JP2017048020A - Sheet feeding device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeding device which can improve maintainability by avoiding inconvenience at the time of attaching/detaching a positioning member and an image formation apparatus having the same.SOLUTION: A manual feeding device includes a cover unit 11 which can attached/detached to/from a device body. The cover unit 11 includes: a shutter 112 which fixes the position of a sheet loaded on a tray at a regulation position and a stopper 113 which locks the shutter to the regulation position by contacting the shutter 112. The shutter 112 and the stopper 113 are unitized as a part of the cover unit 11 detached prior to replacement of a roller and rearranged back to the device body while keeping a positional relation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

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

  An image forming apparatus such as a FAX, a printer, or a copier includes a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a sheet manually set by a user to an image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body), such as a document feeding device or a manual feeding device. There is something to prepare. Conventionally, as such a sheet feeding apparatus, a sheet feeding apparatus including a positioning member that contacts and positions the front end of the sheets stacked on the manual feed tray and a stopper that locks the positioning member is known ( Patent Document 1).

  In this sheet feeding device, a take-out roll for feeding a sheet is driven by a solenoid device so as to be able to move up and down between a sheet feeding execution position contacting the sheet and a standby position spaced upward from the sheet. ing. The stopper is connected to the solenoid device via a link mechanism, and locks the positioning member when the take-out roll is in the standby position, and engages / disengages from the positioning member when the take-out roll is in the paper feed execution position. . As a result, the positioning member is switched between a state in which the movement of the sheet is restricted and a state in which the positioning member can be retracted so as not to prevent the conveyance of the sheet.

JP 2006-27798 A

  In the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 1, the positioning member is supported by the roller shaft of the take-out roller. On the other hand, the positioning member may be attached to a detachable member that is detached from the apparatus main body when the take-out roller is replaced, which is separate from the roller shaft.

  However, in the configuration in which the stopper (lock member) is supported by the apparatus main body via a fixing plate or the like as in the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 1, the positioning member and the stopper are assembled when the positioning member is assembled to the apparatus main body. There was a risk of misalignment. If the positioning member and the stopper have an inappropriate positional relationship, there is a possibility that the positioning member may be locked and disengaged by the stopper. This hinders improvement in maintainability.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet feeding device that can improve the maintainability by avoiding inconvenience when the positioning member is attached and detached, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device.

  The sheet feeding device according to the present invention includes a stacking member on which sheets are stacked, a feeding position where the sheet can be conveyed in the feeding direction by contacting an upper surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking member, and the feeding A feed roller that is movable to a standby position above the position and is removable from the apparatus main body, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and at least a part of the feed roller in the direction of removing the feed roller An attachment / detachment unit positioned downstream of the feeding roller, the attachment / detachment unit being in contact with the sheet in a state of being in a regulation position to define a sheet position in the feeding direction, and from the regulation position to the feeding A positioning member that can swing upwardly of the sheet conveyed by the feeding roller, and when the feeding roller is in the standby position, the positioning member abuts on the positioning member and locks to the regulation position. Has a locking member that, the, characterized in that.

  The sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention can improve the maintainability by avoiding inconvenience when the positioning member is attached and detached.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The perspective view which shows a manual feeding apparatus. (A) is a perspective view which shows the cover unit of a manual feeding apparatus, (b) is a perspective view which shows the manual feeding apparatus of the state from which the cover unit was removed. Sectional drawing which shows the manual feeding apparatus of the state from which the cover unit was removed. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the cover unit from the feed direction upstream side, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the cover unit from the feed direction downstream side. Sectional drawing which shows the manual feeding apparatus of the state in which the cover unit was attached. The figure for demonstrating the replacement | exchange operation | work of a feed roller. The figure which shows the state by which the cover member of the manual feeding apparatus as a comparative example with respect to this embodiment was removed. Sectional drawing which shows the manual feeding apparatus as a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, it is assumed that the positional relationship between the top, bottom, left, and right is expressed with reference to the state of the image forming apparatus viewed from the front (the viewpoint in FIG. 1). Further, the front end of the sheet represents an end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction when the sheet is conveyed.

[Image forming apparatus]
An image forming apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus using a full-color laser beam printer as an example, as schematically shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 201 includes an image forming unit 201B that forms an image on a sheet P, a fixing unit 220 that fixes an image on the sheet P, and the like inside an apparatus main body 201A (printer main body) that is an image forming apparatus body. . Above the apparatus main body 201A, an image reading apparatus 202 that reads image data of a document is disposed in a posture in which the document placement surface is substantially horizontal. A discharge tray 230 for discharging the sheet P is provided between the image reading apparatus 202 and the apparatus main body 201A. The apparatus main body 201A is provided with a sheet feeding unit 201E that feeds the sheet P to the image forming unit 201B. The sheet feeding unit 201E includes sheet feeding apparatuses 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D that are disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 201A, and the manual feeding apparatus 1 that is disposed on the right side of the apparatus main body 201A. .

  The image forming unit 201B as an image forming unit is a so-called four-drum full-color image forming unit including a laser scanner 210, four process cartridges 211, and an intermediate transfer unit 201C. These process cartridges form toner images of respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each process cartridge 211 includes a photosensitive drum 212 (photoconductor), a charger 213, a developing device 214, a cleaner (not shown), and the like. Note that a toner cartridge 215 containing toner of each color is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 201A above the image forming unit 201B.

  The intermediate transfer unit 201C is configured by winding an intermediate transfer belt 216 as an intermediate transfer member around a driving roller 216a, a tension roller 216b, and the like, and is disposed above the four process cartridges 211. The intermediate transfer belt 216 is disposed so as to be in contact with the photosensitive drum 212 of each process cartridge 211, and is rotated counterclockwise (in the direction of the arrow Q) by a driving roller 216a driven by a driving unit (not shown). Driven. The intermediate transfer unit 201 </ b> C includes a primary transfer roller 219 that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing each photosensitive drum 212, and a nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 216 and the photosensitive drum 212. A primary transfer portion T1 is formed. Further, the image forming unit 201B includes a secondary transfer roller 217 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing the driving roller 216a. As a nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 217 and the intermediate transfer belt 216, a secondary transfer portion T2 to which the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 216 is transferred to the sheet P is formed.

  In each process cartridge 211 configured as described above, an electrostatic latent image is drawn on the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 by the laser scanner 210, and then toner is supplied from the developing device 214 to make it negative. A charged toner image of each color is formed. These toner images are subjected to multiple transfer (primary transfer) sequentially to the intermediate transfer belt 216 at each primary transfer portion T1 by applying a positive transfer bias voltage to the primary transfer roller 219, and intermediate A full color toner image is formed on the transfer belt 216.

  In parallel with such a toner image forming process, the sheet feeding unit 201E supplies the sheets P to the image forming unit 201B in a state of being separated one by one. That is, the sheets P stacked on the feeding cassette are fed through the vertical path 126 from the sheet feeding apparatuses 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D provided in the lower part of the apparatus main body 201A. Further, a sheet P set on the tray 15 by the user is fed from the manual feeding device 1 provided on the right side of the apparatus main body 201A.

  The sheet P fed from the sheet feeding unit 201E is skew-corrected by abutting the front end against the registration roller pair 240. The registration roller pair 240 conveys the sheet P to the secondary transfer portion T2 at a timing that matches the transfer timing of the full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216. The toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 216 is secondarily transferred onto the sheet P at the secondary transfer portion T2 by applying a positive transfer bias voltage to the secondary transfer roller 217.

  When the sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is heated and pressed in the fixing unit 220, the color image is fixed to the sheet P. The sheet P on which the image is fixed is discharged to the discharge tray 230 by the discharge roller pair 225 and stacked. When images are formed on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P passes through the fixing unit 220 and is then switched back by a reversing roller pair 222 that can be rotated in the normal direction. Then, the sheet P is conveyed again to the image forming unit 201B via the reconveying path R, and an image is formed on the back surface.

[Manual feeding device]
Next, the manual feeding device (sheet feeding device) 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. However, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the manual feed device 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part thereof as viewed from the front of the apparatus main body 201A. 3A is a perspective view showing the cover unit 11 of the manual feed device 1, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing the manual feed device 1 with the cover unit 11 removed. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the manual feeding device 1 roughly includes a tray 15, a feeding unit 10, and a cover unit 11. The tray 15 as a stacking member on which the sheets P are stacked has a closed position that covers the right side surface of the housing 206 of the apparatus main body 201A, and an open position where the sheets P can be stacked on the upper surface 151 that is the stacking surface (the position in FIG. ), And is supported so as to be rotatable. In a state where the tray 15 is in the open position, the user can set the sheet P on the tray 15 by inserting a sheet bundle from the upper right of the tray 15, for example.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the feeding unit 10 includes a pickup roller 101, a feed roller 102, a retard roller 103, and a roller holding unit 108 that holds the pickup roller 101. Yes. These rollers are disposed at substantially the center position in the width direction of the tray 15 and are provided so as to be able to contact the center portion in the width direction of the sheet P.

  A pickup roller 101 as a feeding roller for feeding the sheet P is rotatably supported by a pickup roller shaft 101A that extends in the width direction of the tray 15. A pickup gear 101G provided on the pickup roller shaft 101A is connected to a feed motor (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body 201A via a one-way clutch (not shown). By this feed motor, the pickup roller 101 is rotationally driven in a direction (feed direction) along the feed direction (direction of arrow Fd).

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the roller holding portion 108 that holds the pickup roller shaft 101 </ b> A is supported to be rotatable about the feed roller shaft 102 </ b> A and can be moved up and down with respect to the upper surface 151 of the tray 15. It is. The roller holding portion 108 is urged downward by an urging means provided between the apparatus main body 201A and is connected to a feed motor via a cam mechanism (not shown) and held at a predetermined vertical position. . As a result, the pickup roller 101 moves in the vertical direction between a feeding position where the pickup roller 101 abuts on the upper surface of the sheet P stacked on the tray 15 and can be conveyed in the feeding direction, and a standby position which is spaced upward from the sheet P. It is movable.

  A feed roller 102 as a conveying roller disposed downstream of the pickup roller 101 in the feeding direction is attached to a feed roller shaft 102A disposed in parallel with the pickup roller shaft 101A. A retard roller 103 as a separation roller is attached to a retard roller shaft 103A disposed in parallel to the feed roller shaft 102A via a torque limiter 103T. As shown in FIG. 4, the retard roller 103 is pressed against the feed roller 102 by an urging means (not shown), and forms a separation nip portion N <b> 1 that separates the sheet P from the feed roller 102.

  The driving force from the feed motor is input to an input gear provided at the axial end of the feed roller shaft 102A (the upper right end in FIG. 3), and the feed roller 102 is moved along the feed direction (feed). Direction). The rotation of the feed roller shaft 102A is transmitted to the retard roller shaft 103A via a gear train (not shown), and rotationally drives the retard roller 103 in the direction opposite to the feeding direction (return direction). As a result, the retard roller 103 rotates in the return direction when a plurality of sheets P enter the separation nip portion N1, and pushes back the multi-feed sheet to the upstream side of the separation nip portion N1, so that The sheet P can be separated and conveyed.

  2 and 4, a nip guide 25 for guiding the sheet P toward the separation nip portion N1 is provided between the upper surface 151 of the tray 15 and the separation nip portion N1 in the feeding direction. ing. The nip guide 25 includes a central guide 252 that guides the central portion in the width direction of the sheet P, and side guides 251 and 253 that guide the side portions of the sheet P, and the separation nip portion N1 from the upper surface 151 of the tray 15. The guide surface is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, the central guide 252 that covers a part of the retard roller 103 can be detached from the apparatus main body 201 </ b> A independently of the side guides 251 and 253.

[Cover unit]
Next, a cover unit 11 (cover assembly) as a detachable unit that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 201A will be described with reference to FIGS. However, FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of the cover unit 11 as viewed from the upstream side and the downstream side in the feeding direction, respectively. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the manual feeding device 1 with the cover unit 11 attached, as viewed from the front of the apparatus main body 201A.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the cover unit 11 includes a roller cover 111, a cover base 114 that supports the roller cover 111, and a shutter 112 and a stopper 113 that constitute a sheet P positioning mechanism Ps. As shown in FIG. 5B, the cover base 114 has engagement claws 4a and 4b that can be engaged with engagement holes 6a (see FIG. 3B) provided in the housing 206 of the apparatus main body 201A. The apparatus main body 201A is detachable.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the roller cover 111 (cover member) is supported by the cover base 114 so as to be rotatable about the cover axis P2. The cover axis P2 is located on the rotation axis of the feed roller 102 in a state where the cover base 114 is attached to the apparatus main body 201A (see FIG. 3B). The roller cover 111 has a cover portion 111 a that covers the pickup roller 101 and the feed roller 102 and can be engaged with the roller holding portion 108. Accordingly, the roller cover 111 moves in the vertical direction as the pickup roller 101 moves.

  The positioning mechanism Ps for positioning the front end position of the sheets P stacked on the tray 15 includes a shutter 112 as a positioning member and a stopper 113 as a lock member, as shown in FIGS. ing. The shutter 112 is an arm-like member that swings (rotates) about a swing shaft 112A that is swingably supported by the roller cover 111. The shutter 112 is arranged on the side opposite to the roller holding portion 108 in the axial direction of the pickup roller 101 (on the front side of the apparatus main body 201A) (see FIG. 2).

  The swing shaft 112 </ b> A of the shutter 112 is disposed on an extension line of the roller axis P <b> 1 that is the rotation axis of the pickup roller 101, and moves up and down as the pickup roller 101 moves. The upstream surface in the feeding direction of the shutter 112 is formed as a regulating surface 112a that can abut the front end of the sheet P stacked on the tray 15 and can define the sheet position in the feeding direction. Further, a locking portion 112b and a ride-up portion 112c (non-locking portion) that can come into contact with the stopper 113 are provided on the downstream surface of the shutter 112 in the feeding direction.

  In the present embodiment, the pickup roller 101 is disposed at a position close to the feed roller 102 in consideration of the compactness of the feeding device. For this reason, the distance between the axes of the pickup roller 101 and the feed roller 102 is set to be smaller than the swing radius of the shutter 112. The swinging locus of the shutter 112 including the movement of the swinging shaft 112A overlaps with at least a part of the feed roller 102 and the retard roller 103 as viewed from the direction of the roller axis P1 (viewpoint in FIG. 6). The central guide 252 is formed with a notch 252a extending in the feeding direction at a position overlapping the retard roller 103 when viewed from the direction of the roller axis P1 (see FIG. 2), and the shutter 112 is located inside the notch 252a. Can be swung.

  The stopper 113 is an arm-like member that rotates in the vertical direction about a rotation shaft 113A that is rotatably supported by the cover base 114. The stopper 113 has a front end portion 113a that can come into contact with the locking portion 112b and the riding-up portion 112c of the shutter 112, and an abutting portion 113b that can come into contact with the cover base 114. The abutting portion 113b abuts on the cover base 114 in a state where the stopper 113 is in a substantially horizontal posture (the posture shown in FIG. 6), and restricts the downward rotation of the stopper 113.

  The operation of the positioning mechanism Ps will be described. When the pickup roller 101 is in the standby position (state shown in FIG. 6), the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 are each in a stable position according to their own weight. That is, the shutter 112 is in a restricting position that is a position depending on the roller axis P1, and the stopper 113 is kept substantially horizontal by the abutting portion 113b. In this state, when the front end of the sheet P is abutted against the regulating surface 112 a and a force in the feeding direction acts on the shutter 112, the locking portion 112 b presses the leading end portion 113 a of the stopper 113.

  Here, the locking portion 112b is formed as an inclined surface having a predetermined inclination angle so that the direction of the force pressing the tip portion 113a of the stopper 113 is the direction of rotating the stopper 113 downward. . For this reason, the abutting portion 113b of the stopper 113 acts as a restricting portion that restricts the stopper 113 from rotating in the direction in which the stopper 113 is pressed against the shutter 112, and the posture of the stopper 113 is resisted against the pressing force of the shutter 112. Hold. Since the shutter 112 is restricted by the stopper 113 from swinging downstream in the feeding direction, the shutter 112 is in a locked state (locked state). Therefore, when the pickup roller 101 is in the standby position, the shutter 112 is in a state where the movement of the sheets P stacked on the tray 15 in the feeding direction can be restricted, and the front end of the sheet P hits the restriction surface 112a. It is positioned at the position of the sheet in contact.

  When the pickup roller 101 is lowered toward the feeding position, the swing shaft 112A of the shutter 112 is lowered accordingly. At this time, since the locking portion 112b is separated from the stopper 113, the shutter 112 is in a freely swingable state (unlocked state). In this state, when the pickup roller 101 comes into contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet P of the positioned sheet bundle and is rotationally driven in the feeding direction, the shutter 112 is lifted by the sheet conveyed in the feeding direction. Thus, the sheet P swings upward. The sheet P is conveyed into the apparatus main body 201A by the feed roller 102 while lifting the shutter 112. Accordingly, when the pickup roller 101 is in the feeding position, the shutter 112 is retracted from the sheet P conveyance path, and the sheet P can be smoothly conveyed by the pickup roller 101 and the feed roller 102.

  By the way, the pickup roller 101 moves from the feeding position to the standby position in a state where the sheet P is nipped by the separation nip portion N1, such as when the feeding operation is finished with the multi-feed sheet entering the separation nip portion N1. May be moved. In this case, since the swing shaft 112A moves upward while the shutter 112 is lifted by the sheet P, the riding-up portion 112c of the shutter 112 abuts on the tip portion 113a of the stopper 113, and the stopper 113 is It is in a state where it has been lifted up (lifted). In this state, if a force in the feeding direction is applied to the shutter 112, the stopper 113 rotates upward along with the shutter 112, so that the sheet P is not positioned by the shutter 112. When the sheet P sandwiched by the separation nip portion N1 is removed, such a state is eliminated. That is, the stopper 113 comes into contact with the engaging portion 112b of the shutter 112, and the shutter 112 returns to the locked state at the restriction position.

[Roller replacement work]
Next, the roller replacement operation in the manual feeding device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. However, FIG. 7 shows a state where the feed roller 102 is removed from the manual feeding device 1 from which the cover unit 11 and the central guide 252 are removed. The pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 are respectively attached to axial ends of roller shafts (101A, 102A, 103A) that are parallel to each other. These rollers are detached from the apparatus main body 201A by being moved in a removing direction (lower left direction in FIG. 7) which is opposite to the roller holding portion 108 with respect to the pickup roller 101 in the axial direction of the roller shaft. Is done.

  The pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 are provided with operation portions 101d, 102d, and 103d that protrude in the removal direction, respectively. Each operation part has an elastic part d2 that has an engaging claw that engages with the protrusion A1 of the roller shaft and is elastically deformable, and a grip part d1 that is harder than the elastic part d2. These rollers are prevented from coming off the roller shaft by engaging the engaging claws of the elastic portion d2 with the projection A1.

  Hereinafter, the roller replacement operation will be described using the feed roller 102 as an example. However, the roller replacement operation includes replacement of a rubber that has deteriorated over time with a new roller, replacement of a rubber member constituting the outer peripheral portion of the roller, and temporary removal for inspection.

  When an operator such as a user or a service person performs a roller replacement operation, first, the cover unit 11 is removed from the apparatus main body 201A. That is, by sliding the cover base 114 of the cover unit 11, the engaging claws 4 a and 4 b are disengaged from the engaging hole 6 a of the housing 206, and the cover unit 11 is moved to the outside of the apparatus main body 201 </ b> A. At this time, the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 are removed from the apparatus main body as an integral unit. Further, the roller cover 111 is disengaged from the roller holding portion 108. Then, by removing the roller cover 111, the feed roller 102 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 201A and is accessible to the operator.

  In this state, when the operator holds the operation portion 102d and pushes the elastic portion d2 toward the gripping portion d1, the elastic portion d2 is disengaged from the feed roller shaft 102A and can move in the axial direction. Then, when the operator pulls out the feed roller 102 in the removal direction (axial direction), the feed roller 102 is detached from the feed roller shaft 102A.

  When the feed roller 102 is attached again, the operator grasps the feed roller 102 and pushes it in the axial direction with respect to the feed roller shaft 102A. Then, as the feed roller 102 moves, the elastic portion d2 of the operation portion 102d is elastically deformed and engages with the protrusion A1. As a result, the feed roller 102 is prevented from being detached from the feed roller shaft 102A.

  Finally, the operator reassembles the cover unit 11 into the apparatus main body 201A. That is, the engagement claws 4 a and 4 b of the cover base 114 are engaged with the engagement holes 6 a of the housing 206, and the cover base 114 is fixed to the housing 206. At this time, the roller cover 111 is engaged with the roller holding portion 108 and is again movable in the vertical direction as the pickup roller 101 moves. Further, the stopper 113 locks the shutter 112 at the restriction position corresponding to the pickup roller 101 at the standby position, so that the positioning mechanism Ps can position the sheet P.

  Such a roller replacement operation is performed in the same procedure when the pickup roller 101, the retard roller 103, and a plurality of rollers are replaced. That is, after removing the cover unit 11 from the apparatus main body 201A, the operator removes the roller from the roller shaft by pulling out the roller in the removal direction (axial direction) while operating the operation units 101d, 102d, and 103d. Then, after the new roller is pushed in the direction opposite to the removal direction and attached to the roller shaft, the cover unit 11 is assembled back to the apparatus main body 201A to complete the replacement operation.

  However, when the retard roller 103 is removed, after removing the cover unit 11, the center guide 252 of the nip guide 25 is removed to expose the retard roller 103. In addition, after the retard roller 103 is attached, the cover unit 11 is assembled with the central guide 252 assembled.

[Effect of this embodiment]
The effect of this embodiment will be described using a manual feeding device 1A as a comparative example. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the manual feeding device 1A, the positioning mechanism Ps is not unitized, and the stopper 123 is left in the apparatus main body 201A with the cover member (roller cover 111) removed. This is different from the manual feeder 1 described above. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the manual feeding device 1, common members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  A stopper 123 constituting a part of the manual feed device 1A of the comparative example is rotatably supported by a holding portion 124 formed integrally with the housing 206 of the apparatus main body 201A, and is provided with a shutter 112 provided on the cover member. In addition, the positioning mechanism Ps is configured. However, in such a configuration, when the cover member is assembled, the positional relationship between the stopper 123 and the shutter 112 may be shifted. Specifically, when the cover member is reassembled, a part of the cover member may interfere with the stopper 123, and the swing shaft 123 b of the stopper 123 may be displaced from the holding portion 124. Further, there is a possibility that the stopper 123 interferes with a member on the apparatus main body side and moves out of a normal swinging range in a state where the stopper 123 is mounted on the apparatus main body 201A. As a result of such misalignment, there is a possibility that the stopper 123 is in contact with a portion other than the locking portion 112b of the shutter 112 in a state where the cover member is assembled.

  As described above, the positioning mechanism Ps is configured to switch between the locked state and the unlocked state depending on the positional relationship between the shutter and the stopper. For this reason, when a positional deviation occurs between the shutter 112 and the stopper 123, the sheet P is conveyed without being unlocked in a situation where the shutter 112 should be locked at the restriction position, or the shutter 112 is not unlocked. May interfere. In order to avoid such inconvenience, it is necessary to pay close attention to the relative position between the shutter 112 and the stopper 123 when the cover unit 11 is reassembled, which imposes a heavy burden on the operator.

  On the other hand, in the manual feeding device 1 according to the present embodiment, the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 are unitized as a part of the cover unit 11. For this reason, when the cover unit 11 is attached / detached in a roller replacement operation or the like, an appropriate positional relationship between the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 is maintained, so that the inconvenience as described above can be avoided. That is, the manual feeding device 1 according to the present embodiment can improve the maintainability by avoiding inconvenience when the rollers are replaced.

  Further, in the configuration in which the stopper 123 remains downstream in the direction of removing the roller (feed roller 102) with the cover unit 11 removed as in this comparative example, the stopper 123 becomes an obstacle to the removal and installation of the roller. Workability is reduced. Also, if the roller is replaced with the stopper 123 removed, the replacement work is troublesome because of the removal and installation steps of the stopper 123. On the other hand, since the shutter 112 and the stopper 123 in this embodiment are removed together with the roller cover 111, the workability can be improved without increasing the work process as compared with the comparative example.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 are unitized as a part of the cover unit 11, but other unit configurations may be used as long as they are detachable from the apparatus main body 201A. For example, a guide unit in which a guide member that contacts and guides the upper surface of the sheet P, a shutter 112, and a stopper 113 may be provided. Alternatively, the shutter 112 and the stopper 113 and these holding members may be provided as a unitary positioning unit. Even in these cases, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  The detailed configuration of the positioning mechanism Ps is not limited to that described above, and for example, a configuration in which the lock member is provided as a cam member that limits the rotation of the shutter may be used. In short, what is necessary is just the structure which can hold | maintain a positioning member in a control position according to the positional relationship of a positioning member and a lock member.

  Further, the present technology is not limited to a manual feeding device in which a user sets a sheet P, and may be applied to other sheet feeding devices having a positioning mechanism. An example of such a sheet feeding device is a document feeding device that feeds a document to the image reading device 202.

11 ... Detachable unit (cover unit) / 15 ... Stacking member (tray) / 101 ... Feeding roller (pickup roller) / 102 ... Conveying roller (feed roller) / 103 ... Separation roller (retarding roller) / 111 ... Cover member ( Roller cover) / 112 ... Positioning member (shutter) / 112A ... Oscillating shaft / 112b ... Locking portion / 112c ... Non-locking portion (lifting portion) / 113 ... Lock member (stopper) / 113b ... Restriction portion (protrusion) Applicator) / 201 ... Image forming apparatus / 201B ... Image forming means (image forming part) / Fd ... Feed direction / P1 ... Rotation axis (roller axis)

Claims (13)

A stacking member on which sheets are stacked;
The sheet can be moved to a feeding position where the sheet can be conveyed in the feeding direction by contacting the upper surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking member, and can be removed from the apparatus main body. Possible feeding rollers,
A detachable unit that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and at least a part of the detachable unit is positioned downstream of the feed roller in the direction of removing the feed roller,
The detachable unit is in contact with the sheet in the restricted position to define the sheet position in the feeding direction, and is swingable from the restricted position to the upper side of the sheet conveyed by the feeding roller. A positioning member; and a lock member that contacts the positioning member and locks to the restriction position when the feeding roller is in the standby position.
A sheet feeding apparatus characterized by that. The feeding roller is removed from the apparatus main body by moving in the axial direction,
The positioning member is located downstream of the feeding roller in the removal direction;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1. The detachable unit has a cover member that covers at least a part of the feeding roller,
The positioning member is supported by the cover member;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The positioning member swings around a swing shaft that moves with the feeding roller.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The swing shaft is located on a rotation axis of the feeding roller;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4. The positioning member is provided with a regulating surface on the upstream side in the feeding direction, which is in contact with a front end of a sheet stacked on the stacking member and can regulate movement in the feeding direction. On the side opposite to the regulation surface, there is provided a locking portion that comes into contact with the lock member when the feeding roller is in the standby position.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The lock member is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body, and can be brought into contact with a non-locking portion provided at a position different from the locking portion of the positioning member.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 6. The lock member has a restricting portion that restricts rotation in a direction pressed by the positioning member when being brought into contact with the locking portion, and when being brought into contact with the non-locking portion. , Is rotatable with the swing of the positioning member,
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 7. A transport roller that is disposed downstream of the feed roller in the feed direction, transports the sheet in the feed direction, and is removable from the apparatus main body by being moved in the removal direction;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The conveying roller overlaps at least a part of the swinging locus of the positioning member as viewed from the removing direction.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9. A separation nip part that is pressed against the conveyance roller and separates the sheet from the conveyance roller, and includes a separation roller that is removable from the apparatus main body by being moved in the removal direction;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 9 or 10. The separation roller overlaps at least a part of the swinging locus of the positioning member when viewed from the removing direction.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 11. A sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet supplied from the sheet feeding device.

Images