JP2021178724A - Sheet storage device, and image formation device comprising sheet storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sheet storage device for realizing a mechanism capable of changing a contact pressure in linkage with the movement of a positioning member with a simple configuration, and an image formation device.SOLUTION: In a paper cassette 30, a left cursor 51 has a spring support part 57, and the spring support part 57 slidably supports a lower end part of a coil spring 34A disposed on one side in a width direction D3. Further, a right cursor 52 has a spring support part 67, and the spring support part 67 slidably supports a lower end part of a coil spring 34B disposed on one side (right side) in the width direction D3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet accommodating device for accommodating a plurality of sheets and an image forming apparatus including the sheet accommodating device.

The image forming apparatus includes a paper feed cassette (sheet accommodating device) for accommodating a paper (sheet) on which an image is printed. The paper cassette loads and accommodates a plurality of sheets of paper. The paper contained in the paper cassette is fed to the image forming unit by the feeding mechanism. Specifically, when the pickup roller of the feeding mechanism comes into contact with the top-level paper in the paper bundle stored in the paper cassette and is rotated, the pickup roller feeds the paper in the feeding direction. Then, the paper is fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction by the feeding roller and the retard roller arranged on the downstream side in the feeding direction from the pickup roller.

The paper cassette is provided with an elevating plate for aligning the upper surface position of the paper bundle with the paper feed position by the pickup roller. The elevating plate is pressed upward by a spring member or the like, and the elevating plate is raised even if the number of sheets for paper feeding is reduced, so that the upper surface position is aligned with the paper feeding position.

By the way, when the paper cassette is configured to accommodate papers of different sizes, the weights of the papers having a large width size and the papers having a small width size are different. Therefore, the contact pressure between the paper at the top of the paper bundle and the pickup roller also differs depending on the paper size, and the smaller paper has a higher contact pressure. If the contact pressure becomes large, the paper may not be separated well by the retard roller, resulting in double feeding. On the other hand, there is known a paper feed cassette device capable of adjusting the contact pressure according to the slide position of the paper guide (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-86677

However, the paper feed cassette device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a rib interlocking with the paper guide on the lower side of the paper pressing plate, a spring member is provided on the lower side of the rib, and the upper end portion of the spring member is further provided. Since the configuration has a spring receiver that is slidably supported by the ribs, the configuration is complicated and it is not easy to assemble the product. In particular, the conventional paper cassette device is provided with the rib so as to be hidden under the paper pressing plate, and the spring receiver is attached to the lower end of the rib, so that the portion can be assembled. It's complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a seat accommodating device and an image forming device capable of realizing a mechanism in which a contact pressure can be changed in conjunction with the movement of a positioning member with a simple configuration.

The seat accommodating device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a seat accommodating portion, an elevating plate, a positioning member, and an elastic member. The seat accommodating portion is configured to be capable of loading and accommodating seats. The elevating plate is provided in the seat accommodating portion so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction. The sheet is placed on the upper surface of the elevating plate. The positioning member is provided on the bottom surface of the seat accommodating portion so as to be movable in the width direction of the seat accommodating portion, and positions the position of the sheet accommodated in the seat accommodating portion in the width direction. The elastic member is provided on the lower side of the elevating plate and presses the elevating plate upward. The positioning member has a support portion that extends toward the center side in the width direction along the bottom surface of the seat accommodating portion and slidably supports the lower end portion of the elastic member in the width direction. The support surface in the support portion is an inclined surface inclined so as to be higher toward the center side in the width direction.

The image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the sheet accommodating device, a feeding mechanism that contacts the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating device and feeds the sheet, and the feeding mechanism. An image forming unit for forming an image on the formed sheet is provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a mechanism in which the contact pressure can be changed in conjunction with the movement of the positioning member with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a paper cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lift plate is removed from the paper cassette. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of the front side of the paper cassette. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cursor and a coil spring when the cursors are set to the maximum spacing. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a cursor and a coil spring when the cursor is set to the minimum interval. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cursor and a coil spring when the cursors are set to the maximum spacing. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cursor and a coil spring when the cursors are set to the minimum intervals.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiments described below are merely examples that embody the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the vertical direction D1, the front-rear direction D2, the left-right direction D3, or the width direction D3 is defined with reference to the installation state (state shown in FIG. 1) in which the image forming apparatus 10 can be used. Use.

First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction device having a print function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and the like. The image forming apparatus 10 is not limited to a multifunction device, but has at least a printing function, and the present invention can be applied to a dedicated machine such as a printer, a facsimile, or a copying machine.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a housing 10A. The housing 10A has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Inside the housing 10A, each part constituting the image forming apparatus 10 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming unit 4, an optical scanning device 13, a fixing device 16, a sheet tray 18, a paper feeding device 24, and the like. The image forming unit 4 and the fixing device 16 are examples of the image forming unit of the present invention.

The image forming unit 4 includes a photoconductor drum 4A, a charging device 4B, a developing device 4C, a transfer roller 4D, a cleaning device 4E, and the like, and forms an image on printing paper according to an electrophotographic method. The image forming unit 4 forms a toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 4A. The toner image on the photoconductor drum 4A is transferred by the transfer roller 4D to the printing paper (an example of the sheet of the present invention) fed from the paper feed device 24.

The optical scanning device 13 is provided on the upper side of the image forming unit 4. The optical scanning device 13 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 4A by irradiating the photoconductor drum 4A of the image forming unit 4 with laser light based on the input image data of each color.

The paper feeding device 24 is provided at the bottom of the housing 10A. The paper feeding device 24 includes a paper cassette 30 (an example of the sheet accommodating device of the present invention) and a feeding mechanism 32 (an example of the feeding mechanism of the present invention). The paper cassette 30 is provided at the bottom of the housing 10A. A printing paper of a specified size is housed inside the paper cassette 30. A transport path 26 is formed on the front side of the housing 10A from the paper feeding device 24 to the fixing device 16 via the image forming unit 4. The configuration of the paper cassette 30 will be described later.

The feeding mechanism 32 is provided on the front side of the paper cassette 30, and takes out the printing paper loaded on the paper cassette 30 one by one and heads toward the front side of the housing 10A in the feeding direction D10 (see FIG. 2). ). The feeding mechanism 32 has a pickup roller 32A and a feeding roller 32B. The pickup roller 32A and the feeding roller 32B are attached to the housing 10A, and their rotations are controlled by a control unit (not shown). The pickup roller 32A abuts on the surface of the printing paper located at the top of the stack of the plurality of printing papers loaded on the paper cassette 30 and is rotated to take out the printing paper and feed it forward. .. The feeding roller 32B is arranged on the front side of the pickup roller 32A, and feeds the printing paper sent out by the pickup roller 32A to the transport path 26 on the further front side.

Further, the feeding mechanism 32 has a retard roller 32C. When the pickup roller 32A feeds out a plurality of sheets of printing paper at one time, the retard roller 32C separates the printing paper in the lower layer from the printing paper at the highest level among the plurality of printing sheets. , It is used for feeding only the top-level printing paper to the downstream side of the feeding direction D10 (see FIG. 2). The retard roller 32C is rotatably supported by the paper cassette 30. The retard roller 32C is pressed against the feed roller 32B located above the paper cassette 30 in a state of being mounted on the housing 10A. That is, the retard roller 32C comes into contact with the roller surface of the feeding roller 32B and forms a nip portion with the feeding roller 32B. The retard roller 32C has, for example, a torque limiter (not shown), and the torque limiter is connected to the retard roller 32C to apply a static torque when receiving a torque less than a predetermined set value. When a torque equal to or higher than the set value is received, the connection with the retard roller 32C is cut off to cut off the transmission of the static torque, so that the retard roller 32C can rotate.

The fixing device 16 has a heating roller 16A and a pressure roller 16B, and heats the printing paper to press-contact it to fix the toner image on the printing paper. As a result, the image is formed on the printing paper. The printing paper that has passed through the fixing device 16 is conveyed through the discharge path 28 and is discharged from the sheet discharge port 27 to the sheet tray 18 by the discharge roller 23.

Hereinafter, the paper cassette 30 will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the paper cassette 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper cassette 30 has a rectangular tray-shaped paper storage unit 41 (an example of the sheet storage unit of the present invention) having an opening on the upper surface so that a plurality of sheets of printing paper can be stored. .. A plurality of sheets of printing paper are loaded in the paper storage unit 41.

A lift plate 45 (an example of the elevating plate of the present invention) that is raised and lowered in the vertical direction D1 is attached to the bottom 46 of the paper accommodating portion 41. The lift plate 45 is provided on the front side of the bottom portion 46. The front portion of the printing paper is placed on the upper surface of the lift plate 45. The rear end portion 47 of the lift plate 45 has a support shaft 47A, and the lift plate 45 is rotatably supported with respect to the bottom portion 46 of the paper accommodating portion 41 via the support shaft 47A. The front end portion 48 of the lift plate 45 is a free end. By rotating the lift plate 45 with respect to the support shaft 47A, the front end portion 48 of the lift plate 45 is displaced in the vertical direction D1. As a result, the lift plate 45 is moved up and down with the printing paper in the vertical direction D1. In the present embodiment, the lift plate 45 can be displaced between a close position where the front end portion 48 is close to the bottom portion 46 of the paper accommodating portion 41 and a separated position where the front end portion 48 is separated upward from the close position. It has become.

The paper cassette 30 is detachably supported by the housing 10A. Specifically, the paper cassette 30 is slidably supported by a well-known rail support mechanism so that it can be inserted and removed from the front surface of the image forming apparatus 10 with respect to the inside of the housing 10A in the front-rear direction D2. The rail support mechanism may include, for example, a support rail provided in the housing 10A and a supported portion that slides along the support rail while being supported by the support rail.

The paper accommodating portion 41 of the paper cassette 30 is provided with a front plate 35 on the front side, a pair of side plates 36 (36A, 36B) on the left and right sides, and a plate-shaped regulating portion 37 for restricting the movement of paper on the rear side. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the paper accommodating portion 41 is provided with two coil springs 34 (an example of the elastic member of the present invention) for urging the lift plate 45 upward. The two coil springs 34 (34A, 34B) are provided between the lift plate 45 and the bottom portion 46, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction D3. The lift plate 45 is always urged upward by the coil spring 34. As a result, even when the printing paper is loaded on the lift plate 45, the printing paper located at the highest position is always pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the pickup roller 32A (see FIG. 2) of the feeding mechanism 32. .. The coil spring 34 is merely an example of an elastic member, and other spring members such as leaf springs may be applied. The support mechanism for the coil spring 34 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the paper cassette 30 includes a pair of cursors 51, 52 (an example of the positioning member of the present invention) for positioning the position of the stored paper bundle. The cursors 51 and 52 are provided on the bottom 46 of the paper accommodating portion 41 so as to be movable in the width direction D3 orthogonal to the feeding direction D10 in the paper cassette 30. In the present embodiment, a cursor 51 (hereinafter referred to as a left cursor 51) is provided on one side (left side) of the width direction D3 of the bottom portion 46, and a cursor is provided on the other side (right side) of the width direction D3 of the bottom portion 46. 52 (hereinafter, referred to as a right cursor 52) is provided. By moving the cursors 51 and 52, both ends of the printing paper contained in the paper cassette 30 are restricted to a predetermined position according to the size of the printing paper. As a result, the printing paper in the paper cassette 30 is positioned at the predetermined position defined in the width direction D3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lift plate 45 is removed from the paper cassette 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the left cursor 51 has a flat plate-shaped support plate 55 slidably supported by the bottom portion 46 and a plate-shaped restricting portion 56 extending upward from the support plate 55. Have. The support plate 55 is a plate-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction D2 along the upper surface (bottom surface) of the bottom portion 46. The inner surface of the restricting portion 56 is a contact surface 56A that comes into contact with the side end portion of the paper bundle accommodated in the paper accommodating portion 41. The end portion of the paper bundle in the width direction D3 is supported on the upper surface of the support plate 55. In the present embodiment, the left cursor 51 is provided in the vicinity of the left side plate 36A at the bottom portion 46. The left cursor 51 abuts on the left end of the paper bundle stored in the paper storage unit 41 and positions the paper bundle at the predetermined position.

The right cursor 52 has a flat plate-shaped support plate 65 (see FIG. 6) that is slidably supported by the bottom portion 46, and a plate-shaped restricting portion 66 that extends upward from the support plate 65. The support plate 65 is a plate-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction D2 along the upper surface (bottom surface) of the bottom portion 46. The inner surface of the restricting portion 66 is an abutting surface 66A (see FIG. 6) that comes into contact with the side end portion of the paper bundle accommodated in the paper accommodating portion 41. The end portion of the paper bundle in the width direction D3 is supported on the upper surface of the support plate 65. In the present embodiment, the right cursor 52 is provided in the vicinity of the right side plate 36B at the bottom 46. The right cursor 52 abuts on the right end of the paper bundle stored in the paper storage unit 41 and positions the paper bundle at the predetermined position.

The slide movement mechanism of the left cursor 51 and the right cursor 52 is composed of, for example, a support rail (not shown) formed on the bottom 46 and rail guides (not shown) provided on the back surfaces of the support plates 55 and 65. ing. As the rail guide slides and moves along the support rail, the cursors 51 and 52 can slide and move the bottom portion 46 in the width direction. The slide movement mechanism of the cursors 51 and 52 is not limited to the above configuration, and other movement mechanisms may be applied.

Although the lift plate 45 is provided on the bottom portion 46, the movement ranges of the cursors 51 and 52 are provided on both side portions of the lift plate 45 so that the cursors 51 and 52 can move the bottom portion 46 in the width direction D3. A notch 45A corresponding to the above is formed. Therefore, the cursors 51 and 52 can move in the width direction without being disturbed by the lift plate 45.

The right cursor 52 is provided with an operation lever 69. The operating lever 69 is a lever-shaped member that generally extends in the vertical direction D1, and is supported by the regulating portion 66 so as to be movable in the vertical direction D1. A lock claw (not shown) projecting downward from the support plate 65 is provided at the lower end of the operating lever 69. Further, in the range where the right cursor 52 moves in the bottom portion 46, an engaging portion 49 (see FIG. 3) formed of a plurality of engaging grooves formed at regular intervals in the width direction D3 is formed. While the operating lever 69 is not operated, the lock claw of the right cursor 52 holds the state of being in the engaging groove of the engaging portion 49. In this state, the right cursor 52 is locked to the bottom 46 and cannot move in the width direction D3. On the other hand, when the operator pulls up the operation lever 69 and operates it, the lock claw is lifted upward and the lock claw is disengaged from the engaging portion 49. In this state, the lock of the right cursor 52 with respect to the bottom portion 46 is released, and the right cursor 52 can move in the width direction D3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view around the cursors 51 and 52 in the paper cassette 30. In FIG. 5, the lift plate 45 is not shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of cursors 51 and 52 are configured to be interlocked with each other so that the bottom portion 46 can be moved in the width direction D3. As the interlocking movement mechanism of the cursors 51 and 52, a rack-pinion mechanism including a rack gear 71 provided on each of the cursors 51 and 52 and a pinion gear 72 rotatably provided on the bottom 46 can be applied. As a result, the operator operates the operation lever 69 to unlock the right cursor 52, and by sliding only the right cursor 52 in the width direction D3, the other left cursor 51 is interlocked with the operation in the width direction. It can be slid to D3.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the two coil springs 34 are provided in the paper cassette 30 in a posture in which the expansion / contraction direction is the vertical direction D1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the states of the cursors 51 and 52 when the cursor spacing is maximized, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the states of the cursors 51 and 52 when the cursor spacing is minimized. Is. 6 and 7 both take out only the cursors 51 and 52 and the two coil springs 34 from the paper cassette 30 and display them.

As shown in FIG. 6, the left cursor 51 has a spring support portion 57 (an example of the support portion of the present invention). The spring support portion 57 slidably supports the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A arranged on one side (left side) in the width direction D3. The spring support portion 57 is a plate-shaped member extending from the support plate 55 toward the center side in the width direction D3 along the upper surface (bottom surface) of the bottom portion 46. More specifically, the base end portion 57A of the spring support portion 57 is connected to the connecting portion 55A protruding forward from the front end portion of the support plate 55, and the spring support portion 57 is connected to the center side in the width direction D3 from the connecting portion 55A. Is extended. In the present embodiment, the spring support portion 57 is integrally configured with the left cursor 51. Therefore, when the left cursor 51 is moved in the width direction D3, the spring support portion 57 also moves in the same direction in conjunction with the movement of the left cursor 51.

The lower end of the coil spring 34A is slidably supported in the width direction D3 by the upper surface 58 (support surface) of the spring support portion 57. Further, the upper end portion of the coil spring 34A is attached to a spring seat 81 provided on the back surface of the lift plate 45. The upper surface 58 of the spring support portion 57 is formed on a flat surface without a member for mounting the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A. Therefore, when the spring support portion 57 moves in the width direction D3 in conjunction with the movement of the left cursor 51, the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A slides in the width direction D3 on the upper surface 58 of the spring support portion 57.

The upper surface 58 of the spring support portion 57 is inclined at a predetermined angle so as to be higher toward the center side in the width direction D3. That is, the upper surface 58 is an inclined surface that gradually rises toward the center side in the width direction D3.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the right cursor 52 has a spring support portion 67 (an example of the support portion of the present invention). The spring support portion 67 slidably supports the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B arranged on one side (right side) in the width direction D3. The spring support portion 67 is a plate-shaped member extending from the support plate 65 toward the center side in the width direction D3 along the upper surface (bottom surface) of the bottom portion 46. More specifically, the base end portion 67A of the spring support portion 67 is connected to the connecting portion 65A protruding forward from the front end portion of the support plate 65, and the spring support portion 67 is connected to the center side in the width direction D3 from the connecting portion 65A. Is extended. In the present embodiment, the spring support portion 67 is integrally configured with the right cursor 52. Therefore, when the right cursor 52 is moved in the width direction D3 together with the left cursor 51, the spring support portion 67 also moves in the same direction in conjunction with the movement of the right cursor 52.

The lower end of the coil spring 34B is slidably supported in the width direction D3 by the upper surface 68 (support surface) of the spring support portion 67. Further, the upper end portion of the coil spring 34B is attached to a spring seat 82 provided on the back surface of the lift plate 45. The upper surface 68 of the spring support portion 67 is not provided with a member for mounting the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B, and is formed on a flat surface. Therefore, when the spring support portion 67 moves in the width direction D3 in conjunction with the movement of the right cursor 52, the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B slides in the width direction D3 on the upper surface 68 of the spring support portion 67.

The upper surface 68 of the spring support portion 67 is tilted at the same tilt angle as the tilt angle of the spring support portion 67 so as to be higher toward the center side in the width direction D3. That is, the upper surface 68 is an inclined surface that gradually rises toward the center side in the width direction D3.

Since the cursors 51 and 52 configured as described above are provided on the paper cassette 30, when the cursors 51 and 52 are arranged at the positions of the maximum spacing as shown in FIG. 6, the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A is provided. Is supported by the tip end portion 57B of the spring support portion 57, and the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B is supported by the tip end portion 67B of the spring support portion 67. Then, when the cursors 51 and 52 are moved from the position of the maximum interval to the position of the minimum interval (position shown in FIG. 7), the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A slides the upper surface 58 in the width direction D3 and the base end portion. It moves to 57A and is supported by the base end portion 57A, and the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B slides on the upper surface 68 in the width direction D3 and moves to the base end portion 67A and is supported by the base end portion 67A. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the coil springs 34A and 34B expand in the process of moving the support positions of the lower ends of the coil springs 34A and 34B from the tip portions 57B and 67B to the base end portions 57A and 67A. The spring length extends from length L1 to length L2. As a result, the pressing force with which the coil springs 34A and 34B press the lift plate 45 upward is reduced. That is, when a bundle of printing paper having a small width is accommodated in the paper cassette 30 and the cursors 51 and 52 are moved to the positions corresponding to the printing paper, the contact pressure between the pickup roller 32A and the highest printing paper. Can be suppressed from becoming excessively strong. 8 and 9 are views showing a cross section of the spring support portions 57 and 67 when viewed from the rear.

Further, when the cursors 51 and 52 are moved from the position of the minimum interval to the position of the maximum interval (position shown in FIG. 6), the lower end portion of the coil spring 34A slides the upper surface 58 in the width direction D3 to the base end. The lower end of the coil spring 34B moves from the portion 57A to the tip portion 57B and is supported by the tip portion 57B, and the lower end portion of the coil spring 34B slides on the upper surface 68 in the width direction D3 and moves from the base end portion 67A to the tip portion 67B and is supported by the tip portion 67B. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the coil springs 34A and 34B contract as the support positions of the lower ends of the coil springs 34A and 34B move from the base end portions 57A and 67A to the tip portions 57B and 67B. The spring length contracts from length L2 to length L1. As a result, the pressing force with which the coil springs 34A and 34B press the lift plate 45 upward increases. That is, when a bundle of printing paper having a large width is accommodated in the paper cassette 30, and the cursors 51 and 52 are moved to positions corresponding to the printing paper, the weight of the paper bundle causes the pickup roller 32A and the highest printing. It is possible to prevent the contact pressure with the paper from becoming smaller than the specified value.

Further, according to the paper cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the spring support portion 57 is integrally formed with the left cursor 51, the spring support portion 67 is integrally formed with the right cursor 52, and the spring support portions 57 and 67 are respectively formed. The contact pressure can be changed by a simple configuration in which the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 is supported on the upper surface. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique, and the cursor 51, 52, the coil spring 34, and the like can be easily assembled to the paper cassette 30.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper cassette 30 is provided with a holding member 80 (an example of the holding member of the present invention) for holding the postures of the two coil springs 34. The coil spring 34 is provided in the paper cassette 30 in a posture in which the expansion / contraction direction is the vertical direction D1. As described above, when the cursors 51 and 52 are moved in the width direction D3, the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 slides on the upper surfaces 58 and 68 in the width direction D3, but the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 due to the sliding friction at that time. May be pulled in the moving direction of the cursors 51 and 52 and displaced in the width direction D3, and the coil spring 34 may not be able to maintain the posture. A holding member 80 is provided on the paper cassette 30 in order to prevent such a deviation in the width direction D3.

The holding member 80 is provided between the bottom portion 46 and the lift plate 45, above the upper surfaces 58 and 68 of the spring support portions 57 and 67, respectively. More specifically, the holding member 80 is provided directly above the upper surfaces 58 and 68 of the spring support portions 57 and 67, respectively. Therefore, the holding member 80 regulates that the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 moves in the width direction D3 and shifts in the same direction as the cursors 51 and 52 move.

The holding member 80 is provided with a gap between the holding member 80 and the bottom portion 46 through which the spring support portions 57 and 67 can pass in the width direction D3. In the present embodiment, the holding member 80 has an enclosing portion 80A (an example of the restricting portion and the enclosing portion of the present invention) having an insertion port 80B for inserting the coil spring 34 in the vertical direction D1. The holding member 80 is, for example, a ladder-shaped member, which protrudes rearward from the inner surface 35A of the front plate 35, and the protruding end thereof is connected to a rib 46A extending in the width direction D3 formed on the upper surface of the bottom portion 46. The holding member 80 is integrally configured with the paper accommodating portion 41.

Since the holding member 80 configured in this way is provided on the paper cassette 30, when the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 slides on the upper surfaces 58 and 68 in the width direction D3, the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 is caused by the sliding friction. Is pulled in the moving direction of the cursors 51 and 52, the movement of the coil spring 34 is restricted by the surrounding portion 80A of the holding member 80, and the coil spring 34 can be held in the above posture.

The holding member 80 is not limited to the one having the above-mentioned surrounding portion 80A. For example, with a pair of regulation bars (an example of the regulation portion of the present invention) that abuts on the side surface of the lower end portion of the coil spring 34 without surrounding the outer circumference of the coil spring 34 to regulate the deviation of the lower end portion in the width direction D3. There may be. In this case, the regulation bars are arranged on both sides of the coil spring 34 so as to sandwich the coil spring 34 in the width direction D3.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the retard roller 32C is provided in the paper cassette 30 is exemplified, but the retard roller 32C may be provided in the housing 10A.

10: Image forming apparatus 10A: Housing 24: Feeding device 30: Paper cassette 32: Feeding mechanism 34: Coil spring 41: Paper accommodating portion 45: Lift plate 51, 52: Cursor 57, 67: Spring support portion 80: Holding Element

Claims (8)

A seat storage unit that can load and store seats,
An elevating plate provided in the seat accommodating portion so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction, and the seat is placed on the upper surface thereof.
A positioning member provided on the bottom surface of the seat accommodating portion so as to be movable in the width direction of the seat accommodating portion and positioning the position of the sheet accommodated in the seat accommodating portion in the width direction.
An elastic member provided on the lower side of the elevating plate and pressing the elevating plate upward,
Equipped with
The positioning member has a support portion that extends toward the center side in the width direction along the bottom surface of the seat accommodating portion and slidably supports the lower end portion of the elastic member in the width direction.
The seat accommodating device, in which the support surface in the support portion is an inclined surface inclined so as to be higher toward the center side in the width direction. The seat accommodating device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is integrally configured with the positioning member. The seat accommodating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic member has an upper end thereof mounted on the lower surface of the elevating plate. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a holding member provided above the support portion between the bottom surface of the seat accommodating portion and the elevating plate and holding the posture of the elastic member. Seat accommodating device. The sheet accommodating device according to claim 4, wherein the holding member is provided immediately above the support surface of the support portion. The sheet accommodating device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the holding member has a regulating portion that abuts on the side surface of the elastic member in the width direction to regulate the deviation of the lower end portion in the width direction. The sheet accommodating device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the holding member has a surrounding portion having an insertion port through which the elastic member is inserted in the vertical direction. The seat accommodating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A feeding mechanism that contacts the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating device and feeds the sheet, and
An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet fed by the feeding mechanism.

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