JP4746524B2 - Paper supply apparatus and image forming apparatus equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper supply device used in an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same.

In this type of paper supply apparatus, a paper feed method using a roller is known. Specifically, the apparatus has a paper feed roller and a separation roller installed on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, as viewed in the paper supply direction, and the paper feed roller located on the upstream side is the uppermost layer in the paper cassette. The paper is brought into contact with each other and separated by a rotation of the paper feed roller one sheet at a time on the downstream side. Next, the paper is sent to the conveyance path one by one by the rotation of the separation roller.
Here, when paper dust or dust adheres to each of these rollers, a paper separation failure or non-feeding occurs, which greatly affects the life of the rollers. Therefore, a technique for cleaning the roller has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-9-150976

By the way, in the above conventional technique, the direction in which the paper cassette is pulled out and the direction in which the paper is fed from the cassette are configured to be substantially perpendicular to each other, and the cassette has an annular cleaning member having an opening in the direction of the drawing. Is provided. When the cassette is pulled out, the cleaning member moves along the axial direction of each roller, and the brush provided inside the cleaning member contacts the outside of the roller.
However, the cleaning member is formed so as to be able to come into contact with only a part of the outer peripheral surface of the roller, and there is a problem that paper dust or the like adhering to the roller is left behind. Further, in the configuration in which the roller is allowed to pass inside the cleaning member, there is a concern that the opening end surface of the cleaning member and the end surface of the roller collide to decenter the roller shaft.

Furthermore, in solving the above problems, it should be noted that the existing configuration is maintained as much as possible. That is, in the above conventional technique, it is necessary to process the cassette for providing the cleaning member, secure a space, and the like, and this cannot suppress an increase in manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a paper supply device that can solve the above-described problems and can reliably clean a roller, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the paper supply device.

A first invention for achieving the above object is configured to be detachable by pulling and pushing into an image forming apparatus main body, and is disposed in the apparatus main body, a paper storage portion for storing sheets of sheets stacked in the thickness direction, and the apparatus main body A paper feed roller that contacts the paper located on the outermost layer of the paper storage unit at a predetermined paper feed position, rotates the paper feed roller, and pulls out the paper on the outermost layer from the paper storage unit A sheet feeding mechanism that feeds out one sheet at a time in substantially the same direction as the direction, and the sheet storage unit includes a belt-shaped cleaning member that rotates in contact with the sheet supply roller when the sheet storage unit is attached or detached.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the paper storage portion is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body by being pulled out and pushed in. The paper storage portion is pulled out and the rotation direction of the paper feed roller of the paper feed mechanism That is, the feeding direction from the paper storage unit is configured in substantially the same direction.
The paper container is provided with a belt-like cleaning member that rotates in contact with the paper feed roller during the attachment / detachment operation, so that the cleaning member can contact all the outer peripheral surfaces of the paper feed roller. Thus, the paper feed roller is reliably cleaned. As a result, the reliability of the paper feed mechanism is improved as compared with the conventional case.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus main body is disposed in proximity to the paper feed roller, contacts the paper fed from the paper feed mechanism, and is formed in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the paper feed roller. And a separation mechanism that rotates the separation roller and feeds the fed paper toward a predetermined paper conveyance path, and the cleaning member is an operation for attaching and detaching the paper storage unit. Sometimes it is characterized by rotating in contact with the separation roller.
According to the second invention, in addition to the action of the first invention, the belt-like cleaning member can come into contact with all of the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller, and the separation roller is surely secured every time the sheet storage portion is attached / detached. To be cleaned.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect of the invention, the sheet storage portion is configured to be larger than the device main body, and can be extended to the outside by being pushed into the device main body. And a cover member that covers the storage portion, and the cleaning member is placed on the cover member and has a long side portion that is formed along the attaching / detaching direction of the paper storage portion.
According to the third invention, in addition to the action of the first or second invention, the cover member is indispensable for the paper storage portion having the extended storage portion. Since the cleaning function can be obtained by placing the, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost due to the addition of the cleaning function as compared with the conventional case.
Moreover, the belt-shaped cleaning member having the long side portion is placed on the cover member that covers the expansion accommodating portion. Therefore, the paper feed roller is surely cleaned simultaneously with the replenishment operation for the user to load the paper into the paper storage unit. In other words, since the paper feed roller is frequently cleaned, even if a paper with a large amount of paper dust is fed, the separation failure caused by the paper dust adhering to the paper feed roller or the paper Non-feeding and uneven wear of the paper feed roller can be reliably suppressed.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the third aspect of the invention, a reversing mechanism that rotates the paper feed roller in a direction opposite to the rotation direction at the time of paper delivery when the paper storage unit is pulled out, and a paper storage unit push-in operation In some cases, the paper feeding roller is prevented from rotating by the reversing mechanism, and the avoiding mechanism holds the reversing mechanism at the avoiding position until the next pulling operation.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the action of the third aspect of the invention, the reversing mechanism for rotating the paper feed roller in the direction opposite to the rotation direction at the time of paper delivery when the paper storage unit is pulled out is provided. Therefore, the advancing direction of the cleaning member and the rotation direction of the paper feed roller face each other, the cleaning member is pressed more strongly against the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller, and the paper feed roller is more reliably cleaned.
On the other hand, from the time when the paper storage section is pushed in until the next pulling-out operation, an avoidance mechanism is provided to avoid the rotation of the paper feed roller by the reversing mechanism, so that contact between the paper on the outermost layer and the paper feed roller is hindered. The function of the paper feed mechanism is also maintained.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, any one of the first to fourth paper supply devices is mounted, and paper is supplied to the image forming unit using this.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, in addition to the separation failure associated with the adhesion of paper dust to the paper feed roller, the paper non-feed, the uneven wear of the paper feed roller, etc. As a result, a good image can be obtained and the image forming apparatus can be improved in reliability.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper supply device capable of reliably cleaning a roller while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the paper supply device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a printer 1 which is an example of an image forming apparatus. The cross section shown in the figure is seen from the left side of the printer 1. For this reason, the front surface of the printer 1 is positioned on the right side and the rear surface of the printer 1 is positioned on the left side.

  As shown in the figure, a paper supply device 4 is disposed below the inside of the device main body 2 of the printer 1. The supply device 4 is equipped with a paper cassette (paper storage unit) 6, and inside the cassette 6, sheets of paper P are stored in a stacked state. Then, the sheets P are sent one by one toward the upper right of the cassette 6 in the figure, and the sent sheets P are reversed toward the back side inside the apparatus main body 2 and are directed toward the back side as they are. Are transported. The cassette 6 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 2, that is, can be pulled out in the right direction and can be pushed in the left direction in FIG. A new sheet P can be replenished in the inside, or the sheet P can be replaced with another type of sheet.

  Inside the apparatus main body 2, a roller 10, a paper feed path 12 for feeding paper, a registration roller 14, an image forming unit 16, and a transfer unit 90 are arranged in this order on the downstream side in the paper transport direction from the paper supply device 4. Has been. The image forming unit 16 is provided with a photosensitive drum 18 at the center thereof. Further, an optical unit 15 is provided above the image forming unit 16, and laser light L is emitted from the optical unit 15 toward the drum 18 as indicated by a one-dot chain line in the drawing. Is done. Further, a toner replenishing device 20 is mounted in front of the optical unit 15 and above the paper conveyance path 12, and the toner in the device 20 is supplied to the image forming unit 16 through the developing device 21. The transfer unit 90 includes a transfer roller 91, and the roller 91 is pressed against the drum 18 from below to form a transfer nip portion for transferring the toner image onto the paper P.

  Further, a fixing unit 92, a discharge paper transport path 94, and a paper discharge unit 96 are sequentially arranged on the downstream side of the image forming unit 16 and the transfer unit 90 in the paper transport direction. The sheet conveying path 94 extends upward from the downstream of the fixing unit 92 along the back surface of the apparatus main body 2, and is further bent toward the front side at the upper position of the apparatus main body 2. The paper discharge unit 96 is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2, and can receive the paper P discharged from the terminal end of the paper transport path 94 at this position and stack it in the height direction. The printed paper P stored in the paper discharge unit 96 can be easily taken out from the outside.

  On the other hand, a paper conveyance path 98 for double-sided printing is formed below the transfer unit 90 and the fixing unit 92 and between the paper supply device 4. The sheet conveyance path 98 branches from the middle of the sheet conveyance path 94 at a position along the back surface of the apparatus main body 2 and extends downward. The paper transport path 98 is bent toward the front side in the apparatus main body 2 and extends in the horizontal direction, and is joined to the paper transport path 12 described above.

Here, on the front side below the inside of the apparatus main body 2, a paper feed mechanism 8 is provided on the upstream side in the paper P supply direction, and a separation mechanism 9 is provided on the downstream side thereof. Specifically, in the paper feeding mechanism 8, the paper cassette 6 is brought into contact with the paper P located on the outermost layer of the paper cassette 6 at a predetermined paper feeding position in a state where the paper cassette 6 is pushed into the apparatus main body 2, and the paper 1 Each sheet is handed down to the downstream side. On the other hand, the separation mechanism 9 contacts the paper delivered from the paper feeding mechanism 8 and sends out the paper one by one toward the paper transport path 12.
The paper cassette 6 of this embodiment is configured to be stretchable according to the size of the paper to be replenished.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet cassette 6 has a substantially rectangular base portion 24, and a grip portion 22 is formed on the front side of the base portion 24. A bottom plate 26 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the base portion 24, and the paper P before printing is placed on the bottom plate 26. Further, lateral guides 28 and 28 are respectively arranged on both sides of the bottom plate 26, and these lateral guides 28 move in a direction perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the cassette 6 when the knob 29 is pressed. It is configured to be possible. Further, the upstream end of the bottom plate 26 as viewed in the paper P supply direction is rotatably supported via a protrusion 27 (FIG. 3).

On the other hand, an extension accommodating portion 36 is formed on the back side of the base portion 24.
Specifically, the housing portion 36 is located inside the base portion 24, and when a lock lever (not shown) is pressed, the housing portion 36 moves in a direction away from the grip portion 22 as shown in FIG. Further, a vertical guide 30 is disposed on the back side of the housing portion 36, and the vertical guide 30 is configured to be movable along the rail 32 in accordance with the size of the paper to be used.
Returning to FIG. 2 again, the expansion accommodating portion 36 is covered with a cover member 40. The cover member 40 is formed in a cross-sectional hat shape when viewed from the width direction of the apparatus main body 2, and the top surface 41 covers the expansion accommodating portion 36 from above. As a result, when the size of the paper P to be replenished is changed from, for example, the A4 plate to the A3 plate, the expansion accommodating portion 36 is extended rearward from the base portion 24. Then, when the sheet is changed in this stretched state and the cassette 6 is pushed into the apparatus main body 2, the expansion accommodating portion 36 protrudes from the back surface of the apparatus main body 2 to the outside. However, since this protruding portion is covered with the cover member 40, dust does not enter the cassette 6.

  Incidentally, the cover member 40 of the present embodiment is provided with a belt-like cleaning member 42. Specifically, the cleaning member 42 is formed of, for example, a bristle brush or felt, and is placed at a substantially central position of the top surface 41, and a long side portion 44 formed along the attaching / detaching direction of the cassette 6. , 44. The cleaning member 42 cleans the paper feed mechanism 8 and the separation mechanism 9 described above.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed mechanism 8 has a pickup roller (paper feed roller) 60, and this roller 60 is disposed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the mounting / demounting direction of the cassette 6. The shaft 61 is configured to be rotatable. Further, the separation mechanism 9 has a feed roller (separation roller) 64, and this roller 64 is also in a direction substantially parallel to the shaft 61 of the roller 60, that is, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the cassette 6. The roller 64 is configured to be rotatable about the disposed shaft 65, and the roller 64 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown).

The pickup roller 60 and the feed roller 64 are connected via an intermediate gear 62. When the roller 64 rotates, for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 5, the intermediate gear 62 rotates clockwise. The roller 60 rotates counterclockwise. The pressure of the feed roller 64 is configured to be transmitted to the pad 34 provided at the front end portion of the paper cassette 6 (FIG. 3).
Further, the rollers 60 and 64 described above are held by the folder 54 and supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the folder 54. The folder 54 is attached to the attachment sheet metal 50 via the connecting portion 52, and the sheet metal 50 is fixed to the lower side of the sheet conveyance path 98.

  When the cover member 40 is positioned below the pickup roller 60 and the feed roller 64 during the drawer operation of the cassette 6 with respect to the apparatus main body 2, first, the belt-shaped cleaning member 42 contacts the roller 60. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 60 is cleaned. Next, the cleaning member 42 also contacts the roller 64 and rotates the roller 64 in the counterclockwise direction of the drawing. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 64 is also cleaned. On the other hand, at the time of pushing the cassette 6 filled with desired paper, the cleaning member 42 comes into contact with the feed roller 64 and rotates the roller 64 in the clockwise direction in FIG. Next, the cleaning member 42 also contacts the pickup roller 60, and the roller 60 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG.

Then, the following printing is performed in the printer 1 in which the rollers 60 and 64 are cleaned and the paper is replenished.
Specifically, the paper P is separated and fed one by one from the cassette 6 by the paper feed mechanism 8, and the paper P is separated and conveyed one by one by the separation mechanism 9. The conveyed paper P reaches the registration roller 14 through the paper conveyance path 12. The roller 14 feeds the paper P to the transfer unit 90 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P and timing the toner image formed by the image forming unit 16.

  Image data is transmitted to the printer 1 from an external computer (not shown). This image data is data in which various images such as characters, signs, figures, symbols, diagrams, and patterns are converted into data. Based on this data, the printer 1 controls the irradiation of the laser beam L by the optical unit 15. Is done. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of the original image is formed on the photosensitive drum 18 in the image forming unit 16, and then a toner image is formed on the drum 18 from the electrostatic latent image. This toner image is transferred onto the paper P at the transfer nip portion between the drum 18 and the roller 91.

Thereafter, the sheet P is fed toward the fixing unit 92 with an unfixed toner image carried thereon, and the toner image is fixed by the heat roller at the fixing unit 92. Next, the paper P discharged from the fixing unit 92 is sent upward through the paper conveyance path 94 and discharged to the paper discharge unit 96.
In contrast to this single-sided printing, when the printer 1 performs double-sided printing, the transport direction of the paper P discharged from the fixing unit 92 is switched immediately before being discharged to the paper discharge unit 96. That is, the paper P printed on one side is pulled back into the paper transport path 94 and transported into the paper transport path 98. Subsequently, the sheet P joins the sheet conveyance path 12 at a position immediately downstream of the sheet feeding mechanism 8 and is sent again toward the transfer unit 90. At this time, since the printed surface of the paper P is facing downward, when the paper P is sent again to the transfer unit 90, the toner image is transferred to the surface of the paper P that has not yet been printed. .

Next, FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment. This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the above embodiment except for the configuration for further enhancing the cleaning function for the rollers 60 and 64. Therefore, it demonstrates centering on the structure of a cleaning member, about the structure same as the said Example, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
The belt-shaped cleaning member 42A of the present embodiment also has long side portions 44 and 44 formed along the attaching / detaching direction of the cassette 6 at a substantially central position of the top surface 41 of the cover member 40A. However, the cleaning member 42 </ b> A of the present embodiment has a reversing mechanism 70 that makes the traveling direction of the member 42 </ b> A and the rotation direction of the rollers 60 and 64 face each other, and rotates the rollers 60 and 64 via the mechanism 70.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, on the top surface 41, a rack 72 constituting the reversing mechanism 70 is arranged in parallel with the long side portion 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the rack 72 is configured to be able to mesh with an idle gear 76 constituting the reversing mechanism 70, and the gear 76 is configured to be able to mesh with the pickup roller 60.
Furthermore, the cleaning member 42 </ b> A of this embodiment also has a link (avoidance mechanism) 74. Specifically, the link 74 rotatably supports the gear 76, while the link 74 is rotatably supported at a rear end of the folder 54 within a predetermined regulation range. More specifically, the link 74 of this embodiment is restricted from rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 from the meshing position of the rack 72 and the gear 76, and from the meshing position in the clockwise direction in FIG. Only rotation is allowed.

  When the cover member 40A is positioned below the idle gear 76 during the drawer operation of the cassette 6 with respect to the apparatus main body 2, the gear 76 and the rack 72 mesh with each other, and the gear 76 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. To do. Accordingly, the pickup roller 60 and the feed roller 64 are rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. Subsequently, when the cover member 40A is positioned below the rollers 60 and 64, the cleaning member 42A first contacts the roller 60 rotating in the clockwise direction, and at that time, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 60 is cleaned. Next, the cleaning member 42A also contacts the roller 64 that rotates in the clockwise direction, and at this time, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 64 is also cleaned.

On the other hand, when the cassette 6 is pushed in, first, the cleaning member 42A comes into contact with the feed roller 64, and rotates the roller 64 in the clockwise direction in FIG. Next, the cleaning member 42A also comes into contact with the pickup roller 60, and rotates the roller 60 in the clockwise direction in FIG.
Subsequently, when the cover member 40A is positioned below the idle gear 76, the gear 76 and the rack 72 can mesh with each other, but the gear 76 has already been rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Thus, the traveling direction of the rack 72 and the rotational direction of the gear 76 are opposed to each other, and the rotation of the gear 76 prevents the traveling of the rack 72. However, in this case, the link 74 receives the reaction force at the time of contact between the gear 76 and the rack 72 and rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. That is, the gear 76 is separated from the rack 72 and retracted along with the link 74 toward the sheet conveyance path 98. As a result, the rotation of the rollers 60 and 64 in the clockwise direction by the idle gear 76 described above is avoided, and the pushing operation of the cassette 6 can be completed.

Further, the link 74 retracted toward the paper transport path 98 is held in a space portion (not shown) formed at the rear end of the sheet metal 50A. Until 22 is pulled forward from the front surface of the printer 1, it is held in the space portion.
As described above, the present invention focuses on providing a cleaning function to a cover member of a commonly used paper cassette.

According to each embodiment described above, the cassette 6 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 2 by being pulled out and pushed in. The cassette 6 is pulled out and the pickup roller 60 is rotated, that is, the cassette. 6 is configured to be substantially in the same direction as the direction in which the paper P from 6 is sent out.
The cassette 6 is provided with a belt-like cleaning member 42 (42A) that rotates in contact with the roller 60 when the cassette 6 is attached or detached, so that the cleaning member 42 (42A) is a total of the outer peripheral surface of the roller 60. The roller 60 is reliably cleaned every time the cassette 6 is attached or detached. As a result, there is no concern about the eccentricity of the shaft 61 as compared with the conventional case, and the reliability of the paper feeding mechanism 8 is improved.

Further, the belt-like cleaning member 42 (42A) can be brought into contact with the entire outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 64, so that the roller 64 is reliably cleaned every time the cassette 6 is attached / detached, and the shaft 65 is compared with the conventional one. There is no fear of eccentricity.
Further, the cover member 40 (40A) is indispensable for the cassette 6 having the extended accommodating portion 36, but a cleaning function can be obtained by placing a belt-like cleaning member 42 (42A) on the member 40 (40A). Therefore, an increase in manufacturing cost due to the addition of the cleaning function can be suppressed as compared with the conventional case.

In addition, the belt-shaped cleaning member 42 (42A) having the long side portion 44 is placed on the cover member 40 (40A) covering the expansion accommodating portion 36, and the replenishment work for the user to load the sheets in the cassette 6 is performed. At the same time, the rollers 60 and 64 are always cleaned. In other words, since the rollers 60 and 64 are cleaned frequently, even if a sheet with a large amount of paper dust is fed, the separation failure caused by the adhesion of the paper dust to the rollers 60 and 64 Paper non-feeding and uneven wear of the rollers 60 and 64 can be reliably suppressed. As a result, the life of the paper feed mechanism 8 and the separation mechanism 9 can be extended.
When the cover member is provided not in the apparatus main body but in the cassette, it is necessary to pay attention to the vertical dimension of the cassette in order to avoid contact between the cover member and the cassette actuator, the paper feed roller, and the like. However, in the case of the present embodiment, since the cleaning member and the paper feed roller are positively contacted, there is an advantage that the attention to the dimension in the vertical direction of the cassette can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the reversing mechanism 70 is provided for rotating the rollers 60 and 64 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction at the time of sheet feeding when the cassette 6 is pulled out, the moving direction of the cleaning member 42A and the rollers 60 and 64 are rotated. The cleaning member 42A is more strongly pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the rollers 60 and 64, and the rollers 60 and 64 are more reliably cleaned.
On the other hand, since the avoidance mechanism 74 for avoiding the rotation of the roller 60 by the reversing mechanism 70 is provided from the time when the cassette 6 is pushed in to the next time when the cassette 6 is pulled out, the pushing operation of the cassette 6 is not hindered. The contact between the sheet and the roller 60 is not hindered, and the function of the sheet feeding mechanism 8 is maintained.

  Further, as a result of obtaining a good image by suppressing the separation failure and paper non-feed due to the paper dust adhering to the rollers 60 and 64 and the uneven wear of the rollers 60 and 64, etc., the reliability of the printer 1 is improved. Also contributes.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, a part of the configurations of the above embodiments can be omitted or arbitrarily combined so as to be different from the above.
For example, in the above embodiment, the cleaning member 42 (42A) that contacts each of the rollers 60 and 64 is shown. However, the cleaning member of the present invention contacts at least the pickup roller and cleans all of its outer periphery. It ’s fine.
In the above embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus is embodied in a printer is shown. However, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can naturally be applied to a copying machine, a facsimile, or the like.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of the paper cassette of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the paper cassette of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the state before extending. It is sectional drawing of the paper cassette of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the state after extending. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a sheet feeding mechanism and a separation mechanism in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of a cover member concerning other examples. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a paper feeding mechanism and a separation mechanism in FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer (image forming device)
2 Device body 4 Paper supply device 6 Paper cassette (paper storage unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Paper feed mechanism 9 Separation mechanism 16 Image formation part 36 Expansion accommodating part 40,40A Cover member 42,42A Cleaning member 44 Long side part 60 Pickup roller (paper feed roller)
61 shaft 64 feed roller (separation roller)
65 axis 70 reversing mechanism 72 rack 74 link (avoidance mechanism)
76 Idol Gear

Claims (5)

A sheet storage unit configured to be detachable by pulling and pushing into the image forming apparatus main body, and stacking and storing sheets of sheets in the thickness direction;
A sheet feed roller disposed in the apparatus main body and in contact with a sheet located on an outermost layer of the sheet accommodating portion at a predetermined sheet feeding position; and rotating the sheet feed roller to remove the sheet on the outermost layer A paper feed mechanism that feeds one sheet at a time in a direction substantially the same as the direction in which the paper container is pulled out from the paper container;
The paper supply device, wherein the paper storage unit includes a belt-shaped cleaning member that rotates in contact with the paper supply roller when the paper storage unit is attached or detached. The paper supply device according to claim 1,
A separation roller disposed near the paper feed roller in the apparatus main body, contacting a paper fed from the paper feed mechanism, and rotating about an axis formed substantially parallel to the axis of the paper feed roller; A separation mechanism for rotating the separation roller and feeding the fed sheet toward a predetermined sheet conveyance path;
The paper supply device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member rotates in contact with the separation roller when the paper storage unit is attached or detached. The paper supply device according to claim 1 or 2,
The paper storage unit is configured to be larger than the apparatus main body, and includes an extended storage part that can protrude outward from the apparatus main body by being pushed into the apparatus main body, and a cover member that covers the expansion storage part.
The paper supply device, wherein the cleaning member is placed on the cover member and has a long side portion formed along a direction in which the paper storage portion is attached or detached. The paper supply device according to claim 3,
A reversing mechanism for rotating the paper feed roller in a direction opposite to a rotation direction at the time of feeding the paper during a drawer operation of the paper container;
And a mechanism for avoiding rotation of the paper feed roller by the reversing mechanism when the paper storage unit is pushed in, and holding the reversing mechanism at the avoidance position until the next pulling operation. Paper supply device.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper supply device according to claim 1 and supplying paper to the image forming unit using the paper supply device.

Images