JP2013043737A - Medium loading device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of a medium loading device provided with a guide member for guiding a loaded medium in a predetermined direction in which a medium being delivered is hardly prevented from skewing.SOLUTION: The device includes a medium loading plate 310 on which a recording sheet is placed, and a sheet guide 520 provided to be movable relative to the medium loading plate. The sheet guide 520 includes a regulation surface 351 for regulating the position of the recording sheet and an extension portion 555, 556 engaged with the medium loading plate 310 to regulate its moving direction. The device has a plurality of such extension portions.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a configuration of a medium loading device including a medium guide to be loaded.

  Conventionally, in this type of medium loading apparatus, two sheet guides are arranged on the left and right sides of the medium in order to regulate the position in the width direction of the sheet perpendicular to the moving direction of the medium to be loaded (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-34525 (page 3, FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional paper guide, the medium to be guided cannot be prevented from being tilted, and the medium may be tilted with respect to the moving direction. The present invention reduces the above problems with a simple configuration.

The medium placing device according to the present invention is:
A medium placing unit for placing a medium, and a first moving unit provided movably with respect to the medium placing unit;
The first moving unit includes a first medium regulating unit that regulates the position of the medium, and a first movement regulating unit that engages with the medium placing unit and regulates the direction of movement. ,
A plurality of the first movement restriction portions are provided.

  According to the present invention, the first moving unit is prevented from being tilted with respect to the transport direction of the medium by the action of the medium to be placed, and the tilt of the medium during transport can be reduced.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment that employs a medium loading device according to the present invention as viewed from the front. In Embodiment 1, it is the block diagram which looked at the manual feed tray from the front (Y-axis plus side). In Embodiment 1, it is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of a medium mounting apparatus. In Embodiment 1, it is the block diagram which looked at the medium mounting apparatus from the lower side. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of the surface (upper surface) of the medium mounting plate of a medium mounting apparatus. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of the back surface (lower surface) of a medium mounting board. 4 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a paper guide shown in FIG. 3 in Embodiment 1. FIG. In Embodiment 1, it is the figure which remove | excluded the medium mounting board from the block diagram of FIG. FIG. 6 is a KK sectional view showing a section at a position passing through the center of the screw shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment. In Embodiment 1, it is dimension explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the paper guide with which the medium mounting plate was mounted | worn, and the pinion gear rotatably fixed to the medium mounting plate. (A) is the elements on larger scale for demonstrating an engagement position in the first embodiment for the example of meshing with a pinion gear and a rack, and (b) is a diagram showing another meshing example. is there. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation of a paper guide of a medium placement device on which a recording paper is placed in the first embodiment. It is the block diagram which looked at the medium mounting apparatus of Embodiment 2 by this invention from the lower side. It is MM sectional drawing which shows the cross section in the position which passes along the center of the screw shown in FIG. 13, and has made the upper side of the medium mounting apparatus face up. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of a paper guide of a medium placement device on which a recording paper is placed in the second embodiment. It is the block diagram which looked at the medium mounting apparatus of Embodiment 3 by this invention from the lower side. In Embodiment 3, it is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of a paper guide. In Embodiment 4, it is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of a paper guide.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment that employs a medium loading device according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

  In FIG. 1, a sheet tray 51 on which recording sheets 52 are stacked is disposed in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1 having a configuration as an electrophotographic printer, and a medium is disposed on the sheet feeding side of the sheet tray 51 as a medium. A sheet feeding section 30 is provided for feeding the recording sheets 52 one by one. The paper feeding unit 30 includes a pickup roller 31 provided so as to be pressed against the recording paper 52 raised to a certain height, a feed roller 32 that separates the recording paper 52 fed by the pickup roller 31 one by one, and a separation piece 33. Is provided.

  The manual feed tray 300 is provided so that the medium placement device 302 for placing the recording paper 370 (FIG. 2) and the contact portion 311 (FIG. 2) of the medium placement plate 310 of the medium placement device 302 are in pressure contact with each other. A pick-up roller 303 and a feed roller 304 and a retard roller 305 are provided to separate the paper fed by the pick-up roller 303 one by one. The recording paper 370 on the medium placement device 302 is fed to the feed roller 304 by the pickup roller 303 being rotated by driving a motor (not shown), and separated one by one by the feed roller 304 and the retard roller 305, and a paper transport unit 40.

  The sheet conveying unit 40 conveys the recording sheet 52 fed out from the sheet feeding unit 30 to one sheet to the image forming unit 10 via the pair of conveying rollers 41 and 42, and also from the manual feed tray 300 to one sheet. The recording paper 370 (FIG. 2) that has been rolled up is conveyed to the image forming unit 10 via the conveyance roller pair 42. The image forming unit 10 includes four toner image forming units 11K, 11Y, 11M, and 11C arranged in series in order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording papers 52 and 370 (if there is no need to distinguish between them, simply the toner image). And a transfer unit 13 that transfers the toner image formed by the toner image forming unit 11 to the upper surface of the sheet by Coulomb force.

  The toner image forming unit 11K is a black (K) toner image, the toner image forming unit 11Y is a yellow (Y) toner image, the toner image forming unit 11Y is a magenta (M) toner image, and the toner image forming unit 11C. Respectively form cyan (C) toner images. In each toner image forming unit 11, the photosensitive drum 12 is charged by a charging roller (not shown), image data is written on the photosensitive drum 12 rotated by an optical head (not shown), and the image data is developed with a toner agent. A toner image of each color is obtained on the photosensitive drum 12.

  The transfer unit 13 includes a transfer belt 14 that transports the recording paper 52 transported from the paper tray 51 or the recording paper 370 (FIG. 2) transported from the manual feed tray 300 in the direction of the arrow, and each toner image via the transfer belt 14. Four transfer rollers 15 arranged to face the photosensitive drum 12 of the forming unit 11 are provided, and toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 12 of each toner image forming unit 11 are sequentially applied to the recording paper 52 by Coulomb force. Transfer in layers.

  The fixing unit 20 fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording papers 52 and 370 by the transfer unit 13 on the recording paper by heat and pressure, and the recording papers 52 and 370 on which the toner images are fixed are transport roller pairs. 53 and the discharge roller pair 54, the paper is discharged to a stacking unit 56 for stacking printed recording paper.

  The X, Y, and Z axes in FIG. 1 take the X axis in the transport direction when the recording paper 52 passes through the development forming unit 10, and take the Y axis in the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 12. The Z-axis is taken in a direction perpendicular to both axes. Moreover, when each axis | shaft of X, Y, and Z is shown in the other figure mentioned later, these axial directions shall show a common direction. That is, the XYZ axes in each figure indicate the arrangement direction when the depicted portion of each figure constitutes the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 1 is arranged so that the Z-axis is substantially vertical.

  2 is a configuration diagram of the manual feed tray 300 as viewed from the front (Y axis plus side). FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the medium loading device 302. FIG. 4 shows the medium loading device 302. It is a block diagram seen from the lower side.

  In FIG. 2, the frame 301 of the manual feed tray 300 is fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, and the medium placing device 302 on which the recording paper 370 is placed is rotatably held by the frame 301 as will be described later. . Note that the other portion of the manual feed tray 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 may be referred to as the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The pickup roller 303 is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the contact portion 311 of the medium placement plate 310 of the medium placement device 302, and the feed roller 304 is rotatably held by the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 and is not shown. The idle gear 306 is connected to the pickup roller 304 and the feed roller 303 by the drive motor, and the retard roller 305 is connected to a torque limiter (not shown). The spring 308 urges the retard roller 305 to the feed roller 304, and the spring 309 urges the medium placement device 302 in the direction in which the contact portion 306 of the medium placement device 302 contacts the pickup roller 303. .

  Note that the manual feed tray 300 here includes, for example, a frame 301, a medium loading device 302, a pickup roller 303, a spring 309, and an idle gear 306.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the medium loading device 302 includes a medium loading plate 310 as a medium loading portion, a paper guide 320 as a first moving portion, and a paper guide 321 as a second moving portion. A pair of posts 335 and 336 formed on both ends of the medium placement plate 310 are formed on the frame 301. The frame 301 includes a pinion gear 325 as a first gear portion and a pinion gear 326 as a second gear portion. The shaft grooves 301a and 301b (FIG. 2) are inserted into the shaft grooves 301 and are rotatably held. As described above, the abutting portion 311 is urged by the spring 309 in the direction of abutting on the pickup roller 303. Yes.

  5 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the surface (upper surface) of the medium mounting plate 310 of the medium mounting device 302, and FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the back surface (lower surface) of the medium mounting plate 310. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the medium placement plate 310 has an arrow A direction (perpendicular to the Y axis) indicating the moving direction of the recording paper 370 (FIG. 2) placed on the center of the medium placement plate 310. , Which are not necessarily perpendicular to the Z-axis), are formed, and guide grooves 331 extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the recording paper to be alternately placed from both sides thereof are formed. 332, 333, and 334 are formed. In each guide groove 331 to 334, insertion portions 331 a, 332 a, 333 a, and 334 a that extend by a predetermined width in both orthogonal directions are formed at positions close to the central flat plate portion 340. Each of these guide grooves 331 to 334 and the fitting portions 331a to 334a penetrates to the back side of the medium placement plate 310 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the paper guide 320 shown in FIG. Note that the configuration of the paper guide 321 is the same as that of the paper guide 320 here, and therefore the configuration thereof will be described using the paper guide 320 here.

  The paper guide 320 includes a guide block 350 extending in the direction of arrow A in which the recording paper to be moved moves and a pair of racks as a first movement restricting portion extending in the width direction of the recording paper (Y-axis direction). 355, 356. The guide block 350 is a surface perpendicular to the Y axis and extends in the direction of the arrow A to restrict the position in the width direction of the recording paper. A placement surface 352a is formed which extends in the direction of the arrow A perpendicular to 351 and places the end of the recording paper in the width direction. The pair of racks 355 and 356 of the paper guide 321 corresponds to the second movement restricting portion, and the restricting surface 351 of the paper guide 321 corresponds to the second medium restricting portion.

  Below the plate-like portion 352 whose upper surface becomes the mounting surface 352a, it protrudes downward from the lower surface of the plate-like portion 352, and the upper surface of each rack 355, 356 and the lower surface of the plate-like portion 352 have a predetermined gap g. Rack holding portions 353 and 354 for holding the racks 355 and 356 are formed. As shown in FIG. 7, the racks 355 and 356 are formed at positions that are spaced apart from each other in the direction of arrow A with respect to the width center of the guide block 350. These positional relationships will be described in detail later.

  The rack 355 and the rack 356 are plate-like members having a plane parallel to the placement surface 352a, and are formed to be substantially the same shape and parallel to the restriction surface 351, and are restricted at one end on the guide block side. A portion 355b and a restricting portion 356b are formed, and a restricting portion 355f and a restricting portion 356f are formed at the other end. Further, on the opposite side of the rack 355 and the rack 356 from the arrow A, a tooth part 355d and a tooth part 356d are formed between the restricting parts, and on the arrow A side, a pair of urging parts are provided in the vicinity of the restricting parts. 355c and 355e and urging portions 356c and 356e are formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the paper guides 320 and 321 are configured such that the rack holding portions 353 and 354 of the paper guide 320 are guided by the guide grooves 333 and 331 of the medium placement plate 310, respectively. The parts 353 and 354 are mounted on the medium mounting plate 310 so as to be guided by the guide grooves 332 and 334 of the medium mounting plate 310, respectively. Next, the mounting method will be described.

  Here, a case where the paper guide 320 shown in FIG. 7 is mounted on the medium placing plate 310 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 will be described. First, the sheet guide 320 is rotated approximately 90 in the direction of arrow B around the X axis, and the leading end of the restricting portion 355f of the rack 355 is inserted into the fitting portion 333a of the guide groove 333 of the medium placing plate 310, and the restricting portion 356f of the rack 356. Are inserted in the direction of arrow C (FIG. 5) so that the leading end of each of them is fitted substantially vertically into the fitting portion 331 a of the guide groove 331 of the medium placement plate 310, and the plate-like portion 352 is formed on the upper surface of the medium placement plate 310. Push until it hits.

  Therefore, the width of the insertion portion 333a is wider than the widths Wa1 and Wa2 of the restriction portions 355b and 355f, and the width of the insertion portion 331a is larger than the widths of the widths Wb1 and Wb2 of the restriction portions 356b and 356f. Widely set. Furthermore, the width of the rack holding portion 353 is narrower than the widths Wa1 and Wa2 of the restricting portions 355b and 355f, and the width of the guide groove 333 is formed to be a width suitable for the rack holding portion 353 to be fitted and guided. Similarly, the width of the rack holding portion 354 is narrower than the widths Wb1 and Wb2 of the restricting portions 356b and 356f, and the width of the guide groove 331 is a width suitable for the rack holding portion 354 to be fitted and guided. Is formed.

  At the stage where the plate-like portion 352 hits the upper surface of the medium placement plate 310, the paper guide 320 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction around the X axis, so that the rack holding portion 353 and the rack holding portion 354 are respectively The guide groove 333 and the guide groove 331 are fitted, and the rack 355 and the rack 356 respectively extend in parallel to the lower surface thereof via the medium placement plate 310. Further, by moving the guide block 350 while being guided by the guide grooves 333 and 331 until the guide block 350 is positioned on one end side of the medium loading plate 310, the sheet guide 320 is set at an initial position, for example, as shown in FIG. . The initial position here is the end position of the paper guide 321.

  Similarly, the leading end of the restricting portion 355 f of the rack 355 of the paper guide 321 is the fitting portion 332 a of the guide groove 332 of the medium placing plate 310, and the leading end of the restricting portion 356 f of the rack 355 is the medium placing plate 310. The guide grooves 334 are inserted in the insertion direction 334a of the guide groove 334 in the direction of the arrow C (FIG. 5) so as to be inserted substantially perpendicularly, and the guide blocks 350 are inserted into the guide grooves 332 and 334 until the guide block 350 is positioned on the other end side of the medium loading plate 310. By moving while being guided, the paper guide 321 is set at the initial position as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 6, the medium placing plate 310 is opposed to the guide wall 341a and the abutting portions 356a and 356g of the rack 356 of the paper guide 320 facing the urging portions 356c and 356e. The guide wall 341b is formed, receives the urging force of the urging portions 356c and 356e, the abutting portions 356a and 356g abut on the guide wall 341b, and the rack 356 of the paper guide 320 moves without rattling. To guide. Similarly, a guide wall 342a facing the biasing portions 355c and 355e and a guide wall 342b facing the abutting portions 355a and 355g of the rack 355 of the paper guide 320 are formed on the lower surface of the medium placement plate 310. In response to the urging force of the urging portions 355c and 355e, the abutting portions 355a and 355g and the guide wall 342b come into contact with each other, and the movement of the rack 355 of the paper guide 320 is guided without causing rattling.

  Similarly, a guide wall 344a facing the biasing portions 356c and 356e and a guide wall 344b facing the abutting portions 356a and 356g of the rack 356 of the paper guide 321 are formed on the lower surface of the medium placement plate 310. In response to the urging force of the urging portions 356c and 356e, the abutting portions 356a and 356g and the guide wall 344b come into contact with each other to guide the movement of the rack 356 of the paper guide 321 without causing rattling. Similarly, a guide wall 343a facing the urging portions 355c and 355e and a guide wall 343b facing the abutting portions 355a and 355g of the rack 355 of the paper guide 321 are formed on the lower surface of the medium placement plate 310. In response to the urging force of the urging portions 355c and 355e, the abutting portions 355a and 355g abut on the guide wall 343b to guide the movement of the rack 355 of the paper guide 321 without causing rattling.

  8 is a diagram in which the medium placement plate 310 is removed from the configuration diagram of FIG. 4, and FIG. 9 is a KK sectional view showing a section at a position passing through the centers of the screws 345 and 346 shown in FIG. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321 have substantially the same shape, and when they are mounted on the medium placement plate 310 and are in their initial positions, in the direction of arrow A, which is the recording paper transport direction. The racks 355 and 356 of the respective paper guides are arranged alternately and in parallel at predetermined intervals. In particular, the tooth portion 355d of the paper guide 320 and the tooth portion 356d of the paper guide 321 are adjacent to each other, and the tooth portion 356d of the paper guide 320 and the tooth portion 355d of the paper guide 321 are adjacent to each other. The partial areas face each other at a predetermined interval in the center portion of the medium placement plate 310 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the recording paper 370.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the position where the tooth portion 356d of the paper guide 320 and the tooth portion 355d of the paper guide 321 face each other, and the position where the tooth portion 355d of the paper guide 320 and the tooth portion 356d of the paper guide 321 face each other, A pinion gear 381 and a pinion gear 382 are disposed at the center of the medium placement plate 310 in the width direction of the recording paper 370, respectively, and are rotatably fixed to the medium placement plate 310 by screws 345 and screws 346.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the pinion gear 381 includes a tooth portion 356 d of the rack 356 of the paper guide 320 and a tooth portion 381 a that meshes with the tooth portion 355 d of the rack 355 of the paper guide 321, the rack 356 of the paper guide 320, and the paper guide. The flange portion 381b is formed so as to cover each part of the rack 355 of the 321. Similarly, the pinion gear 382 includes a tooth portion 356d of the rack 356 of the paper guide 321 and a tooth portion of the rack 355 of the paper guide 320. A tooth portion 382a that meshes with 355d, and a flange portion 382b that protrudes so as to cover each of the rack 356 of the paper guide 321 and the rack 355 of the paper guide 320 are formed. 4 and 8, only the pitch circles (reference circles) 381p and 382p of the tooth portions 381a and 382a of the pinion gears 381 and 382 are indicated by dotted lines.

  Accordingly, the sheet guide 320 mounted on the medium placement plate 310 is regulated by the medium placement plate 310 at the plate-like portion 352 of the guide block 350, and the racks 355 and 356 are respectively connected to the pinion gears 381 and 382. It is regulated by the flange portions 381b and 382b and does not come out downward (here, the negative side of the Z axis), and the widths of the racks 355 and 356 are wider than the widths of the guide grooves 331 and 333 of the medium placement plate 310, respectively. Since it is formed, it does not come off upward (here, the positive side of the Z-axis). Similarly, the sheet guide 321 mounted on the medium placing plate 310 is configured so as not to deviate in the vertical direction with respect to the medium placing plate 310.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a wave washer 383 is disposed between the pinion gear 382 and the medium placement plate 310 in a compressed state, and the pinion gear 382 is urged to the screw 346. The wave washer 383 adjusts the rotational load of the pinion gear 382, and thereby adjusts the moving load of the paper guides 320 and 321. The wave washer 383 may be provided on each of the two pinion gears 381 and 382. However, since the two pinion gears 381 and 382 are interlocked as described later, the wave washer 383 is effective even if only provided on the pinion gear 382. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (see FIG. 8), the abutting portions 356a and 356g of the paper guide 320 come into contact with the guide wall 341b of the medium placing plate 310 by the urging forces of the urging portions 356c and 356e. And the rack 356 are restricted, and the movement range of the paper guide 320 relative to the medium placement plate 310 is also restricted. Similarly, the abutting portions 355a and 355g of the paper guide 320 are brought into contact with the guide wall 342b of the medium placing plate 310 by the urging force of the urging portions 355c and 355e to restrict the meshing position of the pinion gear 382 and the rack 355. At the same time, the movement range of the paper guide 320 relative to the medium loading plate 310 is also restricted.

  On the other hand, the abutting portions 356a and 356g of the paper guide 321 are brought into contact with the guide wall 344b of the medium placing plate 310 by the urging force of the urging portions 356c and 356e and restrict the meshing position of the pinion gear 382 and the rack 356. The movement range of the paper guide 321 relative to the medium placement plate 310 is also restricted. Similarly, the abutting portions 355a and 355g of the paper guide 321 are brought into contact with the guide wall 343b of the medium placing plate 310 by the urging force of the urging portions 355c and 355e to restrict the meshing position of the pinion gear 381 and the rack 355. At the same time, the movement range of the paper guide 321 relative to the medium loading plate 310 is also restricted.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the paper guides 320 and 321 mounted on the medium placing plate 310 and the pinion gears 381 and 382 rotatably fixed to the medium placing plate 310. Here, for the sake of convenience, each component of the paper guide 321 is marked with “′” to distinguish it from each component of the paper guide 320. 10 corresponds to FIG. 8 when the medium loading device 302 is seen from the lower side (minus side of the Z axis), and the arrow A direction in FIG. 10 indicates the moving direction of the recording paper to be loaded. Yes.

  As shown in the figure, the paper guides 320 and 321 have the same shape, the regulating surfaces 351 and 351 ′ face each other and extend in the direction of arrow A, and the racks 355 and 356 of the paper guide 320. In addition, the racks 355 ′ and 356 ′ of the paper guide 321 are arranged so as to be alternately positioned in the arrow A direction. Further, a pinion gear 381 is disposed between the rack 356 of the paper guide 320 and the rack 355 ′ of the paper guide 321 extending in parallel to each other, and the rack 355 of the paper guide 320 and the paper guide are arranged. A pinion gear 382 is arranged between the racks 356 ′ of 321 so as to mesh with the racks.

  The length of the guide block 350 (350 ′) in the arrow A direction is L, and the diameter of each pitch circle (reference circle) 381p, 382p of the pinion gears 381, 382 arranged on a straight line in the arrow A direction is d. The positional relationship between the rack 355 (355 ′) and the rack 356 (356 ′) extending in parallel with the rack 355 will be described.

  A virtual bisector between the rotation centers 381c and 382c of the pinion gears 381 and 382 and extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the recording paper to be loaded is defined as P, and the virtual center If the distance from the line P to the rotation center 381c is X, the distance to the rotation center 382c is also X.

At this time, when the distance from the virtual center line P to the pitch line (reference line) 355p ′ of the rack 355 ′ that is the engagement position with the pinion gear 381 is Z, the distance Z is Z = X−d / 2.
The tooth portion 355d (FIG. 8) is formed so that this position becomes the pitch line (reference line) 355p ′ of the rack 355 ′.
Further, when the distance from the pitch line (reference line) 355p ′ of the rack 355 ′ to the pitch line (reference line) 356p ′ of the rack 356 ′ that is the engagement position with the pinion gear 382 is Y, the distance Y is Y = 2X
The tooth portion 356d (FIG. 8) is formed so that this position becomes the pitch line (reference line) 356p ′ of the rack 356 ′.

Further, with respect to the regulation surface 351 ′ having the length L in the arrow A direction, the regulation surface 351 ′ is arranged so that the approximate center in the arrow A direction coincides with the virtual center line P, and the arrow A direction side is based on the center. At least one rack 355 ′, 356 ′ is arranged on the opposite side. In this case, as apparent from the arrangement of FIG. 10, when the width of the rack 355 ′ is w1, and the width of the rack 356 ′ is w2,
Z> w1, and K = L / 2− (Z + d)> w2
It is necessary to set so that

  By forming in this way, it is possible to place the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321 having the same shape so as to face each other and mount the paper guide 320 on the medium placement plate 310.

  Here, the approximate center in the arrow A direction of the regulating surface 351 ′ is arranged so as to coincide with the virtual center line P. However, the approximate center described here is the virtual center line P in a region of L / 2 ± 20%. If it is included, the same effect can be obtained.

  Further, the engagement position referred to here is a position where the pinion gear 381 and the racks 355 and 356 ′ and the pinion gear 382 and the racks 356 and 357 ′ mesh. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the engagement position, taking as an example the engagement between the pinion gear 381 and the rack 355 ′.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, one of the tangent lines of the pitch circle (reference circle) 381p of the pinion gear 381 is located at the approximate center of the range h2 from the tooth tip of the tooth portion 355d ′ of the rack 355 ′ to the tooth bottom. Thus, the pinion gear 381 and the rack 355 ′ were engaged. Thus, the position on the rack 355 'where the pitch circle (reference circle) 381p of the pinion gear 381 contacts corresponds to the rack pitch line (reference line) 355p'. Therefore, the engagement position here corresponds to a position where the pitch circle (reference circle) of the pinion gear contacts the pitch line (reference line) of the rack.

  The above-mentioned is an example, and the engagement position is a range h1 from the tooth tip to the tooth bottom of the tooth portion 381a of the pinion gear 381 and a range h2 from the tooth tip to the tooth bottom of the tooth portion 355d 'of the rack 355'. As long as it is within the region where the For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the pinion gear 381 is transferred, the positional relationship for engaging the pinion gear 325 and the rack 355 ′ is different. The same applies to other pinion gears and racks.

  Further, for example, in the paper guide 320 shown in FIG. 7, the pitch of the tooth portion 355d of the rack 355 and the tooth portion 356d of the rack 356 are the same, and the phase viewed from the regulation surface 351 is also the same. The paper guide 321 is similarly configured. For example, the pinion gear 381 and the pinion gear 382 shown in FIG. 8 have the same number of teeth, and as shown in FIG. 11, here, even number 16 teeth are provided, and both are provided with flange portions 381b and 382b. It is said.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the sheet guides 320 and 321 in the medium stacking device 302 of the manual feed tray 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the paper guides 320 and 321 in the medium placement device 302 on which the recording paper 370 is placed. In FIG. 12, the recording paper 370 is hatched and exists. Only region is specified.

  First, the medium placement device 302 is resisted against the bias of the spring 309 so that the contact portion 311 of the medium placement device 302 shown in FIG. Press down to regulate to that position. In this manner, the recording paper 370 is set on the manual feed tray 300 while the medium loading device 302 is pushed down. At this time, the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321 are moved to the outside, and the recording paper 370 is loaded on the medium so that the widthwise ends of the recording paper 370 are positioned on the respective mounting surfaces 352a of the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321. The paper guides 320 and 321 are placed on the placement device 302 and moved in the central direction until the respective regulation surfaces 351 come into contact with the end face of the recording paper 370.

  At this time, the regulation surfaces 351 of the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321 move symmetrically with the line connecting the rotation centers of the pinion gears 381 and 382 (see FIG. 8) as the center line. Accordingly, when one of the paper guide 320 and the paper guide 321 is moved, the other guide block 350 is also moved symmetrically via the pinion gear, and thereby the position of the recording paper 370 in the width direction is changed. It becomes possible to regulate.

  As described above, the pitch of the tooth portion 355d of the rack 355 and the tooth portion 356d of the rack 356 are configured to have the same pitch and phase as viewed from the restriction surface 351, and the pinion gear 381 and the pinion gear 382 have the same shape. Thus, even if the rack and pinion is configured by using the two racks 355 and 356, the sliding operation can be smoothly performed.

  Thus, after positioning in the width direction of the recording paper 370 on the medium placement device 302, the position restriction by the operating means (not shown) is released, and as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the uppermost recording paper of the recording paper 370 placed is in contact with the pickup roller 303. In this state, when the pickup roller 303 is started and the recording paper 370 is fed out, the recording paper 370 is fed out in the direction of arrow A in FIG. At this time, the recording paper 370 may skew in the rotation direction of either the arrow Ma or the arrow Mb.

  For example, when the recording paper 370 is skewed in the direction of the arrow Ma, the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 321 receives the pressing force Fa from the recording paper 370 generated by the skew on the rear end side in the A direction, and the regulation of the paper guide 320 is performed. The surface 351 receives the force of the pressing force Fc from the recording paper 370 generated by the skew on the front end side in the A direction. At this time, the sheet guide 321 tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow Mc and generates a moving force Fd in the center direction on the front end side thereof, and the sheet guide 320 tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow Md in the center direction on the rear end side. A moving force Fb is generated.

  At this time, the moving force Fd generated on the front end side of the paper guide 321 is transmitted to the front end side of the paper guide 320 via the rack 355 ′ of the paper guide 321 and the pinion gear 381 and the rack 356 of the paper guide 320 shown in FIG. A force that cancels the pressing force Fc from the recording paper 370 is generated on the front end side of the paper guide 320. Similarly, the moving force Fb generated on the rear end side of the paper guide 320 is transmitted to the rear end of the paper guide 321 via the rack 355, the pinion gear 382, and the rack 356 ′ of the paper guide 321 shown in FIG. And is generated on the rear end side of the paper guide 320 as a force that cancels the pressing force Fa from the recording paper 370.

  Similarly, when the recording paper 370 is skewed in the direction of the arrow Mb, the pressing force from the recording paper 370 received by each of the paper guides 320 and 321 is similarly canceled.

  As described above, according to the medium stacking apparatus of the present embodiment, the pinion gears 381 and 382 arranged at spaced positions in the arrow A direction are connected to the racks extending from the paper guides 320 and 321, respectively. Therefore, even if a skew occurs in the recording sheet to be conveyed, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the sheet guides 320 and 321, thereby reducing the skew of the recording sheet.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
13 is a configuration diagram of the medium loading device 402 according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the lower side (minus side of the Z axis), and FIG. 14 passes through the centers of the screws 345 and 346 shown in FIG. It is MM sectional drawing which shows the cross section in a position. However, in FIG. 14, the upper side of the medium loading device 402 is turned up.

  An image forming apparatus employing the medium mounting apparatus 402 is mainly different from the above-described medium mounting apparatus 302 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, for example, in that pinion gears 481 and 482 (381 in the first embodiment). , 382), the upper gears 481d and 482d are added to form a two-stage gear, and the idle gear 400 that meshes with the upper gears 481d and 482d is added.

  Accordingly, in the image forming apparatus employing the medium mounting apparatus 402, the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the image forming apparatus 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment described above, or the drawings are omitted. Is omitted and the differences will be explained with emphasis. The main part configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the main part of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Reference is made to FIG.

  13 and 14, the pinion gears 481 and 482 include second-stage gears formed through flange portions 481b and 482b in addition to the first-stage gears that mesh with the racks as described in the first embodiment. Upper layer gears 481d and 482d, which are gears, are formed. FIG. 13 shows those pitch circles. An idle gear 400 is disposed at an intermediate portion between these pinion gears 481 and 482, and is rotatably fixed to the medium placing plate 310 by a screw 401 at a center point between the axes of the pinion gears 481 and 482. In FIG. 13, the pitch circle 400p is indicated by a dotted line.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a wave washer 405 is disposed between the idle gear 400 and the medium placing plate 310 in a compressed state, and the idle gear 400 is urged against the screw 401. Note that notches are provided in the rack 455 (355 in the first embodiment) of the paper guides 420 and 421 (320 and 321 in the first embodiment) to allow the idle gear 400 to be attached to the medium placing plate 310. A portion 455h is formed.

  The idle gear 400 is an intermediate portion of the pinion gears 481 and 482, meshes with the upper gears 481d and 482d of the pinion gears 481 and 482, respectively, and connects the pinion gear 481 and the pinion gear 482.

  Here, the sheet guide 420 corresponds to the first moving unit, the sheet guide 421 corresponds to the second moving unit, and the pair of racks 455 and 456 of the sheet guide 420 correspond to the first movement restricting unit. The pair of racks 455 and 456 of the paper guide 421 correspond to the second movement restricting portion, the restricting surface 351 of the paper guide 420 corresponds to the first medium restricting portion, and the restricting surface 351 of the paper guide 421 is the first. This corresponds to the medium restriction unit 2.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the paper guides 420 and 421 in the medium stacking device 402 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the paper guides 420 and 421 in the medium placement device 402 on which the recording paper 370 is placed. In FIG. 15, the recording paper 370 is hatched and exists. Only region is specified.

  First, the urging force of the spring 309 is resisted by an operation means (not shown) so that the contact portion 311 of the medium loading device 302 (referred to here as 402) shown in FIG. Then, the medium loading device 402 is pushed down and restricted to that position. In this manner, the recording paper 370 is set on the manual feed tray while the medium loading device 402 is pushed down. At this time, the paper guide 420 and the paper guide 421 are moved to the outside, and the recording paper 370 is loaded on the medium so that the widthwise ends of the recording paper 370 are positioned on the respective mounting surfaces 352a of the paper guide 420 and the paper guide 421. The paper guides 420 and 421 are placed on the placement device 402 and moved in the central direction until the respective regulation surfaces 351 come into contact with the end surface of the recording paper 370.

  At this time, the regulating surfaces 351 of the paper guide 420 and the paper guide 421 move symmetrically with the line connecting the rotation centers of the pinion gears 481 and 482 (see FIG. 13) as the center line. At this time, the pinion gear 481 and the pinion gear 482 rotate in the same direction as the paper guide 420 and the paper guide 421 move, and the idle gear 400 that connects them rotates in the opposite direction. Thus, even when the idle gear 400 is added, even if the rack and pinion is configured by using the two racks 455 and 456, the sliding operation can be performed smoothly.

  Thus, after positioning in the width direction of the recording paper 370 on the medium placement device 402, the position restriction by the operating means (not shown) is released, and as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the uppermost recording paper of the recording paper 370 placed is in contact with the pickup roller 303. In this state, when the pickup roller 303 is started and the recording paper 370 is fed out, the recording paper 370 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. At this time, the recording paper 370 may skew in the direction of the arrow Ma or the arrow Mb.

  For example, when the recording paper 370 is skewed in the direction of the arrow Ma, the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 421 receives a pressing force Fa from the recording paper 370 generated by the skew on the rear end side in the arrow A direction. At this time, the paper guide 420 generates a moving force Fd toward the center on the front end side in an attempt to rotate in the arrow Mc direction.

  These forces generated by the skew in the direction of the arrow Ma try to rotate the pinion gear 481 and the pinion gear 482 (FIG. 13) in opposite directions, but these pinion gear 481 and the pinion connected by the idle gear 400 Since the gear 482 cannot rotate in the reverse direction, the paper guide 421 does not rotate in the arrow Ma direction. Similarly, when the recording paper 370 is skewed in the arrow Mb direction, the paper guide 421 does not rotate in the arrow Mb direction. Since the sheet guide 420 also acts in the same manner, the sheet guide 420 and the sheet guide 421 can always keep their regulating surfaces 351 parallel to the arrow A direction that is the sheet conveyance direction.

  As described above, according to the medium stacking apparatus of the present embodiment, since the pinion gears 481 and 482 arranged at spaced positions in the direction of arrow A are connected by the idle gear 400, the recording paper to be conveyed Even if skew occurs, the sheet guides 420 and 421 do not tilt with respect to the sheet conveyance direction (arrow A direction), and the recording sheet skew can be reduced.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 16 is a structural view of the medium loading device 502 according to the third embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the lower side (minus side of the Z axis), and FIG. 17 is an external perspective view showing the structure of the paper guide 520 (521). FIG.

  An image forming apparatus employing the medium mounting apparatus 502 is mainly different from the above-described medium mounting apparatus 302 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, for example, in that a gear is provided instead of the pinion gears 381 and 382. The flanges 581 and 582 that are not present are fixed to the medium placement plate 310 with screws 345 and 346, and flat extension portions 555 and 556 are formed in the respective paper guides 520 and 521 instead of the rack. .

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus employing the medium mounting apparatus 502, the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the image forming apparatus 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment described above, or the drawings are omitted. Is omitted and the differences will be explained with emphasis. The main configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as the main configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Reference is made to FIG.

  The extending portion 555 of the paper guide 520 is required for smooth sliding, with the side portion 555b being guided by the guide wall 342a formed on the medium placement plate 310 and the side portion 555a being guided by the guide wall 342b. Similarly, the extended portion 556 of the paper guide 520 has a side portion 556b formed by a guide wall 341a formed on the medium placing plate 310, and a side portion 556a formed by the guide wall 341b. Each guide is formed with a width that forms a minimum gap necessary for smooth sliding.

  Here, the side portions 555a and 555b of the extending portion 555 and the side portions 556a and 556b of the extending portion 556 correspond to the contact portions, and the guide walls 341a, 341b, 342a, and 342b correspond to the contact portions. .

  Further, the extending portion 555 of the paper guide 521 is guided by the side wall 555b by the guide wall 342a formed on the medium loading plate 310 and the side portion 555a by the guide wall 343b, respectively, so that it slides smoothly. Similarly, the extending portion 556 of the paper guide 521 is formed with a width that forms a necessary minimum gap, and the side portion 556b is formed by the guide wall 344a formed on the medium placing plate 310, and the side portion is formed by the guide wall 344b. Each of the 556a is guided and formed with a width that forms a minimum gap necessary for smooth sliding.

  The flange 581 restricts the extension portion 556 of the paper guide 520 and the extension portion 555 of the paper guide 521 from coming downward (here, the negative side of the Z axis), and the flange 582 extends the paper guide 520. The portion 555 and the extending portion 556 of the paper guide 521 are restricted from coming off downward (here, the negative side of the Z-axis). Accordingly, here, the paper guide 520 and the paper guide 521 move individually without interlocking.

  Here, the paper guide 520 corresponds to the first moving portion, the paper guide 521 corresponds to the second moving portion, and the pair of extending portions 555 and 556 of the paper guide 520 are the first movement restricting portions. The pair of racks 555 and 556 of the paper guide 521 correspond to the second movement restricting portion, the restricting surface 351 of the paper guide 520 corresponds to the first medium restricting portion, and the restricting surface 351 of the paper guide 521. Corresponds to the second medium regulating unit.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the sheet guides 520 and 521 in the medium loading device 502 will be described.

  First, the urging force of the spring 309 is resisted by an operating means (not shown) so that the contact portion 311 of the medium loading device 302 (here, 502) shown in FIG. 2 is separated from the pickup roller 303 by a predetermined distance. Then, the medium placing device 502 is pushed down and restricted to that position. In this manner, the recording paper 370 is set on the manual feed tray with the medium loading device 502 pushed down. At this time, the paper guide 520 and the paper guide 521 are moved outward, and the recording paper 370 is loaded on the medium so that the end in the width direction of the recording paper 370 is positioned on the respective mounting surfaces 352a of the paper guide 520 and the paper guide 521. The paper guides 520 and 521 are moved in the center direction until the respective regulation surfaces 351 come into contact with the end surface of the recording paper 370.

  At this time, the paper guide 520 and the paper guide 521 are not interlocked and need to be moved individually by the operator.

  In this way, after positioning in the width direction of the recording paper 370 on the medium loading device 502, the position restriction by the operating means (not shown) is released, and as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the uppermost recording paper of the recording paper 370 placed is in contact with the pickup roller 303. In this state, when the pickup roller 303 is started and the recording paper 370 is fed out, the recording paper 370 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  At this time, when a skew occurs in the recording paper 370 and a pressing force acts on the regulation surface 351, the side of the extending portion farthest from the force application point abuts against the guide wall of the medium placement plate 310. The skew can be reduced as compared with the case where only one extended portion having the same dimensional accuracy is used.

  For example, when the paper front end side (arrow A direction side) of the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 520 shown in FIG. 17 is pressed by the pressing force Fc1 due to the skew of the recording paper placed on the medium placement device 502, The front end portion 555h of the side portion 555b of the extending portion 555 can be prevented from coming into contact with the guide wall 342a (FIG. 16) of the medium placing plate 310 and the sheet guide 520 from being inclined with respect to the arrow A direction.

  Similarly, due to the skew of the recording paper placed on the medium placement device 502, the rear end side (the opposite side to the arrow A direction) of the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 520 shown in FIG. When pressed, the distal end portion 556h of the side portion 556a of the extending portion 556 is brought into contact with the guide wall 341b (FIG. 16) of the medium placing plate 310 to suppress the sheet guide 520 from being inclined with respect to the arrow A direction. be able to. Such a mechanism for preventing rotation is the same for the paper guide 521 disposed opposite to the paper guide 520.

  As described above, according to the medium stacking apparatus of the present embodiment, even if a skew occurs in the recording sheet to be transported, the sheet guides 520 and 521 are thereby moved with respect to the sheet transport direction (arrow A direction). Since the tilt is suppressed, the skew of the recording paper can be reduced. Further, according to the description of FIG. 10 of the first embodiment described above, one of the extending portion 556 and the extending portion 555 is on the arrow A direction side with respect to the center of the regulating surface 351 in the arrow A direction. The other is provided on the opposite side. As a result, the above-described effects of the present embodiment can be obtained more efficiently regardless of the skew direction.

  In this embodiment, an example in which two extending portions are provided in the paper guide has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained by using two or more.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the paper guide 620 (621) according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  The medium placement device 602 that employs the paper guide 620 (621) is different from the medium placement device 502 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16 described above in that the extending portions 655 and 656 (in the third embodiment, 555, 556). Therefore, in the image forming apparatus employing the paper guide 620 (621), the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the image forming apparatus 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment or the drawing is omitted. The explanation is omitted, and different points are explained mainly. The main part configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the main part of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the medium loading apparatus. Reference is made to FIG.

  The extending portions 655 and 656 of the paper guide 620 (621) are formed by removing the tooth portions 355d and 356d from the racks 355 and 356 of the paper guide 320 (321) shown in FIG. No) corresponds to the shape. Therefore, when the sheet guide 620 (621) is mounted on the medium placement plate 310, the side portions 555b and 556b of the extending portions 555 and 556 in FIG. Like the urging portions 355c and 355e and the urging portions 365c and 365e, the urging portions 655c and 655e of the paper guide 620 face the guide wall 342a and press the urging portions 656c and 656e of the paper guide 620. Presses against the guide wall 341a, the biasing portions 655c and 655e of the paper guide 621 press against the guide wall 343a, and the biasing portions 656c and 656e of the paper guide 621 press the guide wall 344a. This is pressed against.

  In the above configuration, the method for setting the recording paper on the medium loading device is the same as the method in the above-described third embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  When the set recording paper is conveyed in the direction of arrow A, for example, due to skew of the recording paper placed on the medium placement device 602, the front end side (arrow of the paper) of the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 621 shown in FIG. When the urging portion 655e presses against the guide wall 342a and the urging portion 656e presses against the guide wall 341a, the force is transmitted against the force. A restoring force Fa4 is generated from the biasing portion 655e, and a restoring force Fa2 is generated from the biasing portion 656e. As a result, the sheet guide 620 can be prevented from being tilted with respect to the arrow A direction.

  Similarly, due to the skew of the recording paper placed on the medium placement device 602, the rear end side (the opposite side to the arrow A direction) of the regulation surface 351 of the paper guide 620 shown in FIG. 18 is pressed by the pressing force Fc2. In this case, since the tip 656h of the side portion 656a of the extending portion 656 serves as a fulcrum, the force is transmitted in the direction in which the biasing portion 655c presses the guide wall 342a and the biasing portion 656c presses the guide wall 341a. Against the force, a restoring force Fa3 is generated from the biasing portion 655c, and a restoring force Fa1 is generated from the biasing portion 656c. As a result, the sheet guide 620 can be prevented from being tilted with respect to the arrow A direction. Such a mechanism for preventing the tilt is the same for the paper guide 621 arranged opposite to the paper guide 620.

  As described above, according to the medium stacking apparatus of the present embodiment, even if a skew occurs in the recording sheet to be conveyed, this causes the sheet guides 620 and 621 to move with respect to the sheet conveying direction (arrow A direction). Since the tilt is suppressed, the skew of the recording paper can be reduced. Further, according to the description of FIG. 10 of the first embodiment described above, the extending part 656 and the extending part 655 are based on the center of the regulating surface 351 in the arrow A direction, and one is on the arrow A direction side. The other is provided on the opposite side. As a result, the above-described effects of the present embodiment can be obtained more efficiently regardless of the skew direction.

  In this embodiment, an example in which two extending portions are provided in the paper guide has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained by using two or more.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to an MFP (Multi Function Printer), a facsimile, a copying machine, and the like. Available. In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is adopted as a manual feed tray has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a cassette tray, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus, 10 Image forming part, 11 Toner image forming part, 12 Photosensitive drum, 13 Transfer part, 14 Transfer belt, 15 Transfer roller, 20 Fixing part, 30 Paper feeding part, 31 Pickup roller, 32 Feed roller, 33 Separation piece, 40 paper transport section, 41 transport roller pair, 42 transport roller pair, 51 paper tray, 52 recording paper, 53 transport roller pair, 54 discharge roller pair, 56 stacking section, 300 manual feed tray, 301 frame, 301a shaft groove 301b Shaft groove, 302 Medium placement device, 303 Pickup roller, 304 Feed roller, 305 Retarding roller, 306 Idle gear, 308 Spring, 309 Spring, 310 Medium placement plate, 311 Contact portion, 320 Paper guide, 321 paper guide, 325 pinion gear, 326 pinion gear, 331 guide groove, 331a insertion portion, 332 guide groove, 332a insertion portion, 333 guide groove, 333a insertion portion, 334 guide groove, 334a insertion portion, 335 post, 336 post, 340 central plate, 341a guide wall, 341b guide wall, 342a guide wall, 342b guide wall, 343a guide wall, 343b guide wall, 344a guide wall, 344b guide wall, 345 screw, 346 screw, 350 guide block, 351 restriction surface, 352 plate-like portion, 352a placement surface, 353 rack holding portion, 354 rack holding portion, 355 rack, 355a abutting portion, 355b restriction portion, 355c Urging section, 355d tooth section, 355e urging section, 355f regulating section, 355g butting section, 355p pitch line, 356 rack, 356a butting section, 356b regulating section, 356c urging section, 356d tooth section, 356e urging section , 356f restricting portion, 356g butting portion, 370 recording paper, 381 pinion gear, 381a tooth portion, 381b flange portion, 381c rotation center, 381p pitch circle, 382 pinion gear, 382a tooth portion, 382b flange portion, 382c rotation center, 382c 382p pitch circle, 400 idle gear, 400p pitch circle, 401 screw, 402 medium mounting device, 405 wave washer, 420 paper guide, 421 paper guide, 455 rack, 455h notch , 456 rack, 481 pinion gear, 481b lunge portion, 481d upper layer gear, 482 pinion gear, 482b lunge portion, 482d upper layer gear, 502 medium placement device, 520 paper guide, 521 paper guide, 550 guide block, 555 extending portion 555a side, 555b side, 555h tip, 556 extension, 556a side, 556b side, 556h tip, 581 flange, 582 flange, 602 medium placement device, 620 paper guide, 621 paper guide, 650 guide block, 655 extension part, 655c biasing part, 655e biasing part, 656 extension part, 656a side part, 656c biasing part, 656e biasing part, 656h tip part.

Claims (14)

A medium placement unit for placing a medium;
A first moving unit provided movably with respect to the medium placing unit,
The first moving unit includes:
A first medium restricting section for restricting a position of the medium;
A first movement restricting portion that engages with the medium placement portion and restricts the direction of movement;
A medium mounting apparatus comprising a plurality of the first movement restricting portions.   The first medium restricting portion is provided substantially parallel to a medium conveying direction, and the first movement restricting portion extends substantially perpendicular to the medium conveying direction. The medium placing device according to 1. The first movement restricting portion includes an abutting portion,
The medium placement device according to claim 1, wherein the medium placement unit includes an abutting part that abuts on the abutting part.   The medium placement device according to claim 3, wherein the first movement restricting portion includes a biasing portion for biasing the abutting portion to the contact portion. A gear portion rotatably held on the medium placement portion;
5. The medium placement device according to claim 1, wherein the first movement restricting portion includes a tooth portion that meshes with the gear portion. 6.   The first movement restriction unit is provided on the medium conveyance direction side and the opposite side to the medium conveyance direction with respect to the reference when the center in the medium conveyance direction of the first medium restriction unit is used as a reference. The medium mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the medium mounting device is a medium. A second moving unit disposed opposite to the first moving unit and provided movably with respect to the medium placement unit;
The second moving unit is
A second medium restricting section for restricting the position of the medium;
A second movement restricting portion that engages with the medium placing portion and restricts the direction of movement;
The medium placement device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second movement restriction portions are provided.   The first medium restriction unit and the second medium restriction unit are provided substantially parallel to the medium conveyance direction, and the first movement restriction unit and the second movement restriction unit are arranged in the medium conveyance direction. The medium mounting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the medium mounting apparatus extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to each other and close to each other. Each of the first movement restricting portion and the second movement restricting portion includes an abutting portion,
The medium placement device according to claim 8, wherein the medium placement unit includes a contact portion that contacts the butting portion.   The medium mounting according to claim 9, wherein each of the first movement restricting portion and the second movement restricting portion includes an urging portion for urging the abutting portion toward the abutting portion. Device. The medium mounting portion includes first and second gear portions that are rotatably and substantially parallel to the medium conveyance direction,
The first movement restricting portion has a tooth portion meshing with the first gear portion and a tooth portion meshing with the second gear portion,
The said 2nd movement control part has a tooth part which meshes with the said 1st gear part, and a tooth part which meshes with a 2nd gear part, The one of Claim 8 thru | or 10 characterized by the above-mentioned. Medium placement device.   The medium mounting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first moving unit and the second moving unit have substantially the same shape.   The medium mounting device according to claim 8, further comprising a transmission unit that meshes with and connects to the first gear unit and the second gear unit. A medium placement unit for placing a medium;
A first moving unit provided movably with respect to the medium placing unit,
The first moving unit includes:
A first medium restricting section for restricting a position of the medium;
A first movement restricting portion that engages with the medium placement portion and restricts the direction of movement;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of the first movement restricting portions.

Images