7 is formed with recesses 71a and 72a that face the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 and project to the pinion gear shaft side when the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowered position. And the fitting holes 71b and 72b mentioned above are formed in the recessed parts 71a and 72a.

  By forming the fitting holes 71b and 72b in the recesses 71a and 72a formed in the middle plate 7 in this way, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted when the middle plate 7 moves to the lowered position. It fits in the joint holes 71b and 72b. Thereby, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are held in the fitting holes 71b and 72b. That is, both ends of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fixed.

  Here, the intermediate plate 7 is held in the lowered position until the cassette 10 is mounted on the apparatus main body 900 and the pressure feeding unit 9A and the intermediate plate lifter 9B are connected. Therefore, when the cassette 10 is mounted on the apparatus main body 900, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted in the fitting holes 71b and 72b. Therefore, even if the sheet bundle stored in the cassette 10 collides with the wall portion 6b of the side end regulating member 6 on the back side, the force due to the impact can be received at the upper and lower ends of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent stress from concentrating on the lower ends 31a and 32a that are the root portions of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32, and to prevent breakage of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32.

  Further, by forming the fitting holes 71b and 72b in the recesses 71a and 72a formed in the intermediate plate 7, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 do not protrude upward from the sheet stacking surface 7a of the intermediate plate 7. Can be. Accordingly, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 do not push up the sheet on the intermediate plate 7, so that the sheet storage property is not deteriorated.

  7 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 10 in a state where the intermediate plate 7 shown in FIG. 5 is moved to the raised position, and FIG. 8 is a state in which the intermediate plate 7 shown in FIG. 6 is moved to the raised position. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 10. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the middle plate 7 is moved to the raised position, the upper ends 31 b and 32 b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted into fitting holes 71 b and 72 b formed in the middle plate 7. It is off.

  By the way, the fitting holes 71b and 72b are burring holes formed by burring. When the intermediate plate 7 is moved from the raised position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to the lowered position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted into the fitting holes 71b and 72b. Guided smoothly. Since the fitting holes 71b and 72b are burring holes, the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are firmly held. The upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are chamfered so that they are smoothly guided to the fitting holes 71b and 72b.

  Further, the cassette body 10A is provided with a stopper groove 33 protruding as a locked portion on the bottom surface 10a. Further, the intermediate plate 7 is engaged with the stopper groove 33 when the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowered position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the intermediate plate 7 moves in the width direction (arrows A and B directions). A stopper 73 is formed as a locking portion for restricting. Thereby, when the intermediate plate 7 moves to the lowered position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the movement in the width direction of the intermediate plate 7 in which the fitting holes 71b and 72b are formed is restricted. The pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 can be effectively fixed, and breakage can be prevented. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the stopper groove 33 is provided with a chamfered portion 33a, and the stopper 73 is smoothly guided when the intermediate plate 7 is lowered to the lowered position.

  As described above, since the upper ends 31b and 32b of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 are fitted in the fitting holes 71b and 72b even if the cassette 10 is mounted on the apparatus main body 900 vigorously, the pinion gear is used. The shafts 31 and 32 are held in a state where both ends are supported (both ends are supported). Therefore, stress is not concentrated on the lower ends 31a and 32a which are the roots of the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32, and the pinion gear shafts 31 and 32 can be prevented from being broken.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the cassette 10 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 900, the pressurization sheet feeding drive unit 9A of the lifter mechanism 9 and the intermediate plate lifter 9B are disconnected, so that the intermediate plate 7 is lowered. Although described, the present invention is not limited to this. Although illustration is omitted, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the intermediate plate is biased by a spring. In this case, the middle plate may be locked against the urging force of the spring by a lock member that locks the middle plate in the lowered position when the cassette is pulled out. Then, when the mounting of the cassette is completed, the lock by the lock member may be released. This also has the effect of preventing the pinion gear shaft from being broken, as in the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the side end regulating member 5 on the near side is locked to the cassette body 10A has been described. However, the present invention also applies to the case where the side end regulating member 6 on the back side is locked to the cassette body 10A. Applicable.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where a fitting part was a hole, it is not limited to this, The fitting part may be a hole, The shape which the upper end of a pinion gear shaft fits What is necessary is just to be formed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where there are two pinion gears and two pinion gear shafts has been described. However, the number of pinion gears and pinion gear shafts is not limited to this, and is one or three or more. Also good.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of schematic structure of a cassette. It is a fragmentary top view which shows the principal part of the cassette shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary top view which shows the principal part which abbreviate | omitted the intermediate plate of the cassette shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette along the line VV in FIG. 3 in a state where the intermediate plate is moved to the lowered position. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3 in a state where the intermediate plate is moved to the lowered position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette in a state where the intermediate plate shown in FIG. 5 is moved to the raised position. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette in a state where the intermediate plate shown in FIG. 6 is moved to the raised position.

5, 6 Side end regulating member 7 Middle plate 10 Cassette 10A Cassette body 10a Bottom surface 16 Sheet feeding portions 21, 22 Pinion gears 31, 32 Pinion gear shafts 31b, 32b Upper end 33 Stopper groove (locked portion)
51a, 61a, 51b, 61b Rack 71a, 72a Recessed portion 71b, 72b Fitting portion, fitting hole 73 Stopper (locking portion)
900 apparatus main body 901 image forming unit 1000 image forming apparatus 1001 sheet feeding apparatus

Claims (5)

In a sheet feeding apparatus comprising a cassette having a cassette body that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus body and that stores sheets, and a sheet feeding unit that feeds sheets stored in the cassette,
The cassette is
An intermediate plate which is provided in the cassette body so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and moves to a lowered position as the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus body;
A pair of side end regulating members which are provided in the cassette body and regulate side end portions in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction of the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate, and are movable in the width direction;
A rack provided on each of the pair of side end regulating members;
A pinion gear that meshes with the rack and moves the pair of side end regulating members in conjunction with each other;
A pinion gear shaft that is erected on the bottom surface of the cassette body and rotatably supports the pinion gear;
The middle plate is formed with a fitting portion into which the upper end of the pinion gear shaft fits when the middle plate moves to the lowered position.
A sheet feeding apparatus characterized by that. The intermediate plate is formed with a recess protruding toward the pinion gear shaft side,
The fitting portion is a fitting hole formed in the concave portion.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1. The fitting hole is a burring hole formed by burring.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus is a sheet feeding apparatus. The cassette body is formed with a locked portion,
The intermediate plate is formed with a locking portion that locks with the locked portion when the intermediate plate moves to the lowered position and restricts the movement of the intermediate plate in the width direction.
The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet feeding device is provided. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device.

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