JP4636716B2 - Paper supply device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper supply apparatus suitable for an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The remaining paper amount detection in the paper supply device that extracts and supplies the paper loaded in the multiple paper trays installed in multiple stages by the paper feed unit that moves up and down is performed by using a stepping motor or servo motor in the drive unit of the paper feed unit. It is configured to calculate and calculate the positional relationship from the reference position, or to provide a remaining amount detection sensor for each paper tray to detect and display the remaining amount of paper.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The remaining paper amount detection means for determining the remaining amount of paper based on the positional relationship of the paper feed units is poor in detection efficiency because the paper feed unit needs to move from the reference position to the position of the paper feed tray.
[0004]
Further, the remaining amount detection means for providing a remaining amount detection sensor in each sheet feeding tray is complicated and expensive in the structure of each sheet feeding tray. Is remarkable.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device that moves a sheet feeding unit to a desired sheet feeding tray position in a plurality of sheet feeding trays and feeds paper from the sheet feeding tray. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to efficiently detect the remaining amount of stacked paper.
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to realize a sheet remaining amount detecting means capable of constructing a sheet feeding tray with a simple structure at low cost.
[0007]
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device capable of detecting the presence of jammed paper remaining without being fed in a state extracted from a paper feeding tray.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a paper feed tray disposed in multiple stages in the sheet feeding apparatus main body, are stacked on the paper feed tray moves to the position of the paper feed tray of the selected stage and sequential feeding paper sheets from the top side, a sheet feeding unit to descend with decreasing position of the uppermost sheet by the sheet feeding, a sheet feeding unit lifting device for lifting the paper feed unit, paper feed A sheet feeding unit having a sheet feeding unit that moves forward to a sheet feeding position on the sheet feeding unit side at times, and moves to a home position retracted from the sheet feeding unit side when not feeding. In this case, one sheet provided in the sheet feeding unit for detecting a sheet positioned between the two positions from above the moving range between the home position, the sheet retraction position, and the advance position of the sheet feeding tray. a detection sensor, the sheet When the unit and each stage of paper feed tray are positioned at the home position, the detection sensor detects the non-feed, and when the paper feed unit advances to the paper feed position, the detection sensor detects the paper feed tray. And a control means for detecting the remaining amount of paper loaded on the printer .
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of an image forming apparatus configured by mounting a copying machine main body on a paper feeding device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the paper feeding device.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feeding device 1 has a copying machine main body 3 mounted on a paper feeding device main body 2, and different sizes of paper P (P 1 to P 5) in the paper feeding device main body 2. The paper feed trays 4 (4a to 4e) that can be moved forward and backward are installed in multiple stages, and the paper feed unit 5 that can be moved up and down is installed inside the door 6, and is loaded on the paper feed tray 4 at any stage. An image forming apparatus that extracts the paper P by the paper feeding unit 5 and feeds it to the copying machine main body 3 is configured.
[0014]
The copying machine main body 3 includes an operation panel 7 as an operation unit on an upper surface of the front portion (right side in FIG. 1). The operation panel 7 includes a tray selection button 8. The copying machine main body 2 has an automatic document feeder 9 mounted thereon.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 2, the paper supply device 1 can be pulled out into the paper supply device main body 2 that also functions as a gantry and can be pulled out and moved back and forth in the direction of the elevating orbit position of the paper supply unit 5 (the number of steps is arbitrary). The paper feed trays 4a to 4e arranged in the paper feed trays 4a to 4e, the paper feed tray drive motors 10a to 10e that drive the paper feed trays 4a to 4e of the respective stages forward and backward, and the positions of the paper feed tray 4 that has been selected and advanced The paper P loaded on the paper feed tray 4 is sequentially extracted and fed from the uppermost side, and is lowered as the position of the uppermost paper P that is lowered by this paper feeding is lowered. The paper feed unit 5 is coupled to a paper feed unit 5 and a lift drive belt 13 stretched between the pulleys 11 and 12, and the pulley 11 is driven by a paper feed unit lift drive motor 14 to drive the lift drive belt 13. By turning Comprising a sheet feed unit lifting device 15 for elevating the serial feeding unit 5.
[0016]
The paper feed unit lifting / lowering device 15 includes a paper feed unit home position detection protrusion 16 and a paper feed unit home for detecting that the paper feed unit 5 is positioned at the uppermost paper feed unit home position in the lift path. A position detection sensor 17 is provided.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the paper feed tray advancing / retreating drive means for advancing and retreating the paper feed tray 4 includes a rack gear 18 attached to the side surface of the paper feed tray 4a in the forward / backward direction, and the paper feed tray drive motor 10a. Worm 19, worm wheel 20 and gears 21 and 22 for transferring the rotation of the sheet feed to the rack gear 18 and moving the sheet feed tray 4a forward and backward, and sheet feed tray position detection mounted so as to protrude to the rear side of the sheet feed tray 4a. The projection 23 and the paper feed tray 4a are moved forward and backward of the paper feed tray position detection projection 23 so as to detect that the paper feed tray 4a has advanced (in the direction of arrow B) to the up / down trajectory (paper feed position) of the paper feed unit 5. The feed tray feed position detection sensor 24 installed and the feed tray 4a detects that the feed tray 4a has moved backward (arrow J direction) to the feed tray home position. Comprising a paper feed tray home position detection sensor 25 faces allowed placed in the advancing and retracting track of the paper feed tray position detection protrusion 23.
[0018]
Such a paper feed tray advance / retreat driving means is installed for each of the paper feed trays 4a to 4e.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed unit lifting / lowering device 15 includes a slide pin 5 slidably fitted on one end of the paper feed unit 5 and slidably fitted on a slide shaft 26, and a coupling pin projecting on the other end. 27a is slidably inserted into a slide groove 28a formed in the partition frame plate 28, thereby supporting the paper feed unit 5 so as to be movable up and down. The coupling between the sheet feeding unit 5 and the lifting drive belts 13a and 13b is realized by coupling the coupling pins 27a and 27b protruding from the both side ends of the sheet feeding unit 5 to the lifting and lowering driving belts 13a and 13b.
[0020]
Pulleys 11a and 11b that stretch the elevating drive belts 13a and 13b are fixed to an elevating drive shaft 29, and are driven by the paper feed unit elevating drive motor 14 via a worm 30, a worm wheel 31, and gears 32 and 33.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sheet feeding unit 5 includes a pickup roller 34, a feed roller 35, a separation roller 36, a grip roller 37, a driven roller 38, and a rotation angle that supports the pickup roller 34. A pickup roller support plate 39, a pickup roller contact detection protrusion 39a formed on the pickup roller support plate 39, a pickup roller contact detection sensor 40, and a paper detection sensor (ultrasonic sensor) 41 are provided.
[0022]
The pickup roller support plate 39 applies a turning force by a spring (not shown) so as to turn counterclockwise about the rotation axis of the feed roller 35, and the paper feeding unit 5 descends to pick up. The roller 35 is configured to turn clockwise by a reaction force caused by contact with the paper P loaded on the paper feed tray 4. The pickup roller contact detection sensor 40 detects the pickup roller contact detection protrusion 39a of the pickup roller support plate 39 that is turned clockwise.
[0023]
Each of the sensors 17, 24, 25, 40 is installed with a light emitter and a light receiver (not shown) facing each other, and the protrusions 16, 23, 39a move so as to block between the light emitter and the light receiver. It is the structure which detects this.
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the paper detection sensor 41 includes an ultrasonic transmission unit 41 a and an ultrasonic reception unit 41 b. The ultrasonic transmission unit 41a transmits ultrasonic waves toward the detection target (the paper feed tray 4 and the paper P advanced to the paper supply position), and the ultrasonic reception unit 41b transmits the ultrasonic waves reflected from the detection target. Receive.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 10, the operation panel 7 includes tray selection buttons 8 a to 8 e, a remaining sheet display mark 42, and a jam display mark 43.
[0026]
The control device 100 is mainly composed of a CPU. As shown in FIG. 11, the control instruction signal from the tray selection buttons 8 (8a to 8e) of the operation panel 7 and the sensors 17, 24, 25, 40, 41 is input, and a predetermined calculation process is performed to control the pulse generator 101 and the drivers 102, 103a to 103e so as to drive the paper feed tray drive motors 10a to 10c and the paper feed unit lift drive motor 14. Then, display control of the remaining paper amount display mark 42 and the jam display mark 43 is executed.
[0027]
In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on, the control device 100 detects the paper feed unit home position detection protrusion 16 provided in the paper feed unit 5 as a paper feed unit home position. The sheet feeding unit drive motor 14 is operated so as to raise the sheet feeding unit 5 to the sheet feeding unit home position detected by the sensor 17 and then waited, and the sheet feeding tray positions provided in the sheet feeding trays 4a to 4e. Each of the paper feed tray drive motors 10a to 10e is operated so that the paper feed trays 4a to 4e are moved backward (in the direction of arrow J) to the paper feed tray home position where the detection projection 23 is detected by the paper feed tray home position detection sensor 25. And wait for the initial state.
[0028]
Next, an operation when the user selects a paper feeding unit from the operation panel 7 and performs image formation (copying) will be described. Here, a case where the selection of the paper feed tray 4a is instructed from the operation panel 7 will be described as an example.
[0029]
In the initial state described above, when the tray selection button 8a on the operation panel 7 of the copying machine main body 3 is selected, the control device 100 operates the paper feed tray drive motor 10a to advance the paper feed tray 4a toward the paper feed position. (In the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3). When the paper feed tray 4 a moves forward to the paper feed position and the paper feed tray position detection projection 23 comes out of the paper feed tray paper feed position detection sensor 24, the control device 100 responds to the detection signal of the detection sensor 24. Then, the paper feed tray drive motor 10a is stopped.
[0030]
When the paper feed tray 4a moves forward to the paper feed position, the control device 100 operates the paper detection sensor 41 to detect the remaining amount of paper P1 loaded on the paper feed tray 4a. As shown in FIG. 8, this remaining amount detection is performed by measuring the distance from the paper detection sensor 41 of the paper feed unit 5 located at the home position to the uppermost paper of the paper P1 loaded on the paper feed tray 4a. Detect. That is, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitting unit 41a onto the paper P1 stacked on the tray 4a, the reflected wave is received by the ultrasonic wave receiving unit 41b, and the maximum time of the paper P1 on the tray 4a is received by the time difference. This is performed by detecting the distance (t1) to the upper sheet.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 9, the distance (t0) between the paper detection sensor 41 and each tray 4 in a state where the paper P is not stacked on each tray 4 (4a to 4e) is detected in advance and stored in a memory or the like. Thus, t0-t1 becomes the remaining amount information of the paper P in the actual remaining amount detection. The control device 100 calculates the remaining amount of the paper P based on this information. Then, the detected remaining amount of paper is displayed by remaining sheet amount display marks 42 (42a to 42e) provided on the operation panel 7, as shown in FIG.
[0032]
On the other hand, when the paper feed unit 5 and each paper feed tray 4 are located at the home position, the presence of non-paper feed (jam) can be detected by operating the paper detection sensor 41. In a state where all the paper feed trays 4 are located at the home position, the paper detection sensor 41 does not detect the presence of the paper P. However, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, when the non-paper feed P2 protrudes from the paper feed tray 4b, the paper detection sensor 41 detects the non-paper feed P2. Accordingly, the control device 100 notifies the jam display mark 43 provided on the operation panel 7 when the paper P2 is detected when the paper feed unit 5 and each paper feed tray 4 are located at the home position.
[0033]
In order to feed the paper P, the control device 100 operates the paper feed unit raising / lowering drive motor 14 so as to lower the paper feed unit 5 toward the paper feed tray 4a advanced to the paper feed position.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 7, when the pickup roller 34 provided in the paper feeding unit 5 comes into contact with the uppermost paper P1 of the paper P1 stored in the tray 4a, the pickup roller 34 is attached and supported. When the pickup roller support plate 39 is turned so that the protrusion 39a of the pickup roller support plate 39 that has entered the pickup roller contact detection sensor 40, the control device 100 outputs a signal from the pickup roller contact detection sensor 40. In response to this, the paper feed unit lifting drive motor 14 is stopped.
[0035]
The pickup roller 34, the feed roller 35, the separation roller 36, the grip roller 37, and the driven roller 38 in the sheet feeding unit 5 extract and separate one sheet P1 and feed it to the copying machine main body 1.
[0036]
In this embodiment, the paper detection sensor 41 is installed in the paper feed unit 5, but is attached to the paper feed unit lifting / lowering device 15 or a fixing member of the paper feed device main body 1 and above the paper feed position of the paper feed tray 4. It is also possible to implement with a configuration in which it is installed so as to be positioned.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of paper and the non-feeding of a paper feeding device having a multi-stage paper feeding tray with a single detection sensor, and the remaining amount detection means is inexpensive. Can be configured .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sheet feeding device showing an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing a paper feed tray advancing / retreating drive unit in the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a perspective view showing a paper feed unit advance / retreat position detection means in the paper feed tray advance / retreat driving means shown in FIG. 3. FIG.
5 is a perspective view showing a paper feeding unit lifting device in the paper feeding device shown in FIG.
6 is a side view showing a paper feed tray and a paper feed unit located at a home position in the paper feed device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
7 is a side view showing a state in which a paper feeding unit in the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2 is in contact with paper in a paper feeding tray.
8 is a side view showing a state in which the paper on the paper feed tray is detected by the paper detection sensor shown in FIG. 6. FIG.
9 is a side view showing a state in which a paper feed tray is detected by the paper detection sensor shown in FIG. 6;
10 is a plan view of an operation panel in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
11 is a block diagram of a control system in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
12 is a side view showing a non-paper feeding detection state in the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feeder 2 Paper feeder main body 3 Copier main body 4 (4a-4e) Paper feed tray 5 Paper feed unit 7 Operation panel 8 Tray selection button 9 Automatic document feeder 10a-10e Paper feed tray drive motor 14 Feed Paper unit lift drive motor 15 Paper feed unit lifting device 17 Paper feed unit home position detection sensor 24 Paper feed tray paper feed position detection sensor 25 Paper feed tray home position detection sensor 35 Pickup roller 40 Pickup roller contact detection sensor 41 Paper detection sensor 42 (42a to 42e) Remaining paper amount display mark 43 Jam display mark 100 Control device

Claims (1)

Paper trays arranged in multiple stages in the paper feeder body;
The sheet moves to the position of the paper feed tray of a selected stage is stacked on the paper feed tray and sequential and fed from the top side, with a decrease in the position of the uppermost sheet by the paper feed A paper feeding unit that descends
A paper feed unit lifting device for lifting and lowering the paper feed unit;
Advancing and retreating means of a paper feeding unit that moves the paper feeding tray to a paper feeding position on the paper feeding unit side during paper feeding and moves it to a home position that is retracted from the paper feeding unit side when not feeding paper;
In a paper supply device having
One sheet detection sensor provided in the sheet feeding unit for detecting a sheet positioned between the two positions from above the movement range between the home position and the sheet feeding position of the sheet feeding tray ;
When the paper feed unit and each stage of paper feed tray are positioned at the home position, the detection sensor detects non-feed, and when the paper feed unit moves forward to the paper feed position, the detection sensor Control means for detecting the remaining amount of paper loaded in the paper feed tray;
A paper supply device comprising:

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