JP2019043778A - Loading device, feeding device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a loading device which can excellently keep the air permeability while improving the usability with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A loading device includes: a regulation member which is movable along the feeding direction and regulates the rear end in the feeding direction of the loaded sheet; and a partition member which partitions the space having the height less than a prescribed height in the loading device into a first region corresponding to a first loading part and a second region corresponding to a second loading part in the feeding direction. The partition member is provided with a first opening for communicating the first region with the second region and a second opening for movement of the regulation member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a stacking device, a feeding device, and an image forming apparatus capable of stacking sheets to be subjected to image formation.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes a sheet storage unit and a feeding unit such as a feeding roller for feeding out a sheet stored in the sheet storage unit, and the sheet storage unit includes a sheet storage unit. It is known that the image forming unit is configured to be fed to the image forming unit. In recent years, an increasing number of apparatuses have a large-capacity sheet storage unit capable of supplying a large number of thousands of sheets. In recent years, in the printing market, there is an increasing need to print on long paper longer than ordinary sized paper such as A3 and A4 (for example, book cover, spread page of catalog, POP advertisement).

  In a conventional sheet feeding apparatus for long paper, a plurality of independently operable sheet stacking lifters are arranged side by side, and in normal use, a removable partition plate is provided. This partition plate plays a role of preventing the load collapse of stacked sheets and preventing mixed loading (Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-63719 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, in the case where the user uses one of the sheet stacking lifters, if the partition plate is detached, the partition plate needs to be attached again, and the usability is not good. In addition, if it is attempted to feed a long sheet of paper while the partition plate is always installed, the atmosphere inside the storage space between the sheet loading lifters is interrupted. That is, in recent feeding devices, it is necessary to cope with various paper types. In particular, as a countermeasure for paper having a high coefficient of friction between the paper, such as coated paper, for example, a heat source such as a cassette heater or a fan is used. Although air flow may be generated inside, in the conventional configuration, there is a problem that the air permeability in the storage becomes worse due to the partition plate, and heat and the air flow in the storage do not circulate well.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a loading device, a feeding device, and an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining good air permeability while improving usability with a simple configuration. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the loading device according to the present invention is larger in the feeding direction to be fed to the predetermined device than the first sheet which is a sheet fed to the predetermined device and the first sheet. A loading device capable of loading a second sheet of a size, which is configured to be movable at a first loading portion for loading the first sheet, and at a predetermined height or more, and at a height at the predetermined height or more In cooperation with the first stacking unit, a second stacking unit that stacks the second sheet, and a rear end portion of the stacked sheet that is movable along the feeding direction and that is stacked A restricting means for restricting, a space less than the predetermined height in the loading device, a second region corresponding to the first area corresponding to the first loading portion and the second loading portion in the feeding direction A partition member for dividing the A first opening communicating the first area with the second area, and a second opening provided in the partition member for moving the restricting means. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain good ventilation while improving usability with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding device. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a paper deck. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a lifter. It is a figure which shows the position of a back end control board. It is a figure which shows a storage state of a large capacity deck storage. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of a paper deck. 5 is a flowchart showing processing up to the start of the feeding operation. 5 is a flowchart showing processing up to the start of the feeding operation. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a partition plate and a cassette heater. It is a figure which shows how heat is transmitted at the time of loading of an ordinary size paper. It is a figure which shows how heat is transmitted at the time of loading long size paper. 5 is a flowchart showing control processing of a cassette heater 351.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the present invention. . The same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming image forming apparatus 900, a scanner apparatus 2000 disposed on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 900, and a paper deck 3000 connected to the image forming apparatus 900.

  A scanner device 2000 for reading an original includes a scanning optical system light source 201, a platen glass 202, an openable / closable original pressure plate 203, a lens 204, a light receiving element (photoelectric conversion) 205, an image processing unit 206, a memory unit 208, and the like. . The memory unit 208 stores the image processing signal processed by the image processing unit 206.

  The scanner device 2000 is configured to irradiate and read light from a scanning optical system light source 201 to an original (not shown) placed on a platen glass 202 when reading an original. Then, the read original image is processed by the image processing unit 206, converted into an electrical signal 207 which is electrically encoded, and transmitted to the laser scanner 111 in the image forming apparatus 900.

  The image information processed and encoded by the image processing unit 206 may be temporarily stored in the memory unit 208, and may be transmitted to the laser scanner 111 as necessary according to a signal from the controller 120 described later. Further, in the paper deck 3000, a control unit 41 having a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, which controls the paper deck 3000 in accordance with an instruction from the controller 120, is provided.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 900 conveys the sheet S fed from the first to fourth sheet feeding apparatuses 1001 to 1004 for feeding the sheet S and the sheet feeding apparatuses 1001 to 1004 to the image forming unit 901. And a sheet conveying device 902. The image forming apparatus 900 includes a controller 120 that controls each unit of the image forming system 1000 and has a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM.

  Here, the first to fourth sheet feeding apparatuses 1001 to 1004 each include a sheet feeding cassette 10 for storing the sheet S, a pickup roller 11, a feed roller 22, and a separated conveyance roller pair 25 configured of a feed roller 22 and a retard roller 23. And have. The sheets S stored in the feeding cassette 10 are separated and fed one by one by the pickup roller 11 and the separation conveyance roller pair 25 which are moved up and down at a predetermined timing to rotate.

  A feed sensor 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction of the feed roller 22 and the retard roller 23. The feed sensor 24 detects the passage of the sheet S, and the detection signal is a controller It is sent to 120.

  The sheet conveyance device 902 includes a conveyance roller pair 15, a pre-registration roller pair 130, and a registration roller pair 110. The sheet S fed from the sheet feeding devices 1001 to 1004 is guided to the pair of registration rollers 110 after passing through the sheet conveyance path 108 by the pair of conveyance rollers 15 and the pair of pre-registration rollers 130. Thereafter, the sheet S is sent to the image forming unit 901 at a predetermined timing by the registration roller pair 110.

  The image forming unit 901 includes a photosensitive drum 112, a laser scanner 111, a developing device 114, a transfer charger 115, and a separation charger 116. Then, at the time of image formation, the laser beam from the laser scanner 111 is folded back by the mirror 113 and irradiated to the photosensitive drum 112 rotating in the clockwise direction, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum. Further, the electrostatic latent image thus formed on the photosensitive drum is visualized by the developing device 114 as a toner image.

  Thereafter, the toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer charger 115 at the transfer portion 112 b. Further, the sheet S on which the toner image has been transferred in this manner is electrostatically separated from the photosensitive drum 112 by the separation charger 116, and then conveyed by the conveyance belt 117 to the fixing device 118 to fix the toner image. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged by the discharge roller 119. The image forming unit 901 and the fixing device 118 are configured to form an image on the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding device 30 (or the sheet feeding devices 1001 to 1004).

  Further, a discharge sensor 122 is disposed in a conveyance path between the fixing device 118 and the discharge roller 119, and based on a detection signal of the discharge sensor 122, the controller 120 detects the passage of the sheet S to be discharged. .

  Although the image forming apparatus 900 and the scanner apparatus 2000 are separately provided in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 900 and the scanner apparatus 2000 may be integrated. The image forming apparatus 900 may be separate from or integral with the scanner 2000. The laser scanner 111 functions as a copying machine when a processing signal of the scanner 2000 is input, and functions as a facsimile when a transmission signal of FAX is input. . Furthermore, if a signal from a personal computer (PC) is input, it also functions as a printer.

  Conversely, when the processing signal of the image processing unit 206 of the scanner apparatus 2000 is transmitted to another FAX, it functions as a FAX. Further, if the automatic document feeder (ADF) 250 shown by a two-dot chain line is mounted in place of the pressure plate 203 in the scanner 2000, the document (not shown) is continuously fed. It will also be possible to read.

  Next, the sheet feeding device 30 of the image forming system 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described using the paper deck 3000, which is a large amount of decks, as an example. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main part of the paper deck 3000 with the exterior cover removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper deck 3000 includes a main body 3000 a, a large capacity deck storage 62 accommodated in the main body 3000 a, and a sheet feeding device 30. The sheet feeding device 30 feeds the sheets S stacked and stored in the large-capacity deck storage 62 toward the image forming unit 901.

  The sheet feeding device 30 is used when it is desired to feed a main lifter 61a (first loading unit) for loading a sheet SS (hereinafter, plain paper) of regular size paper and a sheet SL (long sheet) of large size paper. The pickup roller 51 for feeding out the sheet S stacked on the extending lifter 61b (second loading unit) (hereinafter referred to as the lifter 61 together), a pair of separated conveying rollers composed of the feed roller 12 and the retard roller 13 And 31. The extension lifter 61b extends the loading area of the main lifter 61a in the transport direction. The pickup roller 51 is disposed in the vicinity of the leading end portion in the sheet feeding direction (arrow b direction) so as to be able to press-contact the uppermost sheet on the lifter 61 with an appropriate force. The pickup roller 51 is provided above the lifter 61, and contacts the uppermost sheet of the sheet S stacked on the lifted lifter 61 and feeds it.

  The lifter 61 can load sheets, and is supported so as to be able to move up and down by a drive mechanism 54 (FIG. 6) including an elevation motor 55. Further, an upper surface detection sensor 50 is disposed on the upstream side of the pickup roller 51 above the lifter 61. The upper surface detection sensor 50 is located above the lifter 61 and detects the sheet S on the loading member.

  The sheet feeding device 30 includes a lifter 61 and two pairs of side regulating members 80 and 83. The side regulating members 80 and 83 can regulate the side end position in the width direction (direction of arrow h in FIG. 2) orthogonal to the feeding direction (direction of arrow b in FIG. 2) of the sheet S stacked on the lifter 61, and Both are configured to be movable in the width direction.

  In the present embodiment, the pickup roller 51 is configured to be able to be in pressure contact with the uppermost sheet of the sheet S on the stacking member with an appropriate force. The sheets S on the lifter 61 are separated and fed one by one by a pickup roller 51 and a separation conveyance roller pair 31 which rotate at a predetermined timing and move up and down.

  At a connection portion of the paper deck 3000 with the image forming apparatus 900, a connection conveyance path 32 for feeding the sheet S from the paper deck 3000 to the pre-registration roller pair 130 of the image forming apparatus 900 is disposed.

  In the large-capacity deck storage 62, two pairs of side regulating members 80 and 83 arranged on both sides in the direction (width direction in the present embodiment) orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction (arrow b direction) are disposed. There is. The two pairs of side regulating members 80 and 83 are configured to slide up to all the sheet size widths corresponding to the specifications and to guide the sheet S on the lifter 61. That is, the side regulating members 80 and 83 are supported so as to be movable in the width direction, and abut on both ends of the stacked sheets S to regulate the both sides position of the sheets S. The front end restricting portion 86 in FIG. 2 restricts the front end of the sheet S on the lifter 61.

  Further, a rear end restricting member 87 is disposed to restrict the rear end of the sheet S on the lifter 61. The trailing end regulating member 87 is supported so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the sheet feeding direction (arrow b direction), and regulates the trailing end position of the sheet S. The rear end restricting member 87 is movable along a positioning elongated hole 61 c (FIG. 2) formed at the center of the lifter 61.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the pickup roller 51 is driven by a drive unit (not shown) and rotates in the sheet feeding direction (arrow a direction), the uppermost sheet S is fed out in the arrow b direction. . Accordingly, the sheet S abuts on the nip portion of the separation conveyance roller pair 31 adjacent to the exit side of the pickup roller 51.

  When double feeding occurs on the sheet S fed by the pickup roller 51, the following operation is performed. That is, the retard roller 13 that is driven to rotate in the opposite direction to the feed roller 12 that rotates in the same direction as the arrow a (the direction of the arrow c) rotates the same as the feed roller 12 by interposing two or more sheets S in the nip portion. Rotate in the direction. Then, the second and subsequent sheets S in the nip portion are pushed back in the direction of the lifter 61 by the retard roller 13, and only the uppermost sheet S is fed out in the direction of the arrow b by the feed roller 12.

  When the sheet S is fed from the paper deck 3000 having the above configuration or fed from any of the first to fourth sheet feeding apparatuses 1001 to 1004, the leading end of the sheet S is a pre-registration roller. It strikes the nip of pair 130. The pre-registration roller pair 130 is configured by a pair of opposing rollers, and is disposed on the conveyance path of the sheet S so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow d in FIG. 2 by a drive unit (not shown). The sheet S, which has once abutted against the nip portion of the pre-registration roller pair 130, is conveyed inside the image forming apparatus 900 by the roller pair 130, which rotates in synchronization with the feeding timing.

  FIG. 5A is a view showing a state in which the large capacity deck storage 62 is stored in the paper deck 3000. The storage open / close button 306 is a button for receiving an instruction to pull out the large capacity deck storage 62. When the user presses the open / close instruction button 306, the large capacity deck storage 62 can be pulled out. FIG. 5B is a view showing a state in which the large capacity deck storage case 62 is pulled out from the paper deck 3000 to the front side. For example, when the user refills the sheet, removes the sheet remaining in the lifter 61, or switches the mode to be described later, the large-capacity deck storage 62 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 5B. Be The paper deck 3000 is configured with an LED 400 for notifying the status of a main lifter 61a and an extension lifter 61b, which will be described later.

  The lifter 61 includes a main lifter 61a and an extension lifter 61b. As shown in FIG. 2, in the main lifter 61a, a plurality of wires are connected to respective wire fulcrums of the main lifter 61a, and the main lifter 61a is suspended by the wires. When the wire is taken up by the winding unit connected to the motor, the lifter 61 is raised, and when the wire is fed out, the lifter 61 is lowered.

  The extended lifter 61b is supported by the partition plate 350 and the large capacity deck storage case 62, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A. The extending lifter 61b itself has no driving force. For example, when the main lifter 61a is above the supporting height of the extending lifter 61b, it moves in cooperation with the main lifter 61a. On the contrary, when the main lifter 61a is below the support height of the extension lifter 61b, it stands by at the support height.

  The support height is set in consideration of the driving force and the strength of the lifter 61, and the number of stacked long sheets SL can be within the allowable range of the sheet feeding device 30 due to the step between the lifters.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an image forming system 1000 for realizing the operation of the present embodiment. A paper deck 3000, an image forming apparatus 900, and an operation panel 40 are shown in FIG. The operation panel 40 displays various user interface screens such as apparatus information, setting screens, job information and the like, and accepts instructions and setting operations from the user. The operation panel 40 is configured in, for example, the image forming apparatus 900. The image forming apparatus 900 makes a print request to the control unit 41 of the paper deck 3000, and when receiving the print request from the image forming apparatus 900, the control unit 41 performs a feeding operation to the image forming apparatus 900. In addition, the control unit 41 may be provided in the image forming apparatus 900.

  The control unit 41 controls the paper deck 3000 in an integrated manner. For example, when the control unit 41 receives an open / close request signal by pressing the storage open / close button 306, the control unit 41 cancels the locked state of the storage lock solenoid 46 via the driver 45 and opens the large capacity deck storage 62 Do. The control unit 41 drives various motors 44 on the sheet conveyance path via the motor driver 43 connected to the input / output interface (I / O) 42. The control unit 41 also controls a drive mechanism 54 that raises and lowers the main lifter 61 a and the extension lifter 61 b via a motor driver 53 connected to the input / output interface (I / O) 42. The drive mechanism 54 includes a lift motor 55. The lifting motor 55 drives a winding unit (not shown).

  Detection signals from the relay sensor 48, the storage open / close detection sensor 401, the sheet surface detection sensor 50, and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 300 are transmitted to the control unit 41. Here, the storage storage open / close detection sensor 401 is a sensor that detects the open / close state of the storage storage. Detection signals from the lower limit position detection sensor 301, the rear end regulating member position detection sensor 302, the main lifter position detection sensor 304, the extension lifter HP sensor 303, and the foreign matter detection sensor 49 are transmitted to the control unit 41. Further, an open request signal of the storage by pressing the storage open / close button 306 is transmitted to the control unit 41.

  The control unit 41 controls lighting of the LED 400 by the lighting control signal. The control unit 41 controls lighting of the LED 400 based on a predetermined pattern according to, for example, the plain paper mode / long paper mode.

  Here, the difference between the two modes of the sheet feeding device 30 according to the type of sheets to be stacked will be described. In the present embodiment, the types of sheets are roughly classified into two. One is classified into plain paper such as A3 and A4, and the other is classified into long paper longer in the feeding and conveying direction than plain paper. Then, according to the position of the rear end regulating member 87, the sheet stacked on the lifter 61 is divided into the plain paper and the long paper. The position of the trailing end regulating member 87 is detected by the trailing end regulating member position detection sensor 302.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the trailing end regulating member 87 is on the left side of the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, it is determined that the sheet loaded on the lifter 61 is plain paper. This state is called a plain paper mode. In the case of the plain paper mode, as shown in FIG. 3A, the main lifter 61a can be lowered to a position detectable by the lower limit position sensor 301 shown in the drawing, and a large number of sheets can be stacked. . For example, when the main lifter 61a is lowered to a position where it can be detected by the lower limit position sensor 301, 3000 sheets of plain paper can be stacked.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when the trailing end regulating member 87 is on the right side of the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, it is determined that the sheet loaded on the lifter 61 is a long sheet. This state is called long paper mode. In the case of the long paper mode, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lifter 61 can only descend to a position detectable by the extended lifter HP sensor 303 shown, and the number of sheets that can be stacked is the plain paper mode Limited compared to. For example, while 3000 sheets of plain paper can be stacked, the number of long sheets that can be stacked is limited to 1000 sheets.

  Hereinafter, an operation when a user who has used long paper switches to plain paper will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the user can switch the mode from the long paper mode to the plain paper mode by moving the trailing end regulating member 87 from the right side to the left side of the alternate long and short dash line shown in FIG.

  The process in FIG. 7 starts when the user opens the storage open / close button 306. In S101, the CPU 41 brings the large capacity deck storage 62 into an open state (drawable state). In S102, the CPU 41 determines whether the rear end regulating member position detection sensor 302 is in the ON state or in the OFF state. Here, if it is determined that the switch is in the ON state, the process proceeds to S103, and if it is determined that the switch is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to S104. In S103, the CPU 41 turns on the LED 400 to notify the user that the long paper mode is set. The lighting pattern at that time is predetermined, and the notification by the LED 400 allows the user to recognize that the long paper mode is set. Here, when the user moves the rear end regulating member 87 from the right to the left of the dashed dotted line shown in FIG. 4 and the CPU 41 detects that the rear end regulating member position detection sensor 302 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to S104.

  In step S104, when plain paper is set by the user, the CPU 41 detects that plain paper has been set. Then, when the large capacity deck storage case 62 is closed by the user, the CPU 41 detects that the large capacity deck storage case 62 is in the closed state in S105. Thereafter, the feeding operation in the plain paper mode is started.

  Next, an operation when a user who has used plain paper switches to long paper will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the user can switch the mode from the plain paper mode to the long paper mode by moving the trailing end regulating member 87 from the left side to the right side of the alternate long and short dash line shown in FIG.

  The process of FIG. 8 starts when the user opens the storage open / close button 306. In S201, the CPU 41 brings the large capacity deck storage 62 into an open state (drawable state). In S202, the CPU 41 determines whether the rear end regulating member position detection sensor 302 is in the ON state or in the OFF state. Here, if it is determined that the switch is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to S203, and if it is determined that the switch is in the ON state, the process proceeds to S204. In S203, the CPU 41 turns on the LED 400 to notify the user that it is in the plain paper mode. The lighting pattern at that time is predetermined, and the notification by the LED 400 allows the user to recognize that the mode is the plain paper mode. Here, when the user moves the rear end regulating member 87 from the left side to the right side of the dashed dotted line shown in FIG. 4 and the CPU 41 detects that the rear end regulating member position detection sensor 302 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to S204.

  In S204, the CPU 41 confirms the combination of the detection result of the extended lifter HP sensor 303 and the detection result of the main lifter position detection sensor 304. Here, if the extended lifter HP sensor 303 and the main lifter position detection sensor 304 are both off, the process proceeds to S210. In this case, both the extension lifter 61 a and the extension lifter 61 b are in the state of being lifted above the extension lifter HP sensor 303 and the main lifter position detection sensor 304. In that case, in S210, the CPU 41 moves the main lifter 61a to the standby position in the long paper mode as shown in FIG. 3B. After S210, the process proceeds to S211.

  If the combination of the detection results is other than the above, the process proceeds to S205. In this case, for example, a normal sheet is loaded, and the main lifter 61a is lowered below the main lifter position detection sensor 304. In that state, plain paper remains. Therefore, in S205, the CPU 41 allows the operation panel 40 to remove the paper and close the storage box in preparation for the preparation of the long paper set. When using plain paper, the position of the rear end regulating plate Display the message "Please confirm."

  After the message is displayed, when the user removes the paper and closes the large capacity deck storage 62, the CPU 41 detects the closing of the large capacity deck storage 62 in S206. In S207, the CPU 41 moves the main lifter 61a to the standby position in the long paper mode as shown in FIG. 3B. After S207, when the CPU 41 detects that the user presses the storage open / close button 306 in S208, the CPU 41 sets the large capacity deck storage 62 in the open state in S209. After S209, the process proceeds to S211.

  When the long paper is set by the user in S211, the CPU 41 detects that the long paper is set. Then, when the large capacity deck storage case 62 is closed by the user, the CPU 41 detects that the large capacity deck storage case 62 is in the closed state in S212. Thereafter, the feeding operation in the long paper mode is started.

  Hereinafter, the partition plate 350 and the cassette heater 351 will be described. In recent feeding devices, it is necessary to cope with various types of paper, and in particular, as a countermeasure for paper having a high coefficient of friction between the paper, such as coated paper, a heat source (heating source) such as a cassette heater is required.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing control processing of the cassette heater 351 in the present embodiment. The process of FIG. 12 is realized, for example, by the CPU 41 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM. When the power of the image forming apparatus 900 and the paper deck 3000 is turned on, the process of FIG. 12 is started.

  In S301, the CPU 41 acquires, from the image forming apparatus 900, the information of the paper type accepted by the user input. In S302, the CPU 41 determines whether heating by the cassette heater 351 is necessary based on the information of the paper type acquired in S301. For example, if the sheet type is a relatively thick sheet such as a coated sheet, it is determined that the cassette heater 351 needs heating.

  If it is determined in S302 that heating is necessary, in S303, the CPU 41 sets the set temperature according to the paper type indicated by the information acquired in S301. Then, in S304, the CPU 41 starts heating the cassette heater 351 at the set temperature that has been set. On the other hand, if it is determined in S302 that heating is not necessary, the processing in FIG. 12 is ended without heating the cassette heater 351.

  Since the heat source is installed to mainly heat the side of the normal size paper which is usually used, the positional relationship among the cassette heater 351, the main lifter 61a, the extension lifter 61b and the partition plate 350 is shown in FIG. It will be shown.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the partition plate 350 is provided below the extension lifter 61b to separate the area below the height supporting the extension lifter 61b from the area on which the normal size paper is loaded. It is done. That is, in a state where the main lifter 61a is below the extension lifter 61b, the area on which the normal size paper of the main lifter 61a is loaded and the height below the extension lifter 61b and supporting the extension lifter 61b It is provided to separate the following areas. Further, the partition plate 350 has an opening portion 502 for moving the rear end regulating member 87 in the transport direction, and an opening portion 501 for connecting a space under the main lifter 61a and a space under the extension lifter 61b. And are provided. In addition, an opening 501 (for communicating) for connecting a space is configured to have a size that allows at least the fist of an adult male to pass. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, at least two openings 501 are provided across the opening 502 in the sheet width direction. Further, the total opening area of the opening 501 is set to be larger than the opening area of the opening 502 of the opening 502 excluding the rear end regulating member 87 in the plane orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing how the normal size paper is stacked. When loading a normal size paper, the paper is stacked to close the opening 501 of the partition plate 350, so the heat generated from the cassette heater 351 is stacked without flowing into the space under the extension lifter 61b. Stay on the side. When the main lifter 61a is located at the lowermost position, the opening area of the opening 501 is the smallest (closed), and the opening area of the opening 501 is within the range where the main lifter 61a interlocks with the extension lifter 61b. Is the largest. Further, at least a part of the opening portion 501 is covered by the stacked sheets between the two positions of the main lifter 61a.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing how the long size paper is loaded. When loading a long size paper, since the paper does not block the opening of the partition plate 350, heat diffuses to the extension lifter side through the opening 501 of the partition plate 350 and rises, and the extension lifter 61b The area where the paper is loaded can be warmed.

  Since the opening 501 of the partition plate 350 is configured to allow at least the fist of an adult male to pass, the user puts a hand through the opening and removes foreign matter present in the space under the extension lifter 61b. be able to. Further, the partition plate 350 has a role of preventing load collapse of normal size paper. Furthermore, the partition plate 350 has a role of supporting the extension lifter 61b in a state where the extension lifter 61b is not connected to the main lifter 61a.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the opening portion 501 having a size that allows at least a fist of an adult male to pass through the partition plate 350, even when the normal size paper is loaded, the long size paper The heat of the cassette heater can be efficiently supplied even when In addition, the user can also remove foreign matter present in the space under the extension lifter 61b.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sheet feeding apparatus 30 is separately mounted on the image forming apparatus 900 to constitute an image forming system, but the sheet feeding apparatus 30 is integrally attached to the image forming apparatus 900 to form an image. The present invention is applicable even in the form of configuring an apparatus.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration using the cassette heater 351 has been described. That is, in the embodiment described above, the cassette heater 351 is configured to generate an air flow in order to maintain good air permeability between the space under the main lifter 61a and the space under the extended lifter 61b. . However, other configurations may be provided to generate an air flow. For example, a fan may be configured on the device wall of the lower part of the main lifter 61a, thereby generating an air flow in the storage. Alternatively, the cassette heater 351 and the fan may be combined to generate an air flow between the space under the main lifter 61a and the space under the extension lifter 61b.

  30 sheet feeding device: 41 control unit: 61a main lifter: 61b extended lifter: 350 partition plate: 351 cassette heater

Claims (10)

A loading device capable of loading a first sheet which is a sheet fed to a predetermined device and a second sheet larger in size in the feeding direction which is fed to the predetermined device than the first sheet,
A first loading unit for loading the first sheet;
A second loading unit configured to be movable at a predetermined height or more, and configured to load the second sheet in cooperation with the first loading unit at a height equal to or higher than the predetermined height;
A restricting unit that is movable along the feeding direction and that regulates the trailing edge of the stacked sheet in the feeding direction;
A partition that divides a space less than the predetermined height in the loading device into a first region corresponding to the first loading portion and a second region corresponding to the second loading portion in the feeding direction Members,
A first opening provided in the partition member and communicating the first area and the second area;
A second opening provided to the partition member for moving the restricting means;
A loading device characterized by having.   The loading device according to claim 1, wherein the partition member supports the second loading portion when the first loading portion is at a position lower than the predetermined height.   The loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit configured to emit heat in a lower part of the first loading unit.   The loading device according to claim 3, wherein the heating unit is configured at a lower portion of the first loading portion so as not to straddle a lower portion of the second loading portion. The first loading unit and the second loading unit are configured to be movable up and down.
In a state where the first loading unit is positioned at the predetermined height, the second loading unit is connected to the first loading unit, and the second sheet can be loaded in cooperation with the first loading unit. The loading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein   The loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opening area of the first opening is maximum when the first loading portion is at a position higher than the predetermined height. .   When the first loading unit is loaded with the first sheet and is at a position lower than the predetermined height, at least a part of the opening area of the first opening is covered by the loaded first sheet. The loading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein   8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, when the first loading unit moves up and down at a position above the predetermined height, the second loading unit moves up and down in conjunction with the first loading unit. The loading device according to item 1. A first sheet which is a sheet to be fed to a predetermined device, and a loading device capable of loading a second sheet having a size larger than the first sheet in the feeding direction to be fed to the predetermined device; A feeding device for feeding sheets stacked in the device;
The loading device
A first loading unit for loading the first sheet;
A second loading unit configured to be movable at a predetermined height or more, and configured to load the second sheet in cooperation with the first loading unit at a height equal to or higher than the predetermined height;
A restricting unit that is movable along the feeding direction and that regulates the trailing edge of the stacked sheet in the feeding direction;
A partition that divides a space less than the predetermined height in the loading device into a first region corresponding to the first loading portion and a second region corresponding to the second loading portion in the feeding direction Members,
A first opening provided in the partition member and communicating the first area and the second area;
A second opening provided to the partition member for moving the restricting means;
A feeding device characterized by having. A first sheet which is a sheet to be fed to a predetermined device, and a loading device capable of loading a second sheet having a size larger than the first sheet in the feeding direction to be fed to the predetermined device; An image forming apparatus comprising: a feeding unit configured to feed a sheet stacked in the apparatus; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet fed by the feeding unit.
The loading device
A first loading unit for loading the first sheet;
A second loading unit configured to be movable at a predetermined height or more, and configured to load the second sheet in cooperation with the first loading unit at a height equal to or higher than the predetermined height;
A restricting unit that is movable along the feeding direction and that regulates the trailing edge of the stacked sheet in the feeding direction;
A partition that divides a space less than the predetermined height in the loading device into a first region corresponding to the first loading portion and a second region corresponding to the second loading portion in the feeding direction Members,
A first opening provided in the partition member and communicating the first area and the second area;
A second opening provided to the partition member for moving the restricting means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: