JP2010189176A - Sheet storage device, sheet carrying device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet storage device capable of setting optimum elastic pressure on various sheets and superior in skew correcting function. <P>SOLUTION: In the upper part of a side fence 2 at the side of a bunch of sheets in a feed tray, a pressure-welded part 10 is formed which has a degree of freedom in the vertical direction for elastically abutting on the stacked sheets. The elasticity of the pressure-welded part 10 is developed when an elastic member 11 is held between the lower side of a pressing part 12 and the side fence 2. A position of fixing (seating) the elastic member 11 is changed by a dial gage 13 to freely set the thrust of the pressure-welded part 10. The pressing part 12 presses upper edges of the bunch of sheets stacked on a bottom plate 1. Even if a clearance is formed between the side fence 2 and the bunch of sheets during setting the bunch of sheets, the pressure-welded part 10 is only pressed against the bunch of sheets downward to keep the pressure of the pressing part 12 on the sheets constant. The upper face of the pressing part 12 has an inclined surface gradually lowering toward the center side of the feed tray to avoid a trouble in setting the sheets. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet storage device, a sheet conveying device, and a sheet storage device that can be used in any one of a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a printing machine, or an inkjet recording apparatus, or an image forming apparatus of a composite machine that combines at least two functions thereof. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including the sheet storage device and the sheet conveying device.

  In a sheet feeding device, for example, a paper feeding device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, the position of the paper is regulated in the paper width direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, by a side fence, thereby preventing lateral resist misalignment and The skew is suppressed.

  Specifically, it is realized by preventing the sheet edge from hitting the inner side surface of the side fence and shifting the sheet laterally any further. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sheet feeding unit which is an example of a conventional sheet feeding apparatus. A pair of side fences 2, 2 are installed on the bottom plate 1, and the paper P is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 3 and fed.

  The side fence 2 is movable in a paper width direction (indicated by an arrow X in the figure) perpendicular to the paper passing direction within the range of grooves 4 and 4 provided in the bottom plate 1.

  FIG. 2 is a rear view of the paper feeding unit shown in FIG. A bundle of sheets P is set on the bottom plate 1 by regulating the width direction with a side fence 2, and the uppermost sheet is fed by a sheet feeding roller 3.

  With this mechanism, the paper P is fed with some skew. As a countermeasure, a mechanism is used that creates elasticity that fills the gap between the bundle of sheets P and the side fence 2 by using the side fence 2 as a skew correction member 2a that elastically contacts the sheet.

  However, if the elastic force created as described above is weak, the skew correction capability is reduced, while if it is too strong, the paper P may bend and cause wrinkles. On the other hand, the pressure required for skew correction of paper P differs depending on the type of paper P such as thin paper and thick paper and other factors, so it is difficult to design an optimal elastic pressure corresponding to all of the various paper types in recent years. It was thought to be.

  The present invention pays attention to the above-described conventional problems, has a side fence that can set an optimal elastic pressure for various papers, and has an excellent skew correction function, a paper storage device, a sheet transport device, and the paper storage device. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus including a sheet conveying device.

  In the paper storage device according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the paper storage device on which the paper is stacked, a side fence that positions the stacked paper in the paper width direction corresponding to the size of the paper, and the stacked paper A sheet feeding unit that feeds the sheet fence to the sheet conveying device, and a pressure contact unit that includes an elastic member separate from the side fence member, and elastically presses the side fence against the recording paper. The skew correction means is configured so that the pressure applied to the side fence can be changed by elasticity.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper storage device of the first aspect, the position where the elastic member contacts the side fence with elasticity can be changed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper storage device of the first aspect, the pressure contact portion and the elastic member are configured as a unit and can be integrally replaced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the paper storage device according to the second or third aspect, the pressing member includes a pressing member that presses an upper surface of an end portion in a direction perpendicular to a paper feeding direction from the paper feeding unit. The pressing member has an inclined portion on the upper surface.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a sheet conveying apparatus includes the paper storage device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes the paper storage device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect uses the sheet conveying apparatus according to the fifth aspect.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus is any one of a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, a printing machine, an ink jet recording apparatus, or at least one of them. It is a multifunction device that combines two functions.

  According to the present invention, an optimal elastic pressure can be set for various types of paper, and the skew correction function is excellent.

Schematic diagram of the configuration of the paper feeder Rear view Schematic diagram of image forming apparatus Schematic which shows the structure of the side fence in the paper feed tray of Example 1. FIG. Schematic which shows the structure of the side fence in the paper feed tray of Example 1. FIG. The perspective view of an example of the dial gauge which can be used in Example 1 Schematic showing Example 2 of the present invention Schematic exploded view showing Example 2 of the present invention

  The present invention provides a paper storage device on which paper is stacked, a side fence that positions recording paper in the paper storage device in the paper width direction corresponding to the size, and feeds the stacked paper to a sheet conveying device. A paper feed unit is provided. A pressure contact portion that elastically presses the side fence against the recording paper is provided. The pressure contact portion is formed separately from the side fence member and is formed of an elastic member. The pressure contact portion can be changed in pressure, and the pressure of the pressure contact portion of the side fence can be changed. By adjusting to the elastic pressure of the part, it is possible to realize the optimal elastic pressure for each paper type, and to achieve the optimal skew correction performance, and to bend due to excessive elastic pressure (wrinkles accompanying it) Can be prevented.

  In addition, the present invention can change the contact position of the elastic member in the side fence, and can change the pressure. For example, the position of the spring seat of the side fence or the malt plane attaching part can be changed by a dial gauge or the like. By doing so, it is possible to set a free pressure.

  Further, according to the present invention, the pressure contact portion and the elastic member are configured as an integral unit, so that the replacement is easy. The pressure setting can be freely changed by replacing the unit depending on the paper type, and can be replaced by the user. This makes it possible to configure the optimum elastic pressure for each paper type in the market and improve the maintainability without being serviced.

  In the present invention, the press contact portion has a pressing member that presses the upper surface of the end portion in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, and the pressing member has an inclined portion on the upper surface of the member. There is an existing mechanism for pressing the paper from the top of the side fence perpendicular to the fence surface. For example, in Patent Document 1, a manual sheet feeder is taken as an example.

  However, in the existing system, when the paper is set from directly above like a paper feed tray, the side fence is hindered. A mechanism having an elastic part on the side fence has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707. However, although it has a skew correction effect in the horizontal direction, it has little effect on the upward paper bounce and turn. On the other hand, in the present invention, by having a pressing member in the elastic part of the side fence, it is possible to correct skew from the side and to suppress the paper jumping and turning up, and when setting the paper The presser member can escape the paper by elasticity. In addition, in the fixed-type pressing portion, the hanging width for pressing the paper varies depending on the position of the side fence, but the hanging width can be made constant by being pressed by the elastic portion.

  In addition, because the upper part has an inclination, the pressing member can easily escape the paper when setting paper, so the paper can be set without moving the side fence while realizing the pressing function. It is said.

  Further, in the present invention, the press contact portion has a pressing member that presses the upper surface of the end portion in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, the pressing member has a sloped portion on the upper surface of the member, and further, the skew correction means includes By using the sheet conveying apparatus, it is possible to realize an image forming apparatus having a sheet feeding unit having an optimal skew suppression effect for various types of paper. In addition, it is possible to realize an image forming apparatus having a paper feed unit having an optimal skew suppression effect for various paper types.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below. The present invention is not limited to the illustrated image forming apparatus, and can be applied to various apparatuses that perform image formation. In the following description, parts common to those in the conventional example are denoted by common reference numerals.

    FIG. 3 is an overall schematic diagram of a copying machine that is an example of an image forming apparatus that is an object of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 110 is an image forming unit, 120 is a scanner unit, 130 is a transfer paper S (in this specification, transfer paper is not only paper but also OHP paper, etc.). A sheet feeding unit for storing and feeding out a transfer sheet, 140 is a pressure plate (or a document feeder), and 150 is a contact glass. The paper feed unit 130 includes a pair of paper feed trays 160 and 160 and a manual feed tray 170. In the figure, reference numeral 180 denotes a paper discharge unit. In the figure, reference numeral 200 denotes a photoconductor unit including a photoconductive drum as a toner image carrier, around which a developing device 210, an optical unit 220, a transfer conveyance belt 230, a registration roller pair 240, a heat fixing device 250, a double-sided image. A reversing conveyance unit 260 and the like for forming are arranged. Since the configuration and operation of these copying machines are well known, description thereof will be omitted.

  Note that the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is a monochrome copying machine that reads an image from the original surface of a document and forms a copy image on various types of paper. As described above, the present invention is of the type shown in the figure. The image forming apparatus is not limited.

  A paper feed tray 160 is installed in the paper feed unit 130 as a paper storage device on which the paper P is stacked. The side fences 2 and 2 position the paper P in the paper feed tray 160 in the paper width direction according to the size. And a sheet feeding / separating device (hereinafter simply referred to as a sheet feeding roller 3 corresponding to the conventional example) for separating and feeding the stacked sheets P one by one to the sheet conveying device.

  Note that all of the embodiments described below have this configuration, and the feature of each embodiment lies in the configuration of the side fence portion. Therefore, only different points will be described below for each embodiment.

  4 and 5 are schematic views showing the configuration of the side fences 2 and 2 in the paper feed tray 160 installed in the image forming apparatus described above. In the example shown in the figure, the upper portion of the side fence 2 on the bundle side of the sheets P includes pressure contact portions 10 and 10 that have a degree of freedom in the vertical direction and abut against the sheets P that are elastically stacked. The material of the member constituting the press contact portion 10 may be a material that can be produced at low cost, such as a mold member. Further, the elasticity of the pressure contact portion 10 is such that a compression spring, a leaf spring, maltoprene or the like elastic member 11 disposed inside the hollow is sandwiched between the side fence 2 and the side fence 2 below the pressing portion 12. It is demonstrated by pressing against.

  The position (seat) 11a where the elastic member 11 pressing the pressure contact portion 10 is fixed to the side fence 2 can be changed by a dial gauge 13 provided on the side fence 2. Specifically, the fixing position of the elastic member 11 is configured to be freely movable in the direction in which elasticity is exerted (in the drawing, the left-right direction in the figure), and a dial gauge 13 having a thickness different depending on the rotation direction is disposed on the back side of the fixing position. By rotating the gauge 13, the position of the seat 11a of the elastic member 11 can be freely moved, and the pressing force of the pressure contact portion 10 can be freely set. Note that the change in the thickness of the dial gauge 13 is not only linearly different as shown in FIG. 6 so that the position of the seat 11a of the elastic member 11 can be freely changed, but also by changing in stages. It may be possible to switch to an elastic pressure optimally set for each species, and an appropriate one can be selected.

  The bottom plate 1 extends in a direction perpendicular to the sheet passing direction (in the example shown in the figure, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) (in the example shown in the figure, in the left-right direction, ie, the paper width direction). A pressing portion 12 is provided for pressing the upper edge of the bundle of sheets P stacked thereon. By providing the pressing portion 12 to the elastically movable pressure contact portion 10, the pressing portion 12 is also elastically movable with respect to the bundle of sheets P, and between the side fence 2 and the bundle of sheets P when the bundle of sheets P is set. Even if there is a gap, only the pressure contact portion 10 is pressed against the bundle of paper P from above, and the amount x of the pressing portion 12 applied to the paper P can be made constant.

  The upper portion of the pressing portion 12 has an inclined surface that descends from the side fence 2 toward the center side of the paper feed tray 160 that is a paper stacking portion. When the bundle of sheets P is set, the press contact part 10 can easily escape the sheets P, and the pressing function can be realized without impairing the usability of the setability of the sheets P.

  7 and 8 are schematic views showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The sheet feeding unit according to the present exemplary embodiment includes the press contact portion 10 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment on the side fence 2, but the press contact portion 10 is separate from the side fence 2. The material may be a material that can be produced at low cost such as a mold member. The elastic member 11 such as a compression spring, a leaf spring, or maltoprene is sandwiched between the side fence 2 below the pressing portion 12 so that a pressing force is exerted on the paper from the side fence 2. This is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the pressure contact portion 10 of this embodiment can be easily detached from the side fence 1. The fixing to the side fence 2 can be performed either by hooking by the elastic force of resin or by fixing with screws 14 as shown. By changing the elastic member 11 according to the type of paper P to be stacked, the elastic pressure that can be applied to the bundle of paper P can be changed.

  In this embodiment, unlike the previous embodiment, a dial gauge is not provided. Therefore, the range in which the pressing portion 12 can move by the elastic force of the elastic member 11 or against the elastic force is wide. Even if there is a gap between the side fence 2 and the bundle of sheets P when the bundle is set, the pressure contact portion 10 can apply pressure by contacting at least the side surface of the bundle of sheets P, and the amount x of the pressing portion 12 is applied. Is constant.

In this embodiment, since the elastic force exerted by the elastic member 11 is not variable, the pressing portion 12 is provided so as to press the upper surface of the bundle of sheets P. By providing a presser member in the elastically movable pressure contact part, the presser member is also elastically movable with respect to the paper, and even if there is a gap between the side fence and the paper during setting, only the pressure contact part is in pressure contact with the paper. In addition, the amount of engagement of the presser portion can be constant.
In addition, the upper portion of the pressing member has an inclination in a direction descending from the side fence to the sheet stacking portion. Thereby, when the paper is set from the upper side, the press contact portion easily escapes the paper, and the press function can be realized without impairing the usability of the paper setting property.

  Although illustration is omitted, it is possible to improve maintainability by configuring the elastic member 11 and the pressure contact portion 10 integrally and making the pressure contact portion 10 replaceable.

1: Bottom plate 2: Side fence 2a: Skew correction member 3: Paper feed roller 4: Groove 10: Press contact portion 11: Elastic member 11a: Elastic member fixing position (seat)
12: Pressing part 13: Dial gauge 14: Screw 110: Image forming part 120: Scanner part 130: Paper feeding part 140: Pressure plate (or document feeder)
150: contact glass 160: paper feed tray 170: manual feed tray 200: photoconductor unit 210: developing device 220: optical unit 230: transfer conveyance belt 240: registration roller pair 250: thermal fixing device 260: reverse conveyance unit P: paper x ： Amount of presser foot on the paper

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-312872 JP-A-5-69973 JP 2008-030902 A

Claims (8)

In a paper storage device on which paper is loaded,
A side fence that positions the loaded paper in the paper width direction according to its size;
A paper feeding unit for feeding the stacked paper to the sheet conveying device;
An elastic member separate from the side fence member, and a pressure contact portion that elastically presses the side fence against the recording paper,
A sheet storage device comprising a skew correction unit configured to be able to change a pressure applied to the side fence by the elasticity of the elastic member. The paper storage device according to claim 1.
The paper storage device, wherein a position where the elastic member contacts the side fence with elasticity can be changed. The paper storage device according to claim 1.
The pressure contact portion and the elastic member are configured as a unit,
A sheet storage device that can be integrally replaced. The paper storage device according to claim 2 or 3,
A pressing member that presses the upper surface of the end of the pressure contact portion in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction from the paper feeding unit;
The sheet storage device, wherein the pressing member has an inclined portion on an upper surface. A sheet conveying device comprising the sheet storage device according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus comprising the paper storage device according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 5. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is any one of a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a printing machine, an ink jet recording apparatus, or a combined machine combining at least two functions thereof. An image forming apparatus.