JP2015202953A - Paper feeder and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeder capable of efficiently supplying warm air to a paper feeding cassette.SOLUTION: A paper feeder 5 includes: a paper feeding cassette 12 for storing a plurality of paper sheets P; a first air flow passage 31 which is formed between an undersurface of the paper feeding cassette 12 and a housing 10 for storing the paper feeding cassette 12 so as to communicate with the outside of the housing 10; cursors 23F and 23R which move to bring an end of the paper sheet P stored in the paper feeding cassette 12 into contact with an abutting surface 26 so as to perform the positioning of the paper sheet P; a second air flow passage 32 which is formed in the cursor 23R so as to communicate with an internal space S in the paper feeding cassette 12 via an exhaust opening 36 formed from the first air flow passage 31 to the abutting surface 26; a heater 11 for heating air introduced into the first air flow passage 31; and a pair of current plates 13L and 13R for introducing an air flow from the outside of the housing 10 toward the paper sheet P in the paper feeding cassette 12 via the first air flow passage 31 and the second air flow passage 32.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device.

  The image forming apparatus includes a paper feeding device including a paper feeding cassette that stores paper on which an image is formed. When a sheet that has absorbed moisture in a high humidity environment is used, the image forming apparatus may cause a conveyance failure such as an image defect or a paper jam. For this reason, there is a paper feeder provided with a heater for dehumidification below the paper cassette.

  However, since there are many gaps around the sheet cassette, the air heated by the heater (warm air) cannot be sufficiently supplied into the sheet cassette. For this reason, there is a possibility that the dehumidifying effect is limited only to the vicinity of the heater, or the vicinity of the heater is locally heated to cause deformation.

  Therefore, a paper feeding device for efficiently supplying warm air to the paper feeding cassette has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a paper feeding device that supplies warm air into an upper paper feeding cassette through a large number of air holes formed in the bottom surface of the paper feeding cassette. Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, a heater is disposed at a position corresponding to the periphery of the sheet in consideration of the tendency that the peripheral portion of the sheet accommodated in the sheet feeding cassette has a higher moisture content than the central portion. A paper feeder is disclosed.

JP 09-150978 A JP 05-338833 A

  However, since the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 1 has a vent hole formed in the bottom surface of the paper feeding cassette, it cannot supply warm air directly to the paper. In addition, when a large-size sheet is accommodated, the sheet blocks the vent hole, so that sufficient ventilation cannot be secured. Furthermore, in the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 2, when the paper feeding cassettes are arranged in multiple stages, it is difficult to supply warm air to the upper paper feeding cassette.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a sheet feeding device that efficiently supplies air heated by a heater into a sheet feeding cassette and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet feeding device according to the present invention is formed between a sheet feeding cassette that houses a plurality of sheets, a lower surface of the sheet feeding cassette, and a housing that houses the sheet feeding cassette, A first air flow path communicating with the outside of the housing; and a downstream surface of the first air flow path, the contact surface being brought into contact with the end portion of the paper housed in the paper feed cassette A cursor that moves and positions the sheet, and a cursor that is formed in the cursor and communicates with the internal space of the sheet feeding cassette through an exhaust opening formed in the contact surface from the first air flow path. 2 air flow paths, a heater for heating air introduced into the first air flow path from the outside of the housing, and the first air flow path and the second air flow path from the outside of the housing Airflow formation that guides airflow toward the paper in the paper cassette Characterized in that it comprises, when.

  According to this configuration, the exhaust opening is formed on the contact surface of the cursor that contacts the end of the paper. For this reason, the air that has flowed into the first air flow path from the outside of the housing is warmed by the heater and is discharged from the exhaust opening toward the paper in the paper feed cassette through the second air flow path. Thereby, the air (warm air) heated by the heater can be efficiently supplied into the paper feed cassette, and the paper contained in the paper feed cassette can be effectively dehumidified. Further, since the cursor moves according to the size of the paper, the position of the exhaust opening formed in the cursor can be changed according to the size of the paper. Thereby, it is possible to perform appropriate dehumidification of the paper regardless of the size of the paper.

  According to the present invention, the air heated by the heater can be efficiently supplied into the paper feed cassette, and the paper in the paper feed cassette can be dehumidified.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an opening of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view illustrating a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a paper feed cassette of a paper feed device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a paper feed cassette of the paper feed device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a paper feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the paper feeder which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the paper feeder which concerns on the modification of each embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cursor on the rear side of a paper feeding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, where (A) shows an opening / closing plate in a fully open position, and (B) is in a fully closed position. An opening / closing plate is shown.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the image forming apparatus 1. For convenience of explanation, each direction is set as indicated by an arrow in each figure.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer unit 2 that performs an image forming process on a sheet P, and a scanner unit 3 that reads an optical document. Note that the paper P (see FIG. 4 and the like) is not limited to paper and is a sheet-like recording medium and includes a resin film, an OHP sheet, and the like.

  The printer unit 2 is provided in a substantially box-shaped apparatus main body 4, a paper feeding device 5 provided in the lower part of the apparatus main body 4, an image forming unit 6 provided in the apparatus main body 4, and an upper part of the apparatus main body 4. And a paper discharge tray 7 to be used.

  The paper feeding device 5 includes a paper feeding cassette 12 that stores a plurality of papers P (see FIG. 4 and the like). The image forming unit 6 forms an image on the paper P supplied from the paper feeding device 5 by a known electrophotographic method. The paper P on which the image has been formed is discharged from the apparatus main body 4 to the paper discharge tray 7. An operation panel 8 that is operated by a user using a copy function, a facsimile function, or the like is provided on the upper part of the apparatus body 4.

  The scanner unit 3 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus body 4 and has a known optical scanning unit 3a for reading a document placed on a platen glass (not shown).

  Next, the paper feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the opening 15 of the sheet feeding device 5. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the paper feeding device 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the paper feeding cassette 12 of the paper feeding device 5. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the paper feeding cassette 12 of the paper feeding device 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sheet feeding device 5 includes a casing 10, a heater 11, a sheet feeding cassette 12, and a pair of left and right rectifying plates 13 </ b> L and 13 </ b> R.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 10 is made of sheet metal, for example, and is integrally formed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 4. A rectangular opening 15 is formed on the front surface of the housing 10 in a front view. The opening 15 is formed on the front surface of a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped space surrounded by a pair of left and right side plates 10a, a back plate 10b, a top plate 10c, and a bottom plate 10d. Cassette rails 16 extend in the front-rear direction on the inner surfaces of the pair of left and right side plates 10a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom plate 10 d of the housing 10 is processed by a press machine or the like and has a plurality of concave portions 17 for reinforcement. The concave portion 17 includes a substantially rectangular outer peripheral concave portion 17a and two diagonal concave portions 17b formed on the diagonal line of the outer peripheral concave portion 17a.

  The heater 11 has a long heater body 11a and a wiring part 11b for supplying power to the heater body 11a. The heater body 11a is, for example, a sheathed heater, and is configured by enclosing a heating element wrapped in an insulator in a metal pipe. The heater body 11a and the wiring part 11b are disposed along one diagonal recess 17b. The wiring part 11b is connected to a power source (not shown) via a control board (not shown) provided in the apparatus body 4. The operation panel 8 is connected to the control board, and the temperature of the heater body 11a can be set from the operation panel 8.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the paper feed cassette 12 is roughly formed in a substantially rectangular box shape with the upper surface opened. The paper feed cassette 12 is supported by the housing 10 in a state where it can be pulled out in the front-rear direction. On the front surface of the paper feed cassette 12, there is provided a gripping portion 12a that is gripped by the user when being put in and out.

  The paper feed cassette 12 includes a cassette body 20 that accommodates a plurality of sheets P (sheet bundle) and a pair of left and right cassette sliders 21 that engage with the cassette rail 16 of the housing 10.

  Inside the cassette body 20, a lift plate 22, a pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R, and a rear end cursor 24 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lift plate 22 is disposed on the right side of the cassette bottom plate 20 a of the cassette body 20. A rectangular notch 22a is formed at the center in the front-rear direction of the lift plate 22 from the left end to the right. The lift plate 22 is provided with a pair of first guide rails 25F and 25R arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The first guide rail 25F on the front side extends from the vicinity of the front end of the lift plate 22 to the vicinity of the notch 22a. The first guide rail 25R on the rear side extends from the vicinity of the rear end of the lift plate 22 to the vicinity of the notch 22a.

  The paper P is placed on the lift plate 22. The tip of the lift plate 22 (downstream in the paper feeding direction) is pushed up by an elevating mechanism (not shown). A pickup roller (not shown) is disposed on the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 12, and feeds the paper P on the lift plate 22 pushed up by the lifting mechanism one by one to the image forming unit 6. That is, the paper P is fed from the left side to the right side.

  The pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R are formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction, and are provided so as to face each other with the paper P in between. A contact surface 26 is formed on the side surfaces of the cursors 23F and 23R facing each other. A cursor coupling portion 27 is formed on the lower surface of each cursor 23F, 23R. Each cursor connecting portion 27 is connected to a rack gear (not shown) constituting a rack and pinion via the first guide rails 25F and 25R. In FIG. 5, the illustration of the front cursor 23F is omitted. Although details will be described later, the rear cursor 23R has a slightly different shape from the front cursor 23F.

  The rear end cursor 24 is formed in a substantially L shape when viewed from the front, and is provided at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the cassette bottom plate 20a. The rear end cursor 24 is slidably engaged with a second guide rail 28 formed on the cassette bottom plate 20a. The second guide rail 28 extends in the left-right direction, and the right side of the second guide rail 28 is located in the notch 22 a of the lift plate 22. In FIG. 5, the rear end cursor 24 is not shown.

  The paper P is accommodated between a pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R. The pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R move along the first guide rails 25F and 25R to bring the contact surface 26 into contact with the width direction end of the paper P. Specifically, the pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R move evenly from the center in the width direction of the paper P by the action of the rack and pinion. That is, the pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R position the paper P accommodated in the cassette body 20 in the width direction. The trailing edge cursor 24 contacts the trailing edge of the paper P (upstream edge in the paper feeding direction) and aligns the trailing edge of the paper P. By moving the pair of cursors 23F and 23R and the rear end cursor 24 according to the size of the paper P, the paper P (bundle) is accommodated in a predetermined position of the paper feed cassette 12 (see FIG. 4). In the first embodiment, the paper P is accommodated such that the longitudinal direction of the paper P is along the paper feeding direction, but the accommodation direction of the paper P is arbitrary. For example, the paper P may be accommodated so that the width direction (short side direction) of the paper P is along the paper feeding direction.

  The pair of left and right cassette sliders 21 extend in the front-rear direction on the left and right side surfaces of the cassette body 20. The pair of left and right cassette sliders 21 are slidably engaged with the respective cassette rails 16 of the housing 10. As a result, the paper feed cassette 12 is accommodated in the housing 10 through the opening 15 and supported so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the housing 10.

  Note that the cassette bottom plate 20 a of the cassette body 20 faces the bottom plate 10 d of the housing 10 with a gap in a state where the paper feed cassette 12 is accommodated in the housing 10. The lower surface of the cassette bottom plate 20a and the upper surface of the bottom plate 10d are provided substantially parallel to each other (see FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R as the airflow forming portion protrudes downward from the lower surface of the cassette bottom plate 20a of the cassette body 20 and extends substantially in the front-rear direction so as to sandwich the heater body 11a. Has been. The pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R are integrally formed with the cassette bottom plate 20a. The left current plate 13L extends linearly from the vicinity of the front left corner of the cassette bottom plate 20a to the vicinity of the rear right corner. The right rectifying plate 13R extends linearly from the vicinity of the front center of the cassette bottom plate 20a to the vicinity of the rear right corner. That is, the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R are arranged so that the distance between them becomes narrower from the front side to the rear side of the cassette bottom plate 20a.

  Each of the rectifying plates 13L and 13R is formed slightly lower than the gap between the cassette bottom plate 20a and the bottom plate 10d. That is, each of the rectifying plates 13L and 13R is formed at a height that does not hinder when the paper feeding cassette 12 is pulled out. Note that the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R are arranged on both the left and right sides of the heater body 11a in a state where the paper feed cassette 12 is housed in the housing 10. The pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R may be formed as individual members. In this case, each of the rectifying plates 13L and 13R may be attached to the lower surface of the cassette bottom plate 20a of the cassette body 20 by an adhesive or screwing.

  Incidentally, the sheet feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment has an air flow path 30 for efficiently supplying air (warm air) heated by a heater into the sheet feeding cassette. Hereinafter, the air flow path 30 of the paper feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the paper feeding device 5. The description of the first embodiment is based on a state in which the paper feed cassette 12 is accommodated in the housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the air flow path 30 has a first air flow path 31 and a second air flow path 32.

  The first air flow path 31 is formed between the lower surface of the paper feed cassette 12 and the housing 10. Moreover, the 1st air flow path 31 is comprised between the left-right paired baffle plates 13L and 13R (refer FIG. 3). That is, the first air flow path 31 is configured as a flat space surrounded by the cassette bottom plate 20a, the bottom plate 10d, and the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R.

  An intake port 33 communicating with the outside of the housing 10 is formed on the upstream end surface (front end surface) of the first air flow path 31. The air inlet 33 is formed by a gap between the lower front portion of the paper feed cassette 12 and the opening 15. As described above, the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R are arranged so that the distance between the rectifying plates 13L and 13R decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side of the first air flow path 31 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the first air flow path 31 is formed so as to increase from the downstream side toward the upstream side (the intake port 33 side). The heater 11 described above is disposed below the paper P accommodated between the pair of front and rear cursors 23F and 23R.

  The second air flow path 32 is formed inside the rear cursor 23 </ b> R which is the downstream side of the first air flow path 31. Here, the rear cursor 23R will be described. The rear cursor 23R includes a cursor main body 34 having an abutment surface 26, and a wind shielding portion 35 that is provided below the cursor main body 34 and forms the downstream end surface of the first air flow path 31. .

  The cursor body 34 is substantially the same as the front cursor 23F, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction. The inner right side of the cursor body 34 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section with the lower surface opened in a side view. That is, the cursor body 34 is formed hollow so as to constitute the second air flow path 32. A rectangular exhaust opening 36 is formed in the upper part of the contact surface 26. The exhaust opening 36 allows the second air flow path 32 and the internal space S of the paper feed cassette 12 to communicate with each other.

  The wind shield part 35 is formed integrally with the rear side wall 34 a of the cursor body 34. The wind shield portion 35 extends downward from the lower end portion of the rear side wall 34a. The wind shield 35 moves along the first guide rail 25R together with the cursor body 34 between the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R. The wind shield 35 is formed in a size that does not interfere with the bottom plate 10d of the housing 10 and the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R when moving along the first guide rail 25R.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a communication hole 37 extending in parallel with the first guide rail 25R is formed on the right side of the cassette bottom plate 20a of the paper feed cassette 12 described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication hole 37 is formed on the lower side of the first guide rail 25R. That is, the communication hole 37 and the first guide rail 25R allow the first air flow path 31 and the second air flow path 32 to communicate with each other. The rear side wall 34a of the rear cursor 23R passes through the first guide rail 25R and the communication hole 37 from above. The wind shield 35 is located in the first air flow path 31. That is, the second air flow path 32 communicates with the internal space S of the paper feed cassette 12 from the first air flow path 31 through the communication hole 37, the first guide rail 25 </ b> R, and the exhaust opening 36.

  Next, the dehumidifying action of the sheet feeding device 5 described above will be described.

  The heater 11 (heater body 11a) is heated to a predetermined temperature to heat the bottom plate 10d of the housing 10. The pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R guides an air flow from the outside of the housing 10 toward the paper P in the paper feed cassette 12 through the first air flow path 31 and the second air flow path 32 (the white areas in FIG. 6). See arrow).

  Specifically, the air outside the housing 10 flows into the first air flow path 31 from the intake port 33. The heater 11 heats the air introduced from the outside of the housing 10 into the first air flow path 31 to generate warm air. The warm air forms an air flow and flows through the first air flow path 31 toward the downstream side (backward in the first embodiment). Warm air (airflow) is blocked by the wind shielding portion 35 which is the downstream end surface of the first air flow path 31 and flows into the second air flow path 32 through the communication hole 37 and the first guide rail 25R. That is, the wind shield 35 guides the airflow from the first air flow path 31 to the second air flow path 32. Warm air (airflow) is discharged from the second air flow path 32 through the exhaust opening 36 to the internal space S of the paper feed cassette 12. The paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 12 is dehumidified by warm air.

  According to the sheet feeder 5 according to the first embodiment described above, the exhaust opening 36 is formed on the contact surface 26 of the cursor 23R that contacts the end of the sheet P. For this reason, the air that has flowed into the first air flow path 31 from the outside of the housing 10 is warmed by the heater and passes through the second air flow path 32 from the exhaust opening 36 toward the paper P in the paper feed cassette 12. Discharged. As a result, air (warm air) heated by the heater 11 can be efficiently supplied into the paper feed cassette 12 without adding a fan or the like, and the paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 12 can be dehumidified. It can be done effectively. Since the cursors 23F and 23R move according to the size of the paper P, the position of the exhaust opening 36 formed in the rear cursor 23R can also be changed according to the size of the paper P. Accordingly, it is possible to perform appropriate dehumidification of the paper regardless of the size of the paper P.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, the warm air (airflow) flowing through the first air flow path 31 is blocked by the wind blocking portion 35 and guided to the second air flow path 32. That is, the warm air efficiently enters the second air flow path 32 without diffusing. Thereby, a large amount of warm air can be supplied into the paper feed cassette 12.

  Further, according to the paper feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, the warm air is supplied from the upper side of the paper P, and the entire paper P can be dehumidified effectively. Further, by providing the exhaust opening 36 in the upper portion of the contact surface 26, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the exhaust opening 36 is blocked by a plurality of sheets (sheet bundle) accommodated in the sheet feeding cassette 12.

  Further, according to the paper feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, the first air flow path 31 includes the lower surface of the paper feeding cassette 12 (cassette bottom plate 20a), the housing 10 (the upper surface of the bottom plate 10d), and the left and right sides. A pair of rectifying plates 13L and 13R is surrounded and formed. Thereby, the spreading | diffusion of the heat which generate | occur | produces from the heater 11 can be suppressed, and air can be heated efficiently.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, since the cross-sectional area on the upstream side of the first air flow path 31 is formed large, a large amount of air is supplied from the outside of the housing 10 to the first air flow. It can be introduced into the path 31 and an active air current can be formed.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, the warm air is introduced into the internal space S through the second air flow path 32 in the rear cursor 23R, so that the air tends to stay behind. Dehumidification can be performed with priority given to the back side in the pull-out direction.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a paper feeding device 40 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the paper feeding device 40. In addition, about the structure similar to the paper feeder 5 (image forming apparatus 1) which concerns on 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The sheet feeding device 40 according to the second embodiment includes a pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L and 41R that are disposed so as to protrude upward from the bottom plate 10d of the housing 10 and sandwich the heater 11 from both sides in the horizontal direction. The pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L and 41R are integrally formed with the bottom plate 10d, and are arranged so that the distance from each other decreases from the front side to the rear side of the bottom plate 10d. The pair of left and right rectifying plates 41 </ b> L and 41 </ b> R of the paper feeding device 40 according to the second embodiment also configure the first air flow path 31. Note that the shape and extending direction of the pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L and 41R are the same as those of the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R of the paper feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment, and thus other detailed descriptions are omitted. .

  According to the sheet feeding device 40 according to the second embodiment described above, the first air flow path 31 includes the cassette bottom plate 20a of the sheet feeding cassette 12, the bottom plate 10d of the housing 10, and a pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L, And 41R. Thereby, the spreading | diffusion of the heat which generate | occur | produces from the heater 11 can be suppressed, and air can be heated efficiently. Moreover, arrangement | positioning with the heater 11 and each rectifying plate 41L and 41R can be performed easily. Furthermore, the same operations and effects as those of the sheet feeding device 5 according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 8, as a modification, the sheet feeding device 50 includes a pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L and 41R according to the second embodiment, in addition to the pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R according to the first embodiment. 41R may be provided. In this case, the rectifying plates 13L and 13R and the rectifying plates 41L and 41R are preferably arranged in a substantially “C” shape that is bilaterally symmetric so as not to hinder the drawer of the paper feed cassette 12. In addition, it is preferable to provide a pair of left and right rectifying plates 13L and 13R (inside) between the pair of left and right rectifying plates 41L and 41R. Further, in order to suppress the diffusion of heat of the heater 11, it is preferable to arrange the rectifying plates 13L and 13R and the rectifying plates 41L and 41R so as to overlap in a side view. In addition, it is preferable to change the positions of the communication hole 37, the first guide rail 25R, and the second air flow path 32 in accordance with the arrangement of the rectifying plates 13L, 13R, 41L, 41R.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a paper feeding device 60 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cursor 23R on the rear side of the paper feeding device 40. FIG. 9A shows the open / close plate 62 in the fully open position, and FIG. 9B shows the open / close plate 62 in the fully closed position. Show. In addition, about the structure similar to the paper feeder 5 which concerns on above-mentioned 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A sheet feeding device 60 according to the third embodiment includes a louver switching mechanism 61 that opens and closes three exhaust openings 36 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction at equal intervals. The louver switching mechanism 61 has three opening / closing plates 62 and an operating rod 63. Each opening / closing plate 62 is formed in a size capable of closing the exhaust opening 36. Each opening / closing plate 62 is disposed inside the cursor body 34. The operation rod 63 supports three open / close plates 62 at equal intervals according to the arrangement of the three exhaust openings 36. The upper portion of the operation rod 63 penetrates the upper wall of the cursor body 34 and is exposed upward. The operation rod 63 is supported by the cursor body 34 in a state in which the operation rod 63 can slide in the vertical direction.

  The operation of the louver switching mechanism 61 will be briefly described. First, in a state where the operation rod 63 is pushed downward, the three opening / closing plates 62 are in a position to open (fully open) the three exhaust openings 36 (see FIG. 9A). From this state, when the user grasps the operating rod 63 and pulls it upward, the open / close plates 62 supported by the operating rod 63 move upward to close (fully close) the three exhaust openings 36 (see FIG. 9 (B)). Although not shown, the operation rod 63 stops each open / close plate 62 at an arbitrary position between the fully open position and the fully closed position by the load (sliding resistance) of the sliding portion with the cursor body 34. Can do.

  According to the above configuration, the opening amount (or closing amount) of each exhaust opening 36 by each opening / closing plate 62 can be arbitrarily adjusted. As a result, the amount of warm air supplied into the paper feed cassette 12 can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the number of sheets P stored in the paper feed cassette 12 (stacking height). That is, warm air can be effectively supplied into the paper feed cassette 12 regardless of the number of sheets of paper P accommodated. The louver switching mechanism 61 can be applied to the paper feeding devices 5, 40, and 50 according to the above-described embodiments.

  Note that in the sheet feeders 5, 40, 50, 60 according to the first to third embodiments (including modifications (hereinafter the same)), the shape (left-right width) of the first air flow path 31 is directed from upstream to downstream. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape (left-right width) of the first air flow path 31 may be increased from upstream to downstream. Further, for example, when the amount of heat diffusion of the heater 11 is small in the small paper feed cassette 12, the rectifying plates 13L and 13R (41L and 41R) may be omitted.

  In the sheet feeders 5, 40, 50, 60 according to the first to third embodiments, the pair of cursors 23F, 23R are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction, but may be opposed to each other in the left-right direction. Further, the interlocking connection mechanism may be omitted, for example, one cursor may be fixed and the other cursor may be reciprocated. In these cases, the second air flow path 32 may be formed at an arbitrary cursor.

  In addition, the shape, the formation position, the number of formation, and the like of the exhaust openings 36 formed in the paper feeding devices 5, 40, 50, 60 according to the first to third embodiments can be arbitrarily set. That is, the exhaust opening 36 is preferably provided at a position where dehumidification is necessary.

  Although the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first to third embodiments has been described with respect to the case where the one-stage sheet cassette 12 is mounted, the number of sheet cassettes 12 is arbitrary. For example, even when the multi-stage sheet cassette 12 is provided, the air is introduced from the air inlet 33 of the first air flow path 31 between the lowermost sheet cassette 12 and the housing 10. The heater 11 is disposed in the lowermost first air flow path 31. The first air flow path 31 is branched in the middle, and the introduced warm air flows forward along the lower surface of the upper paper feed cassette 12, and passes through the second air flow path 32 in the cursor of the upper paper feed cassette 12. It is preferable to be discharged into the space S.

  In the description of the first to third embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus 1 such as a printer is shown as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, and the like. The invention may be applied. Although not shown, a fan for spreading the warm air into the sheet feeding cassette 12 may be added as the air flow forming portion in addition to the rectifying plates 13L, 13R, 41L, 41R.

  The above description of the embodiment of the present invention describes a preferred embodiment of the paper feeding device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and accordingly, various technically preferable limitations are attached. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless specifically described to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements in the embodiments of the present invention described above can be appropriately replaced with existing constituent elements, and various variations including combinations with other existing constituent elements are possible. The description of the embodiment of the present invention is not intended to limit the content of the invention described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 5,40,50,60 Paper feeding apparatus 10 Housing | casing 10d Bottom plate 11 Heater 12 Paper feeding cassette 13L, 13R, 41L, 41R Rectification board (air flow formation part)
23F, 23R Cursor 26 Contact surface 31 First air flow path 32 Second air flow path 34 Cursor main body 35 Wind shield part 36 Exhaust opening 61 Louver switching mechanism P Paper S Internal space

Claims (9)

A paper cassette for storing a plurality of papers;
A first air flow path formed between a lower surface of the paper feed cassette and a housing for housing the paper feed cassette, and having an upstream end communicating with the outside of the housing;
A cursor that is positioned downstream of the first air flow path and moves the contact surface to contact an end of the paper stored in the paper feed cassette to position the paper;
A second air flow path formed inside the cursor and communicating with the internal space of the paper feed cassette through an exhaust opening formed in the contact surface from the first air flow path;
A heater for heating air introduced into the first air flow path from the outside of the housing;
An air flow forming section for guiding an air flow toward the paper in the paper feed cassette from the outside of the housing through the first air flow path and the second air flow path. apparatus. The cursor is
A cursor body having the contact surface;
A wind-shielding portion provided at a lower portion of the cursor body to constitute a downstream end surface of the first air flow path and guide the air flow from the first air flow path to the second air flow path. The paper feeding device according to claim 1.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust opening is formed in an upper portion of the contact surface.   The airflow forming unit has a pair of rectifying plates that are disposed so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the paper feed cassette and sandwich the heater from both sides in the horizontal direction to constitute the first air flow path. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein   The airflow forming portion has a pair of rectifying plates that are disposed so as to protrude upward from the bottom plate of the housing and sandwich the heater from both sides in the horizontal direction and constitute the first air flow path. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   6. The sheet feeding according to claim 4, wherein the pair of rectifying plates are disposed so that a distance between the pair of rectifying plates decreases from an upstream side to a downstream side of the first air flow path. apparatus. The paper feed cassette is supported by the housing in a state where it can be pulled out in the front-rear direction,
A pair of the cursors are provided in the front-rear direction so as to face each other with the paper interposed therebetween,
The heater is disposed on the lower side of the paper accommodated between the pair of cursors,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the second air flow path is formed inside the rear cursor.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a louver switching mechanism capable of adjusting an opening / closing amount of the exhaust opening.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to claim 1.

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