JP2011063348A - Medium stocker, paper feeder and attitude control method of recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To horizontally maintain an attitude of the laminated-arranged uppermost recording medium even if using the recording medium having an RFID medium in a position deviated from the center. <P>SOLUTION: When laminating and holding the plurality of recording media 11 by a freely-liftable paper feeding tray 103, a bottom plate 113 for placing and supporting the recording medium 11 in the paper feeding tray 103 is formed, for example, as a seesaw, and its both sides are energized upward by a coil spring 116 so that an inclination to a horizontal plane of the uppermost recording medium 11 inclining by a thickness of the RFID medium may approach a 0-degree, thus controlling an angle of the bottom plate 113 for placing the recording medium 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium stocker that is provided integrally or separately with an image forming apparatus, and that stacks and holds recording media to be fed to a sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus, a sheet feeding apparatus using the medium stocker, and a medium The present invention relates to a recording medium orientation control method for controlling the orientation of recording media stacked and held in a stocker or a paper feeder.

  In this type of medium stocker, a large capacity recording medium is brought into contact with a pickup roller by vertically raising and lowering a paper feed table. For this reason, unlike a method of rotating a paper feed table and pressing a recording medium against a pickup roller as described in Patent Document 1, for example, an enormous quantity exceeding several hundred, for example, 400 sheets A large number of recording media can be stocked.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a recording medium embedded with an RFID medium capable of communication by RFID, for example, a label sheet, has been developed and put into practical use. Among such recording media, there is one in which an RFID medium is embedded while being biased from a central portion between an upstream end and a downstream end in the transport direction. FIG. 9 shows an example of such a recording medium 11 in which an RFID medium 12 is embedded in the recording medium 11. Although not shown in FIG. 9, the RFID medium 12 includes an IC chip that performs communication by RFID and an antenna connected to the IC chip. Such an RFID medium 12 is arranged so as to be biased from the central portion C of the upstream end portion 11U and the downstream end portion 11D in the transport direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 9 to the downstream end portion 11D.

JP-A-2005-330027

  The thickness of the RFID medium in the recording medium with the RFID medium is not so large when viewed on one recording medium. For example, it is about 0.1 mm. However, when a recording medium in which the RFID medium as described above is biased is set in the medium stocker, the thickness of the RFID medium is stacked, and the recording medium is inclined so that the RFID medium is higher. An example is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral A denotes a sheet feed table that can be raised and lowered, and reference numeral 11 denotes a recording medium. The paper feed table A is lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism E and pressed against the pickup roller PU. The pickup roller PU picks up and conveys the uppermost recording medium 11, and the separation mechanism S separates only the uppermost recording medium 11 from the lower recording medium 11 brought along with the pickup roller PU.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which the recording medium 11 (see FIG. 9) having the RFID medium 12 at the downstream end 11D in the transport direction is placed on the paper feed table A. As shown in FIG. 10, when such a recording medium 11 is placed on the paper feed table A, the recording medium 11 is inclined so that the downstream side in the transport direction becomes higher.

  On the other hand, in the technical field of medium stockers, it is common knowledge that the attitude of the uppermost recording medium at the pickup position of the pickup roller is most preferably horizontal. This is because, as illustrated in FIG. 10, when the uppermost recording medium 11 is inclined, the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium 11 by the pickup roller PU is also inclined in accordance with the inclination. This is because a conveyance failure may occur due to a separation failure in the case. As a separation defect in the separation mechanism S, for example, the uppermost recording medium 11 cannot be correctly separated, or depending on the structure of the separation mechanism S, a skew may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. For example, when a recording medium having an RFID medium is used at a position deviated from the center, the medium has different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction. Even in the case of using, the posture of the uppermost recording medium arranged in a stacked manner can be maintained horizontally.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a paper feed base that supports a plurality of recording media in a stacked state, an elevating mechanism that lifts and lowers the paper feed base, and a downstream side with respect to an upstream end portion in the transport direction of the paper feed base. A bottom plate that is attached to the paper feed base and supports the recording medium so that the end portion moves up and down relatively, and the surface of the uppermost recording medium is in the up and down direction of the paper feed base. It is related with the medium stocker which makes it possible to adjust the angle of the said baseplate so that it may follow along the orthogonal direction.

  Another aspect of the present invention as viewed from another aspect includes a sheet feeding table that supports a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across a central portion in the transport direction, and the sheet feeding The raising / lowering mechanism for raising / lowering the table, the bottom plate for supporting the recording medium, and the surface of the uppermost recording medium inclined by the difference in thickness are along the direction perpendicular to the raising / lowering direction of the sheet feeding table. The present invention relates to a medium stocker including a control unit that controls an angle of a bottom plate.

  Another aspect of the present invention viewed from another aspect is a paper feed table that supports a plurality of recording media in a stacked state, a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the paper feed table, a bottom plate that supports the recording medium, and The present invention relates to a medium stocker comprising a pair of urging members that elastically support the bottom plate on the upstream side and the downstream side in the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium with the central portion of the bottom plate in between.

  Another aspect of the present invention viewed from another aspect is that a plurality of recording media provided with an RFID medium are biased from a central portion between an upstream end and a downstream end in the transport direction in a stacked state. A supporting plate, a lifting mechanism for moving the feeding plate up and down, and a bottom plate mounted on the feeding table so as to be rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium and for supporting the recording medium And a control unit that controls the rotation angle of the bottom plate so that the inclination angle of the uppermost recording medium inclined with respect to the thickness of the RFID medium is close to 0 degrees.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a sheet feeding stand that supports a plurality of recording media that are different in thickness on the upstream side and downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction and that are thicker and heavier in a stacked state. An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the paper feed table, and an elastic member which is bent and formed in a U-shape and the lower piece is fixed to the paper feed table, and the upper piece serves as a bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported The present invention relates to a medium stocker comprising: a bending member that arranges a free end side where the bottom plate bends on a side where a lamination thickness is increased in a recording medium that is formed and placed on the bottom plate.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a medium stocker in which a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses are stacked on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction, and held by a sheet feed table that can be raised and lowered. And a medium stocker in which the surface of the uppermost recording medium which is inclined due to the difference is along a direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the medium stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feeding table are picked up toward the sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device including a pickup roller for conveyance.

  Another aspect of the present invention relates to a sheet feeding table that supports a plurality of recording media in a stacked state, an elevating mechanism that moves the sheet feeding table up and down, and an upstream end in the transport direction of the sheet feeding table. An image forming apparatus includes a bottom plate that is attached to the paper feed base and supports the recording medium so that the downstream end moves relatively up and down, and an uppermost recording medium placed on the paper feed base. And a pickup roller that picks up and conveys in a predetermined conveyance direction toward the sheet feeding port, and relates to a sheet feeding device capable of adjusting the angle of the bottom plate so that the uppermost recording medium is along the predetermined conveyance direction. .

  Another aspect of the present invention is a sheet feeding table that supports a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across a central portion in the transport direction, and lifts the sheet feeding table. An elevating mechanism, a bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported, and a pickup roller for picking up and conveying the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feeding base in a predetermined conveying direction toward the sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus; And a control unit that controls the angle of the bottom plate so that the uppermost recording medium that is inclined due to the difference in thickness follows the predetermined transport direction.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a step of stacking a plurality of recording media and supporting them by a vertically movable sheet feeding table, and a surface of the uppermost recording medium are orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the sheet feeding table. And adjusting the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so as to follow the direction.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a process of stacking a plurality of recording media and supporting them by a sheet feed table that can be moved up and down, and supplying the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feed table to an image forming apparatus. The step of picking up and conveying in a predetermined conveying direction toward the paper mouth, and adjusting the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so that the uppermost recording medium is along the predetermined conveying direction. And a method for controlling the attitude of the recording medium.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses are stacked on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction, and are supported on a bottom plate provided on a vertically movable sheet feeding table. The angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium inclined due to the difference in thickness is along the direction perpendicular to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table And a method for controlling the attitude of the recording medium.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses are stacked on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction, and are supported on a bottom plate provided on a vertically movable sheet feeding table. A step, a step of picking up and transporting the uppermost recording medium placed on the paper feed table in a predetermined transporting direction toward the paper feed port of the image forming apparatus, and an uppermost recording medium inclined by a difference in thickness And controlling the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so as to be along the predetermined transport direction.

  According to the present invention, the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table can be adjusted. Therefore, even when media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction are used, the layers are arranged in layers. The posture of the uppermost recording medium can be kept horizontal, and therefore, the conveyance failure of the recording medium can be prevented.

It is the whole front view which shows one Embodiment. It is a side view of a sheet feed stand and its raising / lowering mechanism. It is a front view of a paper feed stand and its raising / lowering mechanism. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the axis | shaft used as the rocking | swiveling center of the baseplate of a paper feed stand. In order to explain the role and optimum restoring force of the coil spring constituting the control unit, (a) is a state where the control unit is not provided, (b) is a state where the restoring force of the coil spring is optimum, and (c) is a coil. (D) is a schematic diagram showing a state where the restoring force of the spring is too strong, and FIG. It is a front view which shows another embodiment of a paper feed stand. It is a front view which shows another one Embodiment of a paper feed stand. It is a perspective view of a paper feed stand. It is a top view which shows an example of the recording medium with an RFID medium which is the feeding object by the paper feeder of this Embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the conventional paper feeder.

  An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is an overall front view. The sheet feeding device 31 according to the present embodiment is configured by adding a pickup roller 41 and a separation mechanism 51 to a medium stocker 101. Such a sheet feeding device 31 stocks the recording medium 11 shown in FIG. 9 in the medium stocker 101 as an example. Then, among the recording media 11 stocked in the medium stocker 101, the uppermost recording medium 11 is picked up and conveyed by the pickup roller 41, and the uppermost recording medium 11 is separated from the other recording media 11 by the separation mechanism 51. Paper is fed to a paper feed port (not shown) of the forming apparatus.

  The separation mechanism 51 includes a conveyance roller 52 positioned above and a separation roller 53 positioned below via the feeding path SP of the recording medium 11. The conveyance roller 52 rotates when the pickup roller 41 starts rotating to pick up and convey the recording medium 11, and applies a conveyance force to the recording medium 11 picked up and conveyed by the pickup roller 41. The separation roller 53 is rotated when the conveyance roller 52 starts rotating, and stops rotating when the recording medium 11 picked up and conveyed by the pickup roller 41 reaches a position immediately before the separation mechanism 51. At this time, not only the uppermost recording medium 11 but also the recording medium 11 positioned below the uppermost recording medium 11 is frictionally conveyed by the pickup conveyance by the pickup roller 41 and sent to the separation mechanism 51. On the other hand, since the separation roller 53 stops rotating immediately before the recording medium 11 reaches the separation mechanism 51, the recording medium 11 located below the uppermost recording medium 11 hits the separation roller 53, and I can be dammed up. Then, only the uppermost recording medium 11 is separated from the other recording medium 11, conveyed to the conveyance roller 52, and conveyed to a paper feed port (not shown) of the image forming apparatus. The conveying force that the uppermost recording medium 11 receives by the rotation of the conveying roller 52 is superior to the frictional force between the uppermost recording medium 11 and the recording medium 11 that is positioned immediately below the dammed recording medium 11. Because. Thus, a plurality of recording media 11 picked up and conveyed by the pickup roller 41 are rolled by the separation mechanism 51, and only the uppermost recording medium 11 is separated and fed.

  Here, the rotation of the separation roller 53 is stopped by a one-way clutch (not shown). Further, as an example, the fact that the recording medium 11 has reached the position immediately before the separation mechanism 51 is determined using a sensing value of a sensor (not shown) disposed between the pickup roller 41 and the separation mechanism 51.

  The separation mechanism 51 does not necessarily have to be of the above-described type, and may be, for example, a reverse roller type.

  Next, the medium stocker 101 will be described. In the medium stocker 101, a sheet feed table 103 is attached to a single substrate 102 formed of sheet metal so as to be movable up and down. It is the lifting mechanism 104 that allows the sheet feed table 103 to be raised and lowered. Therefore, after describing the lifting mechanism 104, the sheet feed table 103 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the paper feed tray 103 and its lifting mechanism 104. FIG. 3 is a front view of the sheet feed table 103 and its lifting mechanism 104. The elevating mechanism 104 includes a pair of elevating rollers 105 that are attached to the lower part of the paper feed table 103 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis, and a pair of back surface elevators located on the opposite side of the paper feed table 103 with the substrate 102 interposed therebetween. And a roller 106. Each of these back surface raising / lowering rollers 106 is attached to a single roller holder 107 made of sheet metal so as to be rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis. The substrate 102 is formed with three elongated elongated hole-shaped connecting holes 108 extending in the vertical direction, and the sheet feed table 103 and the roller holder 107 are connected and fixed through these connecting holes 108. Yes. Accordingly, the sheet feed table 103 is supported by the pair of lift rollers 105 located on the front surface side of the substrate 102 and the pair of back surface lift rollers 106 located on the back surface side, and can be raised and lowered along the substrate 102. Of these, when viewed as a support fulcrum for supporting the sheet feed table 103, the portion where the pair of lift rollers 105 contacts the substrate 102 is the support fulcrum located at the lowest position, and the portion where the pair of back surface lift rollers 106 contact the substrate 102 is This is the support fulcrum located at the top.

  The elevating mechanism 104 has a pair of belt winding mechanisms 109 positioned on both sides of the substrate 102. These belt wrapping mechanisms 109 are configured such that an endless belt 111 is stretched between a pair of upper and lower pulleys 110. A pulley 110 located below rotates by receiving power from a drive source (not shown). To rotate the endless belt 111. Therefore, the elevating mechanism 104 transmits the rotation of the endless belt 111 to the roller holder 107 by connecting and fixing the connecting portion 112 provided on the roller holder 107 to each of the pair of endless belts 111. Raise and lower.

  The sheet feed table 103 will be described in detail.

  The paper feed table 103 has a bottom plate 113. The bottom plate 113 is for directly placing and supporting a plurality of recording media 11. The paper feed table 103 holds the bottom plate 113 in a swingable manner. That is, the sheet feed table 103 has a shaft 114 orthogonal to the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium 11 by the pickup roller 41 positioned at the center portion of the bottom plate 113, and the bottom plate 113 is attached to be rotatable about the shaft 114. Thereby, the baseplate 113 becomes rockable.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the shaft 114 serving as the center of swinging of the bottom plate 113 of the sheet feed table 103. Here, the arrangement position of the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is deepened. In the present embodiment, the shaft 114 is disposed at the central portion of the bottom plate 113. The width of the bottom plate 113 and the width of the recording medium 11 are the same as the width of the recording medium 11 in the upstream and downstream directions. Therefore, the position of the shaft 114, which is the center of oscillation of the bottom plate 113, is located at the central portion C of the recording medium 11 (see FIG. 4). What is important in the present embodiment is that the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is positioned at the central portion C in the upstream and downstream direction of the recording medium 11 in the conveyance direction.

  However, the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 does not necessarily have to be positioned at the entire center portion C in the upstream and downstream direction of the recording medium 11. The shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is formed between the RFID medium 12 included in the recording medium 11 placed on the bottom plate 113 and the upstream end 11U or the downstream end 11D in the transport direction of the recording medium 11 in a direction far from the RFID medium 12. What is necessary is just to be arrange | positioned on the vertical surface between. In FIG. 4, the range in which the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is to be disposed is indicated by DR.

  Therefore, in the paper feed table 103, the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned downstream in the transport direction from the central portion of the recording medium 11 (upper state in FIG. 4). The shaft 114 may be disposed on the vertical plane between the RFID medium 12 and the upstream end portion 11U in the transport direction of the recording medium 11 in a direction far from the RFID medium 12. On the other hand, when the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned upstream in the transport direction from the central portion of the recording medium 11 (lower state in FIG. 4), the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 What is necessary is just to be arrange | positioned on the perpendicular | vertical surface between the medium 12 and the conveyance direction downstream edge part 11D of the recording medium 11 of the direction far from this RFID medium 12. FIG.

  The sheet feed table 103 is arranged so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium 12 is along the direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the sheet feed table 103. The control unit 115 controls the rotation angle of the bottom plate 113 so that the inclination angle of the recording medium 11 with respect to the horizontal plane approaches 0 degrees. The control unit 115 is formed by a pair of coil springs 116 as urging members. These coil springs 116 are compression coil springs that store an urging force in a compressed state, and are disposed on both the upstream side and the downstream side of the recording medium 11 placed on the bottom plate 113 with the shaft 114 interposed therebetween, and the bottom plate 113. Are energized upward. These coil springs 116 all have the same number of turns and urging force, and the separation distance from the shaft 114 is also the same. Therefore, the bottom plate 113 is kept horizontal in an empty state where the recording medium 11 is not placed.

  In such a configuration, the medium stocker 101 stocks and stores a large amount of the recording medium 11 and prepares for pickup conveyance by the pickup roller 41. In order to stock the recording medium 11, the recording medium 11 is placed on the bottom plate 113 of the paper feed table 103. In this way, a plurality of recording media 11 provided with the RFID medium 12 are stacked while being deviated from the central portion between the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion in the transport direction, and are held by the sheet feed table 103 that can be raised and lowered. A process is performed.

  FIGS. 5A to 5D are schematic views for explaining the role and optimum biasing force of the coil spring 116 forming the control unit 115. Here, it is assumed that the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned downstream of the central portion C of the recording medium 11 in the transport direction on the paper feed tray 103.

  First, the thickness of the recording medium 11 differs between the side where the RFID medium 12 is provided and the side where the recording medium 11 is not provided across the central portion. For this reason, as the number of stacked recording media 11 increases, the recording medium 11 tilts so that the side on which the RFID medium 12 is provided becomes higher (see FIG. 5A).

  On the other hand, the weight of the recording medium 11 differs by the weight of the RFID medium 12 on the side where the RFID medium 12 is provided and the side where the recording medium 11 is not provided across the central portion. This weight difference increases proportionally as the whole recording medium 11 increases as the number of stacked recording media 11 increases. Therefore, the medium stocker 101 according to the present embodiment uses the weight difference generated between the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction across the central portion C of the recording medium 11 to change the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11. Keep level. That is, in the example shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the RFID medium 12 is positioned on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the central portion C of the recording medium 11. Increases over weight. For this reason, the coil spring 116 arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction is bent, and the coil spring 116 arranged on the weight side in the conveying direction is extended, and the bottom plate 113 is lowered downstream in the conveying direction. Tilt. As a result, the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 is maintained horizontal.

  However, whether or not the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 is maintained horizontally depends on the sum of the restoring force of the compressed coil spring 116 and the restoring force of the extended coil spring 116. If the restoring force of the coil spring 116 is optimally set, the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 can be kept horizontal. On the other hand, if the restoring force of the coil spring 116 is too strong, as shown in FIG. 5C, the tilted state of the recording medium 11 is not completely eliminated, and the uppermost recording medium 11 is still tilted. keep. If the restoring force of the coil spring 116 is too weak, as shown in FIG. 5D, the recording medium 11 is inclined in the opposite direction, and the uppermost recording medium 11 is also inclined in the opposite direction.

Therefore, when selecting the coil spring 116, first, in the recording medium 11,
The difference in thickness between the side where the RFID medium 12 is provided and the side where the RFID medium 12 is not provided. The difference in weight between the side where the RFID medium 12 is provided and the side where the RFID medium 12 is not provided is measured. Then, a coil spring 116 having a spring rate such that the deflection amount of the pair of coil springs 116 when a load corresponding to the measured weight is applied is equal to the measured thickness dimension may be selected. Further, in order to keep the uppermost recording medium 11 in a horizontal position regardless of the number of recording media 11 stacked on the bottom plate 113 of the paper feed tray 103, a progressive rate coil in which the load and the deflection amount change linearly. It is desirable to use a spring 116.

  In addition to this, if the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is positioned at the central portion C in the upstream and downstream direction in the transport direction of the recording medium 11 as in the present embodiment, the central portion of the recording medium 11 in the paper feed table 103 is obtained. Even if the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned downstream in the transport direction from C, the RFID medium 12 is positioned upstream in the transport direction from the central portion C of the recording medium 11. Even if the recording medium 11 is set, the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 can be maintained horizontally under the same conditions in any case.

  Thus, the step of controlling the angle of the bottom plate 113 on which the recording medium 11 is placed and supported on the paper feed table 103 so that the inclination angle of the uppermost recording medium 11 inclined with the thickness of the RFID medium 12 is close to 0 degrees. Is done.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as a result of maintaining the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 in the horizontal direction, the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium 11 by the pickup roller 41 is also maintained in the horizontal direction. Separation feeding by the separation mechanism 51 can be performed correctly. Thereby, the conveyance failure of the recording medium 11 can be prevented.

  Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the paper feed tray 103. The sheet feeding table 103 according to the present embodiment is a medium stocker 101 in which the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned downstream of the central portion C of the recording medium 11 in the conveyance direction. Applies to

  The medium stocker 101 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is provided with a bottom plate 113 in a swingable manner in a paper feed table 103. On the other hand, in the medium stocker 101 of the present embodiment, the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is positioned on the front end side of the paper feed table 103, and the bottom plate 113 is rotatably provided around the shaft 114. The control unit 115 is positioned at a position for urging the bottom plate 113 upward on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium 11 with respect to the vertical plane passing through the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113.

  In such a configuration, when the recording medium 11 is stacked on the bottom plate 113 of the paper feed tray 103, the coil spring 116 is bent by the weight of the RFID medium 12. Thereby, the recording medium 11 is prevented from being inclined so as to become higher on the downstream side in the transport direction due to the thickness of the RFID medium 12. As a result, the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 can be kept horizontal.

  Here, for the medium stocker 101 of the type in which the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned upstream of the central portion C of the recording medium 11 in the transport direction, the shaft 114 and the coil spring 116 of the bottom plate 113 are used. Can be dealt with by changing the position in the upstream and downstream direction of the recording medium 11 in the transport direction.

  Further, the shaft 114 of the bottom plate 113 is formed between an RFID medium 12 included in the recording medium 11 placed on the bottom plate 113 and an upstream end or a downstream end of the recording medium 11 in a direction far from the RFID medium 12 in the transport direction. What is necessary is just to be arrange | positioned on the vertical surface between.

  Yet another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a front view showing still another embodiment of the paper feed tray 103. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 103. Similarly to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 6, the RFID medium 12 of the present embodiment is positioned on the downstream side in the transport direction from the central portion C of the recording medium 11. Thus, the present invention is applied to the medium stocker 101 of the type in which the recording medium 11 is set.

  In the present embodiment, instead of the bottom plate 113 and the coil spring 116, a bending member 121 is provided on the paper feed table 103. The bending member 121 is an elastic member that is bent and formed into a U shape, the lower piece is fixed to the paper feed table, and the upper piece serves as the bottom plate 113 on which the recording medium 11 is placed and supported. The bending member 121 has the free end FE where the bottom plate 113 bends beside the recording medium 11 placed on the bottom plate 113, on the side where the thickness of the laminated layer is increased by the RFID medium 12. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the free end FE of the bottom plate 113 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium 11.

  In such a configuration, when the recording medium 11 is stacked on the bottom plate 113 of the paper feed tray 103, the bending member 121 is bent by the weight of the RFID medium 12. Thereby, the recording medium 11 is prevented from being inclined so as to become higher on the downstream side in the transport direction due to the thickness of the RFID medium 12. As a result, the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 can be kept horizontal.

  Here, with respect to the medium stocker 101 of the type in which the recording medium 11 is set so that the RFID medium 12 is positioned upstream of the central portion C of the recording medium 11 in the transport direction, the recording medium 11 is transported in the upstream and downstream directions. This can be dealt with by reversing the direction of the bending member 121 in FIG.

  The control unit 115 may control the swing angle of the bottom plate 113 by driving an actuator (not shown). That is, the actuator is driven and controlled so that the posture of the uppermost recording medium 11 is kept horizontal, and thereby the swing angle of the bottom plate 113 is controlled.

  In the present embodiment, the recording medium 11 stocked by the medium stocker 101 is a recording medium 11 provided with the RFID medium 12 so as to be biased from the central portion between the upstream end and the downstream end in the transport direction. Introduced. On the other hand, the recording medium 11 does not necessarily have the RFID medium 12, and the recording medium 11 has a different thickness on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction, and the heavier the recording, the heavier the recording. If it is the medium 11, the said effect which the medium stocker 101 of this Embodiment has is show | played.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the structure in which the bottom plate 113 rotates about the position-immovable shaft 114 has been introduced. In contrast, the bottom plate 113 does not necessarily require the physical shaft 114 at the center of rotation. That is, the bottom plate 113 may swing around a virtual axis. In addition, the axis in this case does not necessarily need to be stationary, and may be a virtual axis whose position is shifted as the bottom plate 113 swings as an example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Recording medium 12 RFID medium 41 Pickup roller 51 Separation mechanism 101 Medium stocker 103 Paper feed stand 104 Lifting mechanism 113 Bottom plate 114 Shaft 115 Control part 116 Coil spring (biasing member)
121 Bending member C Center part FE Free end

Claims (17)

A paper feed stand for supporting a plurality of recording media in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate that is attached to and supports the recording medium so that the downstream end moves up and down relative to the upstream end in the transport direction of the paper supply;
A medium stocker that adjusts the angle of the bottom plate so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium is along a direction perpendicular to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table. A paper feed table that supports a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate for supporting the recording medium;
A control unit for controlling the angle of the bottom plate so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium inclined by the difference in thickness is along a direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table;
A media stocker comprising: A paper feed stand for supporting a plurality of recording media in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate for supporting the recording medium;
A pair of urging members that elastically support the bottom plate on the upstream side and the downstream side in the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium with the central portion of the bottom plate in between;
A media stocker comprising: A paper feed table that supports a plurality of recording media provided with RFID media in a stacked state by being deviated from a central portion between an upstream end and a downstream end in the transport direction;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate that is rotatably mounted around an axis orthogonal to the pickup conveyance direction of the recording medium on the sheet feeding base and supports the recording medium thereon;
A control unit for controlling the rotation angle of the bottom plate so that the inclination angle of the uppermost recording medium inclined with the thickness of the RFID medium with respect to the horizontal plane approaches 0 degrees;
A media stocker comprising: The shaft of the bottom plate is arranged on a vertical plane between the RFID medium included in the recording medium placed on the bottom plate and the upstream end or the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the recording medium in a direction far from the RFID medium. Has been
The control unit is formed by a biasing member that biases the bottom plate upward on both sides of the upstream side and the downstream side of the recording medium across the shaft.
The medium stocker according to claim 4. The shaft of the bottom plate is disposed on a vertical plane passing through the central portion in the upstream and downstream direction of the recording medium placed on the bottom plate,
The medium stocker according to claim 5. The shaft of the bottom plate is arranged on a vertical plane between the RFID medium included in the recording medium placed on the bottom plate and the upstream end or the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the recording medium in a direction far from the RFID medium. Has been
The control unit includes a biasing member that biases the bottom plate upward on a side where the RFID medium is provided in a recording medium placed on the bottom plate, rather than a vertical plane passing through the axis of the bottom plate. Formed,
The medium stocker according to claim 4. A sheet feeding table that supports a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction and supporting a plurality of recording media that are heavier in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A recording medium which is bent and formed in a U-shape, the lower piece is fixed to the paper feed table, and the upper piece is formed by an elastic member serving as a bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported, and is placed on the bottom plate A bending member that disposes the free end side of the bottom plate to bend on the side where the lamination thickness is increased,
A media stocker comprising: In a medium stocker that stacks a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction and holds them on a sheet feed table that can be raised and lowered,
The surface of the uppermost recording medium inclined due to the difference in thickness is along the direction perpendicular to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table.
A medium stocker characterized by that. A medium stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A pickup roller that picks up and conveys the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feeding table toward the sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus;
A paper feeding device comprising: A paper feed stand for supporting a plurality of recording media in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate that is attached to and supports the recording medium so that the downstream end moves up and down relative to the upstream end in the transport direction of the paper supply;
A pickup roller that picks up and conveys the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feeding table in a predetermined conveying direction toward the sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus;
A sheet feeding device capable of adjusting the angle of the bottom plate so that the uppermost recording medium is along the predetermined conveying direction. A paper feed table that supports a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central portion in the transport direction in a stacked state;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the paper feed table;
A bottom plate for supporting the recording medium;
A pickup roller that picks up and conveys the uppermost recording medium placed on the sheet feeding table in a predetermined conveying direction toward the sheet feeding port of the image forming apparatus;
A control unit for controlling the angle of the bottom plate so that the uppermost recording medium inclined by the difference in thickness follows the predetermined conveying direction;
A paper feeding device comprising:   The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising a separation mechanism that separates only the uppermost recording medium from the recording medium picked up and conveyed by the pickup roller. A process of stacking a plurality of recording media and supporting them by a sheet feed table that can be raised and lowered;
Adjusting the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium is along a direction perpendicular to the elevation direction of the paper feed table;
An attitude control method for a recording medium. A process of stacking a plurality of recording media and supporting them by a sheet feed table that can be raised and lowered;
Picking up and transporting the uppermost recording medium placed on the paper feed base in a predetermined transport direction toward the paper feed port of the image forming apparatus;
Adjusting the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so that the uppermost recording medium is along the predetermined conveying direction;
An attitude control method for a recording medium. A process of stacking a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central part in the transport direction and supporting the recording medium on a bottom plate provided on a vertically movable sheet feeding table;
The angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table is controlled so that the surface of the uppermost recording medium inclined due to the difference in thickness is along a direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the paper feed table. Process,
An attitude control method for a recording medium. A process of stacking a plurality of recording media having different thicknesses on the upstream side and the downstream side across the central part in the transport direction and supporting the recording medium on a bottom plate provided on a vertically movable sheet feeding table;
Picking up and transporting the uppermost recording medium placed on the paper feed base in a predetermined transport direction toward the paper feed port of the image forming apparatus;
Controlling the angle of the bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed and supported on the paper feed table so that the uppermost recording medium inclined due to the difference in thickness is along the predetermined transport direction;
An attitude control method for a recording medium.

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