JP2023158058A - Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable paper feeding of a long transfer medium in a paper feeding device to be satisfactorily performed.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device which stores and feeds a transfer medium includes: a paper feeding device body which has an opening on an upper part, an upstream side split lid located on an upstream side in a conveyance direction and a downstream side split lid located on a downstream side in the conveyance direction for closing a portion or the whole of the opening; a paper feed tray which is provided in the paper feeding device body and on which a transfer medium is loaded; a lifting part which lifts and lowers the paper feeding tray; and a control part which controls lifting and lowering of the lifting part. The control part detects the opening/closing of the upstream side split lid and the downstream side split lid and controls the lifting and lowering of the lifting part on the basis of the detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to a paper feeding device that conveys a transfer medium and an image forming apparatus that includes the paper feeding device.

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus that performs printing by forming an image on a transfer medium, paper is fed from a paper feeding device loaded with paper and used for printing. In a paper feeding device, paper is fed by placing a paper feeding tray at a paper feeding position.
Incidentally, in an image forming apparatus, an image is sometimes formed on a sheet of paper called a long sheet of paper. Long paper is paper that is long in a predetermined direction, unlike sheets of A3 size, A4 size, etc. There are various lengths of long paper such as 660 mm, 750 mm, and 1200 mm, and in recent years there has been an increasing demand for large-volume printing, especially for long paper up to 660 mm in length. In order to feed long sheets of paper that are rarely used, it is necessary to prepare a paper feeder that is longer than the long sheets of paper that are used. There is a risk that the paper loading performance of the paper may be impaired.

As a countermeasure to this problem, in a paper feeding device that has an opening at the top, a lid that covers the opening, and a lifting means for raising and lowering the paper feeding tray within the main body of the paper feeding device, the lid is located upstream of the top opening in the transport direction. A paper feeding device is known that has a configuration in which long sheets longer than the tray can be stacked across the tray and the lid while forming an obtuse angle with the tray (see Patent Document 1).

In this conventional technology, as an embodiment, it is possible to change the opening direction of the lid, and the user can prevent the elevating tray from falling from the paper feeding position by operating a member that drives the elevating tray. It has a composition. This technology makes it possible to simultaneously load a large amount of frequently used paper and use long paper that is used less frequently but has a longer length, while preventing the machine from becoming larger.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-143736

In the conventional technology, the lowering position of the elevating tray is varied depending on the direction in which the lid is opened, but when loading, the user must perform tasks such as switching the direction in which the lid is opened and switching the elevating drive connection. There is an annoying problem. Additionally, if you open the lid in the wrong direction, the tray may not go down even though you want to load a large amount of paper, or the tray may go down too far even when you want to load long sheets of paper, causing the paper to fold. There is also the problem that defects such as wrinkles may occur.
Furthermore, since the lid that originally blocks the opening at the top is used as a paper loading means, it is now possible to touch the paper feeding drive, rollers, and other rotating parts while feeding paper. There is also the issue of safety being compromised.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a paper feeding device and a paper feeding device in which the opening of the main body of the paper feeding device is closed with a split lid, and the elevation and descent of the paper feeding tray can be controlled based on the open/closed state of the split lid. One of the purposes is to provide an image forming apparatus.

That is, the first form of the paper feeding device of the present invention is as follows:
A paper feeding device that stores and feeds a transfer medium,
a sheet feeder main body having an opening at the top, and an upstream divided lid located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction and a downstream divided lid located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, which closes part or all of the opening;
a paper feed tray provided in the paper feed device main body and loaded with a transfer medium;
an elevating unit for elevating and lowering the paper feed tray;
A control unit that controls the elevation of the elevating unit,
The control unit is characterized in that it detects the opening and closing of the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid, and controls the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit based on the detection results.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the present invention is characterized in that the control section sets a position at which the paper feeding tray can be lowered by the elevating section based on the detection result.

In another form of the paper feed device, in the above form of the present invention, the downstream division lid is configured to hold a portion of the elongated transfer medium that is stacked on the upper part of the paper feed tray and is longer than the storage length of the paper feed tray. It is characterized by having a structure that allows it to be placed so that paper can be fed.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the present invention is characterized in that the control section sets at least an intermediate position and a lower end position as the lowerable positions.

Another form of the paper feeding device is characterized in that in the above form of the present invention, the intermediate position is based on the upper stacking height of the transfer media stacked on the paper feeding tray.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the intermediate position is at a height when the elongated transfer medium is loaded.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the control section sets a standby position as the lowerable position.

In another aspect of the paper feeding device, in the above aspect of the present invention, the control unit is capable of controlling the lower limit of the paper feeding tray in a state in which the downstream divided lid is open and the upstream divided lid is closed. The position of the paper feed tray is set to the lower end position of the paper feed tray, and when the upstream divided lid and the downstream split lid are open, the lower limit possible position of the paper feed tray is set to the intermediate position.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the control section sets the intermediate position depending on the type of transfer medium placed on the upstream divided lid.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the type of the transfer medium is based on basis weight.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device is characterized in that, in the aspect of the present invention, the detection result further includes whether or not a transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid.

Another form of the paper feeding device according to the above form of the present invention is characterized in that it has a transfer medium detection section that detects placement of a transfer medium on the upstream divided lid.

In another aspect of the paper feeding device, in the above aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid, the control unit controls the lowering of the paper feeding tray. It is characterized by prohibition.

In another aspect of the paper feeding device, in the above aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid, the control unit opens the downstream divided lid. The feature is that the paper feeding operation is prohibited when the paper is being loaded.

Another form of the paper feeding device according to the above form of the present invention is characterized in that the divided lid is made of a double door or a sliding door.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the above aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it has a tray height detection section that detects the height of the paper feeding tray.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device is characterized in that, in the above aspect of the present invention, the tray height detection section performs detection based on the height of the upper stack of transfer media on the paper feeding tray. do.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the present invention is characterized in that the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid have a structure in which the downstream divided lid opens preferentially. do.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the present invention is characterized in that the downstream divided lid has a portion that overlaps with the upstream divided lid so as to be located above the upstream divided lid when the downstream divided lid is closed.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a paper feeding device that stores and feeds a transfer medium,
The paper feeding device has an opening at the top, and a paper feeding device main body including an upstream divided lid located at the upstream side in the conveying direction and a downstream divided lid located at the downstream side in the conveying direction, which are located in the opening. ,
a paper feed tray provided in the paper feed device main body and loaded with a transfer medium;
an elevating section for elevating and lowering the paper feed tray,
It has a control unit that controls the elevation of the elevating unit,
The control unit is characterized in that it detects the opening and closing of the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid, and controls the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit based on the detection results.

According to the present invention, it is possible to create a stacking state according to the size of the transfer media used by the user by controlling the open state of the split lid and the vertical movement of the paper feed tray, and the state when the user loads the transfer media can also be changed to the paper feed state. Since this can be reflected in the height of the tray, it is possible to prevent the transfer medium from folding or wrinkling due to user's erroneous operation, and it is also possible to improve the user's operability.
Further, even when transfer media are stacked across the paper feed tray and the divided lid, the opening of the upper part of the paper feeding section can be covered by the downstream divided lid, ensuring safety during paper feeding.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a paper feeding device and an image forming device of the present invention. Similarly, it is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a paper feeding device. Similarly, it is a diagram showing the accommodation length of the paper feeding device. Similarly, it is a diagram showing the top of a long sheet of paper installed in the paper feeding device. Similarly, it is a diagram showing a control block of the paper feeding device. Similarly, it is a diagram showing a state in which only the downstream divided lid of the divided lids of the paper feeding device is opened and a position where the paper feeding tray can be lowered. Similarly, it is a diagram showing a state in which both the split lids of the paper feeder are opened and a position where the paper feed tray can be lowered. Similarly, of the divided lids of the paper feeding device, only the upstream divided lid is opened, and a long sheet of paper is placed across the upstream divided lid. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling the raising and lowering of the paper feed tray depending on the opening/closing of the divided lid and whether or not a long sheet of paper is installed.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 shows a mechanical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and an outline of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 1A, and a paper feeding device 2 is connected to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 1A. In this embodiment, a post-processing device is not provided on the downstream side of the image forming apparatus main body 1A, but it may be provided with a post-processing device. Appropriate sheets of paper are stored in the paper feeder 2 . In this embodiment, paper corresponds to the transfer medium. The transfer medium is not limited to paper, and may be made of cloth, plastic, etc., and the material is not limited.
Further, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is described as being configured by the image forming apparatus main body 1A and the devices connected to the image forming apparatus main body 1A, but the image forming apparatus 1 is configured by the image forming apparatus main body 1A. There are no particular limitations on the type or number of devices used. Further, the image forming apparatus may be configured only by the main body device 1A.

The paper feeding device 2 may be included in the image forming apparatus, or may be used as an external device connected to the image forming apparatus. In this embodiment, the paper feeding device 2 will be described as being included in the image forming apparatus 1.

The image forming apparatus 1 has an image forming section 15 that forms an image in the image forming apparatus main body 1A, and the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 1A receives operations from an operator and displays information. It has an operation panel 14. The operation panel 14 can be configured by, for example, an LCD having a touch panel. Furthermore, the operating section for performing operations and the display section for displaying images may be configured separately. On the operation panel 14, settings for paper in the paper feed section main body tray 10 and the paper feed device 2 can be made.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 has a document reading section 13 on the upper side of the apparatus main body 1A, which includes an automatic document feeder that automatically reads a document, and the image of the document is read by the document reading section 13. Further, the image forming apparatus main body 1A has a paper feeding unit main body tray 10 for storing paper on the lower side thereof.

The image forming apparatus main body 1A has a conveyance path 12 through which paper is conveyed, and the paper may be fed from a plurality of paper feed section main body trays 10 in the apparatus main body 1A. It may also be one that is fed from a paper source. Paper fed from the paper feed section main body tray 10 or the paper feed device 2 is conveyed by the conveyance path 12 via conveyance rollers 13A, 13B, etc., and reaches the image forming section 15. The image forming section 15 transfers the image onto the paper, and the fixing device 15E applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image to perform printing, and then the paper is discharged from the apparatus via the conveyance path 12. The paper of this embodiment corresponds to the transfer medium of the present invention. Note that the transfer medium is not limited to paper, and may be made of cloth or the like. Further, the paper on which the image has been formed may be transported to a post-processing device.

Although not shown in the figure, the reversing conveyance path branches on the downstream side of the fixing device 15E, and the reversing conveyance path merges with the conveyance path 12 on the upstream side of the image forming section 15. When forming an image on the front and back sides, the paper with the image formed on the front side is conveyed to the reversing conveyance path, the paper is reversed in the reversing conveyance path, and then conveyed to the conveyance path 12, so that the image is formed on the back side. Formation can be performed.
Note that the mechanism for forming an image on the back side of the paper is not limited to the above, and may include a separate image forming section for the back side.

The image forming section 15 has photoreceptors 15A prepared for each color (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc.), and a charger, a writing section, and a developing unit (not shown) are arranged around the circumference of each photoreceptor 15A. is installed. The surface of the photoreceptor 15A charged by the charger is subjected to image exposure by a writing unit such as an LD based on the image information of the image data, and a latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 15A. The latent image is developed into a toner image by a developing unit. The toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 15B, and the image on the intermediate transfer belt 15B is transferred to the sheet of paper that is conveyed along the conveyance path 12 and is conveyed while being pressed by the secondary transfer roller 15C.

In the image forming section 15, a cleaning blade for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 15B is provided on the rotation direction side of the intermediate transfer belt 15B from the paper transfer position and on the rotation direction opposite to the transfer position with each photoreceptor 15A. 15D is placed.
Note that each of the photoreceptors 15A and intermediate transfer belt 15B described above is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). The paper onto which the image has been transferred is fixed with the fixing device 15E, and printing is performed. When printing only on the front side of the paper, the paper is ejected along the conveyance path 12 after the image is formed.
When printing on the back side of a sheet, the sheet is sent to the reversing conveyance path, the sheet is reversed, and the sheet is returned to the conveyance path 12 upstream of the image forming section 15 . The circulated paper has an image transferred to the back side in the same manner as described above, and after the image is fixed by the fixing device 15E, the paper is discharged along the conveyance path 12.
In this embodiment, a color image forming apparatus will be described, but a monochrome image forming apparatus may be used.

The image forming apparatus 1 is connected to an external device 4 via a LAN 3 to constitute an image forming system. Examples of the external device 4 include a PC terminal and a management device that manages an image forming apparatus. In addition to being acquired by the image forming apparatus 1, the image data may be acquired from job data sent from the external device 4. Job data consists of image data, printing condition data, and the like. Furthermore, when the external device 4 is used as a device that manages the image forming apparatus 1, the paper feeding device 2 can also be controlled by a control unit provided in the external device.

FIG. 2 shows a mechanical outline of the paper feeding device 2. As shown in FIG.
The paper feeding device 2 has a paper feeding device main body 2A that accommodates a transfer medium, and has an opening 2B at the top.
The paper feeder main body 2A has a paper feed tray 20 that can stack a plurality of sheets of paper, and the paper feed tray 20 is raised and lowered up and down within the paper feeder main body 2A by an elevating section 21. be able to.

The elevating section 21 can be configured by a drive motor, a drive transmission mechanism, etc. (not shown). The elevating section 21 may be of any type as long as it can raise and lower the paper feed tray 20, and the present invention is not particularly limited to the configuration of the elevating section 21.
The paper feed tray 20 can be raised by the operation of the elevating section 21 so that the upper surface of the stacked papers is at the paper feeding position, so that the paper feeding height can be kept constant. In this state, the uppermost sheets are sequentially fed by a sheet feeding section 25 that includes a sheet feeding roller and the like.

The opening 2B can be closed by a downstream divided lid 22 located on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction and an upstream divided lid 23 located on the upstream side. Each divided lid is pivoted at both ends in the transport direction on the upper side of the paper feeder main body 2A, and can be opened and closed like a double door using the pivot portion as a fulcrum. The downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23 may close the entire opening 2B, or may close a part of the opening 2B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23 are closed, the downstream divided lid 22 is always located above the upstream divided lid 23. With this configuration, when opening the split lid, the user always performs an operation to open the split lid on the downstream side.
In this embodiment, the entire downstream split lid 22 is located above the upstream split lid 23 to regulate the order of opening and closing, but the configuration for determining the order of opening and closing is not limited to the above. Instead, each divided lid may have a portion where the end portions of the lid overlap each other when closed, and the downstream lid may be configured to overlap so that it always covers the upper side, or other configurations may be adopted. It's okay.

Further, the paper feeding device main body 2A has a manual lowering switch 24 for instructing the lowering of the paper feeding tray 20, and the lowering of the paper feeding tray 20 can be performed by the elevating section 21 by a user's operation. The lowering may be at a constant height. By lowering the paper feed tray 20, sheets can be stacked through the opening 2B.

Note that the paper feeder main body 2A has a size L1 that allows paper to be taken in and out with the downstream split lid 22 open. For example, by setting the length of L1 to 430 mm or more, it is possible to handle A3 size paper. can be handled. For this reason, the length L2 of the downstream split lid 22 is set such that L2>L1, for example, 500 mm or more. In addition, the paper feeder main body 2A has a length L3 that accommodates the maximum length of paper when the downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23 are opened, and for example, L3 is approximately 750 mm. It can be length.

Further, when the upstream side divided lid 23 is opened around the upstream fulcrum, it is configured to stop at an obtuse angle with respect to the paper feed tray 20.
When a user loads long sheets of paper of a size that fits within the paper feeder, the downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23 are opened.

This condition assumes that long sheets of paper will fit inside the paper feeder 2, and by stopping at an intermediate position, there will be no need to set long sheets of paper to a deep position, and this will improve the loading of long sheets. By improving the storage capacity and limiting the weight loaded on the tray, it becomes possible to share the lifting drive that was applied to A3 and A4 size paper feeders.
As shown in FIG. 4, long sheets LP can be stacked across the paper feed tray 20 and the open upstream division lid 23.
When the user loads paper of a size longer than the storage length of the paper feeder, the downstream side divided lid 22 and the upstream side divided lid 23 are opened.

The upstream divided lid 23 has a paper detection section 26 that detects the setting of paper. The paper detection unit 26 can detect the presence of paper by using an optical sensor or the like. However, in the present invention, the configuration of the paper detection section is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that the paper detection section can detect the presence or absence of paper on the upstream divided lid 23.

Further, the paper feeding device 2 includes a tray height detection section 27 (shown in FIG. 5) that detects the height position of the paper feeding tray 20. The tray height detection unit 27 may detect the height position of the paper feed tray 20 and the upper surface of the paper using a sensor provided at an appropriate location, and may also detect the height of the paper feed tray 20 or the height position of the upper surface of the paper according to the amount of movement of the elevating unit 21. It may also be something that calculates the height position of the upper surface of the paper. The present invention is not particularly limited in its configuration as long as it can detect the height position of the paper feed tray 20 and the upper surface of the paper.

FIG. 5 shows a control block in the paper feeding device 2. As shown in FIG.
The paper feeding device 2 may be controlled by an image forming control section included in the apparatus main body 1, or may be controlled by a paper feeding control section provided in the paper feeding device 2. The image forming control section or paper feeding control section that controls the paper feeding device 2 corresponds to the control section of the present invention. Furthermore, the image forming control section and the paper feeding control section may cooperate to constitute the control section of the present invention.

An elevating section 21 is controllably connected to the control section 200, and the elevating section 21 moves up and down according to a control command from the control section 200.
An open sensor (not shown) of the downstream split lid 22 is connected to the control unit 200 so as to be controllable, and a signal from the open sensor of the downstream split lid 22 is transmitted to the control unit 200 . Alternatively, a closed sensor may be provided and a signal from the closed sensor may be transmitted to the control unit 200.
An open sensor (not shown) of the upstream split lid 23 is connected to the control unit 200 so as to be controllable, and a signal from the open sensor of the upstream split lid 23 is transmitted to the control unit 200 . Alternatively, a closed sensor may be provided and a signal from the closed sensor may be transmitted to the control unit 200.

Further, an operation signal for the lowering switch 24 is transmitted to the control unit 200 . When the operation signal of the lowering switch 24 is input to the control section 200, the control section 200 controls the elevating section 21 so that, for example, the paper feed tray is lowered to a predetermined position.
Further, a paper detection unit 26 is connected to the control unit 200 so as to be controllable, and the detection result of the paper detection unit 26 is transmitted to the control unit 200.
Further, a tray height detection section 27 is connected to the control section 200 so as to be controllable, and a detection result by the tray height detection section 27 is transmitted to the control section 200.

The control unit 200 determines the lowerable position of the paper feed tray based on the open/closed states of the downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23. The lowerable position is stored in a nonvolatile memory provided in the control unit 200. The lowerable position may be set by the user through the operation panel 14. Further, the paper feeding device 2 may be provided with an operation panel to accept operations by the user.

FIG. 6 shows a lowering position C and a lowering position A in which the downstream divided lid 22 can be lowered when opened.
When the user loads sheets of paper size A3 or smaller, only the downstream divided lid 22 is opened.
When only the downstream split lid 22 is opened, it will stop once at the lowered position C on the upper side, and after that, if the user presses the lowering switch 24 for loading paper, it will stop at the lowest lowered position. Lower the tray to A.
By using this condition when stacking A3 or smaller paper, the user can easily stack a large amount of regular size paper.

The lowered position C corresponds to the standby position. The standby position is a position where the upper paper stacking height is slightly lower than the paper feeding height position. By lowering the upper paper stacking height a little lower than the paper feeding height position, it is possible to remove jams in the paper feeding section 25. In this embodiment, when the downstream split lid 22 is opened, a signal from the open sensor of the downstream split lid 22 is transmitted to the control unit 200. Based on this signal, the control unit 200 lowers and stops the paper feed tray 20 so that the upper paper stacking height on the paper feed tray 20 is at the lowered position C.

Further, when the lowering switch 24 is operated with the downstream divided lid 22 open and the upstream divided lid 23 closed, the signal from the open sensor of the downstream divided lid 22 and the operation signal of the lowered switch 24 are The information is sent to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 lowers the paper feed tray 22 to the lowered position A based on these signals. The lowered position A is the lowest position of the paper feed tray 22.

FIG. 7 shows a lowering position C and a lowering position B in which the downstream divided lid 22 and the upstream divided lid 23 can be lowered in an open state.
In this state, the paper feed tray 20 is lowered once so that the upper paper stacking height is at the upper lowering position C and then stopped, and then the lowering switch 24 for stacking paper is pressed by the user. In this case, the paper feed tray 20 is lowered so that the upper paper stacking height is at the lowered position B. The lowered position B corresponds to the intermediate position of the present invention.
When the downstream split lid 22 and the upstream split lid 23 are open, a signal from the open sensor of the downstream split lid 22 is transmitted to the control unit 200 in the same way as described above. Based on this signal, the control unit 200 lowers and stops the paper feed tray 20 so that the upper paper stacking height on the paper feed tray 20 is at the lowered position C.

Further, when the lower switch 24 is pressed in this state, the paper feed tray 20 is lowered and stopped so that the paper stacking height of the paper feed tray 20 is at the lowered position B. The lowering position B is based on the upper paper stacking height on the paper feed tray 20, and the long paper LP can be installed and fed across the paper feed tray 20 and the upstream divided lid 23. The height is as follows. Therefore, when the amount of paper loaded on the paper feed tray 20 differs, the position at which the paper feed tray 20 stops also differs.

The height of the intermediate position can be changed depending on the paper type of the long paper LP. As for the paper type, basis weight is typically indicated. Normally, paper with a larger basis weight is less likely to wrinkle, and paper with a smaller basis weight is more likely to wrinkle, so the intermediate position should be lower for paper with a higher basis weight than for paper with a smaller basis weight. I can do it.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the upstream divided lid 23 is opened and the long paper LP is placed from above the paper feed tray 20 across the upstream divided lid 23.
In this state, the paper feed tray 20 is lowered once so that the upper paper stacking height reaches the lowered position C and then stops. Long sheets can be loaded without wrinkles or creases.
By stacking the paper, the paper detection unit 26 provided in the upstream division lid 23 detects the paper. The paper detection section 26 corresponds to the transfer medium detection section of the present invention.
After this state is reached, even if the user presses the lowering switch 24 in an attempt to load paper, the paper feed tray will not be lowered.

Under these conditions, in order to prevent the paper from folding or wrinkling due to the tray being lowered too far, when setting the paper, the upper paper loading height is set at the lowered position C where the long paper does not hang down too much between the paper feed tray and the upstream split lid. It is necessary to fix the paper tray so that it is in the correct position. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the descent of the paper feed tray.
In this state, the presence of the long paper LP is detected by the paper detection section 26, and the detection result of the paper detection section 26 is transmitted to the control section 200.
When the control unit 200 receives the detection result from the paper detection unit 26, it prohibits the paper feed tray 20 from lowering. Therefore, even if the lowering switch 24 is pressed in this state, the paper feed tray 20 will not be lowered any further.
The position of the above-mentioned lowering position C varies depending on the basis weight of the paper set, and the lowering range is wide for thick paper (paper of about 170 g/ ^m2 or more), and for thin paper (about 60 g/ ^m2 or less). In this case, by narrowing the descending range, the tray can be stopped at a loading position that matches the paper being used.
The downstream divided lid 22 can be closed after the upstream divided lid 23 is opened. It is also possible to perform control so that the paper feeding operation is not performed unless the downstream side divided lid 22 is closed.

Next, the procedure for controlling the raising and lowering of the paper feed tray 20 will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG.
At the start of control, it is determined whether the downstream divided lid is opened (step s1). If the downstream divided lid is not opened (step s1, No), the procedure ends.
If the downstream division lid is opened (step s1, Yes), the paper feed tray is lowered until the upper paper stacking position of the paper feed tray reaches the lowered position C (step s2).

Next, it is determined whether the upstream divided lid is opened (step s3). If the upstream divided lid is not opened (step s3, No), it is determined whether the lowering switch is turned on (step s4). If the lowering switch is not turned on (step s4, No), the procedure ends; if the lowering switch is turned on (step s4, Yes), the paper feed tray is lowered to the lowest lowering position A ( Step s5), the procedure ends.

In step s3, if the upstream dividing lid is opened (step s3, Yes), it is determined whether the length of the long sheet is shorter than the length of the paper feeder (step s6). The determination can be made based on whether a long sheet of paper is detected by the sheet detection section. In other words, if the paper detection unit detects a long paper, it can be determined that the length of the long paper is longer than the length of the paper feeder, and if the paper detection unit does not detect a long paper, it can be determined that the paper It can be determined that the paper length is not longer than the paper feeder length.

If the long paper is smaller than the length of the paper feeder (step s6, Yes), it is determined whether the lowering switch has been turned on (step s7). If the lower switch is turned on (step s7, Yes), the paper feed tray is lowered so that the upper paper stacking position on the paper feed tray is at the intermediate position (step s8), and the procedure ends.
If the long paper is larger than the length of the paper feeder (step s6, No), lowering is prohibited and the procedure ends.

After the above-mentioned lowering control, when paper feeding is instructed, the control unit 200 can raise the paper feed tray so that the upper paper stacking position becomes the paper feeding position and start paper feeding.
Note that when feeding paper, if the downstream split lid is not closed, paper feeding is prohibited, and if the downstream split lid is closed, paper feeding is enabled, so that the paper feed tray and lid are Even when paper is stacked across the paper feed section, the opening can be covered by the downstream split lid at the top of the paper feed section, ensuring safety during paper feeding.

In this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which paper is set by opening a plurality of divided upper lids of a paper feeding device that feeds paper to the main body of an image forming apparatus, and a paper stacking member is set at a height determined at a paper feeding position. When stacking paper, the stacking member descends to stack paper, and paper can be stacked by opening the upper lid or by operating a lowering switch after opening the lid.
Further, in this embodiment, the paper feeding device has an opening at the top of the paper feeding device, and has a plurality of divided lids to cover the opening, and each lid has a rotatable fulcrum at the end. , only the downstream lid is open, the downstream lid and the upstream lid are open, the downstream lid and the upstream lid are open, and the paper straddles the lid and the elevating tray. It has a control means that changes the lowerable position of the elevating tray in each of the stacked states, so that long sheets can be stacked.
By controlling the open state of the open lid and the lowering position limit of the elevating tray, it is possible to create a loading state according to the paper size used by the user, and the user's paper loading state is also reflected in the lowering position of the elevating tray. This makes it possible to prevent paper folding, wrinkles, etc. due to user's erroneous operations, and also to improve user operability.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiments, appropriate changes to the embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Image forming device 2 Paper feeding device 2A Paper feeding device body 2B Opening 4 External device 14 Operation panel 15 Image forming section 20 Paper feeding tray 21 Elevating section 22 Downstream divided lid 23 Upstream divided lid 24 Lowering switch 25 Paper feeding section 26 Paper detection section 27 Tray height detection section 200 Control section

The present invention has been made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to take a first state and a second state by a user's operation, and the image forming medium loading section in the first state can be lowered to the first position. and the image forming medium stacking section in the second state can be lowered to a second position higher than the first position. One of the purposes of this lowering range is to provide a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus that are wider than the possible lowering range of the image forming medium loading section in the second state .

That is, the first form of the paper feeding device of the present invention is as follows:
A paper feeding device that stores and feeds an image forming medium ,
A paper feeder main body,
an image forming medium stacking section provided in the paper feeding device main body and stacking image forming media;
an elevating section that raises and lowers the image forming medium stacking section;
Equipped with
The paper feeding device main body is configured to be in a first state for stacking an image forming medium that fits within the paper feeding device on the image forming medium stacking section, and to be in a state that fits within the paper feeding device and in the first state according to a user operation. a second state in which an image forming medium that is longer in the paper feeding direction than the image forming medium stacked in the state is stacked on the image forming medium stacking section;
The image forming medium stack in the first state can be lowered to a first position, and the image forming medium stack in the second state can be lowered to a second position higher than the first position. It is characterized by being possible .

Another type of paper feeding device is a paper feeding device that stores and feeds an image forming medium, and includes:
A paper feeder main body,
an image forming medium stacking section provided in the paper feeding device main body and stacking image forming media;
an elevating section that raises and lowers the image forming medium stacking section;
Equipped with
The paper feeding device main body is configured to be in a first state for stacking an image forming medium that fits within the paper feeding device on the image forming medium stacking section, and to be in a state that fits within the paper feeding device and in the first state according to a user operation. a second state in which an image forming medium that is longer in the paper feeding direction than the image forming medium stacked in the state is stacked on the image forming medium stacking section;
A possible lowering range of the image forming medium loading section in the first state is wider than a possible lowering range of the image forming medium loading section in the second state.

In another form of the paper feeding device, in the above-mentioned form of the present invention, the paper feeding device main body has an opening at the top;
an upstream divided lid located on the upstream side in the transport direction and a downstream divided lid located on the downstream side in the transport direction, which partially or completely closes the opening;
The first state is a state in which only the downstream divided lid is open due to the first user operation that opens only the downstream divided lid, and the second state is a state in which only the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid are opened. The device is characterized in that the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid are opened by the second user operation to open the lid .

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it has a lid opening/closing detection section that detects opening/closing of the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid .

In the paper feeding device of the above-mentioned form, the elevating portion is configured to rise from the first state or the second state to a paper feeding position where the image forming medium is fed. It is characterized by having the said control part which controls .

In another form of the paper feeding device, in the above form of the present invention, the length of the image forming medium in the paper feeding direction, which is longer in the paper feeding direction than in the first state, is 430 mm or more.

In another form of the paper feeding device, in the above form of the present invention, the length of the image forming medium in the paper feeding direction, which is longer in the paper feeding direction than in the first state, is 430 mm or more.

Another aspect of the paper feeding device according to the aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the elevating section includes a drive motor .

Another form of the paper feeding device according to the above form of the present invention is characterized in that it has a paper feeding roller that feeds the image forming medium .

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming section that forms an image on an image forming medium;
The present invention is characterized by comprising the paper feeding device according to any one of the above embodiments .
Another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus is, in the invention of the above aspect, an image forming apparatus main body having the image forming section and a paper feeding section main body tray for storing an image forming medium;
characterized by comprising the above-mentioned paper feeding device,

According to the present invention, the first state and the second state are assumed by a user operation, the image forming medium loading section in the first state can be lowered to the first position, and the image forming medium stacking section in the second state can be lowered to the first state. The medium stacking section can be lowered to a second position that is higher than the first position. It becomes possible to provide a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus that are wider than the possible lowering range of the image forming medium stacking section in the above .

Claims (20)

A paper feeding device that stores and feeds a transfer medium,
a sheet feeder main body having an opening at the top, and an upstream divided lid located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction and a downstream divided lid located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, which closes part or all of the opening;
a paper feed tray provided in the paper feed device main body and loaded with a transfer medium;
an elevating unit for elevating and lowering the paper feed tray;
A control unit that controls the elevation of the elevating unit,
The paper feeding device is characterized in that the control section detects opening/closing of the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid, and controls the raising and lowering of the elevating section based on the detection results. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the control section sets a position at which the paper feeding tray can be lowered by the elevating section based on the detection result. The downstream divided lid has a structure in which a part of the elongated transfer medium, which is stacked on the upper part of the paper feed tray and is longer than the storage length of the paper feed tray, can be placed thereon so as to be able to feed the paper. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 3. The paper feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the control section sets at least an intermediate position and a lower end position as the lowerable positions. 5. The paper feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate position is based on an upper stacking height of transfer media stacked on the paper feeding tray. 6. The paper feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the intermediate position is at a height when the elongated transfer medium is loaded. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the control unit sets a standby position as the lowerable position. When the downstream divided lid is open and the upstream divided lid is closed, the control unit sets the lower limit possible position of the paper feed tray to the lower end position of the paper feed tray, and The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the lower limit possible position of the paper feeding tray is set to the intermediate position when the lid and the downstream divided lid are open. The feeder according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the control unit sets the height of the intermediate position depending on the type of transfer medium placed on the upstream divided lid. paper equipment. 10. The paper feeding device according to claim 9, wherein the type of the transfer medium is basis weight. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the detection result further includes whether or not a transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a transfer medium detection section that detects placement of a transfer medium on the upstream divided lid. The feeder according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the control unit prohibits the paper feed tray from lowering when it is detected that the transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid. paper equipment. The control unit, when it is detected that the transfer medium is placed on the upstream divided lid, prohibits the paper feeding operation when the downstream divided lid is open. The paper feeding device according to any one of items 11 to 13. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the divided lid comprises a double door or a sliding door. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising a tray height detection section that detects the height of the paper feeding tray. 17. The paper feeding device according to claim 16, wherein the tray height detection section performs detection based on the height of the upper stack of transfer media on the paper feeding tray. The paper feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid have a structure in which the downstream divided lid opens preferentially. Device. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the downstream divided lid has a portion that overlaps with the upstream divided lid so as to be positioned above the upstream divided lid when closed. Equipped with a paper feeding device that stores and feeds the transfer medium,
The paper feeding device has an opening at the top, and a paper feeding device main body including an upstream divided lid located at the upstream side in the conveying direction and a downstream divided lid located at the downstream side in the conveying direction, which are located in the opening. ,
a paper feed tray provided in the paper feed device main body and loaded with a transfer medium;
an elevating section for elevating and lowering the paper feed tray;
It has a control unit that controls the elevation of the elevating unit,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the control section detects opening/closing of the upstream divided lid and the downstream divided lid, and controls the raising and lowering of the elevating section based on the detection results.

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