JP2020001909A - Paper feeding cassette and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a paper feeding cassette capable of preventing paper from jumping out at elevation of a lift plate without deteriorating workability of paper setting.SOLUTION: A paper feeding cassette comprises: a body part 21 for housing papers fed along a predetermined feeding direction; a lift plate 23 which is provided in the body part 21 so as to move up and down and loaded with the papers; an energizing member for elevating the lift plate 23; a pair of side cursors 27 which slide along a width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction to contact with both edges of the paper loaded on the lift plate 23; a regulation member 31 capable of moving to a regulation position, protruding from respective side surfaces of the pair of side cursors 27 upward of the paper, and a retreat position, for retreating from the upside of the paper; and an interlock mechanism 33 which moves the regulation member 31 from the regulation position to the retreat position by interlocking with the lowering of the lift plate 23, and moves the regulation member 31 from the retreat position to the regulation position by interlocking with the elevating of the lift plate 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet cassette for storing sheets on which an image is formed and an image forming apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral or a printer includes a detachable paper cassette. The sheet cassette is provided with a lift plate on which sheets are placed. The lift plate can be raised and lowered, and when storing the paper, it is lowered to load the paper, and when the paper cassette is installed, it rises and the top paper is brought into contact with the pickup roller. I have.

  Depending on the paper feed cassette, the lift plate may be urged by a spring to ascend. In this case, if the number of sheets placed on the lift plate is small, when the lift plate is urged by a spring, the sheet may be skipped by the force and the position of the sheet may be shifted. If the position of the sheet is shifted, there is a possibility that sheet conveyance failure or the like may occur.

  The paper cassette described in Patent Literature 1 includes a pair of side cursors for regulating a position in a width direction of a sheet placed on a lift plate, and each of the pair of side cursors protrudes above the lift plate. A regulating piece is provided. By providing such a restricting piece, the number of sheets placed on the lift plate is limited, and it is also possible to prevent the sheet from jumping out when the lift plate rises.

JP 2013-216440 A

  However, in the paper feed cassette described in Patent Document 1, since the restricting pieces always protrude above the lift plate, the restricting pieces interfere with each other when paper is set, and the workability of paper setting is reduced. There is a problem.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a sheet cassette capable of preventing the sheet from jumping out when the lift plate is lifted without lowering the workability of the sheet set, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet cassette. The purpose is to:

  In order to achieve the above object, a paper feed cassette according to the present invention includes a main body for storing sheets fed out in a predetermined feeding direction, and a lift provided in the main body so as to be able to move up and down and loaded with the sheets. Plate, a biasing member for raising the lift plate, and both side edges of a sheet placed on the lift plate, slid along the width direction and arranged opposite to each other in a width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction. A pair of side cursors that contact the paper in the width direction by contacting the pair of side cursors; a restricting position that protrudes above the paper from each side surface of the pair of side cursors; and a retreat position that retreats from above the paper. A restricting member capable of moving the restricting member from the restricting position to the retracted position in conjunction with the lowering of the lift plate, and moving the restricting member from the retracted position in conjunction with the raising of the lift plate. An interlocking mechanism for moving the position, characterized in that it comprises a.

  In the paper feed cassette of the present invention, the interlocking mechanism is slidable in a direction orthogonal to the width direction in association with the rotation of the link arm, the link arm being rotated in association with the elevation of the lift plate. A support plate, and a cam hole formed in the support plate so as to be inclined with respect to a sliding direction of the support plate and engaging a pin provided in the regulating member, wherein the lift plate is lowered. Then, the link arm rotates in one direction to slide the support plate in one direction, the pin relatively moves in one direction along the cam hole, and the regulating member moves the regulating member from the regulating position. When the lift plate moves to the retreat position and the lift plate rises, the link arm rotates in the other direction to slide the support plate in the other direction, and the pin relatively moves in the other direction along the cam hole. And the regulating member is It may be characterized in that moving from the retracted position to the restricting position.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet cassette described above, a cassette accommodating section in which the sheet cassette is removably mounted, and feeding of paper from the sheet cassette attached to the cassette accommodating section. And an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette by the feeding unit.

  According to the present invention, when the lift plate rises, the regulating member moves to the regulating position and regulates the jumping out of the sheet. On the other hand, when the paper is set, since the regulating member has been moved to the retracted position, the paper can be set in the paper feed cassette without interfering with the regulating member.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a printer according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a paper feed cassette and a feeding unit in the printer according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the regulating member in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the rear left side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the regulating member in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the front left side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a regulating member that has moved to a protruding position in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a link mechanism in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the link mechanism when the lift plate is lifted in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a regulating member and a link mechanism when the lift plate is lifted in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the link mechanism when the lift plate is lowered in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a regulating member and a link mechanism when the lift plate is lowered in the sheet cassette according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and a sheet cassette according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the overall configuration of a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fr, Rr, L, and R in each figure indicate the front side, the rear side, the left side, and the right side of the printer 1, respectively.

  The printer 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 3 having a hollow portion. At the lower part of the housing 3, a cassette accommodating section 7 in which the sheet cassette 5 is detachably mounted is formed. An opening 7 a is formed on the front surface of the cassette housing 7.

  In the housing 3, a feeding unit 9 that feeds a sheet along a transport direction from a sheet feeding cassette 5 mounted on the cassette housing unit 7, an image forming unit 11 that forms a toner image on the fed sheet, Is provided. On the upper surface of the housing 3, a discharge tray 13 on which paper on which a toner image is formed is loaded. Further, in the housing 3, a transport path through which the paper is transported from the feeding unit 9 through the image forming unit 11 to the discharge tray 13 is formed.

  Next, the sheet cassette 5 and the feeding unit 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet cassette and the feeding unit, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the sheet cassette.

  The paper feed cassette 5 is mounted on the cassette housing section 7 as described above, and is taken out of the cassette housing section 7 by being pulled forward through the opening 7a. The feeding unit 9 is provided above a front portion of the cassette housing unit 7 and feeds a sheet from the sheet cassette 5 toward a transport path. The direction in which the sheet is fed is referred to as a sheet feeding direction Y, and the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction Y is referred to as a sheet width direction W.

  First, the sheet cassette 5 will be described. The paper feed cassette 5 includes a main body 21, a lift plate 23 supported on the main body 21 so as to be able to move up and down, and a bottom spring 25 as an urging member disposed between the lift plate 23 and the main body 21 (FIG. 2). A pair of side cursors 27 slidably supported by the main body 21 in the width direction W, and an end cursor 29 (see FIG. 3) slidably supported by the main body 21 in the feeding direction Y. A regulating member 31 (see FIG. 2) provided on each of the pair of side cursors 27 and a link mechanism 33 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) as an interlocking mechanism for moving the regulating member 31 are provided. .

  The main body 21 has a shallow tray shape with an open upper surface, and has a bottom plate 21a, a front side plate 21b, and left and right side plates 21c.

  The bottom plate 21a has such a size that a sheet of the maximum size can be placed. A lock plate 41 (see FIG. 2) for maintaining the lift plate 23 so as not to be lifted is supported at the front end (the upstream end in the feeding direction Y) of the bottom plate 21a so as to be slidable in the width direction W. I have. The lock plate 41 is an elongated plate piece having a length of about half the width of the bottom plate 21a, and has a pressed portion formed at one end and an engagement portion 43 formed at the other end. The lock plate 41 is urged by an urging member such that the pressed portion protrudes outward from an opening formed in the right side plate 21 c of the main body 21. When the paper feed cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating portion 7, the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion provided in the cassette accommodating portion 7, and the lock plate 41 is moved inward against the urging force of the urging member. (The direction toward the center in the width direction W of the bottom plate).

  A cover plate 45 is fixed to an outer (front) surface of the front plate 21b. The cover plate 45 closes the opening 7 a of the housing 3 when the sheet cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating section 7. On the inner (rear) surface of the front plate 21b, a separation roller 47 is rotatably supported at the center in the width direction W. Also, slits 49 are formed at the front ends of the left and right side plates 21c along the vertical direction, respectively (see FIG. 3). Further, on the inner surface of the left and right side plates 21c, pins 51 (see FIG. 2) are respectively provided coaxially at substantially central portions in the feeding direction Y.

  The lift plate 23 is a flat plate having the same width as the bottom plate 21a of the main body 21 and a length shorter than the length of the bottom plate 21a, and a portion on the downstream side of the sheet S in the feeding direction Y can be stacked. ing. As shown in FIG. 3, a rectangular notch 23 a through which the side cursor 27 passes is formed at the left and right ends of the lift plate 23, and an end cursor 29 through which the end cursor 29 passes through is formed at the rear end. A rectangular notch 23b is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, left and right protruding pieces 23 c protruding outward are formed at the front ends (upstream ends in the feeding direction Y) of the left and right side edges of the lift plate 23. The left and right projecting pieces 23c are inserted into slits 49 of the left and right side plates 21c of the main body 21, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, left and right support pieces 23 d that are bent upward are formed at the rear ends (downstream ends in the feeding direction Y) of the left and right edges of the lift plate 23. The left and right support pieces 23d are engaged with the pins 51 of the left and right side plates 21c of the main body 21, respectively. The lift plate 23 is rotated about the pins 51 in the vertical direction, so that the horizontal posture is superimposed on the bottom plate 21 a of the main body 21 and the respective protrusions 23 c are locked to the upper edge of each slit 49. It moves up and down between the inclined postures that are inclined upward and forward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an engagement piece 55 that protrudes downward is formed at the front end of the lift plate 23 (the downstream end in the feeding direction Y) at the center in the width direction W. The engagement piece 55 is L-shaped in side view, and has a base piece bent downward from the right edge of the rectangular opening, and a tip piece bent leftward from the lower end of the base piece. I have.

  When the lift plate 23 descends, the engagement pieces 55 come into contact with the engagement portions 43 of the lock plate 41 and press the engagement portions 43 downward. Then, the engagement portion 43 is guided leftward, and the lock plate 41 moves inward against the urging force of the urging member. When the lift plate 23 further descends and the engagement piece 55 separates downward from the engagement portion 43, the lock plate 41 is urged by the urging member and slides outward, and the engagement portion 43 is 55. As a result, the lift plate 23 and the lock plate 41 are engaged, and the lift plate 23 is locked at the lowered position so as not to be lifted. On the other hand, when the paper feed cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating portion 7, the lock plate 41 slides inward against the urging force of the urging member as described above, and the engaging portion 43 is engaged. Separate from the mating piece 55. Thereby, the engagement between the lift plate 23 and the lock plate 41 is released, the lock at the lowered position of the lift plate 23 is released, and the lift plate 23 can be raised.

  The bottom spring 25 is a coil spring, and is arranged between the bottom plate 21 a of the main body 21 and the front end of the lift plate 23. Specifically, the bottom spring 25 is disposed between an end of the lift plate 23 in front of the engagement piece 55 and the bottom plate 21 a of the main body 21. The bottom spring 25 urges the lift plate 23 upward with respect to the bottom plate 21a. As described above, when the sheet cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating portion 7 and the lift plate 23 can be lifted, the lift plate 23 is urged by the bottom spring 25 and pivots about the pin 51 to the raised position. I do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the pair of side cursors 27 has a regulating plate 27a that stands upright with respect to the bottom plate 21a, and a rack plate 27b that is bent from the lower end of the regulating plate 27a. The restriction plate 27a is disposed in the left and right cutouts 23a of the lift plate 23 so as to face the width direction W. The rack plate 27b is supported by the bottom plate 21a so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and meshes with the pinion 57 supported by the bottom plate 21a. As a result, the pair of side cursors 27 slide in synchronization with each other in a direction approaching and separating from each other. By sliding the pair of side cursors 27 in directions approaching each other and bringing the regulating plate 27a into contact with both side edges of the sheet placed on the lift plate 23, the sheet is aligned in the width direction W.

  A rectangular opening 27c is formed in the upper part of the front end (downstream end in the feeding direction Y) of the regulating plate 27a.

  The end cursor 29 has a regulating plate that stands upright with respect to the bottom plate 21a. The regulating plate is slidably supported in the feeding direction Y on the bottom plate 21a in a posture facing forward, and is formed by notching the rear end of the bottom plate 21a (the upstream end in the feeding direction Y) and the lift plate 23. 23b. The paper is aligned in the feeding direction Y by sliding the end cursor 29 forward and bringing the regulating plate into contact with the trailing edge of the paper placed on the lift plate 23.

  Next, the regulating member 31 and the link mechanism 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 8B. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing the regulating member, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the regulating member moved to the protruding position, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the link mechanism, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are regulating members moved to the protruding position. 8A and 8B are a side view and a plan view showing the restricting member and the link mechanism moved to the retracted position, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the regulating member 31 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member that can be accommodated in the opening 27 c of the regulating plate 27 a of the side cursor 27. It has a regulating part 63 provided on one end surface of the part 60 and a pair of pins 61 provided on the other end part of the main body part 60. The restricting portion 63 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an inclined surface 63a inclined downward from the upper surface toward the end surface, and a flat lower surface 63b. The pair of pins 61 protrude from the other end of the main body 60 in oblique directions opposite to each other.

  The regulation member 31 has one end (the end on the side of the regulation portion 63) inside the side cursor 27 (the side on the lift plate 23) and the other end (the end on the side of the pin 61) outside the side cursor 27. The main body 60 is inserted into the opening 27c of each regulating plate 27a in such a posture. The restricting member 31 projects from an opening 27c (a side surface of the side cursor 27) of the restricting plate 27a above the sheet placed on the lift plate 23 such that the restricting portion 63 overlaps the sheet in plan view. In the width direction W, there is a space between (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 7B) and a retreat position (see FIG. 8B) where the restricting portion 63 retreats into the opening 27c of the restricting plate 27a so as not to overlap with the sheet in plan view. Slide along.

  The link mechanism 33 includes a link arm 65 and a support plate 67, and is supported on the outer surface of the front end of the restriction plate 27a of each side cursor 27, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the link arm 65 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and includes a rotation fulcrum 71, an operation piece 73 extending radially from the rotation fulcrum 71, and a rotation fulcrum 71. And a pressing piece 75 extending in the radial direction from. The operating piece 73 and the pressing piece 75 form an obtuse angle around the rotation fulcrum 71.

  The rotation fulcrum 71 is rotatably supported at a substantially central portion in the height direction of each regulating plate 27a. The operating piece 73 extends below the lift plate 23 from the rotation fulcrum 71 beyond the front edge of the regulating plate 27a. The link arm 65 is urged by a torsion coil spring (not shown) in a direction (clockwise in FIGS. 7A and 8A) in which the operation piece 73 rotates upward about the rotation fulcrum 71.

  When the lift plate 23 is lowered as shown in FIG. 8A, the operation piece 73 is pushed down by the lift plate 23, and the link arm 65 is moved in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the torsion coil spring (the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8A). ). On the other hand, when the lift plate 23 rises as shown in FIG. 7A, the pushing down of the operation piece 73 by the lift plate 23 is released, and the link arm 65 is urged by the torsion coil spring, and the operation piece 73 is lifted. Rotate until it comes into contact with.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the support plate 67 includes a base plate 81, a pair of upstanding pieces 83, and a pair of slide pieces 85. The base plate 81 is formed in a substantially U shape. A slit 81a is formed in the base plate 81 from one edge along the longitudinal direction. Between the other edge (contact edge) 81c of the base plate 81 and one side edge, a slanted edge 81b that is notched obliquely is formed. Each of the pair of upright pieces 83 has a rectangular shape, and stands upright from the base plate 81 on both sides of the slit 81a. As shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, a cam hole 87 is formed in each of the pair of standing pieces 83. The cam hole 87 is inclined in a direction away from the base plate 81 from one edge of the base plate 81 to the other edge 81c. The pair of pins 61 of the regulating member 31 are inserted into both the cam holes 87. The pair of slide pieces 85 are formed along the lower ends of the outer surfaces of the pair of upright pieces 83.

  The support plate 67 is slidably supported by each of the restriction plates 27a above the link arm 65. A pair of rails 91, guide pins 93, and projections 95 are formed on the outer surface of each regulating plate 27a. The pair of rails 91 are inclined upward at a predetermined interval toward the front. The guide pin 93 is provided upright between the front ends of the pair of rails 91. The protrusion 95 is provided upright between the central portions of the pair of rails 91.

  The support plate 67 is slidably supported by each regulating plate 27a by engaging a pair of slide pieces 85 with a pair of rails 91. When the support plate 67 is slid, the base plate 81 slides along the outer surface of the regulating plate 27a, and the pair of upright pieces 83 moves between the pair of rails 91 and the guide pins 93. Thus, the support plate 67 slides in a direction orthogonal to the width direction W. A spring 97 is arranged between the bottom edge of the slit 81 a of the base plate 81 and the projection 95. The spring 97 urges the support plate 67 obliquely downward. A position shown in FIG. 7A where the support plate 67 is biased obliquely downward by a spring is defined as an initial position of the support plate 67.

  At the initial position, as shown in FIG. 7B, the pair of pins 61 of the regulating member 31 are locked to the upper end edges of the cam holes 87 of the pair of upstanding pieces 83 of the support plate 67, and Reference numeral 63 has moved to a protruding position that overlaps the paper placed on the lift plate 23 in plan view. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the support plate 67 is slid obliquely upward from the initial position against the urging force of the spring 97, the pin 61 is turned into the cam hole 87 as shown in FIG. 8B. Relatively move from the upper edge to the lower edge. That is, the pin 61 moves in the width direction W in a direction away from the base plate 81 of the support plate 67. Thereby, the regulating member 31 moves along the width direction W from the projecting position to the retracted position.

  Next, the movement of the link mechanism 33 as the lift plate 23 moves up and down will be described. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the lift plate 23 is raised and the link arm 65 is urged by the torsion coil spring, the support plate 67 is urged by the spring 97 and slides to the initial position. In this state, the link arm 65 and the support plate 67 are separated. More specifically, between the operation piece 73 of the link arm 65 and the inclined edge 81b of the base plate 81 of the support plate 67, and the contact end edge 81c of the pressing piece 75 of the link arm 65 and the base plate 81 of the support plate 67. There is a gap between them.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the lift plate 23 descends, the operating piece 73 of the link arm 65 is pushed down against the urging force of the torsion coil spring, and the link arm 65 rotates counterclockwise. . Then, the pressing piece 75 of the link arm 65 comes into contact with the contact end edge 81 c of the base plate 81 of the support plate 67 and pushes the base plate 81 obliquely upward along the rail 91. Thus, the support plate 67 slides obliquely upward from the initial position against the urging force of the spring 97.

  Next, the feeding section 9 will be described again with reference to FIG. The feeding unit 9 includes a pickup roller 101 that feeds out a sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 5 and a sheet feeding roller 103.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pickup roller 101 and the paper feed roller 103 are arranged in order along the feeding direction Y, and are each supported rotatably about a rotation axis. A drive motor is connected to the rotation shaft of the paper feed roller 103 via a gear or the like. A gear 105 is interposed between the rotation axis of the pickup roller 101 and the rotation axis of the paper feed roller 103. When the rotation axis of the paper feed roller 103 rotates, the pickup roller 101 rotates in the same direction as the paper feed roller 103 about the rotation axis.

  The operation of mounting the sheet cassette 5 having the above configuration in the cassette accommodating portion 7 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 6A to 7B.

  First, paper is set in the paper cassette 5. First, the lift plate 23 is lowered to engage the lift plate 23 with the lock plate 41, and the lift plate 23 is locked at the lowered position so as not to be lifted. When the lift plate 23 is lowered, the operation piece 73 of the link arm 65 of the link mechanism 33 is pushed down by the lift plate 23 as shown in FIG. 8A, whereby the link arm 65 is rotated, and the base plate 81 of the support plate 67 is rotated. Is pushed up by the pressing piece 75 of the link arm 65. Accordingly, the support plate 67 slides obliquely upward, and the regulating member 31 moves from the regulating position to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 8B. That is, the regulating member 31 does not overlap the paper placed on the lift plate 23 in plan view.

  Next, the sheet is placed on the lowered lift plate 23. At this time, since the regulating member 31 has been moved to the retracted position, it does not interfere with the sheet to be placed, and does not hinder the sheet setting operation. Thereafter, the pair of side cursors 27 are slid to bring the regulating plates 27a into contact with both side edges in the width direction W of the sheet. Further, the end cursor 29 is slid to bring the regulating plate into contact with the trailing edge of the sheet. After positioning the sheet in this way, the sheet cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating section 7.

  Then, as described above, before the mounting of the paper feed cassette 5 is completed, the engagement between the lift plate 23 and the lock plate 41 is released, and the lift plate 23 can be raised, and the lift plate 23 is urged by the bottom spring 25. Have been rising. At this time, the lift plate 23 is raised until the uppermost sheet placed on the lift plate 23 contacts the pickup roller 101.

  When the lift plate 23 rises in this way, the depression of the operating piece 73 of the link arm 65 is released. Then, the link arm 65 is urged by the torsion coil spring, and rotates until the operation piece 73 contacts the lift plate 23. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7A, the pushing up of the support plate 67 by the pressing piece 75 of the link arm 65 is released, and the support plate 67 is urged by the spring 97 to return to the initial position. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B, the regulating member 31 moves from the retracted position to the regulated position. That is, the restricting portion 63 of the restricting member 31 overlaps the sheet placed on the lift plate 23 in plan view.

  Further, when the paper feed cassette 5 is mounted in the cassette accommodating section 7, the paper feed roller 103 comes into contact with the separation roller 47. Thereafter, the pickup roller 101 rotates, and the uppermost sheet is sent out in the feeding direction Y. The fed sheet is separated between the paper feed roller 103 and the separation roller 47, and then sent to the transport path.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the sheet cassette 5 is mounted on the cassette accommodating portion 7 and the lift plate 23 is raised, the regulating member 31 moves to the regulating position. Thereby, even if the sheet jumps with the force of the lift plate 23 urged by the bottom spring 25, the left and right ends of the sheet are pressed by the restricting portions 63 of the restricting member 31 projecting so as to overlap the sheet in plan view. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the paper from jumping out or being displaced. Therefore, the paper can be properly fed from the paper feed cassette 5 by the feeding unit 9. Further, when the paper is set, since the restricting portion 63 of the restricting member 31 has been moved to the retracted position, the paper can be set in the paper feed cassette 5 without interfering with the restricting member 31.

  As described above, the lift plate 23 rises until the uppermost sheet comes into contact with the pickup roller 101, so that the center of the sheet in the width direction is pressed by the pickup roller 101. However, by pressing both ends of the paper in the width direction with the regulating members 31, the positional displacement of the paper can be more reliably prevented. Further, in the case of a soft paper, the paper is more likely to jump out.

  Furthermore, the link mechanism 33 can reliably convert the lifting operation of the lift plate 23 into a movement operation between the projecting position and the retreat position of the regulating member 31. However, as the interlocking mechanism, the regulating member 31 may be moved using a gear or the like that rotates as the lift plate 23 moves up and down, in addition to the link mechanism 33.

  Furthermore, since the above description of the embodiment of the present invention describes a preferred embodiment of the image forming apparatus and the paper feed cassette according to the present invention, various technically preferable limitations are applied. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

1 Printer (image forming device)
5 paper cassette 7 cassette housing section 9 feeding section 21 main body section 23 lift plate 25 bottom spring (biasing member)
27 side cursor 31 regulating member 33 link mechanism (interlocking mechanism)
65 Link arm 67 Support plate 87 Cam hole

Claims (3)

A main body for storing the paper fed out along a predetermined feeding direction,
A lift plate provided so as to be able to move up and down in the main body portion, on which sheets are stacked,
An urging member for raising the lift plate,
A pair of sheets arranged in a width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction, and slid along the width direction to abut on both side edges of the sheets stacked on the lift plate to align the sheets in the width direction. A side cursor,
A regulating member movable to a regulating position protruding above the sheet from each side surface of the pair of side cursors, and a retracted position retracted from above the sheet,
An interlocking mechanism that moves the restriction member from the restriction position to the retreat position in conjunction with the lowering of the lift plate, and moves the restriction member from the retreat position to the restriction position in conjunction with the elevation of the lift plate. , A paper cassette. The interlocking mechanism is
A link arm that rotates in conjunction with the elevation of the lift plate,
A support plate slidable in a direction orthogonal to the width direction in conjunction with the rotation of the link arm,
A cam hole formed on the support plate so as to be inclined with respect to a sliding direction of the support plate, and a pin provided on the regulating member is engaged with the support plate;
When the lift plate is lowered, the link arm rotates in one direction to slide the support plate in one direction, the pin relatively moves in one direction along the cam hole, and the regulating member is moved. Move from the regulation position to the retreat position,
When the lift plate rises, the link arm rotates in the other direction to slide the support plate in the other direction, the pin relatively moves in the other direction along the cam hole, and the regulating member is moved. The sheet cassette according to claim 1, wherein the sheet cassette moves from the retreat position to the regulation position. A sheet cassette according to claim 1 or 2,
A cassette housing section in which the paper cassette is detachably mounted,
A feeding unit that feeds the paper from the paper feed cassette mounted in the cassette housing unit,
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet fed from the sheet cassette by the feeding unit.

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