JP2017109815A - Sheet feeding device and image formation apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a storage part to be smoothly put in/out to a device body by avoiding the collision (catching) between a residual quantity detection member for detecting the residual quantity of sheets placed on a sheet feeding part and the storage part with a simple configuration for saving a space.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device includes: a storage part 140 which can be freely put in/out from prescribed directions X1, X2 to the device body; and a residual quantity detection member 21 which detects the residual quantity of sheets stored in the storage part 140. The residual quantity detection member 21 is reciprocally supported along the prescribed direction around the support shaft provided in the device body. The storage part 140 includes a guide section 147 for guiding the rotation operation by being brought into contact with the residual quantity detection member 21 at the time of putting in/out the storage part 140. A contact portion 147a where the guide part 147 and the residual quantity detection member 21 are brought into contact with each other reduces the frictional resistance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention provides a paper feeding device including a paper feeding cassette that can be inserted into and removed from a device main body from a predetermined direction, and a remaining amount detection member that detects the remaining amount of paper stored in a paper storage portion of the paper feeding cassette. And an image forming apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a paper feeding device including a remaining amount detecting member for detecting the remaining amount of paper stored in a paper feeding cassette has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In Patent Document 1, an actuator that operates the detection body in contact with the upper surface of the paper stored in the paper feed tray is provided in parallel with the paper running direction, and the paper feed tray is mounted on the copying machine main body. In the paper feed tray that engages with the actuator, there is disclosed a paper size detection device having a configuration in which an up / down slope of the actuator is provided on the upper edge of the frame on the rear side with respect to the paper traveling direction. Thus, the interference between the actuator and the paper edge is prevented.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a housing, a paper cassette that can be inserted into the housing from the first direction, a paper feed roller, and a second paper that extends in the second direction opposite to the first direction and contacts the uppermost paper. The contact piece has a contact piece that detects the remaining amount of paper according to the position of the contact piece, and the position of the contact piece, the contact piece enters the accommodation space and comes into contact with the uppermost paper. A switching member that switches between a contact position and a retracted position where the contact piece retracts from the accommodation space, and the switching member is inserted into the housing from the first direction and set in the paper feeding position. A paper feeding device configured to switch the position of the contact piece to the retracted position when the position of the contact piece is switched to the contact position while the paper cassette is removed from the housing away from the paper feed position is disclosed. Yes.

  According to the paper size detection device described in Patent Document 1 and the paper supply device described in Patent Document 2, the actuator that operates the detection body and the remaining amount detection member interfere with the paper feed cassette when the paper feed cassette is inserted. Can be prevented.

JP-A-61-51423 JP 2011-201681 A

  However, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper size detection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is inserted in the direction in which the actuator inserts the paper feed tray into the apparatus body (indicated by an arrow Y in the figure). (Shown by an arrow X in the figure) orthogonal to the (shown). The end of the actuator opposite to the detection body is disposed so as to protrude outward from the paper feed cassette. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an arrangement space in the width direction of the paper feed cassette (direction perpendicular to the insertion direction), and there is a problem that the width of the apparatus main body has to be widened accordingly.

  On the other hand, the sheet feeding device described in Patent Document 2 requires a switching member that switches the position of the contact piece between a contact position and a retracted position. The switching member includes a pressing portion, a contact piece, and a pressing portion. It has a connection piece that connects the contact piece, and the pressing portion, the contact piece, and the connection piece are integrally linked by a complicated mechanism structure. As described above, the paper feeding device described in Patent Document 2 requires a complicated mechanism structure for retracting the contact piece, and there is a problem that the number of parts and manufacturing cost increase. In addition, since a space for arranging such a mechanism structure is necessary above the sheet cassette accommodated in the apparatus main body, there is a problem that the height of the apparatus main body must be increased.

  The present invention has been devised to solve such a problem, and its purpose is to detect a collision (hook) between the remaining amount detecting member for detecting the remaining amount of the paper placed on the sheet feeding unit and the storage unit, It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus provided with the paper feeding device that can smoothly insert and remove the accommodating portion with respect to the apparatus main body by avoiding with a simple configuration that does not take up space.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a paper feeding device according to the present invention includes a storage unit that can be inserted into and removed from a device body in a predetermined direction, and a remaining amount detection member that detects the remaining amount of paper stored in the storage unit. The remaining amount detecting member is supported so as to be reciprocally rotatable along the predetermined direction around a rotation shaft provided in the apparatus main body, and the storage portion is A guide portion that contacts the remaining amount detection member when the storage portion is put in and out and guides the rotation operation, and the contact portion that contacts the guide portion and the remaining amount detection member reduces frictional resistance. Has been. More specifically, the contact portion of either the guide portion or the remaining amount detection member has an uneven shape. By making the contact portion uneven, the contact area can be reduced and the contact resistance can be reduced.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device of the present invention, the contact portion may be configured to have the uneven shape by a plurality of rib pieces arranged in parallel along the predetermined direction.

  According to the paper feeding device of the present invention, the width of the rib piece and the interval between the adjacent rib pieces are configured to be narrower than the width of the contact portion facing the rib piece.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device of the present invention, the contact portion is formed in a plurality of hemispherical shapes arranged in parallel along the predetermined direction and alternately along the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. It is good also as a structure made into the said uneven | corrugated shape by this piece.

  Further, according to the paper feeding device of the present invention, the width of the hemispherical bump piece and the interval between the adjacent hemispherical bump pieces are determined by the contact portion facing the hemispherical bump piece. The structure is narrower than the width.

  Further, according to the paper feeding device of the present invention, the contact portion may be provided with a rolling member that rolls along the predetermined direction.

  Further, according to the sheet feeding device of the present invention, the contact surface may be provided with a sealing material that reduces frictional resistance.

  Further, according to the paper feeding device of the present invention, the contact portion of the guide portion is configured to be inclined downward in a direction in which the housing portion is pushed into the device main body.

  In addition, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the sheet feeding device having the above-described configuration.

  According to the present invention, since the collision between the remaining amount detecting member for detecting the remaining amount of the paper placed on the sheet feeding unit and the accommodating portion can be avoided with a simple configuration that does not take up space, the accommodating portion for the apparatus main body. Can be taken in and out smoothly.

It is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a paper feeder of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows an example of the accommodating part of the paper feeder of this invention. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an enlarged part of a housing portion of the paper feeding device of the present invention. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a guide part and a residual amount detection member when an accommodating part is fully loaded in the apparatus main body. It is a perspective view which shows a remaining amount detection member. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state immediately after a remaining amount detection member contacts the inclined surface of a guide part. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the contact part (lower surface) of the 3rd extension piece of a residual amount detection member is surface-contacting with the inclined surface of a guide part. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the rear-end part of the 3rd extension piece of the residual amount detection member slid to the upper end side of the inclined surface of a guide part. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the contact part of the 2nd extension piece of the residual amount detection member contact | abutted to the upper end side of the inclined surface of a guide part. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is the side view which looked at the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 3 from the paper feed direction. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a partially enlarged view of an inclined surface of a guide unit according to a fourth embodiment when viewed from a sheet feeding direction. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. It is the side view which looked at the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 5 from the paper feed direction. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inclined surface of the guide part which concerns on Embodiment 6. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the paper feeding device of the present invention. A sheet feeding device 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 shows an example applied to an image forming apparatus 2 having an image forming unit inside a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier or the like. However, in the following description, it will be described as the paper feeding device 1 and is also referred to as an image forming device 2 as necessary.

  The paper feeding device 1 includes a device main body 1a having a substantially three-dimensional shape, and a reading unit 10 that reads an image formed on a document is disposed on the upper portion of the device main body 1a. The reading unit 10 includes a placement table 100 on which a document to be read is placed. The document placed on the placement table 100 is captured by a capture roller (not shown), and an image is captured from the captured document. Read and eject.

  In addition, an operation panel 11 that accepts a user operation is disposed in front of the reading unit 10 in the upper part of the apparatus main body 1a, and various keys are disposed on the operation panel 11.

  Below the reading unit 10, a discharge unit 12 that discharges the sheet on which the image is formed is disposed.

  On the front surface (left side in the figure) of the apparatus main body 1a, an openable / closable opening / closing part 13 and a drawer port of the accommodating part 14 that can be pulled out are arranged. The opening / closing part 13 is a lid plate that can be opened and closed on the front side. By opening the opening / closing part 13 toward the front (in the direction of arrow R1 in the figure), work such as replacement of an ink cartridge loaded in the apparatus main body 1a. It can be performed.

  The storage section 14 disposed below the opening / closing section 13 is a paper feed cassette for stacking sheets, and performs operations such as storage of sheets by pulling the storage section 14 forward (in the direction of the arrow X1 in the figure). be able to.

  An openable / closable manual feed tray 15 is disposed on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 1a. The manual feed tray 15 is used when an image forming medium other than the paper stored in the storage unit 14 is used.

  2 and 3 are external perspective views showing an example of the accommodating portion 14 of the paper feeding device 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the accommodating portion 14 of the paper feeding device 1, where the arrow X1 indicates the direction of pulling out from the apparatus main body 1a, and the arrow X2 indicates the direction of pushing into the apparatus main body 1a. Further, FIG. 3 shows the accommodating portion 14 in the sheet feeding device 1 from a viewpoint in which a later-described rotating shaft member 1420 and a gear structure can be visually recognized.

  The accommodating portion 14 has a shape in which a handle portion 141 for pulling out is provided on the front side surface of the accommodating container 140 having a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open upper surface. The storage container 140 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and is in a direction parallel to the left side surface 1401 that is one short side of the pull-out / push-in directions X1 and X2. The storage container 140 can store and store a plurality of sheets, and the stored sheets are in a direction (arrow Y direction in the drawing) orthogonal to the pulling / pushing directions X1 and X2, that is, a long length. A sheet feeding unit 142 that supplies the container in the direction parallel to the rear side surface 1402 of the storage container 140 that is the side is disposed near the right side 1403 of the storage container 140 that is the other short side. The paper stored in the storage unit 14 is supplied in a direction parallel to the long side from the short side where the paper supply unit 142 is disposed. That is, the diagonally upward right direction Y in FIG. 2 is the paper feeding direction.

  In the storage container 140, in order to stabilize the position of the stored paper, a first restricting member 143 that restricts the backward movement in the paper feeding direction Y, and the drawing / pushing directions X1 and X2 orthogonal to the paper feeding direction Y are displayed. Second restricting members 144 and 144 for restricting the movement of the first and second members are disposed. In a section surrounded by the first restricting member 143 and the second restricting members 144 and 144, a push-up plate 145 for pushing up the stacked paper is disposed. The push-up plate 145 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a notch is provided at a position corresponding to the second restricting members 144 and 144. The push-up plate 145 is pivotally supported in the housing container 140 so that the side on the first regulating member 143 side becomes a swing shaft, and the side on the paper supply side is raised and loaded by the swing. The sheet is brought into contact with the sheet feeding unit 142.

  The paper feed unit 142 includes a rotary shaft member 1420 whose axial direction is orthogonal to the paper feed direction Y, a paper feed roller 1421 that is pivotally supported by the rotary shaft member 1420 and abuts on the paper stored in the storage container 140, and rotation Protective members 1422 and 1422 that are pivotally supported by the shaft member 1420 and are arranged close to both ends of the paper feed roller 1421, and fixing members 1423 and 1423 such as E-rings that fix the protective members 1422 and 1422. ing.

  The rotating shaft member 1420 is supported at both ends by bearings 146 and 146 provided on the storage container 140, and the other end is inserted into the center of the first gear 14 a provided on the storage container 140. Yes. The first gear 14a meshes with the second gear 14b, and the second gear 14b meshes with the third gear 14c. The third gear 14c is a coupling unit that receives power transmitted from a drive unit (not shown) such as a motor disposed in the apparatus main body 1a when the paper feeding section 142 is loaded in the apparatus main body 1a. The power transmitted to the third gear 14c is power for rotating the rotary shaft member 1420 via the second gear 14b and the first gear 14a.

  The paper feed roller 1421 is formed in a columnar shape, is fixed to a rotary shaft member 1420 that passes through the central axis, and rotates with the rotation of the rotary shaft member 1420. A push-up plate 145 is disposed below the paper feed roller 1421, and the paper feed roller 1421 rotates in a state where the push-up plate 145 is raised and the stacked paper is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 1421. As a result, the sheets stacked on the top can be supplied one by one into the image forming apparatus 2.

  In addition, the rear side surface 1402 of the storage container 140 is in contact with the remaining amount detection member 21 that detects the remaining amount of paper stored in the storage unit 14 when the paper supply unit 14 is taken in and out of the apparatus main body 1a. A guide portion 147 for guiding the rotation operation of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is provided.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the positional relationship between the guide portion 147 and the remaining amount detecting member 21 when the accommodating portion 14 is completely loaded in the apparatus main body 1a.

  2 to 4, the guide part 147 and the remaining amount detection member 21 are arranged so as to face each other on a straight line parallel to the drawing / pushing-in directions X1 and X2 of the storage part 14 in plan view. .

  The guide unit 147 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed unit 142. Further, the remaining amount detection member 21 is also disposed so as to be positioned on the upper part of the sheet in the vicinity of the sheet feeding unit 142 in a state where the housing unit 14 is pushed into the apparatus main body 1a.

  The guide portion 147 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its upper surface 147a is a contact portion (contact surface) that comes into contact with the remaining amount detection member 21, and is pushed in when the accommodating portion 14 is pushed into the apparatus main body 1a. The inclined surface is inclined downward in the direction X2. Further, the height of the guide portion 147, that is, the height of the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface (upper surface) 147a is the same as the height of the rear side surface 1402 of the storage container 140.

  On the other hand, the remaining amount detecting member 21 is pivotally supported by a support frame 1a1 (see FIG. 4) inside the apparatus main body 1a.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the remaining amount detecting member 21. In FIG. 5, the right side in the drawing is referred to as the rear side (specifically, the back side in the pushing direction X2), and the left side in the drawing is referred to as the front side (specifically, the front side in the pulling direction X1).

  The remaining amount detecting member 21 is formed in a substantially U shape when viewed from the sheet feeding direction Y, and the width W1 thereof is substantially the same as the width W2 (see FIG. 3) of the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147. The width is slightly narrower than that.

  The one end portion 21a on the rear side of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is provided with a rotating shaft 211 that protrudes outward in the width direction. The first extending portion is bent downward from the one end portion 21a. A piece 21b is provided, and a second extending piece 21c is provided by being bent forward and obliquely downward from the tip part 21b1 of the first extending piece 21b, and is bent forward and obliquely upward from the tip part 21c1 of the second extending piece 21c. Thus, a third extending piece 21d is provided, and a fourth extending piece 21e is provided by bending upward from the tip 21d1 of the third extending piece 21d. The first extending piece 21b acts as a turning arm for turning the remaining amount detecting member 21, and the second extending piece 21c and the third extending piece 21d are in contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147. The fourth extending piece 21e acts as a weight, and acts as a weight for rotating the remaining amount detecting member 21 downward by its own weight. Although not shown, the rotation shaft 211 that is rotatably inserted in the support frame is provided with a sensor unit that detects the rotation of the remaining amount detection member 21 and detects the remaining amount of paper. It has been. A conventionally well-known structure can be employ | adopted for a sensor part, for example, can be implement | achieved by the combination of the light-shielding plate attached to the rotating shaft 211, and a photosensor. However, it is not limited to such a configuration.

  The lower surface 21c2 of the second extending piece 21c is a contact surface that contacts the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147. The contact state with the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface 147a will be described later.

  The lower surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d is a contact surface that comes into contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, and the first contact portion 21d1 first contacts the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, the second extending piece 21c. The rear end portion of the third extending piece 21d, which is the front end portion 21c1, of the guide portion 147 comes into contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 to be guided to the end. The contact state with the inclined surface 147a will be described later.

  6 shows a state immediately after the remaining amount detecting member 21 comes into contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147. FIG. 7 shows a contact surface (lower surface) of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21. 21d2 has shown the state which is carrying out surface contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide part 147. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the contact surface 21 d 2 of the third extending piece 21 d is inclined in the guide portion 147 in a state immediately after contacting the inclined surface 147 a of the guide portion 147 (that is, the same as the state immediately before contact). The inclination angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal direction of the surface 147a and the inclination angle θ2 with respect to the horizontal direction of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21 are substantially the same angle (θ1≈θ2). The inclination angle is about 20 to 30 degrees.

  However, in order to first contact the tip 21d1 of the third extending piece 21d with the inclined surface 147a of the guide part 147, the third extending piece 21d with respect to the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined surface 147a of the guide part 147. It is better to make the inclination angle θ2 of the contact surface 21d2 slightly smaller.

  For example, when the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 is 30 degrees, the inclination angle θ2 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d is about 25 to 28 degrees. FIG. 6 illustrates such a case.

  Thereby, when the accommodating portion 14 that has been pulled out is pushed into the apparatus main body 1a, the tip end portion 21d1 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21 first contacts the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, Immediately after the upward force F1 is applied to the tip 21d1 and the remaining amount detection member 21 starts to rotate upward, the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d is formed on the guide 147 as shown in FIG. Since the surface F is brought into contact with the inclined surface 147a for a moment, and subsequently, a force F2 that pushes upward is applied to the rear end portion (the front end portion of the second extension piece 21c) 21c1 of the third extension piece 21d. Thus, the upward rotation of 21 is performed smoothly.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, the push-up applied when the front end portion 21 d 1 and the rear end portion 21 c 1 of the contact surface 21 d 2 of the third extending piece 21 d come into contact with the inclined surface 147 a of the guide portion 147. The remaining amount detecting member 21 is such that the position of the rotation shaft 211 of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is always on the rear side in the pulling direction X1 (that is, on the front side in the pushing direction X2) with respect to the directions of the forces F1 and F2. 21 and the position of the rotating shaft 211 are determined.

  Next, the rotation operation of the remaining amount detecting member 21 when the accommodating portion 14 is pushed into the apparatus body 1a and accommodated will be described in more detail.

  When the accommodating portion 14 is pushed into the apparatus main body 1a in the pushing direction X2, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip portion 21d1 of the third extending piece 21d first comes into contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, A force F1 that pushes upward is applied to the distal end portion 21d1, and the remaining amount detection member 21 starts to rotate upward (R11 direction). Immediately after the rotation, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact surface 21 d 2 of the third extending piece 21 d comes into surface contact with the inclined surface 147 a of the guide portion 147. Since the upward rotation is started, the surface contact state is instantaneous, and immediately after that, the force F2 that pushes upward from the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 to the rear end portion 21c1 of the third extending piece 21d is applied. The remaining amount detecting member 21 is further rotated in the R11 direction. Thereby, the rear end portion 21c1 of the third extending piece 21d is slid to the inclined upper end side 147b side in a state where the rear end portion 21c1 of the third extending piece 21d is in contact with the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, and the remaining amount detecting member 21 is further moved in the R11 direction. Is rotated. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the rear end portion 21c1 of the third extending piece 21d slides to the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, the remaining amount detecting member 21 is then rotated by its own rotational force. After jumping over the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface 147a of the guide part 147, this time it turns downward (R12 direction) by its own weight. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the remaining amount detecting member 21 abuts on the upper surface of the sheet P (indicated by a two-dot chain line in the drawing) P accommodated in the accommodating portion 14 and the remaining amount of the sheet can be detected. .

  On the other hand, when the accommodating portion 14 is pulled out in the pulling direction X1 from the state shown in FIG. 4, the contact surface 21c2 of the second extending piece 21c of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is the inclined surface of the guide portion 147 as shown in FIG. It abuts on the upper end side 147b of 147a. At this time, the inclination angle of the contact surface 21c2 of the second extending piece 21c with respect to the horizontal direction is approximately 45 degrees. Therefore, the contact surface 21c2 of the second extending piece 21c is rotated so as to be lifted up while sliding on the upper end side 147b of the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, and the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 is simplified. You can get over.

  According to the present invention, particularly when the accommodating portion 14 is pushed into the apparatus main body 1 a and accommodated, the contact surface 21 d 2 of the third extending piece 21 d of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is guided by the inclined surface 147 a of the guide portion 147. By rotating upward (R11 direction), it is possible to avoid the remaining amount detecting member 21 from colliding with the rear side surface 1402 of the accommodating portion 14.

  However, at this time, the push-up forces F1 and F2 applied to the remaining amount detection member 21 by the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 act in a direction close to the rotation shaft 211 as shown in FIGS. Therefore, for example, due to an attachment error of the remaining amount detection member 21, an error in a delicate positional relationship between the remaining amount detection member 21 and the inclined surface 147 a of the guide portion 147, and the like. Due to the frictional resistance and the like of the molding material itself, the remaining amount detecting member 21 may be caught on the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 and not operate smoothly, and the housing portion 14 may not be smoothly put in and out.

  Therefore, in the present invention, further ingenuity is added so that the contact and sliding between the remaining amount detection member 21 and the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 become smoother. Specifically, the frictional resistance of the contact portion where the guide portion 147 and the remaining amount detection member 21 are in contact is reduced. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a configuration for reducing the frictional resistance of the contact portion will be described. In the following description, the pull-out direction X1 and the push-in direction X2 are collectively referred to as the pull-in / out direction X.

<Embodiment 1>
In the first embodiment, in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface, the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 has an uneven shape.

  FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the first embodiment.

  More specifically, a plurality of rib pieces (contact portions) 148 are formed on the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 so as to be arranged in parallel along the loading / unloading direction X (X1, X2) of the storage portion 14. The inclined surface 147a is formed in an uneven shape by these rib pieces 148. The rib piece 148 is formed over substantially the entire length in the loading / unloading direction X of the inclined surface 147a. Thus, by making the inclined surface 147a into a rib piece shape, the contact area with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21 can be reduced, and as a result, the contact of the contact surface Resistance (friction resistance) can be reduced.

  Here, the width W21 of the rib piece 148 and the interval (groove width) W22 between the adjacent rib pieces 148, 148 are sufficiently narrower than the width W1 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21. Is set to Thereby, the contact surface 21d2 of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is not caught by the rib pieces 148 or fitted between the rib pieces 148 and caught.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment in which the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 has an uneven shape in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface.

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the second embodiment.

  Specifically, the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 is formed with a plurality of rib pieces (contact portions) 149a and 149b arranged in parallel along the loading / unloading direction X of the storage portion 14. In the second embodiment, the adjacent rib pieces 149a and 149b are shifted in the front-rear direction along the loading / unloading direction X and are alternately arranged. That is, each rib piece 149a, 149b is formed in a length that is slightly longer than half of the insertion / removal direction X of the inclined surface 147a, and the ends located at the center of the inclined surface 147a in the insertion / removal direction X are When viewed from the paper feeding direction Y orthogonal to the loading / unloading direction X, they are arranged in series such that there is no level difference and they overlap.

  Thus, by making the inclined surface 147a into a rib piece shape, the contact area with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21 can be reduced, and as a result, the contact of the contact surface Resistance (friction resistance) can be reduced.

  Here, the width W23 of each rib piece 149a, 149b and the interval (groove width) W24 between the adjacent rib pieces 149a, 149b are larger than the width W1 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21. It is set to a sufficiently narrow width. Thereby, the contact surface 21d2 of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is not caught by the rib pieces 149a and 149b or fitted between the rib pieces 149a and 149b.

<Embodiment 3>
The third embodiment is a modification of the first and second embodiments, in which the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 has an uneven shape in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface.

  12A is an enlarged perspective view showing the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 12B is a side view seen from the paper feeding direction Y. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the third embodiment, a large number of hemispherical bump pieces 150 are provided on the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, and the inclined surface 147a is formed into an uneven shape by these bump pieces (contact portions) 150. It is said.

  Specifically, the bump pieces 150 are arranged in parallel along the loading / unloading direction X and alternately arranged along the paper feeding direction Y orthogonal to the loading / unloading direction X. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12B, when each bump piece 150 is viewed from the sheet feeding direction, the bump pieces 150 are slightly uneven, but are arranged in a series so as to overlap with almost no step. However, the arrangement of the bump pieces 150 is not required to be regularly arranged in this way, and may be irregular as long as they can be arranged so as to overlap with almost no step when viewed from the sheet feeding direction Y.

  Thus, by making the inclined surface 147a into the shape of a hump piece, the contact area with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21 can be further reduced, and as a result, the contact surface Contact resistance (friction resistance) can be greatly reduced.

  Here, the width W25 of each bump piece 150 and the interval W26 between the adjacent bump pieces 150, 150 are set to be sufficiently narrower than the width W1 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21. ing. As a result, the contact surface 21d2 of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is not caught on the bump piece 150 or fitted between the bump pieces 150 and 150 and caught.

<Embodiment 4>
In the fourth embodiment, in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface, a large number of rolling members (rollers) 151 are embedded in the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 so as to be rotatable, and these rolling members ( The inclined surface 147a is made uneven by the contact portion 151. Here, as the rolling member (roller) 151, a spherical member or a cylindrical member can be used. However, when using a cylindrical roller, it is necessary to align the rotation direction.

  13A is an enlarged perspective view showing the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a partially enlarged side view seen from the paper feeding direction Y. FIG. 13A and 13B, the rolling member (roller) 151 has a spherical shape that does not require the rotation direction to be uniform.

  More specifically, the spherical rolling members (rollers) 151 are arranged in parallel along the loading / unloading direction X and staggered along the paper feeding direction Y perpendicular to the loading / unloading direction X. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, when each rolling member (roller) 151 is viewed from the sheet feeding direction Y, it is arranged in a series so as to overlap with almost no step, although it is slightly uneven. However, the rolling members (rollers) 151 need not be regularly arranged as described above, and may be irregularly arranged as long as they can be arranged so as to overlap with almost no step when viewed from the sheet feeding direction Y.

  In this way, by forming the inclined surface 147a to have an uneven shape by the rolling member (roller) 151, the contact area with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21 and the contact resistance are reduced. As a result, the contact resistance (friction resistance) of the contact surface can be greatly reduced.

  Here, the width W27 of each rolling member (roller) 151 protruding above the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 and the interval W28 between the adjacent rolling members (rollers) 151, 151 are the remaining amount detecting member 21. The width is set to be sufficiently narrower than the width W1 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d. Thereby, the contact surface 21d2 of the remaining amount detecting member 21 is not caught by the rolling member (roller) 151 or fitted between the rolling members (rollers) 151, 151 and is not caught.

<Embodiment 5>
In the fifth embodiment, in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface, one roller member (contact portion) 152 is rotatably provided so as to sandwich the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 from both sides. .

  14A is an enlarged perspective view showing the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a side view seen from the paper feeding direction Y. FIG.

  Specifically, in the fifth embodiment, the upper portion of the guide portion 147 is a pair of support plates 147c and 147c vertically rising from both sides in the paper feeding direction Y, and between the support plates 147c and 147c. The roller member 152 is rotatably supported (axially supported). That is, in the fifth embodiment, the roller surface 152a of the roller member 152 corresponds to the contact surface on the guide portion 147 side that contacts the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21.

  Thus, by making the contact surface of the guide portion 147 the roller surface 152a of the roller member 152, the contact area with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21 and the contact resistance are reduced. As a result, the contact resistance (friction resistance) of the contact surface can be greatly reduced.

  Here, the width W29 of the roller surface 152a of the roller member 152 is set to be substantially the same as or slightly wider than the width W1 of the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21.

<Embodiment 6>
In the sixth embodiment, a sealing material (contact portion) 153 for reducing the frictional resistance is added to the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 in order to reduce the frictional resistance of the contact surface.

  FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147 according to the sixth embodiment.

  In this way, by attaching the sealing material 153 to the inclined surface 147a of the guide portion 147, the contact resistance (friction resistance) with the contact surface 21d2 of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detection member 21 is greatly reduced. can do.

  In the first to third embodiments, the contact portion is provided with an uneven shape on the inclined surface 147a side of the guide portion 147, but the uneven shape is provided on the contact surface 21d2 side of the third extending piece 21d of the remaining amount detecting member 21. The contact portion may be provided.

  Moreover, the embodiment disclosed this time is illustrative in all respects, and does not serve as a basis for limited interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the description of the scope of claims. Moreover, all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feeder 1a Apparatus main body 2 Image forming apparatus 10 Reading part 11 Operation panel 12 Discharge part 13 Opening / closing part 14 Storage part 15 Manual feed tray 21 Remaining amount detection member 21a One end part 21b First extending piece 21b1 Tip part 21c Second extension Installation piece 21c1 tip portion (rear end portion of third extension piece 21d)
21c2 Contact surface (bottom surface)
21d 3rd extension piece 21d1 tip part 21d2 Contact surface (lower surface)
21e 4th extended piece 100 mounting base 140 container 141 handle part 142 paper feed part 147 guide part 147a inclined surface (contact part)
147b Tip side 147c Support plate 148, 149a, 149b Rib piece (contact portion)
150 bumps (contact part)
151 Rolling member (roller) (contact part)
152 Roller member (contact part)
152a Roller surface 153 Sealing material (contact part)
X In / out direction (predetermined direction)
X1 Pull-out direction X2 Push-in direction Y Feed-in direction

Claims (10)

A sheet feeding device comprising: a storage unit that can be inserted into and removed from a device main body in a predetermined direction; and a remaining amount detection member that detects a remaining amount of paper stored in the storage unit,
The remaining amount detecting member is supported so as to be reciprocally rotatable along the predetermined direction around a rotation axis provided in the apparatus main body,
The accommodating portion includes a guide portion that contacts the remaining amount detecting member when the accommodating portion is put in and out, and guides a rotation operation.
The sheet feeding device, wherein the contact portion where the guide portion and the remaining amount detecting member are in contact with each other is configured to reduce frictional resistance. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of either the guide portion or the remaining amount detecting member has an uneven shape. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is formed in the concavo-convex shape by a plurality of rib pieces arranged in parallel along the predetermined direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the rib piece and an interval between the adjacent rib pieces are narrower than a width of the contact portion facing the rib piece. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2,
The contact portion is formed in the uneven shape by a plurality of hemispherical bump pieces arranged in parallel along the predetermined direction and alternately along a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. A paper feeder characterized by. The sheet feeding device according to claim 5,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the hemispherical bump piece and an interval between the adjacent hemispherical bump pieces are narrower than a width of the contact portion facing the hemispherical bump piece. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1,
The sheet feeding device, wherein the contact portion is provided with a rolling member that rolls along the predetermined direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a sealing material for reducing frictional resistance is attached to the contact portion. A sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The sheet feeding device, wherein the contact portion of the guide portion is configured to be inclined downward in a direction in which the housing portion is pushed into the apparatus main body.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to claim 1.

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