JP2018002350A - Sheet conveyance device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet conveyance device and image formation apparatus which can suppress skew of a sheet conveyed from a sheet storage part.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device 200 being a sheet conveyance device includes: a sheet feeding tray 5 being a sheet storage part which stores sheets P; a sheet feeding roller 51 being sheet conveyance means which conveys the sheet P with contact to the upper surface of the sheets P stored in the sheet feeding tray 5; a front side fence 101 being a sheet width direction regulation member which is arranged on the outer side of the sheets P stored in the sheet feeding tray 5 in the width direction being the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction being the sheet conveyance direction where the sheet feeding roller 51 performs conveyance, and regulates the position in the width direction of the sheets P; and a skew roller 109 being a skew member which acts the movement force moving in the direction inclined to the front side fence 101 with respect to the sheet feeding direction on the sheet P conveyed by the sheet feeding roller 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys sheets one by one from a sheet storage unit that stores a plurality of sheets to an image forming apparatus or an image forming unit is known.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 discloses a sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention, and includes a load member that presses against the sheet surface and applies a predetermined load to the sheet between the sheet regulating member and the sheet conveying unit in the sheet width direction of the sheet storage unit. The arrangement is described. The load member applies a load to the sheet so that the rotation moment applied to the sheet by the sheet conveyance unit and the rotation moment applied to the sheet by the load member during sheet conveyance is applied to the sheet. It is said that skew can be suppressed.

  However, when the conveying force of the sheet conveying unit varies depending on the installation environment of the apparatus, the magnitude of the rotational moment applied to the sheet by the sheet conveying unit changes. For this reason, the rotational moment applied to the sheet by the sheet conveying unit and the rotational moment applied to the sheet by the load member are not balanced, and there is a problem in that the skew of the sheet conveyed from the sheet storage unit cannot be suppressed.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a sheet storage unit that stores a sheet, a sheet transport unit that transports a sheet in contact with an upper surface of the sheet stored in the sheet storage unit, and the sheet transport unit. A sheet width direction regulating member that is disposed outside the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating unit in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction conveyed by the sheet and restricts a position of the sheet in the sheet width direction. In the conveying apparatus, the sheet conveying unit includes a skew member that applies a moving force that moves in a direction tilting toward the sheet width direction regulating member with respect to the sheet conveying direction on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit. To do.

  According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that skew of a sheet conveyed from the sheet storage unit can be suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of one of the paper feed trays set in the paper feed device. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device showing a state in which one of the paper feeding trays is pulled out to the near side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray in a state where the downstream side in the paper feed direction of the movable bottom plate is raised. The expansion perspective view of a skew unit. An enlarged side view of the skew feeding unit, (a) is a state where the number of stacked sheets is large, and (b) is a state where the number of stacked sheets is small. Sectional explanatory drawing of a paper feed tray. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state where the first skew feeding unit is in a position facing the upper surface of the sheet and a state where the first skew unit is retracted to the retracting unit. FIG. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the first skew unit, FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the first skew unit is at a position facing the upper surface of the paper, and FIG. Explanatory drawing of a state. FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of a lock mechanism of the first skew unit; FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram of a state where the vicinity of the first skew unit is at a position facing the upper surface of the paper; FIG. Explanatory drawing of the state which retracted and was locked. Explanatory drawing of a lock release lever, (a) is a top view, (b) is a perspective view. An explanatory view of a configuration in which the first skew feeding unit is slid and moved to the retracting portion, (a) is an explanatory view of a state in which the first skew feeding unit is at a position facing the upper surface of the paper, and (b) is a first view. Explanatory drawing of the state by which the skew unit was evacuated to the evacuation part. FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view of a sheet feeding tray in which the number of skew units is increased. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a paper feed tray used in an experimental example. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the first skew feeding unit in the sheet feeding device of Modification 1 is in a position facing the upper surface of the sheet and a state in which the first skew unit is retracted to the retracting unit. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram for setting a bundle of sheets on a paper feed tray according to a first modification, (a) is an explanatory diagram before setting, (b) is an explanatory diagram in the middle of setting, and (c) is an explanatory diagram after setting. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a skew unit swinging mechanism provided in a paper feeding device according to a second modification, (a) is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the paper feeding tray is pulled out, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the paper feeding tray is set. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a printer including a paper feeding device according to a third modification, FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram in a state where a paper feeding tray is set, and FIG. FIG. 20 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the front side fence of the paper feed tray shown in FIG. 19, (a) is an explanatory view of a state where the paper feed tray is set, and (b) is an explanatory view of a state where the paper feed tray is pulled out. FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of a sheet feeding tray set in a sheet feeding device according to a fourth modification. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a sheet feeding device according to a fourth modification. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a skew roller of a sheet feeding device according to Modification 4; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a skew roller moving mechanism of a sheet feeding device according to Modification 4; FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which a skew roller is moved up and down integrally with a paper feed roller, FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the skew roller and the paper feed roller are in contact with the upper surface of a bundle of sheets; FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the skew roller and the paper feeding roller are separated from the upper surface of the sheet bundle. A top view schematically showing a paper feeding device having a load member, (a) is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the preceding paper and the succeeding paper, and (b) is a state in which the succeeding paper is returned by the reverse roller. FIG. 4C is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a subsequent sheet returned by a reverse roller is fed by a sheet feeding roller.

  Hereinafter, an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) that forms an image by an electrophotographic method will be described as an image forming apparatus including a sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, a color laser printer will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a color one but may be a monochrome one, and is not limited to a printer. The image forming apparatus may be used. Further, the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the electrophotographic system, and may be an image forming apparatus of another system such as an ink jet system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the printer 100 according to the present embodiment.
In the printer 100, an intermediate transfer belt 16 is provided substantially at the center of the printer main body 1. Above the intermediate transfer belt 16, four image forming units 2 (Y, M, C, and Y) that perform image formation with toner of each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). K) are arranged side by side. Since the configuration and operation of the four image forming units 2 (Y, M, C, K) are substantially the same, the image forming units will be described with the reference numerals indicating colors omitted.

The image forming unit 2 includes a photoconductor 12 that is a latent image carrier facing the tensioning surface on the upper portion of the intermediate transfer belt 16, and around the photoconductor 12, a charging device 11 that is a charging unit, and a line-modeling product. A laser scanning unit 10 as a means and a developing device 13 as a developing means are provided. Further, a primary transfer roller 14 facing the photoconductor 12 with the intermediate transfer belt 16 interposed therebetween is provided to form a primary transfer nip.
In addition, a secondary transfer roller 15 is provided below the intermediate transfer belt 16, and a secondary transfer counter roller 16 a that is opposed to the secondary transfer roller 15 with the intermediate transfer belt 16 interposed therebetween to form a secondary transfer nip. .
At the bottom of the printer main body 1, a first to third three-stage paper feed tray 5 is provided with a paper feed device 200 that can be pulled out of the apparatus main body. The paper P made of transfer paper or resin film is accommodated.

  When the printing operation is started by the printer 100, the photosensitive member 12 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the intermediate transfer belt 16 is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. At this time, the surface of the photoconductor 12 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging device 11. Next, the surface of the uniformly charged photoreceptor 12 is irradiated with laser light based on image information from the laser scanning unit 10 of each color, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 12. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 12 is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 13, and the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the primary transfer roller 14 at the primary transfer nip. . The transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor 12 after the toner image is transferred is removed by the photoconductor cleaning device.

  At the time of color image formation, the above-described image forming operation is performed in all the image forming units 2, whereby the yellow toner image, cyan toner image, magenta toner image, and black toner image respectively formed on each photoconductor 12 are intermediate. The images are sequentially transferred onto the transfer belt 16.

On the other hand, the paper P is fed from the paper feeding device 200. When the user selects a paper feed tray 5 to be used from the three stages of paper feed trays 5 using an input terminal such as the operation panel 3 or a personal computer, the paper P stored in the selected paper feed tray 5 is stored. Paper is fed.
A broken line indicated by a symbol “19” in FIG. 2 indicates a conveyance path through which the paper P passes through the printer 100.

The fed paper P is sent out toward the registration roller pair 18 and abuts against the registration roller pair 18 whose leading end is stopped.
Thus, after the paper P is aligned, the registration roller pair 18 sends the paper P toward the secondary transfer nip at a timing coincident with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 16. Transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 after the toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip is removed by an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device.

The paper P on which the unfixed toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip is sent to the fixing device 17, and after the unfixed toner image is fixed on the paper P, it is discharged to the paper discharge tray 4 in the case of single-sided printing. The
In the case of double-sided printing, the paper P on which an image is formed on the first side is conveyed to the double-sided path by switching the conveyance path by the branching claw 40. The sheet P sent to the reversing roller pair 41 by the branching claw 40 is conveyed to the double-sided roller pair 42 by forward and reverse rotation of the reversing roller pair 41. At this time, the front and back with respect to the conveyance direction of the paper P are reversed from those at the time of forming the first surface image. Then, after the sheet P is conveyed to the relay roller pair 43 and the registration roller pair 18, an image is also formed on the second surface by the same process as described above, and then discharged to the discharge tray 4.

  As an option, the user can connect a finisher capable of stapling and folding to the printer body 1 in place of the paper feed bank capable of feeding a large amount of paper P and the paper discharge tray 4.

Next, the paper feeder 200 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding device 200 includes a sheet feeding roller 51, a separation conveyance roller 52, and a reverse roller 53 corresponding to each of the three stages of sheet feeding trays 5.
The paper P sent out by the paper feed roller 51 is fed into a separation nip that is a contact position between the separation conveyance roller 52 and the reverse roller 53. The separation conveyance roller 52 is driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 by being driven by a drive motor, and applies a conveyance force toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction to the paper P.
A reverse roller 53 is in contact with the separation conveyance roller 52. The reverse roller 53 is driven by a drive motor so as to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

In such a configuration, the surface movement direction in the separation nip between the separation conveyance roller 52 and the reverse roller 53 is reversed, and thereby the uppermost sheet P of the bundle of sheets P is separated from the sheet P below it. In this configuration, only the uppermost sheet P can be fed.
Specifically, in the separation nip, the surface of the separation conveyance roller 52 moves in the paper feeding direction. On the other hand, the surface of the reverse roller 53 tends to move in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction, but the drive transmission portion of the reverse roller 53 includes a torque limiter. Therefore, when the force of the reverse roller 53 on the surface in the paper feeding direction is larger than the upper limit torque of the torque limiter, the reverse roller 53 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1 so that the surface moves in the paper feeding direction. .

  The reverse roller 53 is in contact with the separation conveyance roller 52 with a predetermined pressure. The reverse roller 53 is in direct contact with the separation conveyance roller 52 or in contact with the separation conveyance roller 52 through only one sheet P (only one sheet P is in the separation nip). In the sandwiched state), the sheet is rotated around the separation conveyance roller 52 or the paper P. That is, the reverse roller 53 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG.

On the other hand, when two or more sheets P are sandwiched in the separation nip, the torque limiter is set so that the follow-up force is lower than the upper limit torque of the torque limiter. For this reason, the reverse roller 53 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. The reverse roller 53 is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotation direction, and the paper P other than the uppermost paper P among the paper P conveyed toward the separation nip is fed by the reverse roller 53 in the paper feeding direction. A moving force in the opposite direction is applied. As a result, excess paper P is pushed back, and only the uppermost paper P is separated from the plurality of papers P, thereby preventing double feeding.
The sheet P separated into one sheet by the action of the separation conveyance roller 52 and the reverse roller 53 is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 18.

  As a paper separation mechanism for preventing double feeding, the second and subsequent sheets of paper P can be separated from the second and subsequent sheets of paper P instead of a reverse roller that applies a moving force in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction. There is a configuration using a separation pad that hinders movement in the paper feeding direction. In the configuration using the separation pad, it is only the bottom sheet P that can hinder the movement in the transport direction, and therefore, when three or more sheets P reach the separation nip, double feeding cannot be prevented. There is.

  On the other hand, when the reverse roller 53 is used as in the present embodiment, when three or more sheets P arrive at the separation nip, the sheet P is sequentially arranged upstream from the bottom sheet P. Can be returned. Thereby, the paper P other than the uppermost paper P can be moved to the upstream side of the separation nip, and multi-feed can be prevented more reliably.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device 200 showing a state in which one of the sheet feeding trays 5 is pulled out to the front side in FIG.
The paper feed tray 5 is a pair of side fences that regulate the positions of the side edges in the width direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction of the paper P. A back side fence 102 on the back side in the drawer direction of the tray 5 is provided. Further, an end fence 103 that regulates the position of the rear end portion in the transport direction of the paper P is provided.

The paper feed tray 5 includes a fixed bottom plate 107 that forms the bottom surface of the tray and supports the rear end side of the paper P, and a movable bottom plate 106 that rises on the downstream side in the paper feed direction and supports the front end side of the paper P.
In the paper feed tray 5, the position of the paper P stacked on the fixed bottom plate 107 and the movable bottom plate 106 is regulated by the front side fence 101, the back side fence 102, and the end fence 103.

A bundle of sheets P regulated by the front side fence 101, the back side fence 102, and the end fence 103 is lifted up to the position of the sheet feeding roller 51 (see FIG. 1) by the movable bottom plate 106 and fed one by one from the uppermost sheet P. Paper.
The paper feed tray 5 is pulled out from the printer main body 1 when the user pulls the handle 104 toward the front side of the apparatus. The position of the paper P loaded on the paper feed tray 5 in the drawn state is regulated by the two side fences and the end fence 103 described above. However, when the pulled-out paper feed tray 5 is set in the printer main body 1 again, a load is applied to the side fence so that the loaded paper P is displaced due to an impact at the time of setting or the like, and a fall occurs depending on the magnitude of the impact. There is a case.

  When the side fence is moved or falls, the side end of the sheet P in the width direction cannot be regulated, so that the sheet can move in the width direction when being fed. As an image printed in this state, an image quality abnormality such as no position in the image width direction, a skew image printed, and no image parallelism may occur.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of one of the paper feed trays 5 set in the paper feed device 200 as viewed from above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feeding device 200 includes a skew roller 109. The skew roller 109 is inclined toward the front side fence 101 with respect to the paper transport direction with respect to the paper P transported in the paper transport direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. It is a skew member that applies a force that moves in the direction of arrow B).

FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view of the sheet feeding tray 5 in a state in which the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction of the movable bottom plate 106 is raised as viewed from an angle different from that in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet feeding tray 5 includes three skew feeding units 108 including skew rollers 109 arranged in a direction along the sheet feeding direction.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the three skew units 108 shown in FIG.

  A skew unit 108 for applying a component (arrow B in FIGS. 1 and 5) to be skewed with respect to the sheet feeding direction indicated by an arrow A in FIGS. And a holder 110 which is a skew roller support member for supporting the skew roller 109. The skew roller 109 is disposed at a necessary tilt angle (“α” in FIG. 1) and is rotatable about a skew roller shaft 119 tilted with respect to the sheet feeding direction. It is supported by the holder 110. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the skew roller 109 comes into contact with the upper surface of the paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 5 and is pressurized with a predetermined pressure.

  The skew roller 109 in pressure contact with the uppermost sheet (sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 51) of the bundle of sheets P stacked on the movable bottom plate 106 and the fixed bottom plate 107 rotates following the sheet P feeding operation. To do. More specifically, a moving force in the sheet feeding direction is applied by friction with the top sheet of the bundle of sheets P conveyed by the sheet feeding roller 51, but the skew roller shaft 119 tilted with respect to the sheet feeding direction is the center. Therefore, the surface rotates in a direction inclined with respect to the paper feeding direction. A moving force in the surface moving direction of the skew roller 109 is applied to the sheet P by friction with the skew roller 109 that is in contact with the sheet P, and a force acting on the front side fence 101 side acts. Since the paper P is always fed and conveyed in a state where the paper P has components along the front side fence 101 by the rotation of the three skew rollers 109 (109a, 109b, and 109c), the position of the paper P in the width direction is the side. Always stable in a state along the fence 101.

  In the present exemplary embodiment, the front side of the printer 100 is described as an example. Therefore, the skew direction is the front side fence 101 side, and the skew unit 108 itself including the skew roller 109 is also the front side fence. 101. When the reference side is reversed, the rear side fence 102 is also possible, and the position where the skew unit 108 is disposed is not limited to this.

FIG. 26 is a top view schematically showing a sheet feeding device 200 having a load member like the sheet conveying device described in Patent Document 1. A sheet feeding device 200 shown in FIG. 26 includes a separation conveyance roller 52 and a reverse roller 53 on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction with respect to the sheet feeding roller 51, and a load member is disposed at a position shifted in the width direction from the separation conveyance roller 52. A certain friction 55 is provided.
FIG. 26A is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the preceding sheet P1 when the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P is conveyed and the succeeding sheet P2 that is the second sheet P. FIG. 26B is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the subsequent paper P2 is returned by the reverse roller 53. FIG. 26C is a view in which the subsequent paper P2 returned by the reverse roller 53 is fed by the paper feed roller 51. It is explanatory drawing of the state by which paper is carried out.

In the paper feeder 200 shown in FIG. 26, the following (1) to (3) are repeated.
(1) When the preceding sheet P1 is conveyed by the sheet feeding roller 51, the succeeding sheet P2 also enters a separation nip formed by the separation conveyance roller 52 and the reverse roller 53.
(2) In the separation nip, the trailing sheet P2 is returned to the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction as shown in FIG. At this time, the succeeding paper P2 moves while rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG.
(3) Thereafter, when the succeeding paper P2 is conveyed by the paper feeding roller 51, the following paper P2 moves while rotating by the pressurization of the friction 55.

  In the succeeding paper P2, the degree of rotation between the return of the above (2) and the feeding of the above (3) is the amount of entry into the separation nip when the paper is fed simultaneously with the preceding paper P1 in (1). It depends on. The amount of the succeeding paper P2 entering the separation nip cannot be controlled and varies for each paper feed, so the degree of rotation also varies, and the paper position for feeding the succeeding paper P2 also varies.

The sheet feeding device 200 shown in FIG. 26 has a friction 55 as a load member between the reference fence (101, 102) and the sheet feeding roller 51 in order to prevent skew of the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Is arranged. In addition, the posture of the sheet is stabilized by applying a load (rotational moment) that balances the skew caused by the deviation between the center position in the width direction of the sheet P and the position of the sheet feeding roller 51. .
However, in the paper feeding device 200, when the succeeding paper P2 enters the separation nip at the same time as the preceding paper P1, the succeeding paper P2 is returned to the upstream side in the paper feeding direction by the reverse roller 53, and is returned. In some cases, the leading end position and inclination of the paper P2 vary. Due to this variation, the posture of the succeeding paper P2 is not stabilized, and when the succeeding paper P2 that has been returned once is conveyed, the succeeding paper P2 is fed in a desired posture only by the rotation by the pressurization of the friction 55. There was a case that I could not do.

  The trailing paper P2 is given a moving force in the direction opposite to the feeding direction by the reverse roller 53 when the trailing paper P2 is sandwiched between the separation nips, and the leading edge of the trailing paper P2 is more than the separation nip. When reaching the upstream side in the paper feeding direction, the movement of the succeeding paper P2 in the reverse direction stops. For this reason, when the preceding sheet P1 moves in the sheet feeding direction and the sheet feeding roller 51 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the succeeding sheet P2 returned by the reverse roller 53 and the succeeding sheet P2 is conveyed, the following sheet P2 is conveyed. The distance between the leading end position of the paper P2 in the paper feeding direction and the separation nip is reduced. The rotational moment centering on the friction acts between the time when the paper P starts to be fed by the paper feed roller 51 and the time when the leading edge of the paper P reaches the separation nip. For this reason, if the distance between the leading end position of the succeeding sheet P that is started to be fed and the separation nip is short, a rotational moment cannot be applied until the trailing sheet P is rotated to the target position, and the succeeding sheet P is set to a desired position. There was a case that paper could not be fed in the posture.

  Further, in the paper feeding device 200 shown in FIG. 26, the required load changes when the conveying force of the paper feeding roller 51 varies due to the device installation environment or the like. The skew direction by the paper feeding roller 51 needs to be constant, and the rotational moment of the skew is increased by setting the position of the paper feeding roller 51 at a certain distance from the center in the width direction of the paper P. In other words, it is conceivable that the sheet feeding roller 51 actively skews. However, in this configuration, unless the alignment with the downstream conveyance means such as the separation conveyance roller 52 is performed, wrinkles or the like due to twisting of the paper P occurs. It is difficult to stabilize the position. Therefore, it is difficult to stably prevent the skew of the sheet in the sheet feeding device 200 shown in FIG. 26, and the position of the end portion in the width direction of the sheet P in the sheet feeding tray 5 that has been recently requested is stabilized. The problem is that it is difficult to do.

In the paper feeding device 200 shown in FIG. 26, the pressure applied by the friction 55 acts not only on the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P but also on the second and subsequent sheets P, so that the succeeding sheet P2 is returned. In this case, the succeeding paper P2 rotates in the opposite direction to that during paper feeding. The amount of rotation in the reverse direction varies due to variations in the amount of the succeeding paper P2 entering the separation nip, and thus the posture of the succeeding paper P2 returned by the separation nip cannot be stabilized.
On the other hand, in the paper feeding device 200 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the skew roller 109 is in contact with only the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P and applies a force directed in an oblique direction. The second and subsequent sheets of paper P are not directly subjected to a diagonal force.

In the paper feeding device 200 according to the present embodiment, when the succeeding paper P2 is moved in the paper feeding direction together with the preceding paper P1, when the preceding paper P1 is moved obliquely by the action of the skew roller 109, the following paper P2 is moved. May move obliquely with the preceding paper P1.
However, in the state in which the succeeding sheet P2 moves in the direction opposite to the preceding sheet P1 by the action of the reverse roller 53, the succeeding sheet P2 is separated from the preceding sheet P1, and therefore moves obliquely by the skew roller 109. The force does not act on the succeeding paper P2. At this time, the succeeding paper P2 is moved substantially parallel to the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction by the action of the reverse roller 53. Therefore, even if the amount of the following paper P2 entering the separation nip varies, Variations in the position in the width direction of the paper P2 and the amount of rotation are unlikely to occur. For this reason, in the paper feeding device 200 of this embodiment, the posture of the subsequent paper P2 returned by the separation nip can be stabilized, and the subsequent paper P can be fed in a desired posture.

  As described above, the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P stacked on the movable bottom plate 106 and the fixed bottom plate 107 is conveyed in a state in which it always has a component along the front side fence 101 by the rotation of the skew roller 109. The position in the width direction of the paper P in the paper feed tray 5 is stabilized.

  6 is an enlarged side view of the skew feeding unit 108 of the present embodiment. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the number of sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5 is large, and FIG. This shows a state where the number of stacked sheets P is small.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the skew unit 108 includes a cradle 120 that rotatably supports the skew roller 109 and is supported so as to be rotatable about the cradle rotation shaft 121 with respect to the holder 110. Yes. The cradle rotating shaft 121 is a shaft portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis in the drawing). The skew roller shaft 119 is fixed to the cradle 120, and when the cradle 120 rotates around the cradle rotation shaft 121, the skew roller shaft 119 also rotates around the cradle rotation shaft 121, and the holder 110 The position and inclination with respect to changes.

  When the number of sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5 is large, the amount of rise of the downstream end of the movable bottom plate 106 in the sheet feeding direction is small, and the uppermost surface of the sheet P is parallel to the horizontal plane or has a small inclination. It becomes. In this state, the skew feeding unit 108 is in the state shown in FIG. 6A, and the lower end portion of the skew feeding roller 109 is in contact with the uppermost surface of the paper P over the entire region in the direction parallel to the skew roller shaft 119.

  When the number of sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5 is small, the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction of the movable bottom plate 106 is brought into contact with the sheet feeding roller 51 on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction on the top surface of the bundle of sheets P. The rising amount of the edge increases, and the inclination of the uppermost surface of the paper P with respect to the horizontal plane increases. If the inclination of the skew roller 109 at this time remains in the state shown in FIG. 6A, the contact angle of the skew roller 109 with respect to the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P changes, and the skew roller 109 moves to the skew roller shaft. Only one part in a direction parallel to 119 is in a per-contact state in contact with the upper surface of the paper P. When it comes into contact, the contact area between the skew roller 109 and the paper P becomes narrow, and the function of moving the paper P toward the surface movement direction of the skew roller 109 may be reduced.

In contrast, the skew unit 108 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is in a state in which the cradle 120 holding the skew roller 109 disposed in the holder 110 is rotatable with respect to the holder 110. It is pivotally supported. As a result, when the downstream end of the movable bottom plate 106 in the sheet feeding direction rises and the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. The skew roller 109 can be inclined in accordance with the inclination of the upper surface. Therefore, even when the number of sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5 is small, the lower end portion of the skew roller 109 is brought into contact with the uppermost surface of the sheet P over the entire region in the direction parallel to the skew roller shaft 119. The skew roller 109 can be prevented from hitting the upper surface of the paper P.
In the skew feeding unit 108 shown in FIG. 6, the cradle 120 is rotatably attached to the holder 110 by attaching the cradle rotation shaft 121 to the holder 110 by fitting.

  The sheet feeding device 200 according to the present embodiment includes a sheet feeding tray 5 on which sheets P can be stacked, and two side fences (101, 101) that are disposed on the sheet feeding tray 5 and regulate the position of the outer edge of the sheet P in the width direction. 102). Also, the sheet P is fed in pressure contact with the movable bottom plate 106 that is arranged in the sheet feed tray 5 and changes the height of the top surface of the sheet P, and the top surface of the bundle of sheets P stacked on the sheet feed tray 5. And a paper feed roller 51 which is a feeding means for conveying in the direction. The paper feed roller 51 is disposed at a position that is approximately the center in the width direction of the paper feed tray 5. Further, the sheet feeding device 200 includes a skew roller 109 that obliquely conveys the edge of the paper P in the width direction search toward the front side fence 101. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the skew roller 109 rotates around the cradle rotation shaft 121 following the operation of the movable bottom plate 106.

  With such a configuration, the skew roller 109 can be prevented from touching the paper P, the action of bringing the paper P toward the front side fence 101 is stabilized, and the position of the paper P in the width direction is in a state along the front side fence 101. It becomes possible to stabilize.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cross section of the paper feed tray 5 on the front side of the apparatus (front side in FIG. 2) from the center in the width direction of the paper feed tray 5 as viewed from the back side of the apparatus (back side in FIG. 2). FIG.
A one-dot chain line “PH” in FIG. 7 indicates the position of the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P when the maximum number of sheets P that can be stacked is stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Also, the alternate long and short dash line “PL” in FIG. 7 indicates the position of the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P when a small number of sheets P are stacked on the sheet feed tray 5.
Regarding the first skew roller 109a to the third skew roller 109c, the reference numerals in FIG. 7 with (A) are the individual skew rollers 109 when the position of the uppermost surface of the paper P is “PH”. Indicates the position. Also, the reference numerals in FIG. 7 with (B) indicate the positions of the individual skew rollers 109 when the position of the uppermost surface of the paper P is “PL”.

The second skew unit 108b including the second skew roller 109b is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the second unit vertical shaft 125b extending in the vertical direction. Similarly, the third skew feeding unit 108c including the third skew feeding roller 109c is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the third unit vertical shaft 125c extending in the vertical direction.
The second unit vertical shaft 125 b and the third unit vertical shaft 125 c are provided on the front side fence 101.

  In the paper feed tray 5, a second unit vertical shaft 125b and a third unit vertical shaft 125c are installed in the front side fence 101, and the skew unit 108 has a shaft (125b) according to the position of the upper surface of the paper P at the time of paper feeding. , 125c) and can be moved in the vertical direction. When setting the paper P, the skew feeding unit 108 is retracted to the retracting portion 111 provided on the front side fence 101, and after the paper P is set, the skew feeding unit 108 is brought to a position facing the upper surface of the paper P. Release your hand. As a result, the second skew feeding unit 108b and the third skew feeding unit 108c are arranged so that the second unit vertical shaft 125b and the second skewing roller 109b and the third skew feeding roller 109c are in contact with the upper surface of the paper P. It descends by its own weight along the three-unit vertical axis 125c.

  Then, when the position of the upper surface of the bundle of sheets P is lowered by paper feeding, the second skew feeding unit 108b and the third skew feeding unit 108c follow and descend by their own weight. In this way, the second skew unit 108b and the third skew unit 108c are slid along the second unit vertical shaft 125b and the third unit vertical shaft 125c, so that the stack of sheets P is stacked. A constant pressure can be applied. As a result, even if the stacking height of the sheets P and the rising angle of the movable bottom plate 106 vary, it is possible to apply a skew component to the sheets P by the skew roller 109 in a constant manner.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the paper feed tray 5.
In the paper feed tray 5 of this embodiment, a skew feeding unit 108 is added to prevent skew. If the position of the skew feeding unit 108 is fixed, after setting a bundle of sheets P of a certain size and then trying to set a bundle of sheets P of the same size without moving the side fence, the following problem occurs. Arise. In other words, the bundle of sheets P is set avoiding the skew unit 108, such as handling the bundle of sheets P so as to be hidden under the skew unit 108, and the setability of the bundle of sheets P is deteriorated. The problem arises.

  On the other hand, in the paper feed tray 5 of the present embodiment, the front side fence 101 is located in a region “β” indicated by a broken line in FIG. 8 outside the front regulation surface 101 s that regulates the width direction end of the paper P. A mechanism for retracting the skew feeding unit 108 is provided.

FIG. 9 shows the vicinity of the first skew feeding unit 108a showing a state in which the first skew feeding unit 108a including the first skew feeding roller 109a is located at a position facing the upper surface of the paper P and a state where the first skew feeding unit 111 is retracted to the retracting unit 111. FIG.
The first skew unit 108a in FIG. 9 shows a state in which the reference numeral (A) is in a position facing the upper surface of the paper P, and the reference numeral (B) is a retracting portion. 111 shows a retreated state.

The first skewing unit 108a is supported so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction around a first unit rotation shaft 118 fixed to the front side fence 101 and extending in the vertical direction. The first skew unit 108a can move between a position facing the upper surface of the paper P and a position retracted to the retracting unit 111 by rotating about the first unit rotating shaft 118. .
The second skew unit 108b and the third skew unit 108c rotate around the second unit vertical shaft 125b and the third unit vertical shaft 125c, so that the position facing the upper surface of the paper P and the retracting unit 111 It is possible to move between the retreat positions.

The skew feeding unit 108 is in a position where the skew feeding roller 109 provided in the skew feeding unit 108 is in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P during paper feeding. When the paper P is set, the skew feeding unit 108 is retracted to the retracting unit 111 that does not hinder the setting operation. With such a configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration capable of correcting the skew without impairing the setability of the paper P.
In the present embodiment, in a state where the skew unit 108 is retracted to the retracting portion 111, the entire skew unit 108 is retracted to the outside in the width direction from the front regulating surface 101s. As the state in which the skew unit 108 is retracted, the sheet P is set due to the provision of the skew roller 109 by retracting at least a part of the skew unit 108 to the outside in the width direction from the front regulating surface 101s. It can suppress that property is impaired.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram in which the two states shown in FIG. 9 are divided into two partial views (a) and (b). FIG. 10A shows a state where the first skew feeding unit 108a is in a position facing the upper surface of the paper P. FIG. 10B shows the first skew feeding unit 108a retracted to the retracting unit 111. Indicates the state.
In the configuration including the skew roller 109, when the paper P is set from above the paper feed tray 5, there is a problem that the skew unit 108 including the skew roller 109 is in the way and it is difficult to set the paper P. .

  As shown in FIG. 10, the sheet feeding device 200 of the present embodiment is provided with a first unit rotation shaft 118 that supports a holder 110 as a support member so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow G in FIG. It has been. The holder 110 rotates around the first unit rotation shaft 118, and the first skew unit 108a is retracted to the retracting portion 111, which is a storage space provided in the front side fence 101, whereby the paper P is set. Can improve sex.

Further, in the rotation direction with respect to the first unit rotation shaft 118, the retraction direction in which the first skew unit 108a is retracted from the state shown in FIG. The direction of the force acting on is in the opposite direction. In the state shown in FIG. 10A, the edge on the downstream side in the transport direction of the holder 110 that supports the first skew roller 109 a hits the edge that forms the retracting portion 111 of the front side fence 101. Yes.
Since the retracting direction is opposite to the direction of the force acting during paper feeding, it is possible to prevent the first skew feeding unit 108a from rotating so as to move to the retracting unit 111 during paper feeding. Furthermore, the edge on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the holder 110 abuts on the edge forming the retracting portion 111 of the front side fence 101, so that the first skewing unit is applied by the force acting on the first skewing roller 109a during paper feeding. It is possible to prevent 108a from rotating downstream in the transport direction.

FIG. 11 is a top view of a configuration including a lock mechanism 130 that fixes the position of the first skew unit 108a in a state in which the first skew unit 108a is retracted to the retracting portion 111. FIG. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the first skew feeding unit 108a is in a position facing the upper surface of the paper P. FIG. 11B shows the first skew feeding unit 108a retracted to the retracting unit 111. Indicates the state.
Since the lock mechanism 130 is located below the plate member that forms the upper surface of the front side fence 101, it cannot be viewed from above, but in FIG. 11, for convenience, the lock mechanism 130 is indicated by a solid line.

The lock mechanism 130 includes a lock member 131 having a tapered surface at the distal end surface, and a lock urging spring 132 as an urging member that urges the lock member 131 in the direction of arrow H in FIG.
When the first skewing unit 108a is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 11 around the first unit rotation shaft 118 in order to move the first skewing unit 108a to the retracting portion 111, the first skewing is performed. The holder 110 of the unit 108a hits the tapered surface of the lock member 131. Further, when the first skew feeding unit 108 a is rotated, the lock member 131 slides in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 11 and the first skew feeding unit 108 a moves to the retracting portion 111. When the evacuation is completed, the position of the lock member 131 is returned by the urging force of the lock urging spring 132, and the first skewing unit 108a can be fixed to the evacuation unit 111 by abutting against the lock abutting surface 110r of the holder 110. It becomes possible.

As shown in FIG. 11, the lock member 131 includes a lock release lever 133 for releasing the fixed state. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the lock release lever 133. 12A is a top view, and FIG. 12B is a perspective view.
As shown in FIG. 12, the plate forming the upper surface of the front side fence 101 is provided with a long hole 134 when releasing the lock, and the lock release lever 133 is moved along the long hole 134 with the arrow in FIG. Slide manually in direction I. Thus, the lock member 131 can be moved from a position where it abuts against the lock abutment surface 110r of the holder 110, and the first skew feeding unit 108a faces the upper surface of the paper P (FIGS. 10A and 11B). It is possible to return to the state indicated by.
A similar locking mechanism is also used for the locking mechanism that fixes the second skewing unit 108b and the third skewing unit 108c, which are rotatable about the second unit vertical shaft 125b and the third unit vertical shaft 125c, by the retracting portion 111. Can be used.

  By locking the skew feeding unit 108 in the retracted state, it is possible to prevent the skew feeding unit 108 from erroneously returning to a position facing the upper surface of the paper P when setting a bundle of paper P after the retracting. When the skew feeding roller 109 is not necessary at the time of paper feeding, the paper feeding may be performed in a state where the skew feeding unit 108 is retracted by the lock mechanism 130. Thus, for example, when paper P that is buckled due to being slanted and abutted against the front regulation surface 101s of the front side fence 101 is fed, such as thin paper, the paper P does not strike the front regulation surface 101s Can be fed. As a result, the paper P can be fed without causing a conveyance failure such as wrinkles due to buckling of the paper P, and the paper compatibility is increased.

  Further, an unlocking biasing member made of a torsion spring or the like for applying a biasing force so as to rotate the first skew feeding unit 108a in the direction of arrow J in FIG. Good. In the configuration including the unlocking biasing member, the first skewing unit 108a can be easily moved to the upper surface of the paper P by the operation of sliding the unlocking lever 133 while the first skewing unit 108a is in the retracting portion 111. Can be moved to a position opposite to.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the first skew unit 108a is slid and moved to the retracting unit 111. FIG. 13A shows a state where the first skew feeding unit 108a is in a position facing the upper surface of the paper P. FIG. 13B shows the first skew feeding unit 108a retracted to the retracting unit 111. Indicates the state.
10 etc. demonstrated the structure which rotates the 1st skew feeding unit 108a centering on the 1st unit rotating shaft 118 which is a fulcrum shaft. As a configuration for retracting the first skew feeding unit 108a, as shown in FIG. 13, the first skew feeding unit 108a may be slid along the slide shaft 136 to be retracted.

  The sheet feeding device 200 according to the present embodiment includes a sheet feeding tray 5 on which sheets P can be stacked, and a front side fence 101 that regulates the position of the end in the width direction of the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Prepare. Further, a sheet feeding roller 51 that is a feeding means that feeds the sheet P in the transport direction while being pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost sheet P of the sheet P in the sheet feeding tray 5 is positioned approximately at the center in the width direction of the sheet P. Prepare for. Further, a skew roller 109 is provided as a skew member that skews and conveys the sheet P so that the edge on the near side in the width direction of the sheet P faces the near side fence 101. Further, the holder 110 is a support member that supports the skew roller 109, and the skew roller 109 and the holder 110 can be rotated around a first unit rotation shaft 118 that is a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction. It has become. By rotating the first skew feeding unit 108a in the horizontal direction from a position facing the upper surface of the paper P, an area outside the width direction of the front regulating surface 101s of the front side fence 101 (area “β” in FIG. 8). The first skew unit 108a can be retracted.

  The skew feeding unit 108 is in a position where the skew feeding roller 109 provided in the skew feeding unit 108 is in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P during paper feeding. When the paper P is set, the skew feeding unit 108 is retracted to the retracting unit 111 that does not hinder the setting operation. With such a configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration capable of correcting the skew without impairing the setability of the paper P.

Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, a configuration is employed in which a lock mechanism is provided that can lock the position of the first skew feeding unit 108a including the first skew roller 109a with the retracting portion 111. Also good.
In this configuration, the first skew feeding unit 108a is kept retracted so that the paper P can be buckled by causing the first skewing unit 108a to skew and strike against the side fence (reference surface). Sometimes, it is possible to perform paper feeding without using the first skew roller 109a. As a result, when feeding the paper P that may be buckled when skewed by the skew roller 109 such as the first skew roller 109a, the paper is fed without using the skew roller 109. Is possible. As a result, paper can be fed without causing a conveyance failure such as wrinkles due to buckling of the paper P, and the paper compatibility can be improved.

  The skew feeding member of this embodiment is a skew roller 109 that presses against the uppermost paper (paper fed by the paper feed roller 51) of the bundle of paper P stacked on the movable bottom plate 106 and the fixed bottom plate 107. The skew roller 109 rotates following the paper feeding operation in which the paper P moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The sheet P is brought closer to the front side fence 101 by the rotation of the skew roller 109.

By adopting a configuration in which the skew roller 109 can be replaced with the cradle 120, the approach angle “α” of the skew roller 109 with respect to the front side fence 101, the weight of the skew roller 109, and the roller width can be made variable. it can.
The effect on the sheet registration by making each of these factors variable will be described below.

<Weight of the skew roller 109: influence on the moving force>
Depending on the corresponding paper size and the corresponding paper thickness, the shifting and conveying force by the skew roller 109 can be varied.
The merit of making the shift conveying force by the skew roller 109 variable will be described with the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory perspective view of the sheet feeding tray 5 in which the number of the skew feeding units 108 is increased with respect to the sheet feeding tray 5 included in the sheet feeding device 200 of the above-described embodiment. In the paper feed tray 5 shown in FIG. 14, the front side fence 101 that supports the five skew feeding units 108 so as to be movable in the vertical direction is screwed to the fixed bottom plate 107 of the paper feed tray 5. Each skew unit 108 has the same configuration except that the variable factor is different.

  The necessary transporting force for the paper P varies depending on the paper size and paper thickness. For this reason, if the five skew rollers 109 (a to e) have the same shifting conveyance force, there is a possibility that an unnecessary shifting conveyance force may act on small-size paper or thin paper. In this case, it is conceivable that a problem such as a large skew or wrinkle due to the paper P riding on the front side fence 101 occurs.

  In order to avoid this, for example, in the case of a paper size in which the length in the paper feeding direction is in contact with the skew roller 109 only in the region of the first skew roller 109a to the third skew roller 109c, these three skew rollers 109 (ac) reduces weight. The weight of the fourth skew roller 109d and the fifth skew roller 109e is increased. By setting it as such a structure, it can prevent that an excessive conveyance force acts.

  The configuration for increasing or decreasing the transporting force of the skew roller 109 is not limited to the configuration for increasing or decreasing the weight of the skew roller 109 itself. Increasing or decreasing the weight of the skew unit 108, such as increasing or decreasing the weight of the cradle 120 or the holder 110 that moves vertically with the skew roller 109, increases or decreases the pressure applied to the paper P by the skew roller 109. In addition, it is possible to increase or decrease the conveying force of the skew roller 109.

  In the configuration in which the biasing member that biases the skewing unit 108 downward is provided on the unit vertical shaft 125 instead of the configuration in which the weight of the skewing roller 109 or the skewing unit 108 is increased or decreased, the biasing force of the biasing member is increased or decreased. May be. By increasing / decreasing the urging force, the pressing force of the skew roller 109 against the paper P can be increased / decreased, and the shift conveying force of the skew roller 109 can be increased / decreased.

<Conveying force difference between skew rollers>
As a method of increasing the sheet feeding and conveying force, in addition to the method of increasing the conveying force of the individual skew rollers 109, a difference in the conveying force between the skew rollers 109 may be applied to the paper P. A rotational moment can be given, which is effective.

<Width of skew roller 109: effect on stability of shifting function>
When the roller width of the skew roller 109 is narrower, the resistance to the paper P can be reduced, so that variation in the shifting function can be reduced.

  By configuring the skew roller 109 to be replaceable, changing each of the above-described factors to an optimum value for the paper type of the paper P to be used, the ability to cope with various types of paper P can be improved. .

In the paper feeding device 200 of the present embodiment, a plurality of skew rollers 109 are arranged for one paper feeding tray 5.
By arranging a plurality of the skew rollers 109, the total sum of the conveying forces can be increased, and the ability to handle thick paper and large sizes can be improved. Further, by arranging a plurality of the skew rollers 109, it is possible to disperse the shift transport force and reduce the shift transport force per skew roller 109, thereby avoiding problems such as wrinkles when transporting thin paper. be able to.
Furthermore, in the configuration in which a plurality of the skew rollers 109 are arranged, various bottom plate raising methods such as a bottom plate horizontal rising type such as a tandem tray and a rising type using a rotation fulcrum of the universal tray can be easily handled.

[Experimental example]
An experimental example in which paper feeding is performed using the paper feed tray 5 shown in FIG. 14 will be described. FIG. 15 is a schematic top view of the paper feed tray 5 used in the experimental example.
Experimental conditions are shown below.
Shifting angle “α”: 25 [°]
Width of skew roller: 5 [mm]
Material of skew roller: ethylene propylene rubber Conveying force of skew roller First skew roller 109a to third skew roller 109c: 0.1 [N]
Fourth skew roller 109d and fifth skew roller 109e: 0.18 [N]
Paper: 79 [g / m ² ], A3
Gap “W” with side fence: 3.0 [mm]

  When an experiment for feeding the paper P under the above experimental conditions was performed, the paper P in which the gap “W” with the front side fence 101 is 3.0 [mm] is indicated by an arrow R in FIG. The paper was fed in such a way. The paper P could be fed in a state where the gap with the front side fence 101 was 0 [mm] before the trailing edge of the paper P exited the paper feed tray 5.

  Up to this point, the configuration in which each factor can be changed by making the skew roller 109 replaceable by the cradle 120 has been described. However, only the skew roller 109 may be replaceable, and the holder that supports the cradle 120. The entire skew unit 108 including 110 may be exchangeable.

In addition, the configuration in which each factor of the plurality of skew rollers 109 is made different by being exchangeable has been described, but the configuration in which at least one of the factors of the plurality of skew rollers 109 is differentiated in advance. It is good.
For example, the weight of the skew roller 109 is set to be light on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction and heavy on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction. As a result, the conveying force between the skew rollers 109 can be made different so that the conveying force on the upstream side is larger than that on the downstream side. As a result, it is possible to increase the conveying force of the skew roller 109 on the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction, which increases the moving distance in the shifting direction.
Also, the larger the paper P, the heavier it is, and it is necessary to increase the shifting and conveying force accordingly. For large-size paper P that reaches the position of the skew roller 109 by increasing the transport force of the skew roller 109 (109d and 109e in FIGS. 14 and 15) on the upstream side in the transport direction. A large transporting force can be applied. On the other hand, for the small size paper P that does not reach the position of the skew roller 109 with the increased conveying force on the upstream side in the conveying direction, the excessively conveying force acts on the small size paper P by reducing the acting conveying force. Can be suppressed.

  In the sheet feeding device 200 of this embodiment, a skew unit 108 including a skew roller 109 is provided on the front side fence 101. As a result, the distance from the front regulating surface 101s to the position where the skew roller 109 contacts the upper surface of the paper P becomes constant, and even if the size of the paper P is different, it always stays at the same position, and the transporting force that is a skew component. It becomes possible to act.

  In the paper feeding device 200 of the present embodiment, the paper P is moved toward the front side fence 101 during paper feeding, so that the paper P can be transported along the front side fence 101. Thereby, since the paper P is fed with the front side fence 101 as a reference in the width direction of the paper P, the skew of the paper P conveyed from the paper feed tray 5 can be suppressed. In the printer 100 including such a sheet feeding device 200, the skewed sheet P can reach the secondary transfer nip, so that the occurrence of skew images can be suppressed.

[Modification 1]
Next, a first modified example (hereinafter referred to as “modified example 1”) of the sheet feeding device 200 will be described.
FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view in the vicinity of the first skew feeding unit 108a showing a state where the first skew feeding unit 108a in the paper feeding device 200 of the first modification is located at a position facing the upper surface of the paper P and a retracted state. FIG.
For the first skew unit 108a in FIG. 16, the state facing the top surface of the paper P is indicated by a solid line, and the retracted state is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the first skewing unit 108 a is centered on a first unit rotation shaft 118 that extends in the horizontal direction with respect to the unit support 112 fixed to the upper surface 101 u of the front side fence 101. It can rotate in the vertical direction. Further, torsion springs 114 are provided at both ends of the first unit rotating shaft 118 as urging means for urging the first skew unit 108a to be in an initial position indicated by a solid line.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of setting a bundle of sheets P on the sheet feeding tray 5 according to the first modification. 17A shows a state before the paper P is set, FIG. 17B shows a state in the middle of setting the paper P, and FIG. 17C shows a state after the paper P is set.

In the state before setting shown in FIG. 17A, the first skew feeding unit 108a is one of the paths of the paper P when the paper P is set by the direction biasing force indicated by the arrow D in FIG. It is in the initial position to close the part.
In the state in the middle of the setting shown in FIG. 17B, the first skew feeding unit 108a is moved downward by the dead weight of the bundle of sheets P set in the sheet setting direction in the vertically downward direction indicated by the arrow E in FIGS. And is rotated in the direction of arrow F in FIGS. 16 and 17. By this rotation, the first skew unit 108a is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the setting of the paper P, as shown by the broken lines in FIG.

After the paper P is set, it returns to the initial position described above by the restoring force of the torsion spring 114 as indicated by an arrow D in FIG.
In the configuration of the first modification, the biasing force of the torsion spring 114 that biases the first skew feeding unit 108a to maintain the initial position can be retracted even when a bundle of a small number of sheets P is set. It is a weak urging force. For this reason, the urging force of the torsion spring 114 does not affect the contact pressure of the skew roller 109 against the surface of the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P.

  A sheet feeding device 200 according to Modification 1 includes a sheet feeding tray 5 on which sheets P can be stacked, and a front side fence 101 that regulates the position of the end in the width direction of the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Prepare. Further, the paper feed roller 51 which is a feeding means for feeding the paper P in the transport direction while being pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost paper P in the paper feed tray 5 is positioned at a substantially central position in the width direction of the paper P. Prepare. Further, a skew roller 109 is provided as a skew member that skews and conveys the sheet P so that the edge on the near side in the width direction of the sheet P faces the near side fence 101. Further, the holder 110 is a support member that supports the skew roller 109, and the skew roller 109 and the holder 110 can be rotated around a first unit rotation shaft 118 that is a rotation shaft provided in the holder 110. It has become. Furthermore, a torsion spring 114 is provided as a biasing member that biases the holder 110 so that the holder 110 stops at an initial position where the skew roller 109 faces the upper surface of the paper P in the paper feed tray 5.

In the first modification, when the paper P is set, the first skewing unit 108a rotates downward from the initial position due to the weight of the paper P, and is an area outside the front regulating surface 101s in the width direction (in FIG. 8). Evacuate to area “β”). When the setting of the paper P is completed, the first skew feeding unit 108a is rotated upward by the urging force of the torsion spring 114, returns to the initial position, and is maintained at the initial position.
In the first modification, the first skew feeding unit 108a in the position where the first skew feeding roller 109a is in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets P when the sheet P is fed, the sheet is placed at a position where the setting operation is not hindered when the sheet P is set. Retreats by being pushed by a bundle of P. As a result, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the skew is corrected by the skew roller 109 without impairing the setting property of the paper P.

[Modification 2]
Next, a second modified example (hereinafter referred to as “modified example 2”) of the sheet feeding device 200 will be described.
FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the skew unit swinging mechanism 300 provided on the front side fence 101 of the sheet feeding tray 5 provided in the sheet feeding device 200 according to the second modification. FIG. 18A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out from the printer main body 1, and FIG. 18B shows a state in which the paper feed tray 5 is set in the printer main body 1. It is explanatory drawing shown.
In FIG. 18, among the members included in the paper feed tray 5, the skew unit 108, the front side fence 101, and each member constituting the skew unit swing mechanism 300 are illustrated.

In the second modification, the skew feeding unit 108 is swung using a rack and pinion.
The sheet feeding device 200 according to the second modification includes a main body side fixed rack 150 fixed to the printer body 1, a first tray pinion 301 and a second tray pinion 302 disposed in the sheet feeding tray 5, and a sheet feeding tray 5. And a movable tray 303 in the tray.
The first tray pinion 301 and the second tray pinion 302 can rotate with respect to the paper feed tray 5, but their positions in the paper feed tray 5 are fixed. The in-tray movable rack 303 is connected to the second tray pinion 302 and is slidable in the left-right direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 18A, when the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out from the printer main body 1, the main body side fixed rack 150 fixed to the printer main body 1 and the first tray pinion 301 arranged in the paper feed tray 5. The connection with is released. In this state, the movable tray 303 in the tray that is arranged in the paper feed tray 5 and is slidable in the left-right direction in FIG. The inside of the paper feed tray 5 is moved leftward in FIG. 18 by the applied pressure. By pulling the wire 305 having one end fixed to the movable rack 303 in the tray, the wire fixing portion 310 of the holder 110 of the skew unit 108 to which the other end of the wire 305 is fixed is centered on the holder rotation shaft 306. Pulled up to rotate. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18A, the skew unit 108 including the skew roller 109 is moved to the retracted position in the region outside the width direction from the front regulating surface 101s (region “β” in FIG. 8). evacuate.

  The paper feed tray 5 according to the second modification includes a holder holding unit 307 that supports the holder 110 so that the holder rotating shaft 306 can rotate, and an elevating shaft 309 that holds the holder holding unit 307 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. .

  In order to set the paper feed tray 5 in the printer main body 1 from the state shown in FIG. 18A, the paper feed tray 5 is inserted into the printer main body 1 so as to move in the arrow L direction in FIG. As a result, the main body side fixed rack 150 and the first tray pinion 301 are connected. When the paper feed tray 5 is further inserted from the connected state, the first tray pinion 301 and the second tray pinion 302 are rotated. The second tray pinion 302 is connected to the in-tray movable rack 303. Therefore, when the second tray pinion 302 rotates, the in-tray movable rack 303 is in the direction opposite to the pressurizing direction of the in-tray pressing spring 304 in the sheet feeding tray 5, and the arrow M in FIG. Move in the direction.

  This movement of the tray movable rack 303 compresses the tray pressing spring 304 and loosens the wire 305. When the wire 305 is loosened, a force of rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 18 about the holder rotation shaft 306 acts on the wire fixing portion 310 in the holder 110 by the urging force of the torsion spring 308. Due to the action of the rotating force, the skew feeding unit 108 including the holder 110 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 18, and the upper surface of the sheet P shown in FIG. 18B from the retracted position shown in FIG. Move to the position opposite.

  The sheet feeding device 200 according to the above-described embodiment stabilizes the posture of the sheet P using the skew roller 109 that is a skew member in order to prevent skew of the sheet P stacked on the sheet feed tray 5. . Further, a rotation mechanism for rotating the holder 110 that is a support member for supporting the skew roller 109 is provided, and the skew roller 109 is retracted from above the area of the sheet tray 5 where the sheets P are stacked. Makes loading work easier.

  However, in the sheet feeder 200 of the above-described embodiment, in addition to the conventional sheet P stacking operation, the user needs to perform an operation of retracting the skew member during the sheet P stacking operation. For this reason, there is a possibility that the skew member is damaged by erroneously stacking the sheets P on the skew member without retracting the skew member.

  A sheet feeding device 200 according to the second modification includes a sheet feeding tray 5 on which sheets can be stacked, and a front side fence 101 that regulates the position of the end in the width direction of the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Further, a sheet feeding roller 51 that is a feeding means that feeds the sheet P in the transport direction while being pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost sheet P of the sheet P in the sheet feeding tray 5 is positioned approximately at the center in the width direction of the sheet P. Prepare for. Further, a skew roller 109 is provided as a skew member that is transported obliquely so that the front edge in the width direction of the paper P faces the front side fence 101. Further, the holder 110 is a support member that supports the skew roller 109, and the skew roller 109 and the holder 110 can be rotated around a holder rotation shaft 306. The skew unit swinging mechanism 300 as the skew member moving means is skewed in conjunction with a pulling-out operation that is an opening operation of the paper feed tray 5 and an insertion operation that is a closing operation of the paper feed tray 5. The unit 108 is moved between a retracted position and a position facing the upper surface of the paper P.

  The skew unit swinging mechanism 300 moves the skew unit 108 to the retracted position in conjunction with a pulling-out operation that is an opening operation of the paper feed tray 5. For this reason, when the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out of the printer body 1 in order to load the paper P on the paper feed tray 5, the skew feeding unit 108 moves to a retracted position outside the paper stacking area in the paper feed tray 5. To do. Therefore, when the user loads the paper P on the paper feed tray 5, the user does not need to perform an operation for retracting the skew roller 109. The operation load on the user can be reduced by loading the sheets without performing the operation for retracting the skew member when the sheets are loaded. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the sheet feeding unit P from being erroneously stacked on the skew feeding unit 108 such as the skew feeding roller 109 and damaging the skew feeding unit 108.

[Modification 3]
Next, a third modified example (hereinafter referred to as “modified example 3”) of the sheet feeding device 200 will be described.
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a printer 100 including a sheet feeding device 200 according to the third modification. FIG. 19A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the paper feed tray 5 is set in the printer main body 1, and FIG. 19B shows a state in which the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out from the printer main body 1. It is explanatory drawing shown.
20 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the front side fence 101 of the paper feed tray 5 shown in FIG. 19, and FIG. 20 (a) is an enlarged explanatory view of the state shown in FIG. 19 (a), and FIG. ) Is an enlarged explanatory view of the state shown in FIG.

  In the third modification, the skew unit side magnet 311 is fixed to a holder 110 that is supported so as to be rotatable about a holder rotation shaft 306 with respect to the front side fence 101. Further, a main body side magnet 151 is fixed above the paper feed tray 5 in the printer main body 1 at a position facing the vicinity of the end in the pulling direction of the paper feed tray 5 (the direction of arrow N in FIG. 19). As a fixing method of the skew unit side magnet 311 and the main body side magnet 151, the double-sided tape is used in the third modification, but is not limited thereto.

  When the paper P is set in the paper feed tray 5 in the modified example 3, the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out from the state shown in FIGS. 19A and 20B in the direction of arrow N in FIG. 19A. . When the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out, the magnetic pole (S pole) on the downstream side in the pull-out direction of the main body side magnet 151 attached to the printer main body 1 and the magnetic pole (S pole) on the front end side of the skew unit side magnet 311 attached to the holder 110. N pole) is attracted by magnetic force. Thereby, the rotational force which the skew feeding unit 108 rotates to the clockwise direction in FIG. 20 (arrow Q direction in FIG.20 (b)) centering on the holder rotation axis | shaft 306 generate | occur | produces. Due to this rotational force, the skew unit 108 rotates so as to rise to the left side in FIG. 20, and the holder 110 is placed in a region outside the front regulating surface 101s of the front side fence 101 as shown in FIG. 20B. Retreat so that it is positioned.

When the paper feed tray 5 is set in the printer main body 1 in the third modification, the paper feed tray 5 in the pulled out state is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow N direction in FIG. Insert into the storage space. When the paper feed tray 5 is inserted, a magnetic pole (N pole) on the upstream side in the pulling direction of the main body side magnet 151 attached to the printer main body 1 and a magnetic pole on the front end side of the skew unit side magnet 311 attached to the holder 110 ( N pole) is repelled by magnetic force. As a result, a rotational force is generated in which the skew unit 108 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 20 (the direction opposite to the arrow Q direction in FIG. 20) around the holder rotation shaft 306. Due to this rotational force, the skew feeding unit 108 rotates so as to fall to the left side in FIG. 20, and from the retracted position shown in FIGS. 19 (b) and 20 (b), FIGS. 19 (a) and 20 (a). It moves to the position facing the upper surface of the paper P shown in FIG.
The skew unit swing mechanism 300 according to the third modification includes a holder rotating shaft 306 that rotatably supports the skew unit 108, a main body side magnet 151, a skew unit side magnet 311, and the like.

  In the third modification, similarly to the second modification, the skew unit swinging mechanism 300 moves the skew unit 108 to the retracted position in conjunction with the pulling-out operation that is the opening operation of the paper feed tray 5. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the operation burden on the user, and it is possible to prevent the skew unit 108 from being damaged by erroneously loading the paper P on the skew unit 108 such as the skew roller 109. .

[Modification 4]
Next, a fourth modified example (hereinafter referred to as “modified example 4”) of the sheet feeding device 200 will be described.
The sheet feeding device 200 according to the above-described embodiment is configured to attach the skew roller 109 that stabilizes the posture of the sheet P to the front side fence 101. Further, in order to maintain the setability of the paper P, the retracting portion 111 of the skew roller 109 is provided in the front side fence 101, and when the paper P is set, the skew roller 109 is taken into the front side fence 101. ing. In such a configuration, there arises a problem that the size of the front side fence 101 becomes large.

  On the other hand, in the paper feeding device 200 according to the fourth modification, the skew roller 109 is disposed in the printer main body 1 that is the main body side of the paper feeding device 200. Except for the arrangement of the skew roller 109, it is common to the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a schematic top view of one of the paper feed trays 5 set in the paper feed device 200 according to the fourth modification as seen from above.
The sheet P is fed by a sheet feeding roller 51 to a separation nip that is a contact portion between the separation conveyance roller 52 and the reverse roller 53. At this time, the skew roller 109 in pressure contact with the uppermost sheet (sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 51) of the bundle of sheets P stacked on the movable bottom plate 106 and the fixed bottom plate 107 is driven by the sheet P feeding operation. Then rotate. Since the paper P is always fed and conveyed with a component along the front side fence 101 by the rotation of the skew roller 109, the position in the width direction of the paper P is always stable in the state along the side fence 101. .

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of the position where the paper feed roller 51 of the paper feed tray 5 shown in FIG. 21 is viewed from the left side in FIG. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the skew roller 109.
A holder 110 that rotatably supports the skew roller 109 is supported by a skew roller support arm 115, and a paper feed unit on the downstream side in the paper feed direction with respect to a position where the skew roller 109 contacts the paper P. 116 is attached.

In the fourth modification, the skew roller 109 is not attached to the paper feed tray 5 side. Therefore, when the paper tray 5 is opened, that is, when the paper tray 5 is pulled out of the printer body 1 and the paper P is set, the paper P is set by the skew roller 109 or a member that supports the paper. Therefore, the conventional paper setting property can be maintained.
In the fourth modification, the skew roller support arm 115 swings in the directions indicated by arrows S1 and S2 in FIG. 22 so that the skew roller 109 can come into contact with the upper surface of the paper P, and the paper feed tray 5 Is moved to a position that does not obstruct the pulling-out operation.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a skew roller moving mechanism 400 that moves the skew roller 109 by swinging the skew roller support arm 115.
The skew roller moving mechanism 400 is driven by a motor 401 and rotates a support arm rotating shaft 403 via a coupling 402 which is a drive transmission means, so that the skew roller support arm 115 is moved in the direction of arrow S1 in FIG. Rotate. Thereby, the skew roller 109 can be moved to a position that does not hinder the operation of pulling out the paper feed tray 5.

When feeding, the skew roller support arm 115 is rotated in the direction of arrow S1 in FIG. 22 by the weight of the skew roller support arm 115 and the skew roller 109, and the skew roller 109 is placed on the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P. Make contact.
Except during feeding, the skew roller support arm 115 is rotated in the direction of arrow S1 in FIG. 22 to retract the skew roller 109. When the sheet feeding tray 5 is pulled out for replenishing and resetting the paper P by rotating the skew roller supporting arm 115 in the direction of the arrow S1 in FIG. 109 and the paper feed tray 5 are not interfered with each other. Further, when the paper feed tray 5 is returned to the printer main body 1, the skew roller 109 and the paper feed tray 5 are not interfered with each other.

  FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the skew roller 109 is moved in the vertical direction integrally with the paper feed roller 51. FIG. 25A is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the skew roller 109 and the paper feed roller 51 are in contact with the upper surface of the bundle of sheets P, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which 51 is separated from the upper surface of a bundle of sheets P.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 25, the skew roller support arm 115 is attached to the paper feed roller support arm 54 to which the paper feed roller 51 is attached. Thus, the skew roller support arm 115 is swung by a solenoid that moves the paper feed roller support arm 54 up and down instead of the motor 401 described above in conjunction with the vertical movement of the paper feed roller support arm 54. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 25A, when the paper is fed, the feed roller 51 and the skew roller 109 are in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of paper P, and when the paper is not fed, FIG. ), The sheet feeding roller 51 and the skew roller 109 are separated from the bundle of sheets P.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 25, when the paper feed roller 51 is in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P, the skew roller 109 is also in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P. 109 is separated from the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P.
As in the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24, when the vertical movement of the skew roller 109 does not interlock with the vertical movement of the paper feed roller 51, the paper feed roller 51 is not in contact with the paper P. The skew roller 109 may be controlled to come into contact with the paper P at the timing.

The paper feed roller 51 contacts the upper surface of the paper P until the paper P in the paper feed tray 5 is transported to the separation nip. After the paper P reaches the separation nip, the paper P is transported by the separation transport roller 52. When this is started, the paper feed roller 51 is separated from the upper surface of the paper P. When the skew roller 109 is moved toward and away in accordance with the contact and separation of the sheet feeding roller 51, the leading edge reaches the separation nip, and the front side of the sheet P to which the conveyance force is applied by the separation and conveyance roller 52. A force for skewing toward the side fence 101 cannot be applied.
On the other hand, when the skew roller 109 is brought into contact with the paper P even when the paper feeding roller 51 is not in contact with the paper P, the front side fence is also applied to the paper P to which the conveying force is applied by the separation conveying roller 52. It is possible to apply a force for skewing toward 101.

  As such control, the skew roller 109 is brought into contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P at the start of the print job, and is kept in contact until the print job is completed or until the print job is interrupted. Can be realized. While the print job is being executed, the skew roller 109 is kept in contact with the uppermost surface of the bundle of sheets P, so that the sheet P to which the conveyance force is applied by the separation conveyance roller 52 is also on the front side. It is possible to apply a force for skewing toward the fence 101. Further, the skew roller 109 is separated from the paper P after the print job is finished or when the print job is interrupted, so that even if the user pulls out the paper feed tray 5 after the print job is finished or when the print job is interrupted, Interference with the paper feed tray 5 can be prevented.

  A sheet feeding device 200 according to Modification 4 includes a sheet feeding tray 5 on which sheets can be stacked, and a front side fence 101 that regulates the position of the end in the width direction of the sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 5. Further, a sheet feeding roller 51 that is a feeding means that feeds the sheet P in the transport direction while being pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost sheet P of the sheet P in the sheet feeding tray 5 is positioned approximately at the center in the width direction of the sheet P. Prepare for. Further, the sheet feeding unit 116 to which the sheet feeding roller 51 is attached is provided, and a skew roller 109 that is a skew member that conveys the sheet P so that the edge on the near side in the width direction faces the near side fence 101. Are attached to the paper feed unit 116. With such a configuration, when the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out and the paper P is set, the skew roller 109 can be configured not to interfere with the setting. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide the retracting portion 111 of the skew roller 109 on the front side fence 101, the posture of the paper P is stabilized by the skew roller 109, and the paper size is suppressed while suppressing the enlargement of the front side fence 101. The setability of P can be maintained.

  In the modified example 4, the skew roller support arm 115 is attached to the paper feed unit 116 including the paper feed roller 51, but the skew roller support arm 115 is attached to the paper feed unit 116. Not exclusively. By adopting a configuration in which the skew roller support arm 115 is provided on the printer body 1 side instead of the paper feed tray 5, when the paper feed tray 5 is pulled out and the paper P is set, the skew roller 109 interferes with the paper setting. It can be set as the structure which does not become.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the sheet conveyed by the sheet feeding device 200 as the sheet conveying apparatus is the sheet P has been described. Sheets conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention include plain paper, cardboard, postcard, envelope, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), label paper, OHP sheet, recording sheet, and film. It is a waste.

  What was demonstrated above is an example, and there exists an effect peculiar for every following aspect.

(Aspect A)
A sheet storage unit such as a paper feed tray 5 that stores sheets such as paper P, a sheet transport unit such as a paper feed roller 51 that transports the sheet in contact with the upper surface of the sheet stored in the sheet storage unit, and sheet transport The front side that is disposed outside the sheet stored in the sheet storage unit and regulates the position of the sheet in the sheet width direction in the sheet width direction such as the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction such as the sheet feeding direction conveyed by the means In a sheet conveying apparatus such as a sheet feeding device 200 provided with a sheet width direction regulating member such as a fence 101, a sheet inclined by a sheet conveying unit toward a sheet width direction regulating member with respect to the sheet conveying direction. And a skew member such as a skew roller 109 that exerts a moving force to be moved.
According to this, since the sheet is moved toward the sheet width direction regulating member during conveyance as described in the above embodiment, the sheet can be conveyed along the sheet width direction regulating member. Accordingly, since the sheet is conveyed with the sheet width direction regulating member as a reference in the sheet width direction of the sheet, skew of the sheet conveyed from the sheet storage unit can be suppressed.

(Aspect B)
In the aspect A, the bottom surface of the sheet such as the sheet P stored in the sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding tray 5 is supported, and the movable bottom plate member such as the movable bottom plate 106 whose angle with respect to the horizontal plane is variable, the skew roller 109, etc. A skew holding member such as a cradle 120 that holds the skew member, and an angle follower such as a cradle rotating shaft 121 that changes the angle of the skew holding member with respect to the horizontal plane following the operation of the movable bottom plate member. Prepare.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, regardless of the change in the angle of the movable bottom plate member, the slanting member is prevented from coming into contact with the sheet. The action toward the width direction regulating member is stabilized. Therefore, the position in the sheet width direction such as the sheet width direction can be stabilized in a state along the sheet width direction regulating member.

(Aspect C)
In the aspect A or B, the vertical position of the skew members such as the second skew roller 109b and the third skew roller 109c is set to the position of the sheet P such as the sheet P accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion such as the sheet feed tray 5. Vertical position tracking means such as a second unit vertical axis 125b and a third unit vertical axis 125c for tracking the position of the top surface in the height direction are provided.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, even if the position in the height direction of the uppermost surface of the sheet varies, it is possible to apply a skew component to the sheet by the skew member uniformly.

(Aspect D)
In any one of the aspects A to C, the skew support member such as the holder 110 that supports the skew member such as the skew roller 109, and the sheet width of the front side fence 101 or the like as the skew member and the skew support member. The first unit rotating shaft 118, the second unit vertical shaft 125b, the third unit vertical shaft 125c, etc. that can move to a retracted position such as the retracting portion 111 outside the restricting position such as the front restricting surface 101s of the direction restricting member. And a skew member moving means.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, when a sheet such as the paper P is set in the sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding tray 5, the skew member and the skew support member are moved to the retracted position. Further, the setability of the sheet can be maintained with the configuration including the skew member. Therefore, it is possible to realize a configuration capable of correcting the skew without impairing the sheet setting property.

(Aspect E)
In aspect D, a retraction position fixing means such as a lock mechanism 130 for fixing a slanting member such as the slanting roller 109 and a slanting support member such as the holder 110 to a retreating position such as the retreating part 111 is provided.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, when a sheet such as the sheet P is set in the sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding tray 5, the skew feeding member is erroneously returned to the position facing the sheet upper surface. Can be prevented. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the skew member from being damaged by the weight of the sheet. Further, when a sheet having low rigidity such as thin paper is conveyed, the sheet is conveyed while the skew member and the skew support member are retracted, so that the sheet having low rigidity is moved forward by the skew member. It can be prevented from being abutted against the restriction position such as 101s. As a result, a sheet having low rigidity is buckled by being abutted against the regulation position, and the sheet can be conveyed while suppressing the occurrence of conveyance failure such as generation of wrinkles. improves.

(Aspect F)
In the aspect D or E, the skew member such as the skew roller 109 and the skew support member such as the holder 110 that have moved to the retracted position such as the retracting portion 111 are inclined so as to face the inside of the restricting position such as the front restricting surface 101s. An unlocking biasing member that biases the row support member and a biasing means such as a torsion spring 114 are provided.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the skew feeding member and the skew support member can be easily moved to a position facing the upper surface of the sheet such as the paper P.

(Aspect G)
In any one of the aspects D to F, the skew member moving means such as the skew unit swinging mechanism 300 is interlocked with opening / closing operations such as a pulling operation and an inserting operation of the sheet storage unit such as the sheet feeding tray 5. The skew member is moved between a position where the skew member such as the skew roller 109 can apply the moving force of the sheet P or the like and a retracted position of the retracting unit 111 or the like.
According to this, as described in the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary for an operator such as a user to perform an operation for retracting the skew member when the sheet storage unit is opened, such as when loading paper, and the operation of the operator The burden can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the skew member from being damaged due to erroneous loading of the sheet on the skew member.

(Aspect H)
In any one of the aspects A to G, the moving force such as the moving and conveying force of the skew member such as the skew roller 109 is configured to be changeable.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to improve the ability to handle various types of sheets such as paper P.

(Aspect I)
In any one of the aspects A to H, a plurality of skew members such as the skew roller 109 are provided, and the magnitude of the moving force such as a close-up conveying force is different between the skew members.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, a large moving force can be applied to a sheet such as a large-size sheet P, and an excessive moving force can be applied to a small-sized sheet. Can be suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to improve the ability to cope with different types of sheets.

(Aspect J)
In any of the aspects A to I, a skew member such as the skew roller 109 is provided on a sheet width direction regulating member such as the front side fence 101.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to apply a moving force such as a close-up conveying force at the same position even when the sizes of sheets such as the paper P are different.

(Aspect K)
In any of the aspects A to J, the sheet storage unit such as the paper feed tray 5 is movable with respect to the apparatus main body such as the printer main body 1 and the skew member such as the skew roller 109 is moved together with the sheet storage unit. Do not install on the device body side.
According to this, as described in the second modification, when a sheet such as the sheet P is set in the sheet storage portion, the skew feeding member can be configured not to interfere with the sheet setting.

(Aspect L)
In any one of the aspects A to K, the sheet conveying unit such as the sheet feeding roller 51 is disposed downstream of the sheet conveyance direction such as the sheet feeding direction with respect to the conveyance position where the sheet P or the like is conveyed. When a plurality of sheets are conveyed, the uppermost sheet is conveyed toward the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and the other sheet is returned to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, so that one sheet can be removed from the plurality of sheets. Sheet separation means such as a separation conveyance roller 52 and a reverse roller 53 that separate sheets and convey them downstream in the sheet conveyance direction are provided.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to stabilize the posture of the sheet such as the succeeding paper P2 returned by the sheet separating unit with a configuration that can more reliably prevent double feeding.

(Aspect M)
An image forming unit 2 that forms an image on a sheet such as paper P, an image forming unit such as an intermediate transfer belt 16 and a secondary transfer roller 15, and a feeding unit that feeds the sheet toward the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus such as the printer 100 includes a sheet conveying device such as the paper feeding device 200 according to the aspects A to L as the feeding unit.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the occurrence of a skew image can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer main body 2 Image formation unit 5 Paper feed tray 15 Secondary transfer roller 16 Intermediate transfer belt 51 Paper feed roller 52 Separation conveyance roller 53 Reverse roller 100 Printer 101 Front side fence 101s Front side control surface 102 Back side fence 103 End fence 106 Movable Bottom plate 107 Fixed bottom plate 108 Skew unit 109 Skew roller 109a First skew roller 109b Second skew roller 109c Third skew roller 110 Holder 111 Retraction portion 118 First unit rotating shaft 120 Receiving base 121 Receiving shaft rotating shaft 125 Unit vertical axis 125b Second unit vertical axis 125c Third unit vertical axis 130 Lock mechanism 200 Paper feeding device 300 Skew unit swing mechanism P Paper P1 Preceding paper P2 Subsequent paper

JP-A-6-40606

Claims (13)

A sheet accommodating portion for accommodating the sheet;
Sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet in contact with the upper surface of the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion;
A sheet width direction restricting member that is disposed outside the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction conveyed by the sheet conveying means and restricts the position of the sheet in the sheet width direction; In a sheet conveying apparatus comprising:
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: a skew member that applies a moving force that moves in a direction inclined toward the sheet width direction regulating member with respect to the sheet conveying direction to the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit. . In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A movable bottom plate member that supports the lower surface of the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion and has a variable angle with respect to a horizontal plane;
A skew holding member for holding the skew member;
An angle follower that changes an angle of the skew holding member with respect to a horizontal plane following the operation of the movable bottom plate member. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A sheet conveying apparatus, comprising: a vertical position follower that causes the position of the skew member in the vertical direction to follow the position in the height direction of the uppermost surface of the sheet stored in the sheet storage unit. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A skew support member for supporting the skew member;
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: a skew member moving unit configured to move the skew member and the skew supporting member to a retracted position outside a restriction position of the sheet width direction restriction member. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4,
A sheet conveying apparatus, comprising: a retraction position fixing unit that fixes the skew member and the skew support member to the retraction position. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
A sheet conveying apparatus, comprising: an urging unit that urges the skew supporting member so that the skew member and the skew supporting member moved to the retracted position are directed to the inside of the restriction position. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6,
The skew member moving means moves the skew member between a position at which the skew member can apply a moving force of the sheet and a retracted position in conjunction with an opening / closing operation of the sheet storage portion. A sheet conveying apparatus. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A sheet conveying apparatus configured to change the moving force of the skew feeding member. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising a plurality of the skew members, wherein the magnitude of the moving force differs between the skew members. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the skew feeding member is provided on the sheet width direction regulating member. In the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The sheet container is movable with respect to the apparatus main body,
The sheet conveying apparatus, wherein the skew feeding member is provided on a side of the apparatus main body that does not move together with the sheet storage portion. The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
When a plurality of sheets are conveyed from the sheet storage unit downstream of the sheet conveyance direction with respect to a conveyance position where the sheet conveyance unit conveys the sheet, the uppermost sheet is downstream in the sheet conveyance direction. A sheet separating unit that separates one sheet from a plurality of sheets and conveys the sheet to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction by conveying toward the side and returning another sheet to the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction. A sheet conveying apparatus. Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
In an image forming apparatus comprising a feeding unit that feeds a sheet toward the image forming unit,
An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 1 as the feeding unit.

Images