JP2017052574A - Sheet feeder device and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeder device that can reduce noise emitted in feeding a sheet, and to provide an image formation device.SOLUTION: A pickup roller 101 for feeding a sheet loaded on a manual feeding tray is held by a paper feed holder 135 that is rotatable in a vertical direction. A shaft part 145 about which the paper feed holder 135 rotates is supported by multiple pivot parts 142a to 142c provided in a device body and a first support arm 135a provided in the paper feed holder 135 is pressed to the pivot part 142a by a compression spring 141.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a configuration for reducing noise during sheet feeding.

  Conventional image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles include a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets to an image forming unit. The sheet feeding device includes a pickup roller that feeds the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit, and a separation unit that separates the sheets one by one when two or more sheets are fed by the pickup roller. I have. As the separation unit, there is a retard separation type that includes a feed roller that is a transport roller that rotates in the same direction as the pickup roller, and a retard roller that is a separation roller that is pressed against the feed roller with a predetermined pressure contact force. is there.

  In such a sheet feeding apparatus, the pickup roller is rotatably held at a rotating end of a holder that is provided on the frame of the sheet feeding apparatus main body so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. When feeding a sheet, the sheet is fed by rotating the holder downward and rotating the pickup roller in contact with the sheet. However, when feeding the sheet, vibrations such as fine stick-slip may occur in the pickup roller. When this vibration is transmitted to the holder or the frame and amplified, it becomes abnormal noise. If it leaks outside, it will make noise.

  In view of this, conventionally, a shielding member that prevents abnormal noise from leaking to the outside has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In a sheet feeding apparatus using such a shielding member, when feeding a sheet, the shielding member is moved to a shielding position capable of shielding the vicinity of the pickup roller while allowing the sheet to pass therethrough. The sound is not leaked to the outside.

JP 2014-223955 A

  However, when a shielding member is used, the number of parts is added, leading to an increase in cost. Furthermore, since the noise itself is not suppressed, the noise level may change depending on external factors such as the use environment of the machine, and the noise may be felt uncomfortable depending on the user.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can reduce noise during sheet feeding. .

  The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus, wherein a sheet stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, a feeding roller that feeds out the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit, and a vertical rotation that holds the feeding roller can be rotated. The holding means, a shaft portion that is a rotation center of the holding means, a shaft support portion that supports the shaft portion, and a pressing means that presses the holding means against the shaft support portion. is there.

  As in the present invention, the holding means for holding the feeding roller is pressed against the shaft support portion that supports the shaft portion that is the rotation center of the holding means to prevent vibration of the holding means, thereby reducing noise during sheet feeding. Can be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a full-color laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a manual feeding device that is the sheet feeding device. The figure explaining operation | movement of the sheet | seat after feeding with the said manual feed apparatus. FIG. 5A is a front view of a sheet feeding unit provided in the manual feeding device, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the sheet feeding unit. The figure explaining the manual feed tray of the said manual feed apparatus. (A) is a figure which shows the state in which the auxiliary tray of the said manual feed tray is accommodated, (b) is a figure which shows the state by which the auxiliary tray was pulled out. The figure explaining the structure of the raising / lowering means which raises / lowers the raising / lowering unit of the said sheet | seat feeding part. The figure explaining the state which the said raising / lowering unit lowered | hung. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a driving unit that drives the sheet feeding unit. The figure which shows the drive transmission system of the said drive part. (A) is a figure explaining the drive transmission state at the time of the motor forward rotation of the drive transmission system of the said drive part, (b) is a figure explaining the drive transmission state at the time of the motor reverse rotation of the drive transmission system of the said drive part. The figure explaining the structure of the said drive part. The control block diagram of the said manual feeding apparatus. The figure explaining the structure for preventing the vibration of the paper supply holder provided in the said raising / lowering unit. The figure explaining the other structure for preventing the vibration of the said paper supply holder.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a full-color laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a printer main body 201A, which is an image forming apparatus main body of a full-color laser beam printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) 201, is provided with an image forming unit 201B that forms an image on a sheet. Further, an image reading device 202 as an upper device is installed substantially horizontally above the printer main body 201A, and a discharge space S for sheet discharge is formed between the image reading device 202 and the printer main body 201A. Has been. A sheet feeding device 230 that feeds the sheet P from the sheet feeding cassette 11 is provided below the printer main body 201A, and a sheet feeding device provided with a manually feedable tray 111 on one side of the printer main body 201A. A manual feed device 100 is provided.

  The image forming unit 201B is of a four-drum full color type, and forms four toner images of the laser scanner 210 and four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The process cartridge 211 is provided. Here, each process cartridge 211 includes a photosensitive drum 212, a charger 213 as a charging unit, a developing unit 214 as a developing unit, and a cleaner as a cleaning unit (not shown). In addition, the image forming unit 201B includes an intermediate transfer unit 201C disposed above the process cartridge 211.

  The intermediate transfer unit 201C includes an intermediate transfer belt 216 wound around a driving roller 216a and a tension roller 216b. The intermediate transfer unit 201 </ b> C includes a primary transfer roller 219 that is provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 216 and that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 212. Here, the intermediate transfer belt 216 is formed of a film-like member and is disposed so as to be in contact with each photosensitive drum 212, and is rotated in the direction of an arrow by a driving roller 216a driven by a driving unit (not shown).

  Then, by applying a positive transfer bias to the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer roller 219, each color toner image having a negative polarity on the photosensitive drum is sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 216 in a multiple manner. A secondary transfer roller 217 constituting a secondary transfer portion that transfers a color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt to the sheet P is provided at a position facing the driving roller 216a of the intermediate transfer unit 201C.

  Further, a fixing unit 220 is disposed above the secondary transfer roller 217, and a first discharge roller pair 225a, a second discharge roller pair 225b, and a double-side reversing unit that is a reverse discharge unit are disposed on the upper left side of the fixing unit 220. 201D is arranged. The double-side reversing unit 201D is provided with a reversing roller pair 222, which is a sheet reversing and conveying roller capable of normal and reversal, and a reconveying path R that conveys a sheet on which an image is formed to the image forming unit 201B. .

  The sheet feeding device 230 includes a sheet feeding cassette 11 and a pickup roller 8 that feeds the uppermost sheet by rotating in contact with the uppermost surface of the sheet P stored in the sheet feeding cassette 11. In addition to the plain paper, the manual feeding device 100 feeds large-sized sheets that cannot be accommodated in the paper feed cassette 11, highly rigid sheets such as envelopes and postcards, and special paper such as OHP paper and embossed paper. Is. The manual sheet feeder 100 includes a manual tray 111 on which sheets are set and a pickup roller 101 that feeds out the sheets on the manual sheet feed tray. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 260 denotes a control unit (control means) that controls the image forming operation of the printer main body 201A, the sheet feeding device 230, and the sheet feeding operation of the manual feeding device 100, and 215 is a toner cartridge.

  Next, an image forming operation of the printer 201 will be described. First, when image information of a document is read by the image reading device 202, the image information is subjected to image processing, converted into an electrical signal, and transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming unit 201B. In the image forming unit 201 </ b> B, the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 whose surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 213 is sequentially exposed by laser light.

  As a result, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black electrostatic latent images are sequentially formed on the photosensitive drums of the process cartridges 211, respectively. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed and visualized with each color toner, and each color toner image on each photoconductive drum is sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 219. Transfer together. As a result, a toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216.

  In parallel with the toner image forming operation, the sheet P stored in the sheet feeding cassette 11 is sent out by the pickup roller 8 which is a sheet feeding roller provided in the sheet feeding device 230. The fed sheet P is separated one by one by a separation unit composed of a feed roller 9 as a conveyance roller and a retard roller 10 as a separation roller that is in pressure contact with the feed roller 9 and conveyed to a registration roller pair 240. The The skew is corrected by the registration roller pair 240. Further, when manually feeding, the sheet P set on the manual feed tray 111 is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 240 by the pickup roller 101 which is a sheet feeding roller.

  After the skew is corrected, the sheet P is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit by the registration roller pair 240, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet by the secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 217 in the secondary transfer unit. Transferred onto P in batch. Next, the sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 220, and the toner of each color is melted and mixed by receiving heat and pressure in the fixing unit 220, and is fixed on the sheet P as a color image.

  Thereafter, the sheet P on which the image is fixed is discharged to the discharge space S by the first discharge roller pair 225a and the second discharge roller pair 225b provided downstream of the fixing unit 220, and protrudes to the bottom surface of the discharge space S. It is loaded on the loading unit 223. When forming an image on both sides of the sheet P, after the image is fixed, the sheet P is conveyed to the reconveying path R by the reversing roller pair 222 and is conveyed again to the image forming unit 201B.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the manual feeding device 100. The manual feeding device 100 includes a pickup roller 101 and a feed roller 102 that is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 101 in the sheet feeding direction and rotates in the same direction as the pickup roller 101, which is a conveyance roller shown in FIG. ing. Further, the manual feeding device 100 includes a retard roller 103 that is provided on the feed roller 102 so as to be press-contactable from below and is a separation roller that can rotate in the sheet feeding direction via a torque limiter 105.

  The feed roller 102 rotates in the direction of arrow R2, which is the direction in which the sheet shown in FIG. 3 is fed. The retard roller 103 rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow R3 that is opposite to the sheet feeding direction. However, when two or more sheets are fed out by the pickup roller 101, the retard roller 103 is reversed by the action of the torque limiter 105. .

  Accordingly, when the sheet P is fed by the pickup roller 101 rotating in the direction of the arrow R1, when two or more sheets are fed, the sheet P is separated one by one by the feed roller 102 and the retard roller 103. The Thus, the feed roller 102 and the retard roller 103 constitute a separation unit that separates the sheets P fed by the pickup roller 101 one by one. The sheet P separated by the separation unit is pulled out from the nip portion between the feed roller 102 and the retard roller 103 by the drawing roller 104 that rotates in the direction of the arrow R4, and then the registration roller pair that rotates in the direction of the arrow R5. It is conveyed by 240.

  4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the sheet feeding unit 100A that feeds out the sheets of the manual feeding device 100. FIG. 4A is a front view of the sheet feeding unit 100A, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view. . As shown in FIG. 4, the feed roller 102 is attached to a feed roller shaft 134, which is a transport roller shaft, rotatably supported by the manual feed frame 142 shown in FIG. A transport drive input gear 121 is attached to the back end of the printer main body of the feed roller shaft 134.

  The pickup roller 101 is rotatably supported via a pickup roller drive shaft 101A by a paper feed holder 135 which is a support means that is rotatably supported by the feed roller shaft 134 in the vertical direction. The pickup roller 101 can be rotated in synchronization with the feed roller 102 by transmitting the drive of the feed roller shaft 134 by the drive transmission by the drive train 116 provided in the paper feed holder 135. . The pickup roller 101, the pickup roller drive shaft 101A, the drive train 116, the paper feed holder 135, and the like constitute a lifting unit 1061.

  The retard roller 103 is attached to the retard roller shaft 133. The retard roller shaft 133 is supported by a support portion (not shown) so as to be movable in the vertical direction in FIG. 4A so that the retard roller 103 is pressed against and separated from the feed roller 102. The retard roller shaft 133 is connected to a retard roller drive shaft 118 via a coupling 117, and a separation drive input stage gear 122 is attached to the rear end of the retard roller drive shaft 118 on the printer body. Yes. The retard roller drive shaft 118 is rotatably supported on the manual feed frame 142 by a bearing (not shown). The retard roller shaft 133 is urged toward the feed roller (upward) by a pressure spring (not shown), so that the retard roller 103 is pressed against the feed roller 102. The pickup roller 101, the retard roller 103, and the feed roller 102 are driven by a drive unit that will be described later. The retard roller shaft 133 and the retard roller drive shaft 118 constitute a separation roller shaft 133a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the manual feed tray 111 serving as a sheet stacking unit is pivotally supported by a door 221 that can be opened on one side surface of the printer main body 201A so as to be rotatable around a rotation fulcrum 114. Yes. That is, the manual feed tray 111 can be opened and closed in the direction indicated by the arrow R6 with the lower hinge configuration with respect to the door 221. When the manual feed tray 111 is opened and closed, the manual feed tray 111 is opened and closed by hooking a hand on the handle portion 115 provided at the rotating end of the manual feed tray 111. When the manual feed tray 111 is opened, the manual feed tray 111 is held at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface of the printer main body 201A by the manual feed tray holding link L. Here, in the held state, the position of the manual feed tray 111 is fixed, and the pickup roller 101 moves up and down while the manual feed tray 111 is fixed as described above, and the stacked sheets are stacked. Send out.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the manual feed tray 111 is provided with a side regulating plate 113 that regulates the position of the sheet P in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the side regulating plate 113 is movable in the width direction indicated by an arrow S1 by guide grooves 111a and 111b formed in the upper surface of the manual feed tray 111 along the width direction. . Then, after setting the sheet on the manual feed tray 111, the position of the sheet in the width direction is regulated by moving the side regulating plate 113 to a position corresponding to the width of the sheet P.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the auxiliary tray 112 is accommodated in the rotating end portion of the manual feed tray 111 so as to be drawn out along the sheet feeding direction as indicated by an arrow S2. As shown in FIG. 6A, the auxiliary tray 112, as shown in FIG. 6A, feeds a sheet of a size that protrudes from the manual feed tray 111 such as A3 size or B4 size, as shown in FIG. It is pulled out from the manual feed tray 111 and used. A separation pad 120 having a friction coefficient larger than that of the surface of the manual feed tray 111 is attached to the downstream side of the manual feed tray 111 in the sheet feeding direction with a double-sided tape. The separation pad 120 is affixed to a position facing the pickup roller 101 on the manual feed tray 111.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 7, a roller pressure spring 106 is attached between the manual feed frame and the paper feed holder 135. The elevating unit 1061 is urged by the urging force (elastic force) of the roller pressing spring 106 to rotate in the direction indicated by R7 with the feed roller shaft 134 as a fulcrum. Here, a convex portion 136 as an engaging portion is provided on the bottom surface of the paper feed holder 135 on the feed roller shaft 134 side.

  Further, a cam follower 131 is rotatably attached to the retard roller drive shaft 118 that constitutes the separation roller shaft 133a. The cam follower 131 is engaged with the upper end portion and the convex portion 136 of the paper feed holder 135. Arranged to be possible. The cam follower 131 is supported on the retard roller drive shaft 118 in a state in which movement in the axial direction is restricted and is rotatable about the axis regardless of the retard roller drive shaft 118. Further, below the cam follower 131, a cam 132 that is a drive member that is rotated by a cam shaft 132a that is rotatably supported by a shaft support (not shown) is provided. The cam 132 and the cam follower 131 as an operating member constitute an elevating unit 1062 that elevates the elevating unit 1061.

  The feed roller shaft 134, the retard roller drive shaft 118, and the cam shaft 132a are arranged in this order in parallel from top to bottom and along the vertical line V without greatly separating from the vertical line V passing through the feed roller shaft 134. Yes. As described above, by arranging the shafts 134, 118, and 132a in the vertical direction, the manual feeding device 100 can be efficiently arranged even in a narrow region on one side surface of the printer main body 201A.

  The cam shaft 132a is rotated by a drive unit which will be described later. When the cam shaft 132a rotates, the cam 132 rotates in the direction of the arrow R9, and the cam follower 131 rotates accordingly. The camshaft 132a is provided with a detection flag (not shown), and the detection flag is detected by a cam HP photosensor 137 shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, to indicate that the pickup roller 101 is in the standby position. Detect.

  FIG. 7 shows a state before the sheet feeding of the manual feeding device 100. At this time, the pickup roller 101 is located at a standby position spaced upward from the sheet P on the manual tray. In this state, the paper feed holder 135 is pressed by the urging force (elastic force) of the roller pressure spring 106 so as to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow R7, and the convex portion 136 of the paper feed holder 135 is moved to the cam follower. The upper end of 131 is engaged. By engaging the convex portion 136 of the paper feed holder 135 in this way, a load is applied to the cam follower 131 in the direction of rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow R8, but the cam follower 131 is restricted from rotating by the cam 132. ing. For this reason, the cam follower 131 does not rotate, and the paper feed holder 135 and the pickup roller 101 are held at the standby position.

  In this state, when the sheet feeding operation is started, a driving unit described later is driven, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the cam 132 rotates in the direction of the arrow R9 and follows this to follow the cam follower. 131 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow R8. Thereafter, when the lower end portion of the cam follower 131 is removed from the peripheral surface of the cam 132 as shown in FIG. 8, the cam follower 131 is pressed by the paper feed holder 135 and rotated while the lower end portion enters the notch portion of the cam 132. Accordingly, the lifting unit 1061 rotates downward. As a result, the pickup roller 101 descends and comes into contact with the sheet P on the manual feed tray. The position where the pickup roller 101 is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet P in this way is set as the contact position of the pickup roller 101, and this contact position varies in the vertical direction according to the stacking amount of sheets.

  Thereafter, when the cam 132 rotates in the direction of R9 in FIG. 8, the lower end portion is pressed by the cam 132, and the cam follower 131 rotates in the direction of the arrow R81 to press the convex portion 136 of the paper feed holder 135. As a result, the paper feed holder 135 rotates about the feed roller shaft 134 in the direction indicated by the arrow R71, and the pickup roller 101 moves up and moves to the standby position shown in FIG. When the pickup roller 101 reaches the standby position, the cam 132 is detected by a cam HP photosensor 137 shown in FIG. 12 described later, and the rotation of the cam 132 is stopped by the detection of the cam HP photosensor 137.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the driving unit 130 that drives the sheet feeding unit and rotates the cam 132. The drive unit 130 is meshed with a feed motor 127 that can be rotated forward and backward, a drive gear 126 a that is rotated by the feed motor 127, a main body swing gear 126 that meshes with the drive gear 126 a, and a main body swing gear 126. And a unit side gear 125 that performs the operation. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the printer main body 201A is provided with a drive gear 126a (see FIG. 9), a main body-side swing gear 126, and a paper feed motor 127 as a drive source (drive means). The unit side gear 125 and the like are provided on the door 221.

  The paper feed motor 127 may be attached to the door 221. In this case, since the electrical components are provided on the door 221 side, the bundling becomes complicated. Since the number of man-hours for exchanging is increased, serviceability is deteriorated. In addition, when the paper feed motor 127 is attached, the weight of the door 221 increases, and the operability of opening and closing the door 221 deteriorates. For this reason, in this embodiment, the paper feed motor 127 is attached to the printer main body 201A, and the weight and serviceability of the door 221 are improved.

  Further, the main body-side rocking gear 126 that is rotated by the paper feed motor 127 is a rocking gear so that the main-body-side rocking gear 126 can be surely engaged with the unit-side gear 125 provided on the door 221. . That is, in the present embodiment, the gear driven by the paper feed motor 127 is a rocking gear so that the main body-side rocking gear 126 and the unit-side gear 125 are reliably engaged. The main body-side swing gear 126 is rotatably held by the holder 126b. The holder 126 b is urged by the pressurizing spring 140 in a direction in which the main body-side swing gear 126 meshes with the unit-side gear 125.

  In the sheet feeding unit, the rotation of the roller is an important item for conveying the sheet. For example, if a tooth skip occurs at the meshing portion of the main body side swing gear 126 and the unit side step gear 125, the sheet is not fed. Occurs. On the other hand, the rotation of the cam 132, that is, the lifting / lowering operation of the pickup roller 101 has a small influence on the sheet feeding operation even when the tooth jump occurs.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the sheet is fed, the sheet feeding motor 127 is rotated forward as indicated by an arrow and is biased by the pressure spring 140. The direction of rotation of the side oscillating gear 126 is set to bite into the unit side stage gear 125. Accordingly, the main body side swing gear 126 and the unit side stage gear 125 can be reliably engaged with each other, so that when the pickup roller 101 feeds the sheet, tooth skipping at the gear engagement portion is reduced.

  Here, when the rotation direction of the sheet feeding motor 127 at the time of sheet feeding is the forward rotation direction, the rotation direction of the sheet feeding motor 127 for moving the pickup roller 101 up and down is the reverse rotation direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the paper feed motor 127 is rotated reversely as indicated by an arrow, the rotation direction of the main body side oscillating gear 126 is a direction of escaping from the unit side stage gear 125. The rotation direction of the main body-side oscillating gear 126 is set to such a relief direction, so that even when an unexpected operation that applies a load to the paper feed holder 135 when the pickup roller 101 is raised and lowered is performed, the gear It is possible to prevent tooth skipping at the meshing portion. Thereby, damage to a gear or a part supporting the gear can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the unit side gear 125 meshes with the transport drive input gear 121 as shown in FIG. The transport drive input gear 121 meshes with the idler gear 124, and the idler gear 124 meshes with the separation drive input stage gear 122. Further, the separation drive input stage gear 122 meshes with the cam drive gear 123. Thereby, the rotation of the paper feed motor 127 is performed in the order of the drive gear 126 a, the main body side swing gear 126, the unit side step gear 125, the transport drive input gear 121, the idler gear 124, the separation drive input step gear 122, and the cam drive gear 123. Communicated. The drive gear 126a and the like constitute drive transmission means 130a for transmitting the rotation of the paper feed motor 127 to the pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, the retard roller 103, or the cam 132.

  Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a first one-way clutch 138 a is provided between the feed roller shaft 134 and the conveyance drive input gear 121. A second one-way clutch 138b is provided between the retard roller drive shaft 118 and the separation drive input stage gear 122, and a third one-way clutch 139 is provided between the cam shaft 132a and the cam drive gear 123. Yes.

  The first one-way clutch 138 a is for transmitting the rotation in the direction of the arrow of the conveyance drive input gear 121 shown in FIG. 11A due to the normal rotation of the paper feed motor 127 to the feed roller shaft 134. Further, the first one-way clutch 138 a does not transmit the rotation in the arrow direction of the conveyance drive input gear 121 shown in FIG. 11B due to the reverse rotation of the paper feed motor 127 to the feed roller shaft 134.

  The second one-way clutch 138b is for transmitting the rotation in the arrow direction of the separation drive input stage gear 122 shown in FIG. 11A to the retard roller drive shaft 118 and the retard roller shaft 133. Further, the second one-way clutch 138b does not transmit the rotation in the arrow direction of the separation drive input stage gear 122 shown in FIG. 11B to the retard roller shaft 133.

  The third one-way clutch 139 cams the rotation of the cam drive gear 123 by the rotation of the conveyance drive input gear 121 and the separation drive input stage gear 122 shown in FIG. This is for transmission to the shaft 132a. Further, the third one-way clutch 139 has a cam drive gear 123 formed by the rotation of the conveyance drive input gear 121 and the separation drive input stage gear 122 shown in FIG. The rotation is not transmitted to the cam shaft 132a.

  By providing the one-way clutches 138a, 138b, and 139 in this way, when the paper feed motor 127 rotates in the forward direction, the feed roller shaft 134 and the retard roller shaft are operated by the action of the first and second one-way clutches 138a and 138b. 133 rotates. Thereby, the pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 rotate. At this time, since the cam drive gear 123 idles by the third one-way clutch 139, the cam 132 does not rotate.

  When the paper feed motor 127 rotates in the reverse direction, the first and second one-way clutches 138a and 138b cause the transport drive input gear 121 and the separation drive input stage gear 122 to idle, and the pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 are Does not rotate. On the other hand, since the cam drive gear 123 is rotated by the third one-way clutch 139, the cam 132 is rotated, and the paper feed holder 135 is moved up and down via the cam follower 131. As described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet feeding operation and the lifting operation of the pickup roller 101 can be performed by the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the sheet feeding motor 127.

  FIG. 13 is a control block diagram of the manual feed device 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 260 includes the paper feed motor 127 and the cam HP (home position) photosensor 137 described above. Is connected. Further, the control unit 260 is installed on the downstream side of the drawing roller 104, and a drawing detection sensor S10 that detects that the sheet has been pulled out by the drawing roller 104, and a sheet presence / absence sensor S11 that detects the presence or absence of a sheet on the manual feed tray. Is connected.

  Next, the control operation by the control unit 260 will be described. Until the sheet feeding operation is started, as shown in FIG. 7 described above, the pickup roller 101 waits at a standby position separated from the sheet P on the manual feed tray. When the sheet is fed, the control unit 260 detects the presence or absence of a sheet on the manual feed tray by the sheet presence sensor S11, and when it determines that there is a sheet on the manual feed tray, the control unit 260 first reverses the paper feed motor 127. .

  As a result, the cam 132 is rotated, and accordingly, the cam follower 131 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R8, and the paper feed holder 135 is rotated downward as shown in FIG. Then, when the paper feed holder 135 is rotated downward, the pickup roller 101 is lowered and comes into contact with the sheet P on the manual feed tray. Note that the paper feed motor 127 is stopped after the pickup roller 101 is brought into contact with the sheet.

  Next, the control unit 260 rotates the paper feed motor 127 forward. As a result, the pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 rotate to feed sheets one by one. Here, the time for normal rotation of the paper feed motor 127 is set for each size of the sheet to be fed by detection of the pull-out detection sensor S10. When the set time elapses and the sheet feeding is completed, the sheet feeding motor 127 is reversed to move the pickup roller 101 to the standby position.

  When the sheet is continuously fed, the sheet feed motor 127 is repeatedly turned on (forward) and turned off, and the pickup roller 101, the feed roller 102, and the retard roller 103 are repeatedly rotated and non-rotated. Depending on the OFF time of the paper feed motor 127, the interval between the preceding sheet continuously fed and the succeeding subsequent sheet (paper interval) is set.

  Here, if the pickup roller 101 is raised every time one sheet is sent out, it takes time and the interval between sheets becomes longer. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the sheet is continuously fed, the pickup roller 101 is kept in contact with the sheet and is not moved up and down. As soon as the job is finished, the pickup roller 101 is raised and moved to the standby position. I try to let them.

  Thus, by repeating the rotation and stop without raising the pickup roller 101, the gap between the sheets can be reduced as much as possible, and the productivity of the apparatus can be increased. Note that if the sheet feeding motor 127 is turned off, both the pickup roller 101 and the feed roller 102 are stopped, so that the sheet cannot be sent out. Therefore, the timing for turning off the sheet feeding motor 127 needs to be set after the leading edge of the fed sheet reaches the drawing roller 104.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the manual feed frame 142 is provided with a first shaft support portion 142a, a second shaft support portion 142b, and a third shaft support portion 142c. A feed roller shaft 134 extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction is rotatably supported by the first shaft support portion 142a, the second shaft support portion 142b, and the third shaft support portion 142c via a cylindrical bearing 144. Has been. Further, a first support arm 135a and a second support arm 135b, which are attachment parts, are provided at both ends in the width direction of the paper feed holder 135 on the feed roller shaft side.

  Then, by attaching the first support arm 135 a and the second support arm 135 b to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing 144, the paper feed holder 135 can rotate on the feed roller shaft 134 via the bearing 144 and move in the axial direction. Supported as possible. That is, in the present embodiment, the shaft portion serving as the rotation center of the manual feed frame 142 is provided by the feed roller shaft 134 and the bearing 144 provided between the feed roller shaft 134 and the first to third support arms 135a to 135b. 145 is configured.

  Here, the second support arm 135b of the paper feed holder 135 provided on the shaft side is attached to the bearing 144 between the second shaft support portion 142b and the third shaft support portion 142c. Further, a compression spring 141 as a pressing means is attached to a portion between the second support arm 135b and the third shaft support portion 142c of the bearing 144. The compression spring 141 presses the paper feed holder 135 toward the shaft support portion indicated by the arrow, and is pressed by the compression spring 141 so that, for example, the first support arm 135a is pressed against the first shaft support portion 142a.

  In this way, the axial movement of the paper feed holder 135 that is movable in the axial direction can be restricted by pressing the first support arm 135a against the first shaft support 142a. Accordingly, even when the pickup roller 101 vibrates when feeding a sheet, it is possible to prevent the paper feed holder 135 from vibrating.

  The urging force of the compression spring 141 needs to be set to a magnitude that can move the paper feed holder 135 in the axial direction and does not hinder the vertical rotation of the paper feed holder 135 during sheet feeding. is there. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the urging force F [N] required for the compression spring 141 is set as follows.

  In the above equation, a [N] is a pressure (including the weight of the paper feed holder 135) that acts during sheet feeding, μR is a coefficient of friction between the sheet and the pickup roller 101, and a × μR is during sheet feeding. Shows reaction force. c [mm] is the distance between the axes of the feed roller 102 and the pickup roller 101 shown in FIG. 14, and a × μR × c indicates the moment around the feed roller. d [mm] is the outer diameter of the portion of the bearing 144 shown in FIG. 14 where the first and second support arms 135a and 135b are attached, and (a × μR × c) / d is the force (perpendicular) of the outer periphery of the bearing. Drag). μ is a coefficient of friction between the paper feed holder 135 and the bearing 144, (((a × μR × c) / d) × μ) is a frictional force between the paper feed holder 135 and the bearing 144, and α is a safety factor. The rate α is ≧ 1.

  By setting the spring pressure so as to satisfy the above formula, the first support arm 135a can always be brought into pressure contact with the first shaft support 142a, including during sheet feeding, and vibration of the paper feed holder 135 can be reduced. Can be suppressed. Further, when the urging force F is 10 N or more, the downward rotation of the paper feed holder 135 at the time of sheet feeding varies, and the contact pressure between the pickup roller 101 and the sheet P varies. F is set to be smaller than 10N.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the paper feed holder 135 is abutted against the first shaft support portion 142a by the compression spring 141. In this way, by abutting the paper feed holder 135 against the first shaft support portion 142a, the vibration of the paper feed holder 135 when performing the sheet feeding operation after the pickup roller 101 is lowered can be suppressed. Can be reduced.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the position of the pickup roller 101 in the axial direction can be regulated by abutting the paper feed holder 135 against the first shaft support portion 142a. The position in contact with the 101 sheet is constant. Accordingly, the pickup roller 101 can apply a stable feeding force to the sheet, and can prevent the sheet from being skewed, thereby improving the sheet feeding performance. Further, by reducing noise, energy loss due to noise generation can be reduced, and power consumption can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the first support arm 135a is in pressure contact with the first shaft support portion 142a of the plurality of shaft support portions, but the second support arm 135b is in pressure contact with the second shaft support portion 142b. May be. Further, the first support arm 135a may be brought into pressure contact with the first shaft support portion 142a, and the second support arm 135b may be brought into pressure contact with the second shaft support portion 142b. That is, the paper feed holder 135 may be brought into pressure contact with at least one of the plurality of shaft support portions.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the compression spring 141 is used as the pressing unit that presses the paper feed holder 135 toward the shaft support portion has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a cushioning material that is an elastic member such as a sponge may be used as the pressing means. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the buffer material 150 is sandwiched between the second support arm 135b of the bearing 144 and the third shaft support portion 142c so that the paper feed holder 135 abuts against the first shaft support portion 142a. I have to. Thereby, the vibration of the paper feed holder 135 when the sheet feeding operation is started can be suppressed, and noise can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Manual feed apparatus, 100A ... Sheet feeding part, 101 ... Pick-up roller (feed roller), 102 ... Feed roller (conveyance roller), 111 ... Manual feed tray (sheet stacking means), 134 ... Feed roller shaft (conveyance) Roller shaft), 135 ... paper feed holder (support means), 135a ... first support arm (attachment part), 135b ... second support arm (attachment part), 141 ... compression spring (pressing means), 142 ... manual feed frame, 142a ... second shaft support portion, 142c ... third shaft support portion, 144 ... bearing, 145 ... shaft portion, 150 ... cushioning material (pressing means), 201 ... printer, 201A ... printer main body, 201B ... Image forming unit, P ... sheet

Claims (9)

Sheet stacking means on which sheets are stacked;
A feeding roller for feeding out the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means;
A holding means that holds the feeding roller and that is rotatable in the vertical direction;
A shaft serving as a rotation center of the holding means;
A shaft support portion for supporting the shaft portion;
And a pressing unit that presses the holding unit against the shaft support. The shaft portion includes a shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and a bearing provided between the shaft and the shaft support portion and rotatably supporting the shaft.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit is rotatably attached to the bearing. An attachment portion for attaching the holding means to the bearing is provided at an end of the holding means on the shaft side.
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pressing portion presses the attachment portion against the shaft support portion. A plurality of the shaft support portions are provided,
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressing unit presses the attachment portion against at least one of the plurality of shaft support portions.   The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pressing unit is an elastic member that urges the attachment portion toward the shaft support portion.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the elastic member is a spring attached to the bearing.   The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the elastic member is a cushioning material sandwiched between the shaft support portion and the attachment portion. A transport roller for transporting the sheet fed by the feed roller;
The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shaft is a shaft to which the conveyance roller is attached. A sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus.

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