JP2018127311A - Sheet support device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet support device that accurately positions a rear end regulation plate for regulating a rear end of a sheet, and to provide an image forming apparatus thereof.SOLUTION: A sheet support device comprises a drawer unit 103 by which a sheet is supported, a front side regulation plate 11 and a rear side regulation plate 12 each for regulating a position of an end part in a width direction of the sheet, a rear end regulation plate 13 for regulating a position at a rear end of the sheet, and an interlock unit for interlocking these front side regulation plate 11, rear side regulation plate 12 and rear end regulation plate 13. The rear end regulation plate 13 can be moved to a first position for regulating a position at a lower stream end of a sheet with a first size, and to a second position for regulating a position at the lower stream end of a sheet with a second size, that is longer in length in a sheet feed direction than the sheet with the first size. The sheet support device further comprises a positioning part that can be arranged in contact with the rear end regulation plate 13 to regulate movement of the rear end regulation plate 13 located at the second position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet support apparatus that supports a sheet and an image forming apparatus including the sheet support apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a sheet storage device including an interlocking mechanism that interlocks a side regulating plate that regulates the position of the side edge of a sheet and a rear end regulating plate that regulates the position of the trailing end of the sheet (Patent Document). 1). This interlocking mechanism has a board member that moves by operating the operation lever, and an arm member that presses the side restricting plate in conjunction with the movement of the board member, and the rear end restricting plate engages with the board member. This is linked to the movement of the board member.

  For this reason, when the user operates the operation lever, the arm member presses the surface opposite to the restriction surface of the side restriction plate, and the side restriction plate moves. At the same time, the rear end restriction plate moves together with the board member. . Thereby, the position of the side end and the rear end of the sheets of different sizes can be regulated only by moving the operation lever.

Japanese Patent No. 4532996

  However, in the sheet storage device described in Patent Document 1, when the user sets a sheet, if the trailing end regulating plate is pressed by the trailing end of the sheet, the trailing end regulating plate moves in the sheet feeding direction. There is a risk of it. Even if the trailing edge regulating plate does not move, the trailing edge regulating plate may be bent in the sheet feeding direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet may not be accurately positioned.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet support unit that solves the above-described problems and an image forming apparatus including the same by providing a movement control unit that can contact the second control unit positioned at the second position. And

  The present invention provides a sheet support device, in which a sheet is supported by a sheet support unit, and is supported by the sheet support unit so as to be movable in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. A first restricting means for restricting a position of an end of the sheet in the width direction; and a first position for restricting a position of a downstream end of the first size sheet supported by the sheet supporting means in the sheet feeding direction. And a second position that regulates a position of a downstream end in the sheet feeding direction of a second size sheet that is longer in the sheet feeding direction than the first size sheet. The second restricting means supported by the sheet supporting means, the interlocking means for connecting the first restricting means and the second restricting means so as to interlock with each other, and the second restricting means can be brought into contact with each other. Is arranged, and a movement restricting means for restricting the movement in the opposite direction to the first direction toward a position of the second regulating means located on said second position, characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, since the movement restricting means capable of contacting the second restricting means located at the second position is provided, even if an external force in a direction opposite to the direction toward the first position is applied to the second restricting means. The movement of the second restricting means is prevented, and the second restricting means can be positioned with high accuracy.

1 is an overall perspective view illustrating a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view showing the printer in a state in which the drawer unit is pulled out. The perspective view which shows the main-body part of the state which removed the front cover. (A) is a plan view showing a front side regulating plate, a rear side regulating plate and a rear end regulating plate for regulating the position of an A4 size sheet, (b) is a front side regulating plate for regulating the position of a letter size sheet, The top view which shows a rear side control board and a rear-end control board. (A) is a perspective view showing the operation of the first interlocking unit when the switching lever is set to the A4 size position, and (b) is the operation of the first interlocking unit when the switching lever is set to the letter size position. FIG. (A) is a perspective view showing a front side regulating plate and a front side regulating slider when the switching lever is set to the A4 size position, and (b) is a front side regulating plate when the switching lever is set to the letter size position. And a perspective view showing a front side regulating slider. (A) is a perspective view showing the operation of the second interlocking portion when the switching lever is set to the A4 size position, and (b) is the second interlocking portion when the switching lever is set to the letter size position. The perspective view which shows operation | movement. (A) is a perspective view showing each regulating plate when the switching lever is located at the A4 size position, and (b) is a perspective view showing each regulating plate when the switching lever is located at the letter size position. (C) is a perspective view showing a front side restricting plate and a rear side restricting plate moving in a direction approaching each other.

<First Embodiment>
〔overall structure〕
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. A printer 100 as an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is an electrophotographic laser beam printer. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the printer 100 with the drawer unit 103 attached. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the printer 100 with the drawer unit 103 pulled out. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 100 includes a printer main body 101 and a sheet support device 102. The sheet support device 102 can be opened and closed with respect to the housing 102A and the housing 102A. And a drawer unit 103 supported by the robot.

  The drawer unit 103 serving as a sheet support means is provided with a stacking unit 61 that is supported by a wire (not shown) so as to be movable up and down, and on which sheets S are stacked. The sheets S stacked on the stacking unit 61 are The paper is fed to the printer main body 101 by the feeding device 42. The sheet S fed to the printer main body 101 forms an image by an image forming unit 60 as an image forming unit, and is discharged to a discharge tray 45 by a sheet discharge unit 41. Note that the image forming process in the image forming unit 60 is publicly known, and a description thereof will be omitted here. The sheet support device 102 is provided as an option in the printer main body 101, and may feed sheets from the cassette 104 of the printer main body 101.

  2 and 3, the drawer unit 103 has a main body 44 and a front cover 43 that is fixed to the front side of the main body 44. FIG. It is a perspective view showing the main part 44 in the state. The main body 44 is composed of a front side plate 1, a rear side plate 2, a left side plate 3, a right side plate 4, and a bottom plate 5, and a front side regulating plate 11 inside the front side plate 1 and a rear side inside the device of the rear side plate 2 A side regulating plate 12 is provided. A rear end regulating plate 13 is provided in the vicinity of the corners of the rear side plate 2 and the left side plate 3. The front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 constitute a first restricting means. The front side regulating plate 11 as the first regulating member regulates the position of one end in the sheet width direction, and the rear side regulating plate 12 as the second regulating member regulates the position of the other end in the sheet width direction. .

  The front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 are supported by the main body 44 so as to be movable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction, and contact the side edges of the sheet S stored in the drawer unit 103. Is possible. The rear end restricting plate 13 as the second restricting means is rotatable about an axial center 13 a provided in the vicinity of the corners of the rear side plate 2 and the left side plate 3 and extending in the vertical direction, and is housed in the drawer unit 103. The position of the rear end of the sheet S is regulated by contacting the rear end of the sheet S. A support portion 34 that protrudes inward of the main body portion 44 is provided from the left side plate 3 that is the downstream side surface of the main body portion 44 in the sheet feeding direction, and the rear end regulating plate 13 serves as a rotation shaft. Is supported by the support portion 34 around the shaft center 13a.

  The front side regulating slider 21 to be described later is provided with a switching lever 31 as an operation portion for switching the sheet size that can be set in the drawer unit 103, and the switching lever 31 protrudes above the front side plate 1. When the switching lever 31 is operated by the user, the front side restricting plate 11, the rear side restricting plate 12, and the rear end restricting plate 13 are configured to move to predetermined positions.

[A4 size position and letter size position]
FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the front side regulating plate 11, the rear side regulating plate 12, and the rear end regulating plate 13 that regulate the position of the A4 size sheet as the second size. FIG. 4B is a plan view showing the front side regulating plate 11, the rear side regulating plate 12 and the rear end regulating plate 13 that regulate the position of the letter size sheet as the first size. When the size of the sheet set in the drawer unit 103 is A4 size, as shown in FIG. 4A, the distance between the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 is set to about 210 mm, and the right side The distance between the plate 4 and the rear end regulating plate 13 is set to about 297 mm. The front side restricting plate 11, the rear side restricting plate 12, and the rear end restricting plate 13 are configured so that the switching lever 31 is set to the A4 size position as the second size position by the user, so that the interlocking unit 70 as interlocking means is provided. Is positioned through.

  When the size of the sheet set in the drawer unit 103 is letter size, as shown in FIG. 4B, the distance between the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 is set to about 216 mm. The distance between the plate 4 and the rear end regulating plate 13 is set to about 279.4 mm. The front side restricting plate 11, the rear side restricting plate 12, and the rear end restricting plate 13 are positioned via the interlocking unit 70 when the switching lever 31 is set to the letter size position as the first size position by the user. The

[First interlocking unit]
Next, the first interlocking portion 71 that constitutes a part of the interlocking unit 70 and interlocks the front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing the operation of the first interlocking unit 71 when the switching lever 31 is set to the A4 size position. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing the operation of the first interlocking unit 71 when the switching lever 31 is set to the letter size position.

  The first interlocking unit 71 includes a front side regulating slider 21 that is rotatably supported on the front side plate 1 around the slider shaft 21x, and a rear side regulating slider that is supported on the rear side plate 2 so as to be rotatable about the slider shaft 22x. 22. Further, the first interlocking portion 71 has a slider link 32 that is supported on the bottom plate 5 so as to be rotatable about the link shaft 32x. The end of the slider link 32 is slidably engaged with the recess 21e formed in the lower portion of the front side regulating slider 21 and the recess 22e formed in the lower portion of the rear side regulating slider 22. For this reason, the front side restriction slider 21 and the rear side restriction slider 22 are configured to be linked via the slider link 32.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the switching lever 31 attached to the front side regulating slider 21 moves in the arrow A1 direction, the front side regulating slider 21 rotates in the arrow A2 direction, and the slider link 32 moves to the arrow. It rotates in the A3 direction. Then, the rear side regulating slider 22 is rotated in the arrow A4 direction by the slider link 32. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the switching lever 31 moves in the arrow L1 direction opposite to the arrow A1 direction, the front side regulating slider 21 rotates in the arrow L2 direction, and the slider link 32 moves in the arrow L3 direction. Rotate to. Then, the rear side regulating slider 22 is rotated in the arrow L4 direction by the slider link 32.

  FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the front side regulating plate 11 and the front side regulating slider 21 when the switching lever 31 is set to the A4 size position. FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing the front side regulating plate 11 and the front side regulating slider 21 when the switching lever 31 is set to the letter size position. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, ribs 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d protrude from a back surface 11b opposite to the contact surface 11a that can contact the sheet of the front side regulating plate 11. . From the front side regulating slider 21, ribs 21 a, 21 b, 21 c and 21 d protrude toward the front side regulating plate 11. The front side regulating plate 11 is urged by the spring 35 in a direction approaching the front side regulating slider 21.

  When the switching lever 31 is set to the A4 size position, the ribs 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d abut against the ribs 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the front side regulating slider 21 rotates in the L2 direction, the contact of each abutment surface of the ribs 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and the ribs 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d is released. Is done. The front side regulating plate 11 is moved by the spring 35 in the direction of the arrow L5 that is the outer side in the width direction. When the front side regulating slider 21 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 6B in the direction of arrow A2 shown in FIG. 6A, the front side regulating plate 11 is formed by the ribs 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d of the front side regulating slider 21. The ribs 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d are pressed. As a result, the front side regulating plate 11 moves in the arrow A5 direction, which is the inner side in the width direction, against the urging force of the spring 35. The rear side restriction plate 12 and the rear side restriction slider 22 have the same configuration as that of the front side restriction plate 11 and the front side restriction slider 21, and thus description thereof is omitted.

[Second interlocking unit]
Next, the second interlocking portion 33 that constitutes a part of the interlocking unit 70 and interlocks the slider link 32 and the rear end regulating plate 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing the operation of the second interlocking portion 33 when the switching lever 31 is set to the A4 size position. FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing the operation of the second interlocking portion 33 when the switching lever 31 is set to the letter size position.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the second interlocking portion 33 is supported by the rear plate 2 so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the sheet feeding direction (that is, in the directions of arrows A7 and L7). A connection portion 33a is slidably connected to the end portion of the link 32. And the rack part 33b is formed in the 2nd interlocking | linkage part, The gear part 13b which meshes with the rack part 33b is formed in the rear-end control board 13. As shown in FIG. The rear end regulating plate 13 is a regulating surface 13c as a second surface facing the downstream end of the A4 size sheet in the sheet feeding direction, and a first surface facing the downstream end of the letter size sheet in the sheet feeding direction. 13d as a regulation surface. The restricting surfaces 13c and 13d are formed so as to intersect with each other when viewed from above and below. The rear end regulating plate 13 regulates the position of the rear end of the A4 size sheet by the regulating surface 13c at the second position shown in FIG. 7A, and the regulating surface at the first position shown in FIG. 7B. The position of the trailing edge of the letter size sheet is regulated by 13d.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the slider link 32 rotates in the direction of arrow A3, the second interlocking portion 33 moves in the direction of arrow A7, and the rear end regulating plate is engaged by the engagement between the rack portion 33b and the gear portion 13b. 13 rotates in the direction of arrow A8. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the slider link 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow L3, the second interlocking portion 33 moves in the direction of the arrow L7, and the rear end is engaged by the engagement between the rack portion 33b and the gear portion 13b. The restriction plate 13 rotates in the direction of the arrow L8.

[Positioning of rear end regulating plate]
Next, the positioning configuration of the rear end regulating plate 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing each regulating plate when the switching lever 31 is positioned at the A4 size position. FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing each regulating plate when the switching lever 31 is positioned at the letter size position. FIG. 8C is a perspective view showing the front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 moving in a direction approaching each other.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the support portion 34 is provided with a positioning portion 34 a as a movement restricting unit disposed so as to be able to contact the upper portion of the rear end restricting plate 13. The positioning portion 34a protrudes in the width direction from the support portion 34, and a slight gap is left on the contacted surface 13e formed on the side opposite to the regulating surface 13c of the rear end regulating plate 13 located at the second position. Opposite. For example, when the sheet is set on the drawer unit 103 by the user and the regulating surface 13c is pressed by the sheet, the rear end regulating plate 13 tends to move in the direction of arrow A8 (see FIG. 7A). However, the movement of the rear end regulating plate 13 in the direction opposite to the direction toward the first position (that is, the direction of the arrow A8) is restricted and positioned when the abutted surface 13e hits the positioning portion 34a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the regulating surface 13d of the rear end regulating plate 13 located at the first position is pressed by the sheet, the rear end regulating plate 13 is moved in the direction of arrow A8 (FIG. 7A). Try to go to see). At this time, if the rear end restricting plate 13 moves in the direction of arrow A8, the front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 move in a direction approaching each other by the second interlocking portion 33 and the first interlocking portion 71.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the second interlocking portion 33 moves in the arrow A7 direction as the rear end regulating plate 13 moves in the arrow A8 direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the slider link 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow A3, and the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 are respectively moved by the arrows by the front side regulating slider 21 and the rear side regulating slider 22. Move in the A5 and A6 directions. That is, when the regulating surface 13d of the rear end regulating plate 13 is pressed, the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 try to move so as to approach the center in the width direction of the sheet.

  When the switching lever 31 is set to the letter size position as shown in FIG. 8B, the user normally sets a letter size sheet. When the regulating surface 13d of the trailing edge regulating plate 13 is pressed by the trailing edge of the letter size sheet in the process of setting the sheet, the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 are in the width direction as described above. Try to move closer together. However, the distance between the front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 is the width of the letter size sheet, and even if the front side restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 approach each other, the sheet is in between. I can't move because there is.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the rear end regulating plate 13 is positioned at the second position as shown in FIG. 8A, the positioning is performed by the positioning portion 34a. As a result, even if an external force in a direction opposite to the direction toward the first position is applied to the rear end regulating plate 13, the rear end regulating plate 13 abuts against the positioning portion 34a and is restricted from moving. Positioning can be performed with high accuracy.

  Further, when an external force in a direction opposite to the direction toward the first position is applied to the rear end regulating plate 13 in a state where the rear end regulating plate 13 is located at the first position as shown in FIG. The restricting plate 11 and the rear side restricting plate 12 try to move in a direction approaching each other. However, since the front side regulating plate 11, the rear side regulating plate 12, and the rear end regulating plate 13 cannot move due to interference with the sheet between the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12, the rear end regulating plate 13 is Positioning can be performed with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, a slight gap is provided between the positioning portion 34a and the abutted surface 13e of the rear end regulating plate 13 located at the second position, but this gap may not be provided. That is, the positioning portion 34 a and the abutted surface 13 e of the rear end regulating plate 13 may be in contact with each other in a state where no external force is applied to the rear end regulating plate 13.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rear end regulating plate 13 is configured to be rotatable about the shaft center 13a extending in the vertical direction, but is not limited thereto. That is, the rear end regulating plate 13 is not limited to a rotating configuration, and may be configured to slide, for example. Further, the configuration of the interlocking unit 70 is not limited.

  In the present embodiment, the positioning portion 34a is provided on the support portion 34 that rotatably supports the rear end regulating plate 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the left side plate 3 also serves as the positioning portion 34a. Also good.

  In this embodiment, the position of two types of sheets, A4 size and letter size, can be regulated. However, the size and number of types of sheets that can be set in the drawer unit 103 are not limited. For example, the drawer unit 103 may be configured to be able to set a legal size sheet in addition to the A4 size and the letter size.

  In this case, for example, the switching lever 31 is configured to be movable to a legal size position different from the A4 size position and the letter size position, and the legal size position is provided on the opposite side of the A4 size position across the letter size position. When the switching lever 31 is set to the legal size position, the distance between the front side regulating plate 11 and the rear side regulating plate 12 is set to about 216 mm, which is the same as the letter size. The rear end regulating plate 13 is further rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4B, and is set so that the contacted surface 13e is parallel to the side edge of the sheet. Thus, the rear end regulating plate 13 does not get in the way when setting a legal size sheet. Further, it is preferable to set the distance between the left side plate 3 and the right side plate 4 to 356 mm which is the length of the legal size sheet.

  In any of the above-described embodiments, the electrophotographic printer 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to an inkjet image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by ejecting ink liquid from a nozzle.

  11: 1st regulating member, 1st regulating means (front side regulating plate) / 12: 2nd regulating member, 1st regulating means (rear side regulating plate) / 13: Rear end regulating means (rear end regulating plate) / 13a : Rotating shaft (shaft center) / 13b: gear portion / 13c: second surface (restricting surface) / 13d: first surface (restricting surface) / 13e: contacted surface / 31: operation portion (switching lever) / 33: second interlocking part / 33b: rack part / 34: support part / 34a: movement restricting means (positioning part) / 44: body part / 60: image forming means (image forming unit) / 61: stacking part / 70: Interlocking means (interlocking unit) / 71: first interlocking unit / 100: image forming apparatus (printer) / 102: sheet supporting apparatus / 103: sheet supporting means (drawing unit)

Claims (11)

Sheet support means for supporting the sheet;
A first restricting means that is movably supported in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction with respect to the sheet supporting means, and that regulates the position of the end of the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means in the width direction;
A first position for regulating a position of a downstream end of the first size sheet supported by the sheet supporting means in the sheet feeding direction, and a length in the sheet feeding direction as compared with the first size sheet; A second restricting means supported by the sheet supporting means so as to be movable between a second position for restricting the position of the downstream end of the long second size sheet in the sheet feeding direction;
Interlocking means for connecting the first restricting means and the second restricting means so as to interlock with each other;
A movement restricting means disposed so as to be able to contact the second restricting means and restricting movement of the second restricting means located at the second position in a direction opposite to the direction toward the first position; Prepare
A sheet supporting apparatus characterized by the above. The second restricting means is supported by the sheet supporting means so as to be pivotable about a pivot shaft extending in the vertical direction, and is opposed to the downstream end of the first size sheet at the first position. One surface, and a second surface facing the downstream end of the second size sheet at the second position,
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The movement restricting means can be brought into contact with a contacted surface formed on the side opposite to the second surface of the second restricting means.
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The first surface and the second surface are formed so as to intersect with each other when viewed from the vertical direction.
The sheet supporting apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the sheet supporting apparatus is provided. The sheet support means includes: a main body portion; a stacking portion that is supported by the main body portion so as to be movable up and down; and a sheet stacking portion; and a downstream side surface of the main body portion in the sheet feeding direction. And a support portion that protrudes in the direction and rotatably supports the second restricting means,
The movement restricting means is provided in the support portion.
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet support apparatus is a sheet support apparatus. The movement restricting means is disposed so as to be able to contact the upper part of the second restricting means.
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet support apparatus is a sheet support apparatus. The first restricting means approaches the center in the width direction of the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means by the interlocking means when the second restricting means moves from the first position to the second position. Go to the
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The first restricting means includes a first restricting member that restricts the position of one end in the width direction, and a second restricting member that restricts the position of the other end in the width direction,
The interlocking means includes a first interlocking part that interlocks the first restricting member and the second restricting member, and a second interlocking part that is connected to the first interlocking part and moves the second restricting means. ,
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The second interlocking portion has a rack portion,
The second restricting means has a gear portion that meshes with the rack portion.
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 8, wherein The first interlocking unit includes a first size position that positions the first restricting unit and the second restricting unit so as to restrict the position of the first size sheet, the first restricting unit, and the second restricting unit. An operation unit movable to a second size position where the regulating means is positioned so as to regulate the position of the second size sheet;
The sheet support apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein A sheet support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet support device,
An image forming apparatus.

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