JP3860152B2 - Composite paper feeding unit and image forming apparatus provided with the composite paper feeding unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feed unit provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, and an image forming apparatus provided with the paper feed unit. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement for reducing the installation space of an image forming apparatus and reducing the occurrence frequency of paper jam.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions, paper is fed to an image forming unit (printing unit) including a photosensitive drum. A paper feed cassette and a manual feed tray are provided as recording paper storage units (loading units). For example, when several hundred sheets of recording paper are stored in the paper cassette and image formation is performed on the recording paper, the recording paper is sequentially taken out from the paper cassette and fed to the image forming unit. Done. On the other hand, when the user places a recording paper (for example, a postcard) on the manual feed tray and starts an image forming operation, the recording paper on the manual feed tray is fed to the image forming unit.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose an image forming apparatus including the paper feed cassette and the manual feed tray. As disclosed in these patent documents, until now, generally, a paper feed cassette is provided at the bottom of the apparatus, and a paper feed path extends from the paper discharge side of the paper feed cassette to the image forming unit. Is provided. The manual feed tray is attached to the side wall of the image forming apparatus, and communicates with the middle portion of the paper feed path via a paper drawing mechanism for taking out the recording paper on the manual feed tray.

FIG. 7 shows an outline of the internal configuration of a conventional general copying machine. In FIG. 7, a is a paper feed cassette, b is a manual feed tray, c is an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum, d is a paper feed path extending from the paper feed cassette a, and e is a manual feed tray b. This is a paper drawing mechanism for taking out the recording paper.
JP 2001-138576 A JP 2001-333249 A

  As described above, as can be seen from FIG. 7, the layout of the paper feed system when the paper feed cassette a is provided at the bottom of the image forming apparatus and the manual feed tray b is provided at the side wall of the image forming apparatus. A paper feeding mechanism e corresponding to the manual feed tray b is arranged on the side (side wall side of the apparatus) of the paper feed path d extending from the cassette a toward the image forming section c, and the manual feed tray b is arranged on the side. Will be. In other words, the paper feeding mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are sequentially arranged on the side of the paper feed path d toward the outside in the horizontal direction, and because of their presence, the installation space of the image forming apparatus is compact. There was a limit to making it possible. In the case of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the installation space for the apparatus is only the dimension I in the drawing except for the manual feed tray b and the paper call-in mechanism e. Since the mechanism e exists, the installation space for the apparatus requires the dimension II.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a paper feed cassette is arranged at the lower part of the apparatus, and a document reading unit (scanner unit) is arranged at the upper part. In order to reduce the installation space of the apparatus, a tray is provided so that the discharge tray does not protrude to the side of the apparatus.

  FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus laid out in this way. Also in FIG. 8, a is a paper feed cassette, b is a manual feed tray, c is an image forming unit, d is a paper feed path, and e is a paper feeding mechanism. Even in the image forming apparatus laid out in this way, the paper drawing mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are sequentially arranged in the peripheral part of the side wall of the apparatus in the horizontal direction. There was a limit to making the space compact.

  In particular, in such a layout, a reverse conveyance path (switchback conveyance path) f for reversing the recording paper when performing double-sided printing must be arranged on the side of the paper feed path d. When the paper drawing mechanism e and the manual feed tray b are arranged to be further to the side than the reversal conveyance path f, the installation space for the apparatus is correspondingly increased. The actual situation is that the merit of reducing the installation space cannot be fully utilized by (the layout in which the paper discharge tray does not protrude to the side of the apparatus). In FIG. 8 as well, the necessary installation space when the manual feed tray b and the paper call-in mechanism e are removed is indicated by I, and the installation space required for the apparatus because the manual feed tray b and the paper call-in mechanism e exist is shown. This is indicated by II.

  Further, in the image forming apparatuses so far, as the paper feed path, the merging position between the transport path of the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette and the transport path of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray is provided. It is set immediately upstream of the image forming unit, and the length of the paper feed path as a whole of the image forming apparatus is long, and accordingly, the configuration inside the apparatus main body is complicated and there are many places where paper jams can occur, It was difficult to reduce the frequency of paper jams.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to improve the paper feed cassette, thereby reducing the installation space of the image forming apparatus and reducing the occurrence frequency of paper jams. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding cassette that can be realized and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding cassette.

-Summary of invention-
In order to achieve the above object, the solution means of the present invention comprises a mechanism unit functioning as a sheet feeding cassette and a mechanism unit functioning as a manual feed tray as a unit to form a composite sheet feeding unit. is doing. As a result, the paper feed cassette and the manual feed tray can be arranged on substantially the same plane (for example, provided at the bottom of the image forming apparatus), and a conveyance path (paper feed) extending from the paper feed cassette toward the image forming unit. It is possible to place a manual feed tray below the path). Further, according to this composite type paper feeding unit, the path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism and the path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the manual paper feeding mechanism are in the same unit. Since they exist, these paths can be merged inside the unit, and the length of each path can be shortened.

-Solution-
Specifically, the present invention relates to a sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit that is attached to the lower side of an image forming unit in an image forming apparatus and can store a recording medium for image formation in the image forming unit, and a recording medium by a user It is premised on a composite type paper feeding unit in which a manual paper feeding mechanism section capable of mounting the above is housed in a unit casing and configured as one unit . A first path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism unit, a second path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism unit, and these paths to the composite type paper feeding unit The unit casing is provided with a joining path extending toward the image forming unit after joining together, and a downstream end in the recording medium transport direction in the first path and a downstream end in the recording medium transport direction in the second path The position of the merging point with respect to each merging path is located inside the unit casing below the mating surface position between the upper end of the unit casing and the lower end of the image forming unit.

  Due to this specific matter, when an image is formed on a recording medium previously stored in the paper feeding cassette mechanism, the recording media are sequentially taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism and supplied to the image forming unit. Paper is performed, and a predetermined image forming operation is executed in the image forming unit. On the other hand, when the user places a recording medium (for example, a postcard) on the manual paper feed mechanism unit and starts an image forming operation, the recording medium on the manual paper feed mechanism unit feeds the image forming unit. Then, a predetermined image forming operation is executed.

  In the present solution, the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit and the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit are integrated to form a composite sheet feeding unit, so that the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit and the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit are arranged on substantially the same plane. It becomes possible to arrange in. For this reason, for example, when the composite-type paper feeding unit is disposed at the lowermost part of the image forming apparatus, the manual paper feeding mechanism can be positioned below the conveyance path extending toward the image forming part. Become. Conventionally, since the transport path, the manual feed tray, and the paper drawing mechanism for taking out the recording medium from the manual feed tray are arranged in the horizontal direction, the installation space for the apparatus is large (see FIG. 7). According to the present solution, the conveyance path and the manual paper feed mechanism can be arranged at positions overlapping in the vertical direction (see FIG. 1), and as a result, the size of the image forming apparatus can be shortened. Thus, the installation space can be made compact.

In addition, the recording medium taken out from any of the paper feeding cassette mechanism and the manual paper feeding mechanism passes through the merge path provided in the composite type paper feeding unit, and then enters the image forming apparatus main body side. The image forming unit is introduced into the provided path to reach the image forming unit, and image formation is performed in the image forming unit. That is, there is only one path for discharging the recording medium from the composite type paper feed unit to the image forming unit, and there are two paths for the paper feed cassette and the manual feed tray on the image forming apparatus main body side. No longer needed. For this reason, the length of the conveyance path of the entire image forming apparatus can be shortened, and not only the configuration inside the apparatus main body can be simplified, but also the number of occurrences of paper jam can be reduced and the paper jam can be reduced. The occurrence frequency can be reduced.

  Specifically, the following configuration is listed as a mechanism for taking out the recording medium from each mechanism unit. In other words, each of the paper feed cassette mechanism unit and the manual paper feed mechanism unit is provided with a paper take-out mechanism and a paper removal mechanism for taking out only one recording medium.

  Due to this specific matter, when a recording medium is taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism, a paper take-out mechanism (for example, a pickup roller) and a paper roll mechanism (for example, a roll roller and a roll plate) provided in the paper feed cassette mechanism. Is driven, and only one recording medium is taken out from the sheet feeding cassette mechanism. On the other hand, when a recording medium is taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism, the paper take-out mechanism and paper feeding mechanism provided in the manual paper feed mechanism are driven, and a single recording medium is driven from the manual paper feed mechanism. Only is taken out. In this way, by providing each of the paper feeding mechanism sections with a mechanism for taking out a dedicated recording medium, the recording medium can be taken out stably and quickly.

  A specific configuration of the manual sheet feeding mechanism will be described below. First, a manual feed mechanism unit is provided with a manual tray on which a recording medium is placed by a user. When the manual feed mechanism unit is not used, the manual feed tray is folded in a plurality of stages and stored in the unit side part. Yes. As a result, when the manual feed mechanism is not in use, the manual feed tray does not protrude greatly to the side of the apparatus, the appearance of the apparatus is improved, and problems associated with dust accumulating on the manual feed tray (dust Intruding into the transport path and hindering image formation).

  In addition, the manual feed tray constitutes the side wall of the composite type paper feeding unit in the stored state, while the recording medium conveyance path is opened in a state where the manual feeding tray is unfolded and the recording medium can be placed. That is, this manual feed tray also has a function as a member constituting the unit side wall. For this reason, the number of parts can be reduced. Further, since the recording medium conveyance path is opened simultaneously with the development of the manual feed tray and the recording medium conveyance path is closed simultaneously with the storage of the manual feed tray, workability at the start and end of use of the manual feed tray is good.

  Further, in a state where the manual feed tray is unfolded and the recording medium can be placed, the manual feed tray is configured to be extended in a plurality of stages. That is, the manual feed tray can be extended according to the size of the recording medium to be loaded, and it is possible to apply recording media of a plurality of types of sizes to the manual paper feed mechanism.

  In addition, the manual feed tray is provided with a guide member that regulates the placement position of the recording medium by coming into contact with an end edge extending in the transport direction of the placed recording medium. The guide member is slidably supported on the manual feed tray. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent skew when the recording medium is conveyed toward the paper feed path, and it is possible to form an image at an appropriate position on the recording medium, thereby improving the reliability of the image forming apparatus. be able to.

  Further, the following configuration is adopted as a countermeasure when a paper jam occurs. That is, the manual sheet feeding mechanism is configured to be slidable so as to open the recording medium conveyance path in the unit. As a result, when a stagnation of the recording medium (paper jam) occurs in the recording medium conveyance path in the unit, the recording medium conveyance path is opened by sliding the manual feed mechanism to slide the recording medium The medium can be taken out.

  According to this specific matter, when a paper jam occurs in the composite type paper feeding unit, the recording paper can be recorded by simply sliding the manual paper feeding mechanism (side pull-out operation). The recording medium (jam paper) stagnated in the medium conveyance path will face the outside of the apparatus, and the jam paper removal operation can be easily performed, thereby speeding up the return of the image forming operation. it can.

  Note that an image forming apparatus provided with any one of the above-described solving means is also within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. That is, the image forming apparatus is configured to form an image on a recording medium supplied to the image forming unit from either the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit or the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit.

  In the present invention, a mechanism unit functioning as a sheet feeding cassette and a mechanism unit functioning as a manual feed tray are integrated into a unit to constitute a composite sheet feeding unit. As a result, the manual sheet feeding mechanism can be arranged at a position overlapping in the vertical direction with respect to the conveyance path extending toward the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus, and as a result, the size of the image forming apparatus is shortened. This makes it possible to reduce the installation space.

  Further, according to this composite type paper feed unit, the path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism and the path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism are merged inside the unit. It is possible to reduce the length of each path. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the length of the recording medium conveyance path as a whole of the apparatus, and it is possible to stably perform the image forming operation of the apparatus by reducing the number of possible paper jams.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a multifunction machine having a copy function, a print function, and a facsimile function.

-Description of overall configuration of MFP-
FIG. 1 schematically shows the internal configuration of a multifunction machine 1 as an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a scanner unit 2, a printing unit 3 as an image forming unit, and an automatic document feeder 4. Hereinafter, each part will be described.

<Description of Scanner Unit 2>
The scanner unit 2 reads image of a document placed on a document table 41 made of transparent glass or the like, or a document image fed one by one by the document automatic sheet feeding unit 4 to generate image data. It is. The scanner unit 2 includes an exposure light source 21, a plurality of reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24, an imaging lens 25, and a photoelectric conversion device (CCD: Charge Coupled Device) 26.

  The exposure light source 21 emits light to a document placed on the document table 41 of the automatic document feeder 4 or a document conveyed through the automatic document feeder 4. Each reflecting mirror 22, 23, 24 reflects the reflected light from the document once in the left direction in the drawing, as shown by an alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. Reflected in the right direction in the figure so as to go to 25.

  As a document image reading operation, when a document is placed on the document table 41 (when used as a “sheet fixing method”), the exposure light source 21 and the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 are connected to the document table 41. The image of the entire document is read by scanning in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when reading a document conveyed by the automatic document feeder 4 (when used as a “sheet moving method”), the exposure light source 21 and the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 are fixed at the positions shown in FIG. Then, the image is read when the document passes through a document reading unit 42 of the automatic document feeder 4 described later.

  The light reflected by the reflecting mirrors 22, 23, 24 and passing through the imaging lens 25 is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 26, and the reflected light is converted into an electric signal (original image data) by the photoelectric conversion element 26. It is like that.

<Description of Print Unit 3>
The print unit 3 includes an image forming system 31 and a paper transport system 32.

  The image forming system 31 includes a laser scanning unit 31a and a photosensitive drum 31b as a drum-type image carrier. The laser scanning unit 31a irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b with laser light based on the document image data converted by the photoelectric conversion element 26. The photosensitive drum 31b rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b by being irradiated with laser light from the laser scanning unit 31a.

  In addition to the laser scanning unit 31a, a developing device (developing mechanism) 31c, a transfer unit 31d constituting the transfer mechanism, a cleaning device (cleaning mechanism) 31e, and a static eliminator (not shown) are provided around the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 31b. The charging units 31f are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction. The developing device 31c develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b into a visible image with toner (visualizing substance). The transfer unit 31d transfers a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b onto a recording paper P as a recording medium. The cleaning device 31e removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b after the toner transfer. The static eliminator removes residual charges on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b. The charging unit 31f charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b before the electrostatic latent image is formed to a predetermined potential.

  Therefore, when an image is formed on the recording paper P, the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is charged to a predetermined potential by the charging unit 31f, and the laser scanning unit 31a emits laser light based on the document image data to the photosensitive drum. Irradiate the surface of 31b. Thereafter, the developing device 31c develops a visible image with toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b, and the toner image is transferred onto the recording paper P by the transfer unit 31d. Further, after that, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is removed by the cleaning device 31e, and the residual charge on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b is removed by the static eliminator. Thereby, one cycle of the image forming operation (printing operation) on the recording paper P is completed. By repeating this cycle, it is possible to continuously form images on a plurality of recording sheets P.

  On the other hand, the paper transport system 32 transports the recording paper P of the paper feed cassette mechanism unit 6 or the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 provided in the composite type paper feed unit 5 to be described later one by one by the image forming system 31. In addition to performing image formation, the recording paper P on which the image has been formed is discharged to a paper discharge tray 35 as a paper discharge portion.

  The paper transport system 32 includes a main transport path 36 and a reverse transport path 37. The main conveyance path 36 has one end facing the discharge side of the composite paper feeding unit 5 and the other end facing the discharge tray 35. One end of the reverse conveyance path 37 is connected to the main conveyance path 36 on the upstream side (lower side in the drawing) of the transfer unit 31d, and the other end is downstream of the transfer unit 31d. (Upper side in the figure) is connected to the main transport path 36. In this embodiment, a part of the reverse conveyance path 37 passes through the inside of the composite type paper feeding unit 5. For this reason, a guide member 37 b for forming the reverse conveyance path 37 is provided in the composite type paper feeding unit 5.

  The recording paper P can be intermittently fed to the printing unit 3 one by one from any one of the mechanism units 6 and 7 by driving the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 or the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7. It has become.

  A registration roller 51 provided in the composite type paper feeding unit 5 is disposed upstream of the position where the transfer unit 31 d is disposed in the main conveyance path 36. The registration roller 51 conveys the recording paper P while aligning the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31b with the recording paper P. A fixing device 39 including a pair of fixing rollers 39a and 39b for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording paper P by heating is disposed downstream of the position where the transfer unit 31d is disposed in the main conveyance path 36. It is installed. Further, a discharge roller 36 e for discharging the recording paper P to the paper discharge tray 35 is disposed at the downstream end of the main transport path 36.

  A branching claw 38 is disposed at a connection position at the upstream end of the reverse conveyance path 37 with respect to the main conveyance path 36. The branch claw 38 is rotated about the horizontal axis between the first position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the second position that rotates counterclockwise from the first position to open the reverse conveyance path 37. It is free to rotate. When the branching claw 38 is at the first position, the recording paper P is conveyed toward the paper discharge tray 35, and when it is at the second position, the recording paper P can be supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37. A conveyance roller 37a is disposed in the reverse conveyance path 37, and when the recording paper P is supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37 (when the recording paper P is supplied to the reverse conveyance path 37 by so-called switchback conveyance). The recording paper P is transported by the transport roller 37a, and the recording paper P is reversed upstream of the registration roller 51 and transported again through the main transport path 36 toward the transfer unit 31d. That is, an image can be formed on the back surface of the recording paper P.

<Description of Automatic Document Feeder 4>
Next, the automatic document feeder 4 will be described. The automatic document feeder 4 is configured as a so-called automatic duplex document feeder. The automatic document feeder 4 can be used as a sheet moving type, and includes a document tray 43 as an original placement unit, an intermediate tray 44, a document discharge tray 45 as a document discharge unit, and trays 43, 44, A document transport system 46 is provided for transporting a document between 45.

  The document transport system 46 includes a main transport path 47 for transporting a document placed on the document tray 43 to the intermediate tray 44 or the document discharge tray 45 via the document reading unit 42, and the document on the intermediate tray 44. And a sub-transport path 48 for supplying the main transport path 47 to the main transport path 47.

  A document pickup roller 47a and a separating roller 47b are disposed at the upstream end of the main conveyance path 47 (a portion facing the discharge side of the document tray 43). A separation plate 47c is disposed below the separation roller 47b, and one of the documents on the document tray 43 is placed between the separation roller 47b and the separation plate 47c as the document pickup roller 47a rotates. Is fed to the main transport path 47. PS rollers 47e and 47e are disposed on the downstream side of the joining portion (B portion in the figure) of the main transport path 47 and the sub transport path 48. The PS rollers 47 e and 47 e adjust the leading edge of the document and the image reading timing of the scanner unit 2 and supply the document to the document reading unit 42. That is, the PS rollers 47e and 47e temporarily stop the conveyance of the document while the document is supplied, and adjust the timing to supply the document to the document reading unit 42.

  The document reading unit 42 includes a platen glass 42a and a document pressing plate 42b. When the document supplied from the PS rollers 47e and 47e passes between the platen glass 42a and the document pressing plate 42b, the exposure light source 21 is provided. Is irradiated to the original through the platen glass 42a. At this time, the document image data is acquired by the scanner unit 2. A biasing force by a coil spring (not shown) is applied to the back surface (upper surface) of the document pressing plate 42b. Thereby, the document pressing plate 42b is in contact with the platen glass 42a with a predetermined pressing force, and prevents the document from floating from the platen glass 42a when passing the document reading unit 42.

  On the downstream side of the platen glass 42a, a conveyance roller 47f and a document discharge roller 47g are provided. The document that has passed over the platen glass 42a is discharged to the intermediate tray 44 or the document discharge tray 45 through the transport roller 47f and the document discharge roller 47g.

  An intermediate tray swinging plate 44 a is disposed between the document discharge roller 47 g and the intermediate tray 44. The intermediate tray swinging plate 44a swings between a position 1 indicated by a solid line in the figure and a position 2 that is flipped upward from the position 1 with the end on the intermediate tray 44 side being the center of swinging. It is possible. When the intermediate tray swinging plate 44 a is at position 2, the document discharged from the document discharge roller 47 g is collected to the document discharge tray 45. On the other hand, when the intermediate tray swinging plate 44a is at the position 1, the document discharged from the document discharge roller 47g is discharged to the intermediate tray 44. When the sheet is discharged onto the intermediate tray 44, the edge of the document is sandwiched between the document discharge rollers 47g and 47g. It is supplied to the transport path 48 and is sent again to the main transport path 47 via the sub-transport path 48. The reverse rotation operation of the document discharge roller 47g is performed by adjusting the document delivery to the main conveyance path 47 and the image reading timing. Thus, the image on the back side of the document is read by the document reading unit 42.

-Basic operation of MFP-
As an operation of the MFP 1 configured as described above, first, when the MFP 1 functions as a printer, it receives print data (image data or text data) transmitted from a host device such as a personal computer. The received print data (print data) is temporarily stored in a buffer (memory) (not shown). Along with storing the print data in the buffer, the print data is sequentially read from the buffer, and based on the read print data, an image is formed on the recording paper P by the image forming operation of the print unit 3 described above.

  When the multifunction machine 1 functions as a scanner, scanned image data of a document read by the scanner unit 2 is temporarily stored in a buffer. Along with storing the scan image data in the buffer, the scan image data is sequentially transmitted from the buffer to the host device, and the image is displayed on the display or the like of the host device. When the multifunction machine 1 functions as a facsimile, the transmission destination of the scanned image data is a general public line.

  Further, when the multifunction machine 1 functions as a copying machine, an image is formed on the recording paper P by the image forming operation of the printing unit 3 based on the original image data read by the scanner function.

-Description of the composite paper feeding unit 5-
Next, the composite type paper feeding unit 5 which is a characteristic part of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of the sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 of the composite type sheet feeding unit 5 provided in the multifunction machine 1 is omitted. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic configuration inside the composite type paper feeding unit 5.

  As shown in each of these drawings, the composite type paper feeding unit 5 is configured such that the paper feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 and the manual paper feeding mechanism unit 7 are accommodated in a unit casing 52 that forms the casing of the unit 5. ing. The paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 includes a paper feed cassette 61 that can accommodate a large number of recording sheets (for example, 500 sheets). On the other hand, the manual paper feed mechanism section 7 has one sheet or A manual feed tray 71 on which several recording sheets can be placed is provided. That is, the sheet feeding cassette 61 and the manual feed tray 71 are accommodated in the unit casing 52 and unitized to constitute the composite sheet feeding unit 5. Hereinafter, each mechanism part 6 and 7 is demonstrated.

<Description of Paper Feed Cassette Mechanism 6>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 includes the paper feed cassette 61 configured in a container shape that is open at the top. A rotating plate 62 as a paper storage plate is rotatably supported. The paper feed cassette 61 can be pulled out to the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the multi-function device 1 with respect to the unit casing 52. When the paper feed cassette 61 is pulled out, The recording paper can be replenished to the paper feed cassette 61.

  The rotation plate 62 is supported so as to be rotatable up and down around a rotation axis extending in the width direction of the paper feed cassette 61 (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 3). A lift plate 63 to which rotational force is applied is in contact. That is, the rotating plate 62 always receives an upward biasing force by the biasing force from the lift plate 63. A coil spring may be provided instead of the lift plate 63, and an upward biasing force may be applied to the rotating plate 62 by the biasing force from the coil spring.

  Further, one end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 3) inside the paper feed cassette 61 is provided with a paper leading edge aligning claw (not shown) for contacting the leading edge of the recording paper P and aligning the recording paper P. The leading edge of the recording paper P is pressed from above by the paper leading edge aligning claw. For this reason, when the recording paper P is loaded in the paper feed cassette 61, the rotating plate 62 is rotated upward by the urging force of the lift plate 63, and the rotational position is the front end corner of the recording paper P. Is regulated to a position where it is in contact with the paper leading edge aligning claw. In this state, the sheet feeding cassette 61 is inserted into the unit casing 52, whereby a large number of recording sheets are set in the sheet feeding cassette mechanism section 6.

  In addition, a paper trailing edge guide member 64 for positioning the trailing edge position of the recording paper P in the paper feeding direction is provided inside the paper feeding cassette 61 so as to be slidable along the paper feeding direction of the recording paper P. Yes. On the other hand, paper side end guide members 65 and 65 for positioning both end edge positions on the side orthogonal to the paper feeding direction of the recording paper P are also slidably provided. Note that the composite type paper feeding unit 5 according to this embodiment accommodates the recording paper P on the basis of the paper width direction center. For this reason, the paper side end guide members 65 and 65 are supported by a slide mechanism (not shown) so as to slide in a direction approaching and separating from each other in synchronization with each other.

  On the paper discharge side of the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6, a pickup roller 66 and a paper handling mechanism 67 that constitute a paper take-out mechanism are provided.

  The sheet winding mechanism 67 includes a winding roller 67a and a winding plate 67b. The separating plate 67b is set so that the frictional force with the recording paper P on the upper surface (contact surface with the recording paper P) is larger than the frictional force between the recording papers P and P. Further, in the roller 67a, the frictional force between the roller 67a and the recording paper P is larger than the frictional force between the upper surface of the winding plate 67b and the recording paper P, and the frictional force between the recording papers P and P. It is set to be. Therefore, even if a plurality of recording papers P, P,... Are taken out from the paper feed cassette 61 and sent to the paper handling mechanism 67, the plurality of recording papers P, P,. In addition, only the uppermost sheet of recording paper P can be sent out to the transport path.

  Pulleys 67c and 66a are provided on the rotation shafts of the roller 67a and the pickup roller 66, respectively, and a belt 68 is stretched between the pulleys 67c and 66a. A driving force of a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to the roller 67a, and the motor driving force transmitted to the roller 67a is transmitted to the pickup roller 66 via the belt 68. ing. The rotation shafts of the roller 67a and the pickup roller 66 are supported by the same support plate (not shown in FIG. 3), and this support is provided as the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the roller 67a. The plate rotates about the rotation axis of the winding roller 67a (rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3), and the pickup roller 66 comes into contact with the upper surface of the recording paper P in the paper feed cassette 61. (FIG. 3 shows the state after this rotation). That is, as the motor is driven, the pickup roller 66 comes into contact with the recording paper P in the paper feeding cassette 61, the recording paper P is taken out from the paper feeding cassette 61, and the recording paper P is fed by the paper handling mechanism 67. Accordingly, only one recording sheet P is sent from the sheet feeding cassette 61 to the sheet conveyance path.

<Description of Manual Feeding Mechanism 7>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the manual feed mechanism unit 7 includes the manual feed tray 71 that can be pulled out to the side of the multi-function device 1 (right side in FIG. 1) with respect to the unit casing 52. . As shown in FIG. 3, the manual feed tray 71 includes a tray base 72 supported so as to be movable along a groove 52 a formed in the unit casing 52, and a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction with respect to the tray base 72. , And a manual feed tray body 73 supported rotatably.

  Further, the manual feed tray main body 73 includes a first tray 74 rotatably supported by a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction with respect to the tray base 72, and a leading end portion of the first tray 74 (the storage shown in FIG. 3). And a second tray 75 that is rotatably supported with respect to the upper end portion in the state.

  As a result, when paper is fed from the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7, the first tray 74 is rotated to the side of the apparatus with respect to the tray base 72 and the second tray 75 is moved to the first tray 74. On the other hand, it is turned sideways. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner surfaces of the first tray 74 and the second tray 75 are flush with each other and the recording paper P is placed (manually fed) from the first tray 74 to the second tray 75. ) Is possible. The first tray 74 is provided with a gripping portion 74a located on the outer surface side of the apparatus in the storage state shown in FIG. 3. The user grips the gripping portion 74a and the first tray on the side of the apparatus. By tilting 74, the first tray 74 is opened.

  Further, the manual feed tray 71 comes into contact with each edge in the width direction of the recording paper P to be placed (an edge extending in the transport direction in the recording paper P to be placed), thereby causing the recording paper P to come into contact. A pair of guide members 79 and 79 (not shown in FIG. 2) for restricting the mounting position of the first and second guide members 79 and 79 are provided. The recording paper P is also placed on the manual feed tray 71 based on the center in the width direction. For this reason, each guide member 79, 79 is supported by a slide mechanism (not shown) so as to slide in a direction toward and away from each other in synchronization with each other.

  In addition, the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 in this embodiment can automatically open the first tray 74. Specifically, a small metal piece 74b is attached to the tip of the inner side surface (the upper surface in the open state shown in FIG. 4) of the first tray 74, while the side surface of the unit casing 52 is the first side. An electromagnetic magnet 52b is provided at a position facing the metal piece 74b when the tray 74 is stored. The electromagnetic magnet 52b is connected to a DC power source and becomes an electromagnet when energized, and maintains the retracted state of the first tray 74 by electromagnetically attracting the metal piece 74b. On the other hand, when the user requests the sheet feeding from the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 by operating the operation panel of the multifunction device 1 or the like, the electromagnetic magnet 52b is deenergized, and the metal piece 74b is electromagnetically attracted. The state is released, and the first tray 74 is rotated from the retracted state to the opened state by its own weight.

  A second grip 71 a is formed at the lower end of the manual feed tray 71. The grip portion 71a is formed as a concave portion that is recessed upward in the retracted state of the first tray 74 shown in FIG. 3, and a user inserts a hand into the grip portion 71a to place the manual feed tray 71 on the side of the apparatus ( By pulling it out to the right side in FIG. 3, the entire manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is pulled out so that the inside of the composite type paper feed unit 5 is opened to the outside (see FIG. 5). This open state will be described later.

  On the paper discharge side of the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7, a paper draw roller 76 and a paper handling mechanism 77 constituting a paper take-out mechanism are provided.

  The sheet winding mechanism 77 includes a winding roller 77a and a winding plate 77b. Since these configurations are the same as those of the paper handling mechanism 67 provided in the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  Pulleys 77c and 76a are provided on the rotation shafts of the roller 77a and the paper drawing roller 76, respectively, and a belt 78 is stretched between the pulleys 77c and 76a. A driving force of a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to the separating roller 77a, and the motor driving force transmitted to the separating roller 77a is transmitted to the paper drawing roller 76 via the belt 78. It has become. The rotating shafts of the roller 77a and the paper drawing roller 76 are supported by the same support plate (not shown). As the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the roller 77a, the support plate The sheet feeding roller 76 is rotated about the rotation axis of the separating roller 77a so as to contact the upper surface of the recording sheet P on the manual feed tray 71. That is, as the motor is driven, the paper drawing roller 76 comes into contact with the recording paper P on the manual feed tray 71, the recording paper P is taken out from the manual feed tray 71, and the recording paper P is rolled by the paper handling mechanism 77. Thus, only one recording sheet P is sent out from the manual feed tray 71 to the sheet conveyance path.

<Paper path>
Next, a paper feed path (composite type paper feed unit 5) for feeding the recording paper P taken out by the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 and the manual paper feed mechanism section 7 configured as described above toward the main transport path 36. The internal route) will be described.

  This paper feed path is constituted by first to third guide members 81, 82, 83. The first guide member 81 is configured by a plate that curves upward from the immediately downstream side of the paper roller 67a of the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6 upward. On the other hand, the second guide member 82 is composed of a plate that curves from the immediately downstream side of the separating roller 77a of the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 toward the vertically upward direction. The third guide member 83 is located between the first guide member 81 and the second guide member 82, and the first curved surface 83 a and the second curved surface 83 a facing the lower portion of the first guide member 81. A second curved surface 83b facing the lower portion of the guide member 82 is provided.

  With the configuration described above, the first path between the first guide member 81 and the first curved surface 83a of the third guide member 83 is directed upward in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism section 6. On the other hand, the conveyance direction of the recording paper P taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is directed upward between the second guide member 82 and the second curved surface 83b of the third guide member 83. A second path 85 is formed. A merging path 86 extending vertically upward is formed between the first guide member 81 and the second guide member 82, and the downstream ends of the first path 84 and the second path 85 are connected to each other. As a result, it joins the joining path 86. That is, the recording paper P taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism 6 and the manual paper feed mechanism 7 passes through the merging path 86 provided in the composite paper feed unit 5 and then the main transport path 36. The printing unit 3 is introduced and a predetermined image forming operation is performed in the printing unit 3. Therefore, only one path (main conveyance path 36) is a discharge path for the recording paper P from the composite paper feeding unit 5 to the printing unit 3, and the main body side of the multifunction machine 1 includes Two paths for the manual feed tray are not necessary. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the length of the conveyance path of the multifunction device 1 as a whole, not only simplifying the internal configuration of the multifunction device 1, but also reducing the number of paper jams that can occur. Can be reduced in frequency.

  The first guide member 81 and the third guide member 83 are supported by the unit casing 52, while the second guide member 82 is provided integrally with the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7. That is, when the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 shown in FIG. 5 is pulled out, the second guide member 82 is also pulled out from the unit casing 52 together with the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. For this reason, the merging path 86 configured with the first guide member 81 and the second path 85 configured with the third guide member 83 are opened, and the paper in these paths is opened. It is possible to easily perform the paper removing operation when a jam occurs. In FIG. 5, among the recording papers P in the jammed state, the state indicated by the solid line indicates the state where the recording paper P sent out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism unit 6 has jammed, and the state indicated by the alternate long and short dash line indicates the manual paper feeding mechanism. The recording paper P sent out from the section 7 is jammed.

  Further, the second guide member 82 is provided with a swing mechanism (not shown). When the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is not pulled out as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second guide member 82 While extending in the vertical direction to form each of the above paths, the second guide member 82 falls to the manual feed tray 71 side when the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is pulled out as shown in FIG. Thus, the space in which the user's hand can be inserted when removing the jammed paper is enlarged (in FIG. 5, the insertion direction of the user's hand is indicated by an arrow).

<Paper feeding operation>
Next, the sheet feeding operation by the composite sheet feeding unit 5 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in STEP 1, when a print request is made by the user operating the operation panel of the multifunction device 1 (or operating the connected host device) or the like, in STEP 2, manual feeding of the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is performed. It is determined whether or not the tray 71 is in the retracted state, that is, whether or not the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 is closed on the side wall of the composite sheet feeding unit 5. When the manual feed tray 71 is not stored, that is, when the manual feed tray 71 is in the open state, the process proceeds to STEP 3 and the manual feed tray 71 is placed in the stored state on the display unit (display panel) of the apparatus (manual feed). The paper mechanism unit 7 is closed). If it is detected in STEP 4 that the manual feed tray 71 is stored (the manual feed mechanism unit 7 is closed), the process proceeds to STEP 5.

  When the user inputs the printing conditions (STEP 5) and the printing paper (the type of recording paper P used for image formation) is selected here, the determination is YES in STEP 6 and the process proceeds to STEP 7. Here, it is determined whether or not the paper feed source of the selected printing condition is the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7. If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to STEP 8 where the electromagnetic magnet 52b is turned off and the manual feed tray 71 of the manual feed mechanism 7 is opened (tilt from the side wall of the composite feed unit 5: in FIG. Arrow α). Then, after the rotation (opening) operation (arrow β in FIG. 4) of the second tray 75 as an auxiliary plate is performed as necessary (STEP 9), the recording paper P is placed on the manual feed tray 71. (STEP 10), go to STEP 14.

  On the other hand, if NO is determined in STEP 7, it is determined that the paper feed source of the selected printing condition is the paper cassette mechanism unit 6 (STEP 11). It is determined whether or not the cassette 61 contains a recording paper P of a necessary size (recording paper P that conforms to the above printing conditions). If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to STEP 14, while if this determination is NO, in STEP 13, the user performs an operation of storing the recording paper P that conforms to the printing conditions, and then proceeds to STEP 14. In order to determine whether or not the recording paper P suitable for the printing condition is stored, the paper feed cassette 61 is provided with a paper size sensor, and the type (size and orientation) of the stored recording paper P is determined by this sensor. Detected on the display panel and determined by the user confirming it, or the type of the recording paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 61 recognized by the multi-function device 1 and the above printing conditions For example, when the type of the recording paper P is different, a warning is given to the user to prompt the storing operation of the recording paper P that meets the printing conditions.

  Then, a printing process is executed in STEP 14, a paper is fed from a desired mechanism unit, and an image is formed on the recording paper P in the printing unit 3, and then a paper discharge operation to the paper discharge tray 35 is performed. It will be.

  After the printing operation is performed on this one sheet of recording paper P, it is determined in STEP 15 whether or not there is next printing (next printing information), and the operations in STEPs 14 and 15 are repeated until there is no next printing information. . When there is no next print information, it is determined in STEP 16 whether or not there is a next print job. If there is a next print job, the process returns to STEP 2 and the above operation is repeated until there is no next print job.

-Effect of the embodiment-
As described above, in this embodiment, the composite paper feeding unit 5 is configured by integrating the paper feeding cassette mechanism 6 and the manual paper feeding mechanism 7. For this reason, it becomes possible to arrange the manual sheet feeding mechanism unit 7 in a position where it overlaps in the vertical direction with respect to the main conveyance path 36 and the reverse conveyance path 37 extending toward the printing unit 3 of the multifunction machine 1, and as a result, The size of the multifunction device 1 can be shortened, and the installation space can be made compact.

  Further, according to the composite type paper feeding unit 5, a path for conveying the recording paper P taken out from the paper feeding cassette mechanism section 6, and a path for conveying the recording paper P taken out from the manual paper feeding mechanism section 7. Can be merged inside the unit 5, and the length of each path can be shortened. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the length of the sheet conveyance path of the entire apparatus, and it is possible to stably perform the image forming operation of the apparatus by reducing the number of possible sheet jams.

-Other examples-
In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the multifunctional image forming apparatus (multifunction machine) 1 having functions as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to an image forming apparatus having only one function and other image forming apparatuses.

  Further, the manual feed tray 71 of the manual paper feed mechanism unit 7 is foldable and can be adjusted in length in two stages. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is configured in a drawer type and can be adjusted in length. Or the length can be adjusted in three or more stages.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an internal configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view in which a part of a composite paper feeding unit is omitted. It is a figure which shows typically the schematic structure inside a composite-type paper feed unit. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a state where the manual feed tray is opened. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a pulling state of the manual sheet feeding mechanism when a paper jam occurs. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a sheet feeding operation of the composite sheet feeding unit. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an internal configuration of a conventional general copying machine. It is a figure which shows the outline of the internal structure of the other conventional copying machine.

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP (image forming device)
3 Print section (image forming section)
5 Compound Type Feed Unit 6 Paper Feed Cassette Mechanism 66 Pickup Roller (Paper Extraction Mechanism)
67 Paper feeding mechanism 7 Manual paper feed mechanism 71 Manual tray 76 Paper feeding roller (paper take-out mechanism)
77 Paper roll mechanism 79 Guide member 84 First path 85 Second path 86 Merge path P Recording paper (recording medium)

Claims (8)

A paper feed cassette mechanism that is attached to the lower side of the image forming unit in the image forming apparatus and can store a recording medium for image formation in the image forming unit, and a manual feed that allows a user to place the recording medium In a composite type paper feeding unit configured as a single unit housed in a unit casing with a paper mechanism unit,
A first path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the paper feed cassette mechanism section, a second path for transporting the recording medium taken out from the manual paper feed mechanism section, and an image forming section after joining these paths together A merging path extending in the direction of the recording medium transport direction in the first path and a downstream path end in the recording medium transport direction in the second path, and the position of the merging point with respect to the merging path in the recording medium transport direction in the second path. A composite type paper feeding unit, which is located inside the unit casing below the position of the mating surface between the upper end of the unit casing and the lower end of the image forming unit. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 1,
Each of the paper feed cassette mechanism unit and the manual paper feed mechanism unit is provided with a paper take-out mechanism and a paper feed mechanism for taking out only one recording medium. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The manual paper feed mechanism unit is provided with a manual tray on which a recording medium is placed by a user. The manual tray is folded in a plurality of stages and stored in the unit side when not in use. A composite paper feeding unit characterized by that. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 3,
The manual feed tray forms a side wall of the composite type paper feeding unit in the retracted state, and opens the recording medium conveyance path in a state where the manual feeding tray is unfolded to allow the recording medium to be loaded. Combined type paper feed unit. The composite sheet feeding unit according to claim 3 or 4,
The composite paper feed unit, wherein the manual feed tray is configured to be extended in a plurality of stages in a state where the manual feed tray is unfolded and a recording medium can be placed. The composite type paper feeding unit according to claim 3, 4 or 5,
The manual feed tray includes a guide member that regulates the placement position of the recording medium by abutting against an edge extending in the transport direction of the placed recording medium, and the guide member slides on the manual feed tray. A composite type paper feeding unit, which is supported so as to be movable. In the composite type paper feeding unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The manual sheet feeding mechanism is configured to be slidable so as to open the recording medium conveyance path in the unit. When a recording medium stagnation occurs in the recording medium conveyance path in the unit, the manual sheet feeding mechanism is manually fed. A composite type paper feeding unit having a configuration in which a recording medium conveyance path is opened by sliding a mechanism, and a stagnant recording medium can be taken out. An image forming apparatus comprising the composite sheet feeding unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium supplied to an image forming unit from either a sheet feeding cassette mechanism unit or a manual sheet feeding mechanism unit.

Images