JP4479452B2 - Paper feed separating member and paper feed device - Google Patents

Description

  In an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile machine, the present invention provides a paper feed separating member for supplying paper while separating paper one by one in cooperation with a paper feed roller, and the paper feed separating member. The present invention relates to a provided sheet feeding device.

  Conventionally, as an apparatus of this type, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, a sheet feeding separation unit 92 is disposed so that the lower end surface of a sheet 90 abuts. A configuration is known in which only the uppermost sheet is separated by the frictional force between the lower end surface of the sheet 92 and the sheet 90 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional apparatus, the separation portion support portion 93 supports the sheet feeding separation portion 92 by two support portions 93a and 93b having a protruding shape upward along the longitudinal direction. Note that a gap 93 c is formed between the paper feed separation unit 92 and the separation unit support unit 93 in order to make the paper feed separation unit 92 flexible.

  The sheet feeding / separating unit 92 is made of a rubber material such as polyurethane, and has a convex end surface shape that substantially matches the end surface shape of the holder unit 91 disposed on the upper portion of the sheet feeding / separating unit 92. As shown in FIGS. 16A to 16C, the sheet feeding separation unit 92 is provided with a protruding portion 92 a, and the protruding portion 92 a is formed to extend in the sheet stacking direction of the metal holder portion 91. It is configured to always protrude from the formed long hole.

  The height of the protruding portion 92a is set so as to protrude a predetermined amount from the long hole of the holder portion 91, and the lower end of the plurality of sheets 90 stored in the sheet storing portion is applied to the upper surface of the protruding portion 92a. Touched.

Furthermore, minute irregularities 92b are formed on the upper surface of the protrusion 92a. The minute unevenness 92 b performs an action of increasing the frictional force generated between the lower end of the paper 90.
As described above, in the conventional apparatus, the sheet 90 is separated one by one based on the balance between the friction force of the rubber material and the friction force by the minute unevenness 92b and the sheet feeding force by the sheet feeding roller. It is configured.
JP 2002-137838 A

  However, the above-described paper feeding device has a structure in which the load from the paper is received by the entire protrusion of the paper feeding separation unit. For this reason, the load applied to the protruding portion varies greatly depending on the number of sheets to which the load is applied to the paper feeding / separating unit, and the setting of the bending condition of the paper feeding / separating unit and the shape of the micro unevenness formed on the projecting portion. There was a problem that the design and manufacturing became complicated.

  Further, since the protruding amount of the protruding portion 92a of the sheet feeding / separating portion 92 from the holder portion 91 is set by the elastic force of the sheet feeding / separating portion 92 made of a rubber material, it varies from time to time depending on conditions such as temperature and humidity. There is also a problem that it is very unstable because it changes.

  Accordingly, the inventor of the present application supports each of the plurality of protrusions via each arm portion by supporting each of the plurality of protrusion portions that are engaged with the leading edge of the sheet and directly receive the load from the sheet with the plurality of arm portions. Then, it was considered to disperse and arrange them along the paper stacking direction.

  In other words, by disposing the protrusions that engage with the leading edge of the paper in a distributed manner along the paper stacking direction, the load applied to each protrusion from the paper, and further, from the protruding part to the leading edge of the paper during paper feeding. The applied separation load is prevented from greatly changing depending on the number of stacked sheets, and at the time of paper feeding, the sheets can always be separated one by one regardless of the number of stacked sheets.

  However, when the paper feed separation unit is configured in this way, there is no problem as long as the paper feed force by the paper feed roller is substantially stable regardless of the number of stacked sheets. In a paper feeding device using a so-called pendulum type paper feeding roller, the paper conveying force of the paper feeding roller varies depending on the number of stacked paper sheets, and therefore, a plurality of papers are fed in a superimposed manner during paper feeding. It is conceivable that double feeding or empty feeding in which paper cannot be fed during paper feeding occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and can reliably feed sheets one by one in cooperation with a pendulum type feeding roller regardless of the number of stacked sheets. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feed separating member that does not require design / manufacturing and can be realized at a low cost, and a paper feed device including the paper feed separating member.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 is attached to the other end of a long support member whose one end is pivotally supported, and abuts against the sheet surface by a biasing force received from the support member. In a paper feeding device having a pendulum type paper feeding roller, the paper feeding roller used to separate and feed a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of the paper feeding roller A plurality of protrusions that are engageable with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and the protrusions are spaced along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm portions that are arranged with a gap therebetween, and has elasticity, and is formed integrally around the body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and the body portion is And a leaf spring portion for supporting the paper device at a predetermined portion, Separation load applied from the protrusion on the sheet engaged with the end portion of the paper when feeding the sheet by rotation of the rollers is varied along the spring constant of the plate spring portions in an arrangement direction of the protrusion Accordingly, the protruding portion on the upper side in the sheet stacking direction is set to be smaller than the protruding portion in the central portion in the arrangement direction.

  That is, in a paper feeding device having a pendulum type paper feeding roller, the paper feeding roller is brought into contact with the uppermost surface of the stacked sheets by the biasing force applied to the paper feeding roller from the support member. The contact force applied in the vertical direction from the paper feed roller to the paper surface varies depending on the angle formed by the axis along the longitudinal direction of the support member and the paper surface (in other words, the number of sheets stacked).

This abutting force increases as the number of stacked sheets decreases from the maximum number (in other words, as the angle between the axis along the longitudinal direction of the support member and the sheet surface increases).
For this reason, the sheet conveying force by the sheet feeding roller decreases as the number of stacked sheets increases and the position of the sheet to be fed increases.

  Therefore, in the paper feed separating member according to claim 1, the separation load applied to the corresponding paper from the plurality of protrusions arranged along the paper stacking direction is more than that of the protrusion arranged at the central portion in the arrangement direction. By setting the protruding portion on the upper side in the sheet stacking direction to be smaller, the separation load of each protruding portion is changed in accordance with the sheet conveying force by the sheet feeding roller.

  Therefore, according to the sheet feeding / separating member according to claim 1, a plurality of stacked sheets, in particular, a sheet positioned on the upper side from the central portion in the stacking direction is caused to cause double feeding or empty feeding of the sheets. This makes it possible to reliably feed one sheet at a time.

Each projection is supported by a corresponding arm, and the main body composed of the plurality of projections and arm is supported by a leaf spring formed along the direction in which the projections are arranged. since you are, separating load applied to the paper from the protrusions can be set Ri by the adjusting the spring constant of the leaf spring which supports the arm portion and the body portion which supports the respective projections.
However, since the arm part supports each protrusion part individually and sets the position of the arm part, it is extremely troublesome to set the spring constant of each arm part individually, and the spring constant is set. It is also conceivable that the protrusions cannot be favorably supported.
Therefore, in the sheet feeding / separating member according to claim 1, the separation load applied to the sheet from each projection is not the arm that directly supports the projection, but the entire main body composed of the plurality of projections and the arm. Is set by changing the spring constant of the leaf spring portion that supports the protrusion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions.
Therefore, according to the sheet feeding / separating member of the first aspect, it is possible to easily set the separation load applied to the sheet from each protrusion compared to the case where the spring constant of each arm is individually adjusted. Therefore, the sheet feeding / separating member of the present invention can be easily realized.

  Further, the main body portion composed of a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of arm portions, and the leaf spring portion supporting the main body portion are all integrally formed. The paper separating unit and the separating unit supporting unit "are formed by a single member. As a result, the total number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved. The cost can be reduced.

  In addition, when paper is fed, paper dust may be generated due to friction between the fed paper and each protrusion, but most of this paper dust falls from the gaps between the arms, It is possible to reduce the influence of the generated paper dust on paper feed separation.

Next, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a pendulum type feeding device is attached to the other end of the long support member that is pivotally supported at one end, and abuts against the paper surface by the biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separation member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of the paper feed roller in a paper feed device comprising a paper roller, A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with the end portions in the sheet feeding direction of a plurality of sheets, and a plurality of protrusions that support each of the protrusions and that are spaced apart from each other along the sheet stacking direction. A main body portion, and an elastic body, and is formed integrally around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the projections, and the main body portion is formed as a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device. A leaf spring portion for supporting the sheet, and the sheet is fed by rotation of the sheet feeding roller. Separation load applied from the protrusion on the sheet engaged with the end portion of the paper when the paper, by changing along the spring constant of the plate spring portions in an arrangement direction of the projections, the arrangement direction center It is characterized in that the protruding portion on the lower side in the sheet stacking direction is set to be smaller than the protruding portion of the portion.

  In other words, in a paper feeding device equipped with a pendulum type paper feeding roller, a paper storage unit that stores paper in a stacked state normally feeds multiple papers that overlap when the remaining number of papers is reduced. In order to prevent the sheet from being slipped, a non-slip member made of cork or the like is provided at the bottom facing the sheet feeding roller across the sheet, so that when the number of stacked sheets decreases (in other words, the support When the angle formed by the axis along the longitudinal direction of the member and the sheet surface is near the maximum angle), the sheet conveying force by the sheet feeding roller is reduced.

  Therefore, in the sheet feeding / separating member according to claim 2, the separation load applied to the corresponding sheet from the plurality of protrusions arranged along the sheet stacking direction is more than that of the protrusion arranged at the central portion in the arrangement direction. By setting the protruding portion on the lower side in the sheet stacking direction to be smaller, the separation load of each protruding portion is changed in accordance with the sheet conveying force by the sheet feeding roller.

Therefore, according to the sheet feeding / separating member of the second aspect, it is possible to reliably feed sheets one by one by preventing double feeding or idle feeding that occurs when the number of stacked sheets becomes small. become able to.
In addition, since the separation load applied to the sheet from each protrusion is set by changing the spring constant of the leaf spring along the arrangement direction of the protrusion, each arm is similar to the one described in claim 1. As compared with the case where the spring constants are individually adjusted, it is possible to easily set the separation load applied to the paper from each protrusion, and thus, the paper feed separation member of the present invention is easily realized. be able to.

  Each projection is supported by the corresponding arm, and the main body composed of the plurality of projections and arm is supported by a leaf spring formed along the direction in which the projections are arranged. In addition, since the leaf spring is integrally formed with the main body, the sheet feeding / separating member according to claim 2 also requires a complicated design / manufacture of the protrusion as in the case of claim 1. Can be easily realized, improve the manufacturing efficiency, reduce the cost of the paper feed separating member, and reduce the influence of paper dust generated during paper feeding on the paper feed separation. It becomes possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pendulum type that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and abuts against the paper surface by an urging force received from the support member. In a sheet feeding device including a sheet feeding roller, a sheet feeding separation member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of the sheet feeding roller, A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A main body portion including a plurality of arm portions, and has elasticity, and is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and the main body portion is a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device. And a leaf spring for supporting the By separating load applied from the protrusion on the sheet engaged with the end portion of the sheet when the feeding is varied along the spring constant of the plate spring portions in an arrangement direction of the projection portion, the sequence The projections on the upper side and the lower side in the sheet stacking direction are set to be smaller than the projections at the center in the direction.

  In other words, the paper feed separating member according to claim 3 can cope with a plurality of protrusions arranged along the sheet stacking direction by combining the invention according to claim 1 and the invention according to claim 2. The separation load applied to the sheets to be printed is set so that the protrusions on the upper side and the lower side of the sheet stacking direction are smaller than the protrusions arranged in the central portion in the arrangement direction.

As a result, according to the paper feed separating member according to the third aspect, the paper stored in the paper storage unit in the paper feeding device can be surely fed one by one regardless of the number of stacked sheets. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent double feeding or idle feeding that occurs during paper feeding.
Further, since the separation load applied to the sheet from each protrusion is set by changing the spring constant of the leaf spring along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, Compared to the case where the spring constants of the arm portions are individually adjusted, it becomes possible to easily set the separation load applied to the paper from each projection portion, and thus the paper feed separation member of the present invention can be easily made. Can be realized.

  Further, since the paper feed separating member according to claim 3 is a combination of the invention according to claim 1 and the invention according to claim 2, the paper feed separating member according to each of claims 1 and 2 is provided. Similar to the material, it can be easily realized without the need for complicated design and manufacturing of the protrusions, and the manufacturing efficiency is improved to reduce the cost of the paper feed separating member. It is possible to reduce the influence of the paper dust on the paper separation.

  The sheet feeding / separating member of the present invention (Claims 1 to 3) can be formed of synthetic resin, but more preferably, all of the protrusion, the arm, and the leaf spring are made of metal. It is desirable to form.

  In other words, if the paper feed separating member is made of metal, the shape of the protrusion will not be deformed due to conditions such as temperature and humidity unlike conventional resin paper feed separating parts, and it will be used for a long time. However, it is possible to impart durability to the paper feed separating member without being worn.

Here, in realizing the sheet feeding / separating member according to the present invention (claims 1 to 3), a plurality of leaf spring portions are arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the protrusions with respect to the main body portion. In the case where the plate spring is configured, as described in claim 4 , by changing the spring constant of each plate spring constituting the plate spring portion along the arrangement direction of the projections, may be set the separation load of parts, or, as described in claim 5, by changing the arrangement density of the leaf spring along the array direction of the protrusion, the separation load of the protrusions You may make it set.

Specifically, for example, when setting the separation load of each protrusion according to the invention described in claim 4 , among the plurality of leaf springs constituting the leaf spring portion, it is more than the central portion in the sheet stacking direction. If the leaf spring disposed on the upper side or the lower side in the stacking direction is thinner and the spring constant is reduced, the separation load of each protrusion can be easily set.

Further, for example, when setting the separation load of each protrusion according to the invention described in claim 5 , among the plurality of leaf springs constituting the leaf spring portion, the upper direction in the stacking direction is higher than the central portion of the sheet stacking direction. The arrangement density of the leaf springs arranged on the side or the lower side may be reduced.

When the arrangement density of the leaf springs is changed in this way, the interval between the leaf springs may be adjusted, or a part of the leaf springs formed at substantially equal intervals may be deleted.
On the other hand, like the paper feed separating member according to claim 6 , it is formed in a box shape that can accommodate the main body, and the main body can be displaced by supporting the leaf springs by the end surfaces of the side walls facing each other. In the case where a fixing member for fixing to the paper feeding device is provided while supporting, by changing the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, You may make it set the separation load of each projection part.

  In other words, the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member is set so that the upper side or the lower side in the sheet stacking direction is lower than the central portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions. Then, the separation load of each protrusion can be set so that the protrusion on the upper side or the lower side in the sheet stacking direction is smaller than the protrusion in the central portion in the arrangement direction. When setting the separation load, as described above, the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member may be changed.

Further, the invention according to claim 7 is attached to the other end of a sheet storage portion capable of storing a plurality of sheets in a stacked state and a long support member having one end pivotally supported. By a biasing force received from the member, a pendulum type paper feed roller that comes into contact with the uppermost surface of the paper stored in the paper storage unit, and on the downstream side of the paper feeding direction by the rotation of the paper feed roller, A sheet feeding device having an inclined surface inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with respect to the paper stored in the paper storage unit, wherein the inclined surface has a direction in which the sheets are stacked in the paper storage unit In addition, in the sheet feeding separating member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the protruding portion of the sheet feeding separating member has the inclined surface through the slot. It is provided so that it may protrude with respect to.

According to the sheet feeding device configured as described above, the sheet feeding separation member that separates and feeds a plurality of stacked sheets one by one in cooperation with the pendulum-type sheet feeding roller is described above. Since the sheet feeding / separating member according to the present invention (Claims 1 to 6 ) is used, it is possible to reliably feed one sheet at a time without being affected by the number of sheets stored in the sheet storage unit. Will be able to.
Next, the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 10 is the sheet feeding / separating member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet separating member is formed in a box shape capable of storing the main body portion, and the leaf spring portions are opposed to each other. By providing support on the end surface of the side wall, a fixing member is provided for fixing the main body portion to the paper feeding device while supporting the main body portion so that the main body portion can be displaced. Instead of setting by changing along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring part in the fixing member is set by changing along the arrangement direction of each protrusion. It is characterized by that.
In other words, the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member is set so that the upper side or the lower side in the sheet stacking direction is lower than the central portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions. In this case, the separation load of each protrusion can be set so that the protrusion on the upper side or the lower side in the sheet stacking direction is smaller than the protrusion in the central portion in the arrangement direction. According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the separation load applied to the sheet from each protrusion is set only by adjusting the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member.
Except for this point, since it is configured in the same manner as the sheet feeding / separating member according to claims 1 to 3, the sheet feeding / separating member according to claims 8 to 10 also has the structure according to claim 1. The effect similar to the thing of Claim 3 can be acquired.
Next, an invention according to an eleventh aspect is an invention relating to a paper feeding apparatus including a paper storage unit, a paper feeding roller, and an inclined surface, similarly to the paper feeding apparatus according to a seventh aspect.
In the paper feeding device according to claim 11, an elongated hole is formed in the inclined surface along the paper stacking direction in the paper storage unit, and the “paper feeding direction of the plurality of papers” is provided. A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with the end portions of the paper, and a plurality of arm portions that support the protrusions and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. And a leaf spring portion that is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and that supports the main body portion to a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device, When the paper is fed by rotation of the paper feed roller, the separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the edge of the paper is at least more than the protrusion of the central portion in the arrangement direction. A protrusion on the upper side in the direction or a protrusion on the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper The sheet feeding separating member set so that the portion is smaller is provided so that the protruding portion of the sheet feeding separating member protrudes from the inclined surface through the elongated hole. It is a feature.
Therefore, according to the paper feeding device of the eleventh aspect, like the paper feeding device according to the seventh aspect, the sheet feeding device is always one sheet at a time without being affected by the number of sheets stored in the sheet storage unit. The paper can be reliably fed.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a paper feeding device of a printer that constitutes a so-called multifunction machine.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer according to the present embodiment is for forming an image on a sheet A in a multi-function machine in which a scanner 2 is provided on the top of the case 1. A paper feeding device 30 is provided at the bottom.

  A box-shaped metal frame 5 is disposed behind the case 1 and above the sheet feeding device 30. The frame 5 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction, and is fixed inside the case 1 in an extended state.

  A recording unit 7 is disposed in the upper part of the frame 5. In addition, a conveyance path 5 a for guiding the paper A from the rear of the paper feeding device 30 to the recording unit 7 is formed behind the frame 5. Specifically, the recording unit 7 is an ink jet recording apparatus, and has an introduction roller 7a at a location adjacent to the exit of the conveyance path 5a, and a discharge roller 7b at a location where the paper A on which the image is recorded is discharged. . Note that an ink jet recording apparatus having such a configuration is publicly known, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  A discharge unit for discharging the paper A from the recording unit 7 is provided in front of the frame 5 in the case 1. The paper A discharged to the discharge unit is deposited on the tray 3b of the paper feeding cassette 3 in the paper feeding device 30.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device of the present embodiment.
The paper feeding device 30 has an appearance as shown in FIG. 3, and the paper feeding cassette 3 in the paper feeding device 30 is inserted into the case 1 so that it can be inserted and removed from the opening 4 in the front-rear direction. The paper feed cassette 3 is provided with a paper storage portion 3 a for storing the stacked paper A. When the paper feed cassette 3 is inserted into the case 1, the paper A in the paper storage portion 3 a is located behind the case 1. Be placed. A tray 3b for receiving a paper A on which an image is recorded is formed in front of the paper feed cassette 3 as will be described later.

  The paper feeding device 30 includes a pendulum type paper feeding roller 8 that feeds the paper A in the paper storage unit 3 a to the recording unit 7. The paper feed roller 8 is rotatably held at the tip of an arm 10 that is a long support member supported by the drive shaft 9, and is connected to the drive shaft 9 via a gear that is a transmission rotator. Rotates when power is transmitted.

  The drive shaft 9 is supported in the frame 5 so as to extend in the left-right direction. A driving gear 11 is fixed to one end of the driving shaft 9, and an output shaft of a driving source such as a motor (not shown) is driven by the driving gear 11. Connected. As a result, when the drive source is activated and the drive shaft 9 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the paper feed roller 8 by a gear serving as a transmission rotating body, and the paper feed roller 8 is placed at the uppermost position in the paper storage unit 3a. In contact with the paper A, the paper A is sent to the recording unit 7.

  Further, the sheet feeding device 30 of the present embodiment is formed with an inclined surface 20 that is inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with respect to the sheet A stored in the sheet storage unit 3 a. The fed paper A is transported to the transport path 5a while its leading end surface is in contact with the inclined surface 20.

  4 is a front view of the inclined surface 20 of the sheet feeding device 30 as viewed from the front, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the inclined surface 20 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. BB sectional drawing of the inclined surface 20, FIG. 7 is CC sectional drawing of the inclined surface 20 shown in FIG. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing the basic configuration of the sheet feeding separation member 50 attached to the inclined surface 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the paper feed separating member 50 is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a stainless steel plate, an aluminum plate, or a copper plate, and is laminated in the paper storage portion 3a. The plurality of protrusions 51 that can be engaged with the end portions in the paper feeding direction of the plurality of sheets A, and each of the protrusions 51 are supported, and the protrusions 51 are arranged along the stacking direction of the sheets A. A main body part 53 including a plurality of arm parts 52 arranged at intervals, and arranged around the main body part 53 along the arrangement direction of the protrusions 51. And a plurality of leaf springs 54 for supporting the part.

  Here, each protruding portion 51 engages with the leading end portion (end portion in the sheet feeding direction) of the sheet A conveyed to the conveying path 5 a by the sheet feeding roller 8, and the end portion of the sheet A is formed by the protruding portion 51. By hooking, the overlapping sheets A are unwound, and the function of making one sheet A finally conveyed to the recording unit 7 is achieved.

  Therefore, the shape of the protrusion 51 is not particularly limited as long as it can fulfill this function. Further, the size is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate.

  In FIG. 8, the paper feed separating member 50 has seven protrusions 51, but the number of the protrusions 51 may be arbitrarily determined. However, if the number of the protrusions 51 is too small, the sheet A cannot be sufficiently unwound and the sheet A cannot be reliably separated. Therefore, it is preferable to provide three or more protrusions 51.

  Next, each arm portion 52 is used to individually support the protruding portions 51 so that the protruding portions 51 can always perform the above-described functions (that is, to be able to engage with the end portion of the paper A). However, the shape may be any shape that can fulfill this function.

  For example, in the sheet feeding / separating member 50 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the arm portion 52 is formed so as to support each protrusion 51 from both the left and right sides, but is not particularly limited to this shape. Alternatively, the protrusions 51 may be alternately supported from one side.

  In addition, the leaf spring 54 has a function for supporting the main body 53 including the protrusion 51 and the arm 52 on a predetermined portion (specifically, a storage space 22 described later) of the paper feeding device 30. In addition, the elastic force is imparted to the entire sheet feeding separating member 50, and the pressure from the sheet A engaged with the protruding portion 51 is relieved to enable smooth separation.

  In this embodiment, since the leaf spring 54 is integrally formed with the main body portion 53 including the plurality of protrusion portions 51 and the plurality of arm portions 52, the number of parts of the sheet feeding separation member 50 is reduced. The cost can be reduced.

  The shape of the leaf spring 54 may be any shape as long as the above function can be realized. In the present embodiment, a plurality of leaf springs 54 project from the main body 53. Therefore, the individual shapes of the leaf springs 54 are elongated. And the protrusion angle from the edge 55 of the main-body part 53 of this leaf | plate spring 54 should just be set suitably.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a long hole 21 is formed in the inclined surface 20 of the paper feeding device 30 of the present embodiment along the conveyance direction of the paper A (from the bottom to the top in FIG. 4). Has been. Further, on the back side of the surface where the long hole 21 is formed, the paper feed separating member 50 is placed so that the protruding portion 51 of the paper feed separating member 50 of the present embodiment protrudes on the surface of the inclined surface 20. A storage space 22 is provided for storage.

In addition, by providing the storage space 22 on the inclined surface 20 itself of the sheet feeding device 30 in this way, the number of parts can be reduced, and cost reduction can be realized.
The storage space 22 has a box shape as is apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, and the paper feed separating member 50 has an outer shape that can be stored in the storage space 22. It is fixed in the storage space 22 via a fixing member 60 formed in a box shape capable of storing the main body 53 of the separation member 50.

  In other words, the fixing member 60 supports the plurality of leaf springs 54 protruding left and right from the main body 53 of the sheet feeding separation member 50 by the end surfaces of the left and right side walls 62 facing each other, thereby allowing the sheet feeding separation member 50 to be supported. The main body 53 is fixed in the storage space 22 while being supported in the storage space 22 so as to be displaceable.

  Note that when the protruding portion 51 of the sheet feeding / separating member 50 protrudes from the long hole 21 of the inclined surface 20, the inclination angle of the protruding portion 51 with respect to the inclined surface 20 is such that the sheet A conveying direction is The sheet is stored in the storage space 22 so as not to obstruct the conveyance of the paper A. And it is preferable that the protrusion amount from the inclined surface 20 of the projection part 51 when the paper feed separating member 50 is stored in the storage space 22 is about 0.1 to 0.4 mm.

  As described above, in the paper feeding device 30 according to the present embodiment, the leading edge of the paper A is brought into contact with the inclined surface 20 that guides the paper A to the transport path 5a when the paper is fed, along the transport direction of the paper A. By forming the long hole 21 and projecting the plurality of protrusions 51 of the paper feed separating member 50 from the long hole 21, the separation load applied to the leading edge of the paper A from each protrusion 51 at the time of paper feeding is reduced. The change of the conveying force of the paper A by the paper feed roller 8 is prevented if the separation load is set to be the same for each protrusion 51. Therefore, the paper A may not be fed satisfactorily.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the paper feed roller 8 of the present embodiment is a so-called pendulum type paper feed roller provided at one end of the arm 10 that is pivotally supported by the drive shaft 9. When the number of stacked sheets of paper A changes, and the angle θ formed by the line connecting the contact point between the paper feed roller 8 and the paper A and the drive shaft 9 and the paper surface of the paper A changes, The contact force applied to A changes.

  The contact force increases as the number of sheets stacked decreases from the maximum number (the uppermost position of the sheet stacking range shown in the drawing) (in other words, as the angle θ increases), As shown in FIG. 9B, the conveyance force of the paper A accompanying the rotation of the paper supply roller 8 decreases as the number of stacked sheets of paper A increases (in other words, the angle θ decreases).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the paper feeding device 30, a plurality of sheets are provided on the surface facing the paper feeding roller 8 of the paper storage unit 3 a when the remaining number of sheets A decreases. In order to prevent the sheets from being overlapped and fed, an anti-slip member 3c made of cork or the like is provided.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, even when the number of sheets A stacked in the sheet storage portion 3a is reduced (in other words, when the angle θ is close to the maximum angle), The conveyance force of the paper A by the paper roller 8 is reduced.

  Therefore, in the paper feeding device 30 of the present embodiment, the separation load applied to the leading edge of the paper A from each protrusion 51 constituting the paper feeding separation member 50 is the paper by the paper feeding roller 8 shown in FIG. It is desirable to set according to the conveying force characteristic of A. That is, according to the number of sheets A stacked on the sheet storage unit 3a, the separation load decreases as the number of sheets A increases, and the separation load decreases as the remaining sheet A stacked in the sheet storage unit 3a decreases. As described above, it is desirable to set a separation load for each protrusion 51 constituting the sheet feeding separation member 50.

  For this purpose, in the paper feed separating member 50, the spring constant of each arm portion 52 is individually set by adjusting the thickness, plate thickness, etc. of the arm portion 52 that supports each protrusion 51. However, it is extremely troublesome to set the spring constant of each arm portion 52 individually.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in actuality, the paper feed separating member 50 shown in FIG. 10A changed from the basic configuration shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10B, the member 50 is fixed in the storage space 22 via a fixing member 60 in which the entire side wall 62 is set to an equal height.

  That is, the sheet feeding / separating member 50 shown in FIG. 10A includes a plurality of leaf springs 54 that protrude from the left and right end edges 55 of the main body 53 at substantially equal intervals in order to support the main body 53. By deleting the two leaf springs 54 (a total of four on the left and right sides) located on the upper side in the stacking direction of A and the pair of left and right leaf springs 54 positioned on the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper A, The arrangement density of the leaf springs 54 is reduced on the upper side and the lower side in the direction, and the separation load due to the protrusions 51 arranged on the upper side and the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper A It is made smaller than 51.

  As a result, according to the paper feeding device 30 of the present embodiment, the separation load applied to the leading edge of the paper A from each protrusion 51 constituting the paper feeding separation member 50 is determined according to the conveyance force of the paper A by the paper feeding roller 8. Thus, the sheet A stacked in the sheet storage unit 3a can be reliably fed one by one without causing double feeding or idle feeding.

  In addition, since the respective parts are integrally formed by pressing a single metal plate, the paper feed separating member 50 of the present embodiment does not require complicated design and manufacture of the protrusion 51, This can be easily realized, and the number of parts of the entire paper feeding device 30 can be reduced to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and the cost of the paper feeding separating member 50 can be reduced.

In addition, when paper is fed, paper dust is generated due to friction between the paper A to be fed and the projections 51, but most of the paper dust falls from the gap between the arm portions 52. It is also possible to reduce the influence of the generated paper dust on paper feed separation.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various aspect can be taken in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the paper feed separating member 50 is formed of the sheet A among the plurality of leaf springs 54 that protrude from the left and right end edges 55 of the main body 53 at substantially equal intervals in order to support the main body 53. Although it has been described that the two leaf springs 54 (a total of four on the left and right sides) located on the upper side in the stacking direction and the pair of left and right leaf springs 54 located on the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper A are deleted. As shown in FIG. 11A, the pair of left and right leaf springs 54 positioned on the upper side in the stacking direction of the paper A can be deleted, or the upper side in the stacking direction of the paper A as shown in FIG. Further, it is possible to delete only the pair of left and right leaf springs 54 positioned on the lower side, or to delete only the pair of left and right leaf springs 54 positioned on the lower side in the stacking direction of the sheets A as shown in FIG. , Placed on the upper or lower side of the paper A stacking direction The separation load caused by the projected portion 51 can be reduced in accordance with a decrease in the conveyance force of the paper A by the paper supply roller 8, and the paper feeding failure caused by the change in the conveyance force of the paper A by the paper supply roller 8 is improved. can do.

  10 and 11 has been described on the assumption that the leaf springs 54 protrude from the left and right edges 55 of the main body 53 at substantially equal intervals. By changing this, the arrangement density of the leaf springs 54 is reduced on the upper side or the lower side of the sheet A in the stacking direction, and the separation load caused by the protrusions 51 disposed on the upper side or the lower side of the sheet A is reduced. You may make it smaller than the protrusion part 51 of the center part of the lamination direction.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, in the paper feed separating member 50, a plurality of leaf springs 54 are protruded from the left and right edges 55 of the main body 53 at substantially equal intervals so The spring constant of the leaf spring 54a may be reduced by making the thickness of the leaf spring 54a located on the side thinner than that of the other leaf springs 54.

  On the other hand, among the plurality of protrusions 51 constituting the sheet feeding separation member 50, the separation load due to the protrusion 51 arranged on the upper side or the lower side of the sheet A in the stacking direction is the protrusion at the center of the sheet A in the stacking direction. In order to make it smaller than 51, it is not always necessary to adjust the spring constant on the paper feed separating member 50 side. For example, as shown in FIG. The leaf springs 54 are protruded from the left and right end sides 55 of the sheet 53 at substantially equal intervals, and as shown in FIG. A part of the side wall 62 (specifically, the upper side in the stacking direction of the paper A or the lower side in the stacking direction) may be deleted.

  That is, if both ends of the side wall 62 of the fixing member 60 are deleted in this way, the leaf springs positioned on the upper side and the lower side of the sheet A in the stacking direction of the paper A among the plurality of leaf springs 54 of the sheet feeding separation member 50 54 is not supported by the fixing member 60, and the spring constants on the upper side and the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper A are reduced. Therefore, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, when adjusting the shape (in other words, height) of the side wall 62 of the fixing member 60 in this way, FIG. 14 (a-1), (b-1) or FIG. 14 (a-2), ( As shown in b-2), if the height of the side wall 62 is changed stepwise or continuously in accordance with the change in the conveying force by the paper feed roller 8 shown in FIG. 9B, The separation / feeding characteristics of the paper A can be improved.

  On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a printer of a multifunction machine has been described. However, the present invention separates and supplies sheets stored in a stacked state, such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine. Any device provided with a paper feeding device can be applied in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment to obtain the same effect.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the upper side in the stacking direction (that is, the vertical direction) is selected from among the plurality of sheets A stacked in the substantially vertical direction with the sheet surface substantially horizontal in the sheet feeding cassette 3 disposed below the printer. In the above description, the sheet feeding device that separates the sheets A one by one and supplies them to the printer has been described. However, the present invention provides, for example, a sheet surface that is slanted in a sheet storage unit disposed behind the printer. The paper A configured to separate the sheets A on the upper side in the stacking direction (that is, on the upper side in the stacking direction) one by one from the plurality of sheets A stacked in such a manner as to be fed into the printer. Even if it is an apparatus, it can apply similarly to the said embodiment and can acquire the same effect.

  Further, in this specification, the paper feeding device supplies “paper” into the device, and the paper feeding / separating device separates the “paper” one by one. The sheet is not limited to paper (paper), and includes various sheets such as a plastic film (so-called resin sheet) such as an OHP film, and a laminated sheet obtained by laminating resin and paper. In addition to the sheet, such a sheet feeding device (in other words, a sheet feeding device) or a sheet separating member (in other words, a sheet separating member) that supplies such a resin sheet or a laminated sheet can be applied in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Thus, the same effect can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a printer including a paper feeding device according to an embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the printer shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feeding device mounted on the printer shown in FIG. 1. It is a front view showing the structure of the inclined surface of the paper feeder shown in FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of the inclined surface shown in FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of the inclined surface shown in FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of the inclined surface shown in FIG. It is a perspective view showing the basic composition of the paper feed separation member of an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the conveyance force of the sheet | seat by the paper feed roller of embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the actual structure of the paper feed separation member and fixing member of an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the sheet feeding separation member illustrated in FIG. 10. It is explanatory drawing showing the other modification of the paper feed separation member shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the sheet feeding separation member and the fixing member illustrated in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another modification of the sheet feeding separation member and the fixing member illustrated in FIG. 10. It is explanatory drawing showing the paper separation part in a conventional apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing the paper feed separation member in a conventional apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case, 2 ... Scanner, 3 ... Paper cassette, 3a ... Paper storage part, 3b ... Tray, 3c ... Anti-slip member, 4 ... Opening part, 5 ... Frame, 5a ... Conveyance path, 7 ... Recording part, 7a DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Introduction roller, 7b ... Discharge roller, 8 ... Paper feed roller, 9 ... Drive shaft, 10 ... Arm, 11 ... Driving gear, 20 ... Inclined surface, 21 ... Slot, 22 ... Storage space, 30 ... Paper feed device, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Paper feed separation member, 51 ... Projection part, 52 ... Arm part, 53 ... Main-body part, 54, 54a ... Leaf spring, 55 ... End edge, 60 ... Fixing member, 62 ... Side wall, A ... Paper.

Claims (11)

In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
A plate spring part having elasticity and integrally formed around the main body part along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and supporting the main body part to a predetermined part of the paper feeding device;
The separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the edge of the paper when the paper is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller causes the spring constant of the leaf spring portion to be the arrangement of the protrusions. The sheet feeding separating member is characterized in that, by changing along the direction, the protruding portion on the upper side in the stacking direction of the sheets is smaller than the protruding portion at the central portion in the arrangement direction. In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
A plate spring part having elasticity and integrally formed around the main body part along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and supporting the main body part to a predetermined part of the paper feeding device;
The separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the edge of the paper when the paper is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller causes the spring constant of the leaf spring portion to be the arrangement of the protrusions. The sheet feeding separating member is characterized in that the protrusion on the lower side in the stacking direction of the sheets is set smaller than the protrusion at the central portion in the arrangement direction by changing along the direction . In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
A plate spring part having elasticity and integrally formed around the main body part along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and supporting the main body part to a predetermined part of the paper feeding device;
The separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the edge of the paper when the paper is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller causes the spring constant of the leaf spring portion to be the arrangement of the protrusions. The sheet feeding is characterized in that the protrusions on the upper side and the lower side in the stacking direction of the sheets are set smaller than the protrusions at the central portion in the arrangement direction by changing along the direction. Separation member. The leaf spring part is composed of a plurality of leaf springs arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the protrusions with respect to the main body part,
The separation load of each protrusion is set by changing the spring constant of each leaf spring constituting the leaf spring along the arrangement direction of the protrusions. Item 4. The paper feed separating member according to any one of Items 3 to 4 . The leaf spring part is composed of a plurality of leaf springs arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the protrusions with respect to the main body part,
The separation load of each of the protrusions is set by changing the arrangement density of the leaf springs along the arrangement direction of the protrusions. The paper feed separating member as described. Fixing for fixing the main body portion to the paper feeding device while supporting the main body portion displaceably by forming the main body portion into a box shape and supporting the leaf spring portions by the end surfaces of the opposing side walls. Comprising a member,
The separation load of each protrusion is set by changing the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring part in the fixing member along the arrangement direction of the protrusions. The paper feed separating member according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . A paper storage section capable of storing a plurality of sheets in a stacked state;
  A pendulum type paper feed that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end, and that abuts against the uppermost surface of the paper stored in the paper storage unit by a biasing force received from the support member. Laura,
  An inclined surface that is inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with respect to the paper stored in the paper storage unit on the downstream side in the paper supply direction of the paper by the rotation of the paper supply roller;
  A paper feeding device having
  An elongated hole is formed in the inclined surface along the sheet stacking direction in the sheet storage portion, and the sheet feeding separation member according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is provided with the sheet feeding separation member. A paper feeding device, wherein a protruding portion of the paper separating member is provided so as to protrude with respect to the inclined surface through the elongated hole. In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
  A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
  A leaf spring portion that is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and that supports the main body portion to a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device;
  Fixing for fixing the main body portion to the paper feeding device while supporting the main body portion displaceably by forming the main body portion into a box shape and supporting the leaf spring portions by the end surfaces of the opposing side walls. A member, and
  When the paper is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller, the separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the end of the paper causes the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member. By changing the projections along the arrangement direction of the projections, the projections on the upper side in the stacking direction of the paper are set to be smaller than the projections in the central part of the arrangement direction. Paper separation member to be used. In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
  A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
  A leaf spring portion that is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and that supports the main body portion to a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device;
  Fixing for fixing the main body portion to the paper feeding device while supporting the main body portion displaceably by forming the main body portion into a box shape and supporting the leaf spring portions by the end surfaces of the opposing side walls. A member, and
  When the paper is fed by rotation of the paper feed roller, the separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the end of the paper causes the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member. By changing the projections along the arrangement direction of the projections, the projections on the lower side in the stacking direction of the paper are set to be smaller than the projections at the central portion in the arrangement direction. Paper separation member to be used. In a paper feeding device provided with a pendulum type paper feeding roller that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end and that abuts against the paper surface by a biasing force received from the support member. A paper feed separating member used for separating and feeding a plurality of stacked sheets one by one by rotation of a paper feed roller,
  A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
  A leaf spring portion that is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and that supports the main body portion to a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device;
  Fixing for fixing the main body portion to the paper feeding device while supporting the main body portion displaceably by forming the main body portion into a box shape and supporting the leaf spring portions by the end surfaces of the opposing side walls. A member, and
  When the paper is fed by rotation of the paper feed roller, the separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the end of the paper causes the height of the side wall supporting the leaf spring portion in the fixing member. By setting the protrusions along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, the upper and lower protrusions in the stacking direction of the paper are set to be smaller than the protrusions at the central portion in the arrangement direction. A paper feed separating member characterized by the above. A paper storage section capable of storing a plurality of sheets in a stacked state;
  A pendulum type paper feed that is attached to the other end of a long support member that is pivotally supported at one end, and that abuts against the uppermost surface of the paper stored in the paper storage unit by a biasing force received from the support member. Laura,
  An inclined surface that is inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with respect to the paper stored in the paper storage unit on the downstream side in the paper supply direction of the paper by the rotation of the paper supply roller;
  A paper feeding device having
  In the inclined surface, a long hole is formed along the paper stacking direction in the paper storage unit, and
  A plurality of protrusions that can be engaged with edges in the sheet feeding direction of the plurality of sheets, and support each of the protrusions, and arrange the protrusions at intervals along the sheet stacking direction. A plurality of arm parts, and a main body part comprising:
  A leaf spring portion that is integrally formed around the main body portion along the arrangement direction of the protrusions, and that supports the main body portion to a predetermined portion of the paper feeding device;
  The separation load applied to the paper from the protrusion engaged with the edge of the paper when the paper is fed by rotation of the paper supply roller is at least more than the protrusion in the central portion in the arrangement direction, A paper feed separating member set so that the protrusion on the upper side in the paper stacking direction or the protrusion on the lower side in the paper stacking direction becomes smaller,
  The sheet feeding device, wherein the projection of the sheet feeding separating member is provided so as to project with respect to the inclined surface through the elongated hole.

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