JP2591660Y2 - Drive coupling device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive coupling device for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer having a unit which can be pulled out of the apparatus main body. And a drive coupling device of the type that is coupled to a drive gear.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some components in an image forming apparatus, for example, a sheet feeding device, a developing device, a cleaning device, and a fixing device are configured as a unit and can be pulled out to an apparatus main body. Maintenance or repair work is simplified. As a driving device for this type of device, a configuration in which the drawable unit itself is provided with its own independent driving source, and a configuration in which a passive unit of the unit is connected to a driving unit of the device main body to obtain driving force when the unit is mounted. Is known. In particular, the latter can minimize the number of driving sources, and therefore, can reduce the size and cost of the apparatus, which is advantageous.

[0003] The conventional latter device includes a drive gear device provided on the device main body and a passive gear device provided on the unit and connected to the drive gear when the unit is mounted. The drive gear device (or the passive gear device) includes a pivot member rotatably provided on the apparatus main body (or the unit), and a drive gear provided on the pivot member so as to mesh with the passive gear (or the drive gear). (Or a passive gear), and the passive gear meshes with the drive gear with the mounting operation of the unit. Such a conventional configuration has an advantage that proper meshing between the driving gear and the passive gear can be easily obtained.

[0004]

By the way, in an image forming apparatus, for example, a paper feed roller for feeding a roll paper, or the like, is required to rotate the paper feed roller forward or reverse for feeding or rewinding the roll paper. You. Such forward / reverse rotation can be performed by switching the rotation direction of the drive gear. However, in the above-described conventional coupling device, when the drive gear rotates in the reverse direction, the rotational force acts in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the pivot member. As a result, the drive gear (or the passive gear) is raised to make the engagement with the passive gear (or the drive gear) shallow or loose, which causes inconveniences such as poor connection and damage to the teeth.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a passive gear provided in a unit which can be pulled out of the apparatus main body, and which is attached to the apparatus main body. In a drive coupling device of a type that meshes with a forward-reversely rotatable drive gear device provided in the device, the drive gear device includes a pivot member pivotally supported by a device main body, and the pivot member includes the pivot shaft. A driving gear rotatably supported at a deviated position and meshing with the passive gear when the unit is mounted, and a biasing member for urging the pivoting member to pivot the driving gear in a direction meshing with the passive gear. A biasing means, and a regulating member which is provided to be swingable on the pivoting member and is positioned so as to be in contact with or close to an engaging portion formed on the unit when the unit is mounted, and the regulating member is provided with the engaging portion. By contact From said urging direction to restrict the pivoting of backward pivoting member.

Further, the passive gear device is provided with a pivot member rotatably supported by a unit, a rotatably supported by the pivot member at a position deviated from the pivot, and the passive gear device when the unit is mounted. A passive gear meshing with the drive gear, biasing means for biasing the pivot member so as to pivot the passive gear in a direction meshing with the drive gear, and a swingable member provided on the pivot member; It may be constituted by an engaging portion formed on the apparatus main body at the time of mounting and a restricting member positioned to be able to contact or approach.

[0007]

In such a configuration, when the driving gear rotates in the reverse direction and a force acts on the pivoting member in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned biasing direction, that is, in a direction for lifting the engagement between the driving gear and the passive gear, the regulating member is actuated. It comes into contact with the engaging portion to prevent this floating. Further, since the restricting member is provided so as to be swingable, even when the restricting member collides with the engaging portion when the unit is pulled out or mounted, the restricting member acts to get over the engaging portion and escape.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an image forming apparatus 1 into which a drive connection device according to the present invention can be incorporated. The apparatus includes a roll paper feed unit 2 disposed on the front side (right side in FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body, an image forming unit 3 disposed at the center, a fixing unit 4 disposed at the rear, and a transfer material discharge. A document transport unit 6 and an optical projection unit 7 disposed at the top of the unit 5; As is well known, a document conveyed by the document conveying unit 6 is an optical projection unit 7.
Is projected onto the photosensitive drum of the image forming unit 3 and a toner image corresponding to the document is formed in the image forming unit. This toner image is transferred onto a transfer sheet supplied from a roll sheet feeding unit, is fixed, and is discharged by a discharge unit 5.
The roll paper feeding unit 2, the image forming unit 3, the fixing unit 4, and the optical projection unit 7 are each unitized and provided so as to be drawn out or detached from the apparatus main body.

Although the present invention can be applied to each paper feed unit, the present invention will be described by taking the paper feed unit 2 as an example. The paper supply unit 2 includes paper supply units 25 to 27 having roll papers 21 to 24 of different sizes loaded therein, and each paper supply unit is independently provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body and pulled out. Roll paper can be loaded in this state. A pair of paper feed rollers 28 to 31 is provided corresponding to each roll paper, and feeds the roll paper while unwinding the roll paper by its forward rotation. As illustrated, each roll paper is sent to the image forming unit 3 through a common path. For this reason, it is required that the roll paper of an unused size be pulled back so as to retreat from the common path, and the paper feed roller pairs 28 to 31 are provided so as to be reversible for this pullback. On the other hand, since the paper is slackened between the roll paper and the pair of paper feed rollers due to the retraction, the roll paper itself is reversely rotated to rewind the paper.

[0010] The drive coupling device according to the present invention is useful for such a pair of sheet feeding rollers and the normal and reverse rotation of the sheet feeding rollers.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the coupling device 50 includes a driving gear device 52 provided in the device main body and a sheet feeding unit (25).
To 27).

The passive gear 51 is fixed to an axial end of a shaft 53 rotatably supported by a side plate of the unit, and rotates in either forward or reverse direction by receiving a drive from a drive gear described later. Reference numeral 54 denotes one of the pair of sheet feeding rollers (28 to 31), which is fixed to the axial center of the shaft 53 and rotates integrally with the passive gear. The passive gear 51 and the paper feed roller 54 are pulled out together with the unit 25 in the direction of arrow A, and mounted in the direction of arrow B. The unit 25 is provided with a pin 67 that functions as an engagement portion described later.

The drive gear unit 52 has a pivot member 57 provided on the apparatus main body so as to be pivotable by a shaft 56. A portion of the pivot member 57 in the mounting direction offset from the shaft 56 has a unit A drive gear 58 that meshes with the passive gear 51 of the unit when mounted, and a roller 59 that forms a paper feed roller pair in cooperation with the roller 54 of the unit are provided rotatably by shafts 61 and 62, respectively. The pivoting member 57 is urged by urging means such as a tension spring 63 so as to pivot in the direction in which the drive gear 58 meshes with the passive gear 51, that is, in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. This pivoting in the counterclockwise direction is restricted by the abutment of the part of the rocking member against an appropriate stopper, that is, the driving gear 58 is restricted to an optimal position for meshing with the passive gear 51, and more excessively than that. It is forbidden to be located in

As described above, the driving gear 58 is securely engaged with the passive gear 51 by the action of the pivoting member urged as described above, and transmits the rotation thereof. The driving of the driving gear 58
Through a transmission gear 64 provided so as to mesh with. The transmission gear 64 is supported by a pivot 56, and is connected to a drive source (not shown) that can be rotated forward and backward. Accordingly, the drive gear 58 and the passive gear 51 rotate forward and backward according to the forward and reverse drive of the drive source.

In the rotation of the drive gear 58 in the forward direction C, the drive gear 58 acts so as to float up from the passive gear 51, that is, to drive clockwise about the pivot 56. Such lifting causes poor meshing between the teeth, causing malfunction and damage to the teeth. In order to prevent this, the spring 63 may have a strong tensile force, but it is not practical because it requires a considerably large force.

For this reason, the driving gear 58 around the pivot 56
In a position on the opposite side to the above, a regulating member 65 is swingably provided on the pivoting member 57 by the shaft 66. The regulating member 65 is normally suspended by its own weight or by a suitable spring means (not shown) as shown in FIG. 2, and its lower end arc is provided on the unit 25 when the unit 25 is mounted. It is provided so as to be in contact with or very close to the engaging portion 67. With such a configuration, the regulating member 65 is brought into contact with the engagement portion 67,
This restricts the pivotal movement of the pivoting member 57 in the clockwise direction, so that even if a force acts in a direction that causes the gear to rise due to the rotation of the driving gear 58, the regulating member 65 prevents this, and the gears are sufficiently engaged. Hold.

Since the regulating member 65 is provided so as to be swingable as described above, the restricting member 65 is attached to the engaging portion 57 of the apparatus main body or other devices and members when the unit 25 is mounted.
In the case of a collision, it is possible to freely move so as to avoid the member and the like, and to avoid damage to them.

In the above-described example, a configuration has been described in which the pivoting member and the regulating member are provided on the apparatus main body side, and the driving gear provided on the pivoting member meshes with the passive gear fixed on the unit side. Conversely, the pivoting member and the regulating member may be provided on the unit side, and the drive gear may be provided on the apparatus main body side. That is, in this case, the gear 51 functions as a driving gear provided on the apparatus main body, and the gear 58 functions as a passive gear provided on a pivot member of the unit.

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, an effective meshing between gears can be obtained and maintained with a small number of parts without the need for a guide device having a particularly high guiding accuracy. , The mechanism can be simplified and simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the drive transmission mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the mechanism of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 50 coupling device 51 passive gear 52 drive gear device 57 pivot member

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F16H 1/20 F16H 57/12 G03G 15/00 B65H 3/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A drive coupling device of the type in which a passive gear provided on a unit that can be pulled out with respect to an apparatus main body is engaged with a forward / reversely rotatable drive gear device provided on the apparatus main body in accordance with the mounting operation of the unit. The drive gear device includes a pivot member pivotally supported by the apparatus main body, and a rotatable pivotally supported by the pivot member at a position deviated from the pivot and the passive gear when the unit is mounted. A driving gear that meshes, biasing means for biasing the pivoting member so as to pivot in a direction in which the driving gear meshes with the passive gear, and a swinging member provided on the pivoting member, the unit being mounted when the unit is mounted. A restricting member positioned to be in contact with or close to an engaging portion formed in the pivot portion of the pivoting member in a direction opposite to the urging direction by the contact with the engaging portion. Is characterized by regulating Drive coupling device. 2. A passive gear device provided in a unit that can be pulled out with respect to the device main body, with the mounting operation of the unit,
In a drive coupling device of the type that meshes with a forward / reversely rotatable drive gear provided on a device main body, the passive gear device includes a pivot member pivotally supported by the unit and a pivot shaft attached to the pivot member. A passive gear rotatably supported at a position deviated from the drive gear and meshing with the drive gear when the unit is mounted, and biasing the pivoting member to pivot the passive gear in a direction meshing with the drive gear. An urging means, and a regulating member provided so as to be swingable on the pivoting member and positioned so as to be in contact with or close to an engaging portion formed on the apparatus main body when the unit is mounted. A drive coupling device for restricting pivotal movement of a pivotal member in a direction opposite to the urging direction by abutting on the portion.