JP4752737B2 - Manual feeding device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a manual feed device and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a manual sheet feeding device including a tray on which a recording medium is placed, and a conveyance unit that supplies the recording medium placed on the tray to the image forming apparatus main body one by one. In Patent Document 1, in an image forming apparatus in which a manual feed tray for manually feeding paper is provided in a freely openable and closable manner at a paper feed port of an image forming apparatus main body, the paper feed port is moved according to the paper width. A sheet guide for guiding the sheet is provided, and an opening is formed in the manual feed tray to expose the sheet feeding port in the closed position, and a single sheet can be manually fed from the opening. A manual paper feed mechanism of the image forming apparatus is described.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-92846

  According to the present invention, recording is performed in the image forming apparatus main body through a common medium supply path with the manual feeding apparatus without using the feeding unit of the manual feeding apparatus while the manual feeding apparatus is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. An object is to provide a mechanism capable of supplying a medium.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus main body is provided so as to be openable and closable, has an intake port for taking the recording medium into the image forming apparatus main body in the closed state, and the recording medium is placed in the open state. A placing portion to be placed, a feeding portion for feeding the recording medium placed on the placing portion into the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a medium in the main body of the image forming apparatus to which the recording medium is taken in through the taking-in port. A supply path forming member that forms a medium supply path that leads to the conveying means; and a retracting means that retracts the feeding section from a feeding position that leads to the medium supply path in conjunction with the closing operation of the placing section. Is a manual feed device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus main body is provided so as to be openable and closable, has an intake port for taking the recording medium into the image forming apparatus main body in the closed state, and the recording medium is placed in the open state. A placing portion to be placed, a feeding portion having a feeding roll for feeding the recording medium placed on the placing portion into the image forming apparatus main body, and the recording medium taken in through the taking-in port. A supply path forming member that forms a medium supply path that leads to a medium conveying means in the image forming apparatus main body, and the feeding roll at a feeding position that leads to the medium supply path in conjunction with the closing operation of the placing portion It is a manual feed apparatus characterized by including a release means for releasing the contact state.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: the manual feeding device according to the first or second aspect; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium supplied from the manual feeding device. It is.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the intake port is disposed at a position corresponding to a medium discharge port of a recording medium supply device that can be externally connected to the image forming apparatus body. It is characterized by.

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the manual feed device is not attached to the manual feed device while the manual feed device is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. A recording medium can be supplied into the image forming apparatus main body through the medium supply path.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the manual feed device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus and the medium feeding path common to the manual feed device is used without using the feeding unit of the manual feed device. An image can be formed on a recording medium supplied in the image forming apparatus main body.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium supply device can be externally connected to the image forming apparatus main body without removing the manual feeding device from the image forming apparatus main body. Further, a recording medium supplied from an external recording medium supply device can be taken into the image forming apparatus main body through a medium supply path common to the manual supply device without using a feeding unit of the manual supply device. .

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming apparatus 1 is roughly configured to include an image reading device 2, an image forming unit 3, and a paper transport device 4.

  The image reading device 2 reads an image of a document. The image forming unit 3 forms an image on a sheet serving as a recording medium based on image data of a document read by the image reading device 2. The sheet conveying device 4 conveys a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 3. The image reading apparatus 2 is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 5. The image forming unit 3 is provided inside the image forming apparatus main body 5. The paper transport device 4 is provided inside the image forming apparatus main body 5 except for a part thereof.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, paper is exemplified as a recording medium to be image-formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plastic sheet such as an OHP sheet may be handled as a recording medium.

  The image reading device 2 includes a document pressing member 7 on which the automatic document feeder 6 is mounted, and an image reading unit 8. The automatic document feeder 6 conveys a document as a medium to be read one by one through a reading position. The document pressing member 7 presses the document set on the document table from above, and is provided at the top of the image forming apparatus main body 5 so as to be freely opened and closed. The image reading unit 8 optically reads an image of a document set on a document table or an image of a document conveyed to a reading position by the automatic document conveyance device 6, and includes, for example, a light source, a mirror, a lens, and an image sensor (not shown). Etc. are used.

  The image forming unit 3 includes four photosensitive drums 9, 10, 11, and 12 corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and four primary transfer rolls 13 and 12 corresponding to the photosensitive drums 9 to 12, respectively. 14, 15, 16 and an endless intermediate transfer belt 17 serving as an intermediate transfer member, a four-tandem machine configuration.

  Around each of the photosensitive drums 9 to 12, a charger, an image writing device, a developing unit, a cleaner, and the like are arranged. The charger uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum. The image writing device writes an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum charged by a charger by irradiation of a laser beam. The developing device supplies toner as a developer to the surface of the photosensitive drum to visualize (develop) the electrostatic latent image and form a toner image. The cleaner removes unnecessary toner remaining on the photosensitive drum.

  The primary transfer rolls 13 to 16 are arranged in opposition to each other in the vicinity of the corresponding photosensitive drums 9 to 12 via the intermediate transfer belt 17. These primary transfer rollers 13 to 16 transfer (primary transfer) the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 9 to 12 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 as described above.

  The intermediate transfer belt 17 is supported in a loop shape by a plurality of belt support rolls. A transfer portion 18 is provided in the middle of the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 17. The transfer unit 18 is configured using a pair of rolls in which one roll is a secondary transfer roll. The secondary transfer roll is for transferring (secondary transfer) the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 to a sheet as described above.

  The image forming unit 3 includes a fixing unit 19. The fixing unit 19 fixes the toner image transferred to the paper by the transfer unit 18. For example, the fixing unit 19 includes a pair of rolls in which one roll is a heating roll and the other roll is a pressure roll.

  The paper transport device 4 includes four paper storage units 21, 22, 23, and 24 arranged in multiple stages, a paper supply unit 25 that feeds paper from each of the paper storage units 21 to 24, and a paper supply unit 25. A vertical transport unit 26 that transports the fed paper vertically from bottom to top, a registration unit 27 that feeds the paper transported by the vertical transport unit 26 to the transfer unit 18 at a predetermined timing, and a transfer unit 18. A vacuum conveying unit 28 for feeding the passed paper to the fixing unit 19, a reversing unit 29 for reversing the paper sent from the fixing unit 19 by switchback, and double-sided image formation for the paper reversed by the reversing unit 29 (such as double-sided copying) ), A discharge unit 31 that discharges the paper on which image formation on one side or both sides has been completed, and a discharge storage unit 32 that stores the paper discharged by the discharge unit 31 in a stacked state. , And a manual-feed device 33 for feeding the paper to be imaged with manual feed.

  Here, a basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, when an image of a document is read by the image reading device 2, a toner image is formed by the image forming unit 3 based on the image data obtained thereby. In the image forming unit 3, while rotating the four photosensitive drums 9 to 12, yellow, magenta, cyan, and cyan are applied to the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 9 to 12 by the corresponding charger, image writing device, and developing unit. A black toner image is formed. The toner images of the respective colors formed in this manner are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 17 by the primary transfer rolls 13 to 16. As a result, a multicolor (full color) toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 by superimposing four color toners. The toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 in this way is held by the intermediate transfer belt 17 and sent to the transfer unit 18.

  On the other hand, the paper selected by the user using the operation panel or the like, the paper selected by the automatic selection function, or the paper supplied from the manual feed device 33 is matched with the timing when the toner image reaches the transfer unit 18. Then, it is fed from the resist portion 27 to the transfer portion 18. For example, if the sheet selected by the user is a sheet stored in the uppermost sheet storage unit 21, the sheet is fed from the sheet storage unit 21 by the feeding unit 25 and the sheet is fed. The sheet is fed into the registration unit 27 via the vertical conveyance unit 26. Then, in the registration unit 27, for example, after correcting the posture (tilt or the like) of the sheet by abutting against the registration roll that is in a rotation stopped state, the registration unit 27 starts to rotate the registration roll in accordance with the arrival timing of the toner image. Thus, the sheet is fed into the transfer unit 18.

  As a result, the toner image held on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is transferred (secondary transfer) to the paper by the transfer unit 18. Thereafter, the sheet is sent to the fixing unit 19 by the vacuum conveyance unit 28, where the toner image is subjected to fixing processing, and then discharged from the discharge unit 31 to the discharge storage unit 32. Further, a sheet on which images are formed on both sides is sent from the fixing unit 19 to the reversing unit 29 and then sent again to the registration unit 27 via the duplex conveying unit 30. Thereafter, after the toner image is transferred and fixed on the paper in the same procedure as described above, the paper is discharged. When the paper sent out from the fixing unit 19 is reversed and discharged, the paper is sent from the fixing unit 19 to the discharge unit 31 via the reversing unit 29.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of the manual feed device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The manual feed device 33 includes a placement unit 34 for placing paper, and a feeding unit 35 for feeding the paper placed on the placement unit 34 into the image forming apparatus main body 5. The placement unit 34 is generally called a manual feed tray and is provided on one side of the image forming apparatus main body 5 so as to be opened and closed. Accordingly, there are two open / closed states of the placing portion 34: a state in which the placing portion 34 is closed and a state in which the placing portion 34 is opened. The paper is placed on the placement unit 34 with the placement unit 34 opened.

  A base end portion of the placing portion 34 is rotatably supported by a first fulcrum 36 provided in a fixed state on the image forming apparatus main body 5. The feeding unit 35 is provided with a support arm 37. One end of the support arm 37 is fixed to a main body portion (cover or the like) of the feeding unit 35 by, for example, screwing or the like. The other end of the support arm 37 is rotatably supported by a second fulcrum 38 provided in a fixed state on the image forming apparatus main body 5.

  Accordingly, the placing portion 34 is supported so as to be rotatable (openable and closable) about the first fulcrum 36. The feeding unit 35 is supported so as to be rotatable about the second fulcrum 38. The first fulcrum 36 and the second fulcrum 38 are provided at positions that are separated from each other by a distance H in the horizontal direction and at a distance V in the vertical direction (vertical direction). Further, the second fulcrum 38 is provided on the inner side of the image forming apparatus main body 5 with respect to the first fulcrum 36 and obliquely above the first fulcrum 36.

  The feeding unit 35 includes a pulling roll 39, a feeding roll 40, and a separation roll 41 as feeding rolls. The attracting roll 39 contacts the top surface of the paper placed on the placing portion 34 and rotates to attract the paper placed on the placing portion 34 in order from the top. The delivery roll 40 sends out the paper that has been called by the call roll 39 toward the vertical conveyance unit 26 in the main body 5 of the image forming apparatus. The separation roll 41 is for separating the sheets called by the drawing roll 39 one by one while being sandwiched between the feeding rolls 40.

  The delivery roll 40 and the separation roll 41 are held in contact with each other at a predetermined pressure. When one sheet is called between the separating roll 41 and the sending roll 40 (contact position) by the calling roll 39, the separating roll 41 rotates according to the rotation of the sending roll 40 to allow the feeding of the sheet. . Further, when a plurality of sheets are called together with the separation roll 41 and the sending roll 40 by the calling roll 39, the separation roll 41 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the sheet while the sheet is in contact with the calling roll 39. Rotating back to prevent paper double feed.

  The placing portion 34 and the feeding portion 35 are connected to each other so as to be relatively movable with a slide structure described later. When the placing portion 34 is rotated around the first fulcrum 36, the placing portion 34 and the feeding portion 35 are interlocked with each other by a slide structure.

  The slide structure is configured using a guide hole 42 formed in the feeding unit 35 and a slide pin 43 provided in the placing unit 34. The slide pin 43 is slidably inserted into the guide hole 42.

  In this configuration, when the placing portion 34 is rotationally moved around the first fulcrum 36 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, the manual feed device 33 is inverted in the image forming apparatus main body 5 as indicated by a broken line in the drawing at the end of the movement. Stored. The position of the manual feed device 33 in this state is defined as a storage position.

  When the placing portion 34 is rotationally moved from the storage position around the first fulcrum 36 in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow A, the placing portion 34 is disposed obliquely in a state of protruding from the image forming apparatus main body 5 at the end of the movement. The The position of the manual feed device 33 in this state is defined as a use position.

  Here, when the manual feeding device 33 is moved from the use position to the storage position, the placing unit 34 is operated to be closed. At this time, the feeding unit 35 rotates about the second fulcrum 38 in the process in which the placing unit 34 rotates in the direction of arrow A (close operation). Further, with the rotational movement of the feeding unit 35, the slide pin 43 relatively moves in the guide hole 42 in the direction approaching the first fulcrum 36.

  On the other hand, when the manual feed device 33 is moved from the storage position to the use position, an operation is performed to open the placing portion 34. At this time, the feeding unit 35 rotates about the second fulcrum 38 in the process in which the placing unit 34 rotates (opens) in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow A. Further, with the rotational movement of the feeding unit 35, the slide pin 43 relatively moves in the direction away from the first fulcrum 36 in the guide hole 42.

  Thereby, when the manual feeding device 33 is moved from the storage position to the use position, the feeding unit 35 rotates and moves in one direction around the second fulcrum 38 in conjunction with the opening operation of the placing unit 34. The feeding unit 35 can be disposed at a feeding position that leads to the sheet feeding path formed by the feeding path forming member 48. Accordingly, the sheet placed on the placing section 34 can be fed into the image forming apparatus main body 5 using the sheet feeding section 35. The feeding position is a position where the feeding unit is arranged in order to feed the paper placed on the placing unit by the feeding unit.

  On the other hand, when the manual feed device 33 is moved from the use position to the storage position, the feeding unit 35 rotates in the other direction around the second fulcrum 38 in conjunction with the closing operation of the placing unit 34. Thus, the feeding unit 35 can be retracted to a position that is obliquely spaced upward from the feeding position. In this state, the placement unit 34 stands up along the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 5 so that the feeding unit 35 is accommodated in the image forming apparatus main body 5, so that the manual feeding device 33 is not protruded from the image forming apparatus main body 5. It can be placed in the storage position.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the manual feed device 33 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is arranged at the storage position, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the manual feed device 33 according to the first embodiment of the present invention at the use position. It is a figure which shows the state which carried out. First, in FIG. 3, the placement unit 34 is provided with a take-in port 44 for taking a sheet into the image forming apparatus main body 5 in a state where the manual feed device 33 is disposed at the storage position, that is, in a state where the placement unit 34 is closed. ing. The take-in port 44 opens in a slit shape that is elongated in the width direction of the paper (the depth direction in FIG. 3). On the side surface of the image forming apparatus body 5, an introduction port (paper feed port) for introducing paper into the image forming apparatus body 5 is opened. The take-in port 44 is disposed so as to be connected to the introduction port of the image forming apparatus main body 5 in a state in which the placement unit 34 is closed.

  In addition, the take-in port 44 is provided with a pair of upper and lower guide portions 45 that guide the take-in of the paper. The pair of guide portions 45 are formed so as to gradually narrow the opening width of the intake port 44 toward the image forming apparatus main body 5 side. Thus, by providing the pair of guide portions 45 at the take-in port 44, it becomes easy to insert the paper into the take-in port 44 from the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 5. This is particularly effective when the leading edge of the paper is curled.

  On the other hand, a pre-registration roll 46 is provided in the image forming apparatus main body 5 as one of paper transport rolls. The pre-registration roll 46 is supplied from the respective paper storage units 21 to 24 along the vertical conveyance unit 26, the paper conveyed along the double-sided conveyance unit 30, and the manual feed device 33. Each of the sheets is conveyed toward the registration unit 27.

  The pre-registration roll 46 is disposed at the terminal end (upper end) of the vertical conveyance unit 26. Further, the pre-registration roll 46 is disposed upstream of the registration unit 27 in a positional relationship adjacent to the registration unit 27 in the sheet conveyance direction. The resist unit 27 is configured using a resist roll 47. The pre-registration roll 46 is composed of a pair of rolls in which one roll is a drive roll and the other roll is a driven roll. Similarly, the resist roll 47 is also composed of a pair of rolls.

  A supply path forming member 48 is provided in the image forming apparatus main body 5 so as to correspond to the attachment portion of the manual feed device 33. The supply path forming member 48 forms a sheet supply path that guides the sheet taken in through the take-in port 44 to the pre-registration roll 46 of the vertical conveyance unit 26. The paper supply path is formed so as to join the vertical conveyance unit 26 on the upstream side (near side) of the pre-registration roll 46.

  Here, in the state in which the placing portion 34 is closed, as shown in FIG. 3, the intake port 44 formed in the placing portion 34 communicates with the paper supply path formed by the feeding path forming member 48. Be placed. In the state where the placing portion 34 is opened, the placing portion 34 and the feeding portion 35 are arranged so as to be connected to the paper supply path formed by the feeding path forming member 48 as shown in FIG. . The feeding unit 35 is disposed at the feeding position with the placing unit 34 opened.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the placing portion 34 is closed, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the placing portion 34 is opened. As shown in the drawing, in a state in which the placing portion 34 is closed, the take-in port 44 is arranged in a state of being exposed facing the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 5. Further, in a state where the placing portion 34 is opened, the feeding portion 35 is disposed on the placing portion 34 with its own weight so as to close (hide) the intake port 44. The placing portion 34 is provided with a slide-type drawer portion 49, and the feeding portion 35 is provided with a pair of guide members 50 provided so as to be relatively movable in the width direction of the paper. Yes. The drawer unit 49 is used by pulling the sheet outside to support the sheet from below when a sheet larger than a predetermined size is placed on the placing unit 34. The pair of guide members 50 are used for regulating (positioning) the side end position of the paper placed on the placing portion 34.

  Further, the placing portion 34 has a pair of protrusions (one side in the figure) that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the pair of locking members 51 provided on the image forming apparatus body 5 corresponding to the storage position of the manual feed device 33. Only display) 52 is provided. The pair of locking tools 51 and the corresponding pair of protrusions 52 engage with each other when the placing portion 34 is closed, thereby holding the manual supply device 33 in the storage position.

  In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, when the paper P is manually inserted from the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 5 through the take-in port 44 with the placing portion 34 closed, the paper P is fed to the feeding portion 35. Without being routed to the supply path forming member 48 in the image forming apparatus main body 5. Therefore, the paper P taken in from the take-in port 44 can be guided to the pre-registration roll 46 through the paper supply path formed by the supply path forming member 48.

  Therefore, for example, in a state in which the placing portion 34 is closed, the sensor detects the sheet loading (insertion) from the loading port 44 and starts rotating the pre-registration roll 46 based on the detection result of the sensor. The paper can be directly supplied from the manual feeding device 33 into the image forming apparatus main body 5 without passing the feeding unit 35. Further, the user of the image forming apparatus 1 can feed the paper to the pre-registration roll 46 by inserting the paper by hand from the take-in port 44. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately cope with manual feeding of highly rigid paper such as cardboard.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the state where the placing portion 34 is opened, the intake port 44 is separated from the paper supply path formed by the supply path forming member 48, and the feeding unit 35 is replaced by the intake port 44. Arranged to connect to the paper supply path. Therefore, by placing a predetermined number of sheets P on the placing section 34 and driving the feeding section 35, the sheet P fed by the feeding section 35 is pre-registered through the sheet feeding path formed by the feeding path forming member 48. It can be led to the roll 46.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration when the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention and an external sheet feeding device are combined, and FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view thereof. The paper supply device 81 is a large-capacity paper supply device that can be connected to the image forming apparatus main body 5 externally, for example, by handling options. The paper supply device 81 includes a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of paper storage units 82, 83, and 84, a feeding unit 85, and a discharge unit 86.

  Each of the sheet storage units 82 to 84 stores sheets of a predetermined size in a stacked state. In the main body of the paper supply device 81, paper storage units 82 to 84 are arranged in a three-stage structure of an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage. The feeding unit 85 feeds paper from each of the paper storage units 82 to 84. The discharge unit 86 discharges the sheet fed by the feeding unit 85 toward the outside of the sheet supply device 81, and is configured using a pair of rolls.

  The sheet supply device 81 is electrically and mechanically connected to the image forming apparatus main body 5 in a state where the manual feed device 33 is disposed at the storage position (a state where the placing portion 34 is closed). A paper discharge port 87 is provided on the side surface of the paper supply device 81 (the surface connected to the image forming apparatus main body 5). The discharge port 87 is a portion serving as an exit of the sheet discharged by the discharge unit 86, and is formed in a slit shape that is elongated in the width direction of the sheet.

  In contrast, the intake port 44 of the manual feed device 33 is disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge port 87 of the paper supply device 81. Specifically, when the paper supply device 81 is connected to the image forming apparatus main body 5, the intake port 44 is at the same height as the discharge port 87 so that the intake port 44 and the discharge port 87 are close to each other and face each other. Has been placed.

  In this configuration, when the paper is supplied from the paper supply device 81 to the image forming apparatus main body 5, the paper stored in any of the paper storage units 82 to 84 is fed by the feeding unit 85. At that time, the paper P discharged by the discharge unit 86 of the paper supply device 81 is sent from the discharge port 87 into the image forming apparatus main body 5 through the intake port 44. For this reason, the paper P supplied from the paper transport device 81 can be taken into the supply path forming member 48 from the take-in port 44 and sent to the pre-registration roll 46 without passing through the feeding unit 35 of the manual feed device 33. it can. Therefore, even when the manual feed device 33 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 5, it is possible to take in the paper from the paper supply device 81 into the image forming apparatus main body 5 without using the feeding unit 35. As a result, regardless of the sheet feeding speed by the feeding unit 35, it is possible to feed the sheet between the sheet feeding device 81 and the image forming apparatus 1 at a high speed.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a manual feed device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to the constituent elements mentioned in the first embodiment.

  First, the manual feed device 60 includes a placing unit 61 in which a sheet is placed in an open state, and a feeding unit 62 that feeds the sheet placed on the placing unit 61 into the image forming apparatus main body 5. The placing portion 61 is provided at one side portion of the image forming apparatus main body 5 so as to be opened and closed. A base end portion of the placing portion 61 is supported so as to be rotatable (openable and closable) about a fulcrum 63 provided in a fixed state on the image forming apparatus main body 5.

  The feeding unit 62 is provided in a paper feed position that communicates with the paper feed path formed by the feed path forming member 48 in the image forming apparatus main body 5. The feeding unit 62 includes a drawing roll 64, a sending roll 65, and a separation roll 66 as feeding rolls. The attracting roll 64 contacts the top surface of the paper placed on the placing portion 61 and rotates to attract the paper placed on the placing portion 61 in order from the top. The delivery roll 65 is for delivering the paper called by the call roll 64 toward the vertical conveyance section 26 in the image forming apparatus main body 5. The separation roll 66 is for separating the sheets called by the drawing roll 64 one by one while being sandwiched between the feeding rolls 66.

  The feeding roll 64 moves from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the broken line so as to contact the uppermost sheet by driving a solenoid (not shown) when feeding the sheet placed on the placing unit 61. It moves down. For this reason, when the solenoid or the like is not driven, the attracting roll 64 is retracted upward (position indicated by a solid line in the drawing) so as not to contact the paper. The feed roll 65 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing by driving a motor or the like (not shown) when feeding the paper placed on the placing portion 61.

  The separation roll 66 is supported on one end of the swing arm 67. The other end of the swing arm 67 is supported so as to be rotatable about a fulcrum 68 provided in a fixed state on the image forming apparatus main body 5. Therefore, the swing arm 67 is configured to swing around the fulcrum 68.

  Further, the separation roll 66 is disposed so as to come into contact with the delivery roll 65 with a predetermined pressure by pressing of the spring member 69. Further, an engagement pin 70 is provided at one end of the swing arm 67 (or the rotation shaft of the separation roll 66). The engagement pin 70 is engaged with an elongated engagement hole 72 formed at one end of the link arm 71. The other end portion of the link arm 71 is connected to the placing portion 61 using a connecting pin 73.

  Thus, by connecting the placing part 61 and the separation roll 66 by the link mechanism including the swing arm 67 and the link arm 71, the feeding roll 65 and the separation roll 66 are linked with the opening / closing operation of the placing part 61. Can be brought into contact with each other, or the contact state between the two can be released.

  That is, in FIG. 9, when the placing portion 61 is operated to close the placing portion 61 from the opened state, the placing portion 61 swings in the process of rotational movement (closing operation) about the fulcrum 63 in the α direction. The arm 67 is pushed into the link arm 71 and swings counterclockwise about the fulcrum 68, so that the separation roll 66 is separated from the feed roll 65 against the pressing of the spring member 69.

  Further, when the placing portion 61 is operated so as to open from the state where the placing portion 61 is closed, the swing arm 67 is linked to the link arm in the process of the rotational movement (opening operation) of the placing portion 61 about the fulcrum 63 in the β direction. By being pulled by 71 and swinging clockwise around the fulcrum 68, the separation roll 66 is pressed by the spring member 69 and comes into contact with the delivery roll 65.

  Therefore, when the placing portion 61 is closed, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9, the separation roll 66 can be held away from the delivery roll 65. Further, when the placing portion 61 is opened, as shown in FIG. 10, the separation roll 66 can be held in contact with the delivery roll 65 by pressing the spring member 69.

  Further, the placing portion 61 is provided with an intake port 74 as shown in FIG. The take-in port 74 is elongated in the width direction of the paper in order to take in the paper into the image forming apparatus main body 5 in a state in which the place portion 61 is closed, similarly to the take-in port 44 provided in the place portion 34 in the first embodiment. Open in slit shape. In the state where the placing portion 61 is closed, the take-in port 74 is disposed so as to communicate with the paper supply path formed by the supply path forming member 48. Further, in a state where the placing portion 61 is opened, the placing portion 61 is disposed so as to be connected to the paper supply path formed by the supply path forming member 48.

  On the other hand, a sheet detection sensor 75 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) is provided in the image forming apparatus body 5. The sheet detection sensor 75 is provided on the upstream side (front side) of the pre-registration roll 46 in the vertical conveyance unit 26 described above. The paper detection sensor 75 is turned on / off depending on the presence or absence of paper at the sensor detection position.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the placing portion 61 of the manual feeding device 60 is opened and disposed obliquely, and a predetermined number of sheets P are placed on the placing portion 61 in this state and fed. By driving the section 62, the paper P fed by the feeding section 62 can be guided to the pre-registration roll 46 through the supply path forming member 48.

  Further, when the sheet 61 is manually inserted through the intake port 74 from the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 5 in this state with the placing portion 61 being closed and arranged vertically (vertically), the sheet P is connected to the delivery roll 65. The supply path forming member 48 is guided to the pre-registration roll 46 through the separation roll 66. At this time, the attracting roll 64 is retracted upward from the paper path, and the feeding roll 65 and the separating roll 66 are separated from each other. For this reason, the feeding rolls 64 to 65 do not impede the paper taking-in.

  Therefore, for example, in the state where the placing portion 61 is closed, the paper detection sensor 75 detects the paper intake (insertion) from the intake port 74, and the pre-registration roll 46 rotates based on the detection result of the paper detection sensor 75. As a result, the sheet can be supplied from the manual feed device 60 into the image forming apparatus main body 5 while the feeding unit 62 is kept in the non-driven state. Further, the user of the image forming apparatus 1 can feed the paper up to the pre-registration roll 46 by manually inserting the paper from the take-in port 74. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately cope with manual feeding of highly rigid paper such as cardboard.

  FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view when the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention and an external paper supply device are combined. As shown in the drawing, the image pickup apparatus main body 60 has an intake port 74 in which the paper P discharged by the discharge unit 86 of the paper supply device 81 described above passes from the discharge port 87 of the paper supply device 81 through the intake port 74. 5 is disposed at the same height as the discharge port 87 so as to be fed into the supply path forming member 48 in the interior 5. Therefore, the paper P supplied from the paper supply device 81 can be taken into the supply path forming member 48 from the take-in port 74 and sent to the pre-registration roll 46. Therefore, even when the manual feed device 60 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 5, it is possible to take in the paper from the paper supply device 81 into the image forming apparatus main body 5 without using the feeding unit 62. As a result, regardless of the sheet feeding speed by the feeding unit 62, it is possible to feed the sheet between the sheet supply device 81 and the image forming apparatus 1 at a high speed.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is an enlarged view which shows the structure of the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the manual feeding apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention in the accommodation position. It is a figure which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention in the use position. It is a perspective view which shows the state which closed the placing part with the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the setting part with the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration when an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an external sheet feeding device are combined. FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view when the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention and an external sheet feeding device are combined. It is a figure which shows the structure of the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the placing part with the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which closed the placing part with the manual feed apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view when an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention and an external paper feeding device are combined.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Image reading apparatus, 3 ... Image forming part, 4 ... Paper conveying apparatus, 5 ... Image forming apparatus main body, 26 ... Vertical conveying part, 33, 60 ... Manual feed apparatus, 34, 61 ... Place , 35, 62 ... feeding unit, 44, 74 ... intake port, 46 ... pre-registration roll, 48 ... supply path forming member, 81 ... paper supply device, 87 ... discharge port, P ... paper

Claims (4)

An opening that can be opened and closed in the image forming apparatus main body, and has a loading port for taking in the recording medium into the image forming apparatus main body in the closed state, and a placing section in which the recording medium is placed in the opened state;
A feeding unit that feeds the recording medium placed in the placing unit into the image forming apparatus main body;
A supply path forming member that forms a medium supply path that guides the recording medium taken in through the take-in port to a medium conveying means in the main body of the image forming apparatus;
A manual feeding device comprising: a retracting means for retracting the feeding unit from a feeding position leading to the medium feeding path in conjunction with a closing operation of the placing unit. An opening that can be opened and closed in the image forming apparatus main body, and has a loading port for taking in the recording medium into the image forming apparatus main body in the closed state, and a placing section in which the recording medium is placed in the opened state;
A feeding unit having a feeding roll for feeding the recording medium placed in the placing unit into the image forming apparatus main body;
A supply path forming member that forms a medium supply path that guides the recording medium taken in through the take-in port to a medium conveying means in the main body of the image forming apparatus;
A manual feeding device comprising: release means for canceling a contact state of the feeding roll at a feeding position leading to the medium feeding path in conjunction with the closing operation of the placing portion. The manual feed device according to claim 1 or 2,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium supplied from the manual feed device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the take-in port is arranged at a position corresponding to a medium discharge port of a recording medium supply device that can be externally connected to the image forming apparatus main body.

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