JP4616753B2 - Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, and a multifunction machine, and more particularly to a configuration of a paper feeding apparatus that feeds paper.

  There is known an image forming apparatus that separates and feeds paper stored in a paper feed tray by a paper feed roller and forms an image on the separately fed paper. The paper feed roller used here has a high frictional resistance member on its surface so as not to slip with the paper, and therefore deteriorates with time as the number of paper feeds increases. Since the deterioration with time of the paper feed roller is shorter than the mechanical life of the image forming apparatus, replacement work is performed when the paper feed roller is worn. However, in recent image forming apparatuses, the layout inside the apparatus is complicated in order to improve the operability and miniaturization thereof, and the efficiency of paper feed roller replacement work tends to be very poor.

  Therefore, for example, “Patent Document 1” discloses a technique for supporting the support shaft of the paper feeding roller by the apparatus main body by a snap-fit method and improving the efficiency of the replacement work. In addition, a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller is used, and a pin implanted in the drive shaft is engaged with a guide groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the paper feed roller, and the paper feed roller is moved in the axial direction to feed the drive shaft and the paper. A configuration for attaching and detaching the roller is disclosed in, for example, “Patent Document 2”. Further, for example, “Patent Document 3” discloses a configuration in which a paper feed roller is configured to be freely inserted into and removed from the drive shaft in the axial direction and both ends thereof are fixed by bearings and snap fits.

JP 2000-128368 A JP-A-5-286586 JP 2000-327147 A

  In the configuration disclosed in “Patent Document 1”, the paper feed roller can be replaced without moving in the axial direction, but at the time of replacement, the paper feed roller needs to be pushed out or pulled out from the opening of the paper feed tray. However, it is necessary to secure a space for performing each work, and the downsizing of the apparatus is hindered, and it is necessary to configure the feed roller shaft and the drive shaft on separate axes, and the configuration becomes complicated. There is a problem that.

In the configuration disclosed in “Patent Document 2”, since the half-moon-shaped roller is used as the sheet feeding roller, the sheet feeding roller cannot be rotated more than once. For this reason, there is a problem in that the distance between the paper feeding roller and the conveying means arranged downstream in the paper conveying direction is limited, and the layout of the apparatus is restricted. In order to move the feed roller in the axial direction at the time of replacement, it is necessary to cut out the guide plate at least. When the paper is passed through the guide plate having this cutout portion, the leading end of the paper enters the cutout portion. As a result, there is a problem that problems such as a paper conveyance jam and a paper tip breakage occur. This is likely to occur when small-size paper or thick paper is passed. Especially in a paper feed tray with a large load, the paper entry angle to the paper feed roller increases as the amount of paper loaded decreases. It becomes easy to generate from going.
Even in the technique disclosed in “Patent Document 3”, it is necessary to move the paper feed roller in the axial direction at the time of replacement.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problems, and provides a paper feeding device capable of easily replacing a paper feeding roller without disturbing the downsizing of the device and favorably transporting paper, and the paper feeding device. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a drive shaft whose one end side is rotatably supported by an apparatus housing constituting the paper feeding device, and detachable in the axial direction with respect to the drive shaft from the other end side of the drive shaft. A paper feed roller provided and a guide plate that is openably and closably supported by the apparatus housing, and exposes a part of the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller to guide conveyance of the paper fed by the paper feed roller. And having a space for performing work when the paper feed roller is attached to and detached from the drive shaft on the other end side of the mounting position of the paper feed roller,
The space portion is exposed during the opening of the front Symbol guide plate, said guide plate has a projection which is exposed on the surface of the device housing from the hole drilled in the said device housing, presses the projection Accordingly, the guide plate is opened .
The guide plate has a protrusion exposed on the surface of the apparatus casing through a hole formed in the apparatus casing, and the guide plate is opened by pressing the protrusion .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first aspect, a part of the guide plate corresponding to the space portion can be opened and closed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first or second aspect, the guide plate further includes a positioning member that positions the paper feeding roller at the mounting position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the guide plate further includes a support portion that rotatably supports the other end when closed. And

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the fourth aspect, the support portion is further fitted to the other end.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the support portion further performs vibration isolation at the other end.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the sixth aspect, the support portion further includes an elastic body.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a mirror is further provided on an inner surface of the guide plate.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a paper feeding tray for storing paper is further detachable from the device main body, and the paper feeding device The guide plate is allowed to be opened while the tray is pulled out.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the ninth aspect, the paper feeding tray cannot be attached to the apparatus main body when the guide plate is opened.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the ninth or tenth aspect, the mounting position is located substantially at the center in the paper width direction of the paper feeding tray.

A twelfth aspect of the invention is an image forming apparatus having the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

  According to the present invention, the paper feed roller is fitted snugly so that it can move in the axial direction to the other end side with respect to the drive shaft and cannot be relatively rotated, and the other end side of the drive shaft. Since there is a space formed larger than the width of the paper feed roller, it is possible to easily replace the paper feed roller without removing the drive shaft from the main body of the apparatus. In addition to the above, since the paper is transported in a state where the space portion is covered, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as paper transport jams and paper tip breakage that occur when the transported paper is caught in the space portion. Paper conveyance can be performed continuously.

  FIG. 1 shows a color printer as an image forming apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes four image forming units 2Y, 2C, 2M, 2Bk, a primary transfer unit 3, a secondary transfer roller 4, an optical writing device 5, a paper feeding device 6, and a fixing device inside an apparatus main body 1a. The apparatus 7 includes a discharge roller pair 8, a switching plate 9, a reverse conveyance unit 10, a discharge tray 11, and the like.

  The image forming units 2Y, 2C, 2M, and 2Bk disposed almost at the center of the apparatus main body 1a correspond to a yellow image, a blue image, a red image, and a black image, respectively, and photoconductor drums 12Y and 12C that are image carriers. , 12M, 12Bk, charging rollers 13Y, 13C, 13M, 13Bk, developing devices 14Y, 14C, 14M, 14Bk, photoconductor cleaning devices 15Y, 15C, 15M, 15Bk, and the like. The surface of each of the photosensitive drums 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk is exposed from the optical writing device 5, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image to be formed is formed. The formed electrostatic latent images are visualized with toner supplied from the toner bottles 16Y, 16C, 16M, and 16Bk to the corresponding developing devices 14Y, 14C, 14M, and 14Bk.

  A primary transfer unit 3 is disposed above the image forming units 2Y, 2C, 2M, and 2Bk. The primary transfer unit 3 faces the photosensitive drums 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk via the transfer belt 21 and the transfer belt 21 that are stretched over the entrance roller 17, the drive roller 18, the driven roller 19, and the tension roller 20. Primary transfer rollers 22Y, 22C, 22M, 22Bk, and the like disposed at positions where the toner images are transferred, and the toner images are superimposed and transferred from the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 12Y, 12C, 12M, 12Bk.

  The secondary transfer roller 4 is disposed at a position facing the driving roller 18 with the transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. The secondary transfer roller 4 collectively applies the toner image superimposed and transferred onto the transfer belt 21 to the paper P fed from the paper feeding device 6 by being applied with a bias by a bias application unit (not shown). .

  An optical writing device 5 is disposed below the image forming units 2Y, 2C, 2M, and 2Bk. The optical writing device 5 has a well-known configuration including a light source, a polygon mirror, various mirrors, and a lens (not shown), and electrostatic latent images corresponding to externally input images are respectively displayed on the photosensitive drums 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk. Form on the surface.

  The sheet feeding device 6 disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 1 a contacts the sheet feeding tray 23 on which the sheets P are stacked, the calling roller 24 that feeds the sheet P from the sheet feeding tray 23, the sheet feeding roller 25, and the sheet feeding roller 25. Then, the friction pad 26 that separates and feeds the paper P, the paper transport roller pair 27, the registration roller pair 28, the manual feed tray 29, the second paper feed roller 30 that feeds the paper P from the manual feed tray 29, and the second paper feed roller 30 A second friction pad 31 for separating and feeding the paper P in contact with each other, a paper transport roller pair 32, and the like are provided.

  The paper transport roller pair 27 has a driving roller and a driven roller that are rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a, and the driven roller that is in pressure contact with the driving roller is rotated by driving means (not shown). Then, the paper P is conveyed. The registration roller pair 28 disposed on the downstream side of the sheet conveying roller pair 27 in the sheet conveying direction also has a driving roller and a driven roller that are rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a, and is driven by driving means (not shown). Is rotated to convey the paper P downstream at a predetermined timing. The paper feed tray 23, the calling roller 24, the paper feed roller 25, and the friction pad 26 will be described later.

  The manual feed tray 29 is supported by a cover member 1b that is supported by the apparatus main body 1a so as to be opened and closed, and stacks sheets on the upper surface thereof when the manual feed tray 29 is opened. The second paper feed roller 30 is also rotatably supported by the cover member 1b, and the paper P on the manual feed tray 29 is separated and fed by the second friction pad 31 supported by the cover member 1b and pressed against the peripheral surface thereof. . The paper transport roller pair 32 has a driving roller and a driven roller that are both rotatably supported by the cover member 1b, and the driven roller that is in pressure contact with the driving roller rotates by driving means (not shown). Then, the paper P is conveyed. The cover member 1b rotatably supports the above-described secondary transfer roller 4 and a pressure roller 34, which will be described later, so that the conveyance path of the paper P is opened when the cover member 1b is opened. ing.

  The fixing device 7 disposed downstream of the secondary transfer roller 4 in the sheet conveyance direction has a heating roller 33 and a pressure roller 34, and is disposed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 1a. A heating roller 33 having a heat source (not shown) is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a and is driven to rotate by driving means (not shown). The pressure roller 34 rotatably supported by the cover member 1 b has its peripheral surface pressed against the peripheral surface of the heating roller 33 by a biasing force of a biasing means (not shown), and rotates together with the heating roller 33. The toner image formed on the upper surface of the paper P passing between the rollers 33 and 34 is fixed by the heat and pressure.

  The paper discharge roller pair 8 disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device 7 in the sheet conveying direction has a driving roller and a driven roller that are rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a, and is driven by driving means (not shown). Is driven to rotate, the driven roller in pressure contact with it rotates to discharge the paper P to the outside of the apparatus main body 1a. The paper P discharged by the paper discharge roller pair 8 is stacked on a paper discharge tray 11 integrally formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1a.

  A switching plate 9 is disposed immediately upstream of the sheet discharge roller pair 8 in the sheet conveyance direction. The switching plate 9 selectively occupies a first position indicated by a solid line and a second position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. When the switching plate 9 occupies the first position, the paper P is guided to the paper discharge roller pair 8, and when the switching plate 9 occupies the second position, the paper P is guided to the reverse conveyance unit 10.

  A reverse conveyance unit 10 is disposed in a portion of the cover member 1b located to the right of the secondary transfer roller 4 and the pressure roller 34. The reverse conveying unit 10 includes a reverse roller pair 35, a paper conveying roller pair 36, 37, and the like. The reverse roller pair 35 disposed on the downstream side of the switching plate 9 in the sheet conveying direction has a driving roller 35a and a driven roller 35b. The drive roller 35a is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a, and is driven to rotate in forward and reverse directions by drive means (not shown). When the driving roller 35a rotates forward, the paper P is sent to the outside of the apparatus main body 1a, and when the driving roller 35a reverses, the paper P is sent to the inside of the apparatus main body 1a. The driven roller 35b is rotatably supported by the cover member 1b, and its peripheral surface is pressed against the peripheral surface of the drive roller 35a by a biasing force of a biasing means (not shown). Each of the pair of paper transport rollers 36 and 37 has a driving roller and a driven roller that are rotatably supported by the cover member 1b, and the driven roller that is in pressure contact with the driving roller is driven to rotate by driving means (not shown). The roller rotates to convey the paper P downward.

  With the above-described configuration, when an image is formed on one side of the paper P, the paper P separated and fed from the paper feed tray 23 is transported by the paper transport roller pair 27 and the registration roller pair 28 and is transferred by the secondary transfer roller 4. A toner image corresponding to the surface image is transferred to one surface (the left surface in FIG. 1). The paper P on which the toner image has been transferred is fixed to the paper when passing through the fixing device 7 and then guided to the paper discharge roller pair 8 by the switching plate 9 occupying the first position, and the paper discharge tray. 11 is discharged.

  At the time of image formation on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P on which the toner image corresponding to the surface image is transferred on one side by the secondary transfer roller 4 is fixed with the toner image when passing through the fixing device 7. After that, it is guided to the reverse rotation roller pair 35 by the switching plate 9 occupying the second position. At this time, the reverse roller pair 35 is rotating forward, and the paper P is sent to the outside of the apparatus main body 1a. When the rear end of the sheet P reaches the reverse roller pair 35, the reverse roller pair 35 is reversed, and the paper P is sent from the rear end side to the inside of the apparatus main body 1a. To the registration roller pair 28. At this time, the other surface of the paper P is in a positional relationship facing the transfer belt 21, and the toner image corresponding to the back image is transferred to the other surface of the paper P by the secondary transfer roller 4. The paper P on which the toner image has been transferred is fixed to the paper when passing through the fixing device 7 and then guided to the paper discharge roller pair 8 by the switching plate 9 occupying the first position, and the paper discharge tray. 11 is discharged.

Here, the configuration of the paper feed tray 23, the calling roller 24, the paper feed roller 25, and the friction pad 26, which are the features of the present invention, will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a call roller 24 and a paper feed roller 25 are disposed above the paper feed tray 23. The paper feed tray 23 is configured to be pulled rightward in the drawing when the cover member 1b is opened. As shown in FIG. 4, the paper feed tray 23 lifts the stacked paper P upward. A bottom plate 38, a pair of side fences 39 for aligning the paper P in the width direction, an end fence 40 for aligning the transport direction of the paper P, the friction pad 26, and the like are disposed. The sheet feed bottom plate 38 is urged upward by means (not shown), and each side fence 39 is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction. In the present embodiment, since the sheets P are stacked and transported on the basis of the center, the side fences 39 are configured to be close to and away from each other with the center as a reference. The end fence 40 is configured to be movable in the paper transport direction, and the friction pad 26 is attached to the paper feed plate 41. The sheet feeding plate 41 is urged upward by a predetermined urging force.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the calling roller 24 and the paper feed roller 25 are attached to a support shaft 42 and a drive shaft 43 that are rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 1a. As shown in FIG. 5, the drive shaft 43 is rotatably supported at one end 43 a side via bearings 45, 45 by a device housing 44 constituting the sheet feeding device 6, and the other end 43 b side is a bearing. It is in a free state without being supported by. A driving means (not shown) is connected to the drive shaft 43 on one end 43a side, and is rotated by the driving force of the driving means (not shown). Similarly to the drive shaft 43, the support shaft 42 is rotatably supported at one end side by a bearing (not shown) provided on the apparatus housing 44, and the other end side is in a free state. The support shaft 42 receives the rotational force of the drive shaft 43 by the gear 46 shown in FIG. 3, and rotates in the same direction in synchronization with the drive shaft 43.

  A call roller 24 is attached to the other end side of the support shaft 42, and a paper feed roller 25 is attached to the other end 43 b side of the drive shaft 43. Each of the rollers 24 and 25 is configured so that it can be fitted with a fixed member (not shown) so that it can move to the other end side with respect to the corresponding shafts 42 and 43 but cannot rotate relative to each other. Each of them is configured to be detachable from the corresponding shafts 42 and 43 by being moved in the direction of the other end. Each of the rollers 24 and 25 is configured to be positioned substantially at the center of the paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 23 when attached to the mounting position shown in FIG. Are provided with notches for exposing the peripheral surfaces of the rollers 24 and 25, and the guide surface 44 a located downstream in the paper transport direction functions as a guide plate for guiding the paper P.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the rollers 24 and 25 are attached to and detached from the shafts 42 and 43 at the bottom portion of the apparatus housing 44 and located at the other end side of the shafts 42 and 43, respectively. A space 47 serving as a work area is provided. The size of the space portion 47 in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is such that the distance from the other end surface of each shaft 42, 43 to the opposite side surface is easy to perform the attaching / detaching operation of each roller 24, 25. It is formed to be larger than the width of 25. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a cover member 48 that covers the space 47 and functions as a guide plate together with the guide surface 44a is provided at the bottom of the apparatus housing 44 so as to be openable and closable. The cover member 48 is rotatably supported at its upstream end in the paper conveyance direction by a support shaft 49 provided at the bottom of the apparatus housing 44 and is closed by a snap fit mechanism (not shown). It is held by the body 44.

  As shown in FIG. 7, support members 48a and 48b for rotatably supporting the other ends of the shafts 42 and 43 are formed on the cover member 48 made of an elastic body such as ABS resin. Each of the support portions 48a and 48b has a bearing portion that rotatably supports the shafts 42 and 43, and a projection portion that is formed with a smaller diameter than the bearing portion. As shown in FIG. The shafts 42 and 43 are fitted and supported so as to be rotatable. With this configuration, the shafts 42 and 43 in the cantilever support state can be stably supported, and the rotation of the rollers 24 and 25 can be stably performed to continuously perform good paper feeding. In the present embodiment, the support portions 48a and 48b and the shafts 42 and 43 are fitted with each other by a snap-fit mechanism. However, the support portion does not have a protrusion and simply supports the shafts 42 and 43 in a rotatable manner. May be used.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cover member 48 is integrally formed with a projection 48 c having a prismatic shape. The protrusion 48c is configured such that its upper surface protrudes from a hole 44b (see FIG. 6) formed in the upper surface of the apparatus housing 44 when the cover member 48 is in a closed state (see FIGS. 2 and 2). 3), the cover member 48 can be easily opened by depressing the projection 48c.

  According to the above-described configuration, the rollers 24 and 25 can be moved in the axial direction toward the other end with respect to the shafts 42 and 43, and can be fitted with the fixing members (not shown) so that they cannot be rotated relative to each other. In addition, since the space portion 47 formed larger than the width of each roller 24, 25 is provided on the other end side of each shaft 42, 43, each shaft 42, 43 is removed from the apparatus main body 1a. The replacement work of the rollers 24 and 25 can be easily performed, and the cover member 48 is in a closed state except during the replacement work of the rollers 24 and 25 and guides the conveyance of the paper P covering the space 47. Thus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as a paper conveyance jam and a paper front end breakage caused by the paper P to be conveyed being caught in the space 47, and to continue good paper conveyance.

  In the above embodiment, the space 47 provided inside the apparatus housing 44 is covered by the openable and closable cover member 48 that functions as a guide plate that guides the conveyance of the paper P by the guide surface 44a, and the cover member 48 is covered. Although the space portion 47 is exposed to open and the rollers 24 and 25 are exchanged, the bottom of the device housing 44 including the guide surface 44a can be opened and closed with respect to the device housing 44. The configuration described above may be adopted.

  FIG. 9 shows a modification of the above embodiment. This modification is different from the above-described embodiment only in that the cover member 48 has a positioning member 48d, and other configurations are the same.

  The positioning member 48d, which is a plate-like member, is fixed to the wall surface on which the support portion 48b of the cover member 48 is formed. An inclined surface 48e that is inclined upward toward the inside of the cover member 48 is formed at the distal end of the positioning member 48d. The inclined surface 48e of the positioning member 48d contacts the other end side end surface 25a of the paper feed roller 25. It is arrange | positioned in the vicinity position of the support part 48b which is a position. The inclined surface 48e is in contact with the other end surface 25a when the cover member 48 is closed when the paper feed roller 25 is not attached to the mounting position shown in FIG. The roller 25 is moved in the axial direction on the drive shaft 43, and the paper feed roller 25 is positioned at the mounting position.

  With the above-described configuration, even when the attachment position of the paper feed roller 25 with respect to the drive shaft 43 does not occupy the attachment position, the positioning member 48d automatically attaches the paper feed roller 25 as the cover member 48 is closed. Therefore, the sheet feeding roller 25 does not occupy the mounting position, and the sheet feeding jam, the sheet skew, the cover member 48 is not blocked, and the like is prevented from occurring. It can be performed.

  In the above modification, the positioning member 48d is arranged only on the paper feed roller 25 side. However, the positioning member 48d may be provided on the calling roller 24 side or on both the rollers 24 and 25 side. .

  FIG. 10 shows another modification of the present invention. This modification is different in that a cover member 50 having a mirror 50 a is used instead of the cover member 48. Similar to the cover member 48, the cover member 50 has two support portions (not shown) that rotatably support the shafts 42 and 43 and projections (not shown) (only the projections in the closed state are indicated by two-dot chain lines). ing. The mirror 50a is arranged at a position where the rollers 24 and 25 and the space 47 (not shown) are projected.

  According to this configuration, the replacement work status of the rollers 24 and 25 can be visually confirmed by the mirror 50a, and the work efficiency can be significantly improved as compared with the conventional configuration in which the replacement work cannot be visually confirmed. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, by providing elastic bodies such as rubber, sponge, urethane, etc., between the support portions 48a, 48b and the bearing portions or cover members 48, 50 of the respective support portions (not shown). The shafts 42 and 43 can be prevented from vibration during rotation, and the paper feed performance can be improved.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment and each modification, insertion of the paper feed tray 23 into the apparatus main body 1a is prevented so that the paper feed tray 23 pulled out when the cover members 48 and 50 are opened cannot be installed in the apparatus main body 1a. By providing a member (not shown) in the paper feed tray 23 or the apparatus main body 1a, the cover members 48, 50 and the paper feed caused by the paper feed tray 23 being mounted when the cover members 48, 50 are opened. The tray 23 can be prevented from being damaged.

  In the above embodiment and each modified example, an example in which a color printer is used as an image forming apparatus has been described. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this, and other types of printers, facsimiles, copying apparatuses, multifunction machines, and the like are also used. The present invention is applicable. In the paper feeding apparatus of the present invention, the paper P is fed. However, the paper P is not only plain paper generally used for copying, but also cardboard, postcard, envelope, OHP sheet, card, and the like. included.

1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the principal part of a paper feed part used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the principal part of a paper feed part used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of the paper feed tray used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic at the time of the cover member obstruction | occlusion for demonstrating the structure and arrangement | positioning of the principal part of a paper feeding apparatus used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic in the state except the cover member for demonstrating the structure and arrangement | positioning of the principal part of a paper feeding apparatus used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic at the time of the cover member open | release explaining the cover member used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic at the time of the cover member obstruction | occlusion explaining the cover member used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the cover member used for the modification of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic for demonstrating the cover member used for the other modification of one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 1a Apparatus main body 6 Paper feeder 23 Paper feed tray 25 Paper feed roller 43 Drive shaft 43a One end 43b The other end 44a Guide plate (guide surface)
47 Space 48, 50 Guide plate (cover member)
48a, 48b Support portion 48c Projection 48d Positioning member 50a Mirror

Claims (12)

A drive shaft whose one end is rotatably supported by a device housing constituting the paper feed device, and a paper feed roller provided detachably in the axial direction from the other end of the drive shaft to the drive shaft; A guide plate that is openably and closably supported by the apparatus housing and exposes a part of a peripheral surface of the paper feed roller to guide conveyance of the paper fed by the paper feed roller. A paper feeding device having a space for performing work when the paper feeding roller is attached to and detached from the drive shaft on the other side of the roller mounting position,
The space portion is exposed during the opening of the front Symbol guide plate, said guide plate has a projection which is exposed on the surface of the device housing from the hole drilled in the said device housing, presses the projection Accordingly, the guide plate is opened . The paper feeding device according to claim 1.
A part of the guide plate corresponding to the space is openable and closable. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
The sheet feeding device, wherein the guide plate has a positioning member for positioning the sheet feeding roller at the mounting position. In the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The sheet feeding device, wherein the guide plate has a support portion that rotatably supports the other end when closed. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein
The paper feeding device, wherein the support portion is fitted to the other end. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4 or 5,
The paper feeding device, wherein the support portion performs vibration isolation at the other end. The paper feeding device according to claim 6.
The paper feeding device, wherein the support portion has an elastic body. In the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A paper feeding device having a mirror on the inner surface of the guide plate. In the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A paper feeding device having a paper feeding tray for storing paper so as to be freely drawn out from the apparatus main body, and allowing the guide plate to be opened in a state where the paper feeding tray is drawn out. The paper feeding device according to claim 9.
The sheet feeding device, wherein the sheet feeding tray cannot be attached to the apparatus main body when the guide plate is opened. In the paper feeding device according to claim 9 or 10,
The paper feeding device, wherein the mounting position is located substantially in the center of the paper feeding tray in the paper width direction. An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to claim 1.

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