JP5298036B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cassette that can effectively suppress overloading of sheets, and a processing device. <P>SOLUTION: The cassette includes a cassette case having an opening for storing sheets; a lift plate for supporting the sheets; a moving mechanism for moving the lift plate between a separated position and a proximity position; and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the lift plate. The adjusting mechanism includes an adjusting piece formed to be movable between a projecting position where it projects from the cassette case, and a receding position where it recedes into the cassette case. The adjusting piece includes a first support part and a second support part for supporting the lift plate, and the second support part supports the lift plate in a position spaced from the opening rather than the position where the first support part supports the lift plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cassette that accommodates sheets and a processing apparatus that applies a predetermined process to the sheets accommodated in the cassette.

  A cassette that accommodates a sheet bundle formed by laminating a plurality of sheets is suitably used in an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine having these functions. The image forming apparatus takes out sheets one by one from the cassette, and forms an image on the taken out sheets.

  In many cases, the user tries to accommodate as many sheets as possible in the cassette in order to reduce the frequency of sheet feeding to the cassette. For this reason, more sheets than the number allowed by the image forming apparatus are often stacked in the cassette.

  The overloading of the sheets causes the sheets not to be conveyed properly in the image forming apparatus, and causes the sheets to be clogged or defective in image formation in the image forming apparatus. In order to prevent the overloading of sheets, in many cases, a label indicating the maximum stackable thickness is attached to the cassette to urge the user to prevent overloading. As another method, a protruding member is provided on a slider for guiding sheet conveyance to physically prevent overloading.

  These known techniques do not effectively prevent sheet overloading. For example, if the user overlooks the label or ignores the label, the label does not contribute to preventing overloading. The protruding member of the slider suppresses overloading to some extent, but makes it difficult to store the sheet in the cassette. In addition, the protruding member of the slider excessively presses the sheet, which may cause poor sheet conveyance.

  Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a mechanism that removes an excessively stacked sheet from a cassette by using a regulating member in order to prevent the sheet from being overloaded.

JP 2001-114429 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-22718

  The method of removing sheets from a sheet bundle that is too thick and preventing overloading is more effective than the protruding member of a label or slider, but it takes time to return the sheet removed from the sheet bundle to the specified storage location again. Is generated. Further, when removing the sheet from the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle may be broken or the sheet may be damaged.

  Such overloading of sheets is a problem common not only to an image forming apparatus but also to an arbitrary processing apparatus that applies a predetermined process to a sheet.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and is capable of effectively suppressing overloading of sheets, and a process for applying a predetermined process to sheets accommodated in the cassette. An object is to provide an apparatus.

A cassette according to one aspect of the present invention includes a cassette housing having an opening for accommodating a sheet, a lift plate that supports the sheet in the cassette housing, and a separation that separates the lift plate from the opening. A movement mechanism that moves between a position and a proximity position close to the opening, and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the lift plate at the separation position. An adjustment piece formed so as to be movable between a protruding position that protrudes and an immersion position that is immersed in the cassette casing more than the protruding position, and the adjustment piece is A first support part that supports the lift plate; and a second support part that supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the immersive position. From the position to support the plate In a position spaced apart from the opening, it characterized by supporting the lifting plate.

  According to the above configuration, the user can store the sheet in the cassette casing through the opening of the cassette casing. The sheet accommodated in the cassette is supported by the lift plate. The lift plate is moved by the moving mechanism between a separation position separated from the opening and a proximity position close to the opening. The adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the lift plate at the close position. The adjustment piece of the adjustment mechanism is movable between a protruding position that protrudes from the cassette housing and an immersion position that is immersed in the cassette housing rather than the protruding position. The first support portion of the adjustment piece supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position. The second support portion of the adjustment piece supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the immersive position. The second support portion supports the lift plate at a position farther from the opening of the cassette housing than the position at which the first support portion supports the lift plate. Thus, by moving the adjustment piece to the immersive position, the lift plate moves to a position further away from the opening of the cassette housing. Therefore, even if the sheet is overloaded when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position, if the adjustment piece moves to the immersive position, the lift plate is moved away from the opening, and the loading capacity of the cassette housing with respect to the sheet is increased. Therefore, overloading is eliminated.

A cassette according to another aspect of the present invention includes a cassette housing having an opening for accommodating a sheet, a lift plate for supporting the sheet in the cassette housing, and the lift plate spaced from the opening. A moving mechanism that moves between a separation position and a proximity position close to the opening; and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts a position of the lift plate at the separation position, the adjustment mechanism including the cassette housing An adjustment piece formed so as to be movable between a protrusion position protruding from the protrusion position and an immersion position immersed in the cassette housing from the protrusion position, and the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at the protrusion position. And a second part supported by the adjustment piece in the immersion position, and when the second part is supported by the adjustment piece, the first part is the adjustment piece. When supported by Remote, the lift plate characterized in that it is supported by the adjusting pieces in position apart from the opening.

  According to the above configuration, the user can store the sheet in the cassette casing through the opening of the cassette casing. The sheet accommodated in the cassette is supported by the lift plate. The lift plate is moved by the moving mechanism between a separation position separated from the opening and a proximity position close to the opening. The adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the lift plate at the close position. The adjustment piece of the adjustment mechanism is movable between a protruding position that protrudes from the cassette housing and an immersion position that is immersed in the cassette housing rather than the protruding position. The first portion of the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at the protruding position. The second part of the adjustment piece is supported by the adjustment piece at the immersion position. When the second part is supported by the adjustment piece, the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at a position spaced apart from the opening than when the first part is supported by the adjustment piece. Thus, by moving the adjustment piece to the immersive position, the lift plate moves to a position further away from the opening of the cassette housing. Therefore, even if the sheet is overloaded when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position, if the adjustment piece moves to the immersive position, the lift plate is moved away from the opening, and the loading capacity of the cassette housing with respect to the sheet is increased. Therefore, overloading is eliminated.

In the above configuration, the adjusting mechanism further is not preferable that includes a first elastic member that urges the adjusting pieces toward said protruding position.

  According to the above configuration, the adjustment piece that has been moved to the immersion position can be returned to the protruding position again, and it is possible to suppress overloading of the sheet each time the sheet is accommodated in the cassette housing.

In the above configuration, the moving mechanism includes a rotary shaft that rotates between the cassette housing and the lift plate, a base end portion that is connected to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft, and a lift plate. and extrusion and a tip portion which contacts, have preferably comprise a.

  According to the above configuration, the pushing portion rotates integrally with the rotary shaft, and the tip portion that contacts the lift plate is rotationally displaced, so that the lift plate moves between the separation position and the proximity position.

A processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention performs a predetermined process on a sheet. The processing device is formed to be movable in and out of the main casing while holding a main casing that houses the processing section that performs the predetermined processing, and the sheet conveyed to the processing section in the main casing. A cassette housing having an opening for accommodating the sheet, a lift plate for supporting the sheet in the cassette housing, and the lift plate spaced apart from the opening. A moving mechanism that moves between a separation position and a proximity position close to the opening; and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts a position of the lift plate at the separation position, the adjustment mechanism including the cassette housing An adjustment piece formed so as to be movable between a protrusion position protruding from the protrusion position and an immersion position immersed in the cassette housing from the protrusion position, and the adjustment piece is located at the protrusion position. The lift And a second support part that supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the retracted position, and the main housing forms an accommodation space for accommodating the cassette. And a displacement mechanism that moves the adjustment piece to the retracted position when the cassette moves inward of the housing space, and the second support portion is configured by the first support portion. than the position for supporting the lifting plate, at a location spaced from said opening, characterized by supporting the lifting plate.

  According to the above configuration, the user accommodates the sheet in the cassette casing through the opening of the cassette casing, and then places the cassette in the main casing of the processing apparatus in order to perform predetermined processing on the sheet. Can be moved. The sheet accommodated in the cassette is supported by the lift plate. The lift plate is moved by the moving mechanism between a separation position separated from the opening and a proximity position close to the opening. The adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the lift plate at the close position. The adjustment piece of the adjustment mechanism is movable between a protruding position that protrudes from the cassette housing and an immersion position that is immersed in the cassette housing rather than the protruding position. The first support portion of the adjustment piece supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position. The second support portion of the adjustment piece supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the immersive position. The second support portion supports the lift plate at a position farther from the opening of the cassette housing than the position at which the first support portion supports the lift plate. The displacement mechanism moves the adjustment piece to the immersion position when the cassette moves inward of the accommodation space. Thus, by moving the cassette into the accommodation space, the lift plate moves to a position further away from the opening of the cassette housing. Therefore, even if the sheet is overloaded when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position, if the cassette is moved into the accommodation space, the lift plate is moved away from the opening to load the cassette housing on the sheet. Since the capacity can be increased, overloading is eliminated.

A processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention performs a predetermined process on a sheet. The processing apparatus includes a main housing that houses a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing, and a cassette that holds the sheet that is transported to the processing unit within the main housing, the cassette holding the sheet A cassette housing having an opening for accommodating, a lift plate for supporting the sheet in the cassette housing, a separation position separating the lift plate from the opening, and a proximity position close to the opening A moving mechanism that moves between, and an adjusting mechanism that adjusts the position of the lift plate at the separated position, the adjusting mechanism protruding from the cassette housing, An adjustment piece formed to be movable between an immersion position immersed in the cassette housing and the lift plate being in the immersion position and a first portion supported by the adjustment piece in the protruding position; The adjustment piece A second portion to be supported, wherein the main housing has a wall portion that forms an accommodating space for accommodating the cassette, and the adjustment when the cassette moves inward of the accommodating space. A displacement mechanism for moving a piece to the immersive position, and when the second part is in contact with the adjustment piece, the lift plate is more than when the first part is in contact with the adjustment piece. the characterized in that it is supported by the adjusting pieces in position apart from the opening.

  According to the above configuration, the user accommodates the sheet in the cassette casing through the opening of the cassette casing, and then places the cassette in the main casing of the processing apparatus in order to perform predetermined processing on the sheet. Can be moved. The sheet accommodated in the cassette is supported by the lift plate. The lift plate is moved by the moving mechanism between a separation position separated from the opening and a proximity position close to the opening. The adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the lift plate at the close position. The adjustment piece of the adjustment mechanism is movable between a protruding position that protrudes from the cassette housing and an immersion position that is immersed in the cassette housing rather than the protruding position. The first portion of the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at the protruding position. The second part of the adjustment piece is supported by the adjustment piece at the immersion position. When the second part is supported by the adjustment piece, the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at a position spaced apart from the opening than when the first part is supported by the adjustment piece. The displacement mechanism moves the adjustment piece to the immersion position when the cassette moves inward of the accommodation space. Thus, by moving the cassette into the accommodation space, the lift plate moves to a position further away from the opening of the cassette housing. Therefore, even if the sheet is overloaded when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position, if the cassette is moved into the accommodation space, the lift plate is moved away from the opening to load the cassette housing on the sheet. Since the capacity can be increased, overloading is eliminated.

In the above configuration, the image forming apparatus further includes a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet toward the processing unit through the opening, and the adjustment mechanism further includes a first elastic member that urges the adjustment piece toward the protruding position. When the moving mechanism moves the lift plate to the proximity position and supplies the sheet to the transport unit, the first member preferably moves the adjustment piece toward the protruding position. Yes.

  According to the said structure, the adjustment piece moved to the immersion position can be returned to a protrusion position again by moving a lift board to a proximity position. Thus, every time a sheet is accommodated in the cassette housing, it is possible to suppress sheet overloading.

The said structure WHEREIN: The said displacement mechanism contains the protrusion piece which contacts the said adjustment piece while protruding in the said accommodation space, and this protrusion piece is moving to the 1st direction taken out from the said accommodation space. when in contact with the adjusting pieces, so as not to move the adjusting pieces in the retracted position, it has preferably be pivotally attached to the wall portion.

  According to the said structure, a cassette can be taken out from a main housing | casing, keeping an adjustment board in a protrusion position. Therefore, the user can store the sheet in the cassette casing without giving any operation to the cassette taken out from the main casing. Thereafter, when the cassette is placed in the housing space of the main housing, the lift plate moves in a direction further away from the opening, so that overloading of sheets is eliminated.

In the above configuration, the protruding piece includes a holding portion that comes into contact with the wall portion, and the holding portion includes the holding piece that moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction. when in contact with adjusting pieces, it is not preferable to prevent the rotation of said projecting pieces.

  According to the said structure, since rotation of a protrusion piece is prevented by contact with a holding | maintenance part and a wall part, a protrusion piece can move an adjustment piece to an immersion position suitably.

In the above-described configuration, the displacement mechanism moves the protruding piece in a rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction of the protruding piece due to contact with the adjustment piece of the cassette moving in the first direction coming out of the accommodation space. it is not preferable that includes a second elastic member for urging.

  According to the said structure, after a cassette is taken out from an accommodation space and a protrusion piece rotates, a 2nd elastic member returns a protrusion piece to an original position. Therefore, when the cassette is pushed into the storage space again, the adjustment piece can be suitably moved to the immersion position.

In the above configuration, the predetermined process, it is not preferable that an image forming process for forming an image on the sheet.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform the image forming process while suppressing inconvenience related to the overloading of sheets.

  The present invention can effectively suppress sheet overloading.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus with the cassette removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cassette that is inserted into or pulled out of the image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view of the cassette shown by FIG. It is a top view of the lift board of the cassette shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows schematically the moving mechanism of the cassette shown by FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cassette including the moving mechanism shown in FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows schematically the adjustment mechanism of the cassette shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows roughly operation | movement of the adjustment mechanism shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows roughly operation | movement of the adjustment mechanism shown by FIG. FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing a displacement mechanism that causes the adjustment mechanism shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 to operate. It is a figure which shows roughly the interlocking | linkage of a displacement mechanism and an adjustment mechanism. It is a figure which shows roughly the interlocking | linkage of a displacement mechanism and an adjustment mechanism. It is a figure which shows roughly the positional relationship between a displacement mechanism and an adjustment mechanism.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that terms used in the following description, such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right” and the like, are merely for the purpose of clarifying the explanation and do not limit the present invention. Not what you want. Further, in the following description, the term “sheet” means copy paper, coated paper, OHP sheet, cardboard, postcard, tracing paper, other sheet material subjected to image forming processing, or any processing other than image forming processing. Means the sheet material to receive. The terms “upstream”, “downstream” and similar terms used in the following description mean “upstream”, “downstream” and similar concepts in the sheet conveyance direction. The term “sheet width direction” and similar terms used in the following description mean a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. The term “side edge of the sheet” and the like terms used in the following description means the edge of the sheet extending in the direction along the sheet conveyance direction. In the following description, an image forming apparatus is shown as the processing apparatus. However, in another embodiment, any apparatus formed to perform a desired process on a sheet may be used as the processing apparatus. Good.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 schematically shows the internal structure of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a so-called in-body discharge type copier, but in other embodiments, a printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, or a toner image on a sheet. Other devices for forming may be used.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main housing 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The main housing 2 connects a substantially rectangular parallelepiped lower housing 21, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper housing 22 disposed above the lower housing 21, and the lower housing 21 and the upper housing 22. And a connecting housing 23. The connection housing 23 extends along the right edge and the back edge of the main housing 2. The sheet subjected to the printing process is discharged into a discharge space 24 surrounded by the lower casing 21, the upper casing 22, and the connecting casing 23.

  The operation unit 221 protruding in the front direction of the upper housing 22 includes, for example, an LCD touch panel 222. The operation unit 221 is formed so as to be able to input information related to the image forming process. For example, the user can input the number of sheets to be printed, the print density, and the like through the LCD touch panel 222. Housed in the upper housing 22 are mainly an apparatus for reading an image of a document and an electronic circuit that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1.

  A pressing cover 223 disposed on the upper housing 22 is used for pressing the document. The presser cover 223 is attached to the upper housing 22 so as to be rotatable up and down. The user rotates the holding cover 223 upward to place the document on the upper housing 22. Thereafter, the user can operate the operation unit 221 to read an image of the document on a device provided in the upper housing 22.

  The lower casing 21 accommodates a cassette 500 formed so as to be capable of accommodating sheets. The cassette 500 can be pulled out from the lower housing 21 in the front direction. The sheets stored in the cassette 500 are subjected to an image forming process in the lower housing 21 based on an instruction input by the user through the operation unit 221 and are discharged into the discharge space 24.

  A tray 212 is rotatably attached to the right surface of the lower housing 21. As shown in FIG. 1, when the tray 212 is in a position protruding to the right of the lower housing 21, the user can place a sheet on the tray 212. The sheet on the tray 212 is drawn into the lower housing 21 based on an instruction input by the user through the operation unit 221, is subjected to image forming processing, and is discharged into the discharge space 24. When the tray 212 is rotated upward, the tray 212 is accommodated in the accommodation space 213 that is recessed in the right surface of the lower casing 21, and the supply port for drawing the sheet into the lower casing 21 is closed.

  The lower housing 21 accommodates various devices for forming an image on a sheet. Further, the connection housing 23 accommodates various devices for discharging the sheet subjected to the image forming process to the discharge space 24.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 will be further described with reference to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG.

The upper housing 22 accommodates the scanning mechanism 224. The user can cause the image forming apparatus 1 to read an image of a desired document through the scanning mechanism 224. A contact glass 225 attached to the upper surface of the upper housing 22 is disposed on the scanning mechanism 224. The pressing cover 223 is used for pressing a document placed on the contact glass 225.
When the user operates the image forming apparatus 1 through the operation unit 221, the scanning mechanism 224 scans and reads an image of the document on the contact glass 225. Analog information of the image read by the scanning mechanism 224 is converted into a digital signal. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on a sheet based on the digital signal.

  The lower casing 21 accommodates toner containers 900Y, 900M, 900C, and 900K, an intermediate transfer unit 92, an image forming unit 93, an exposure unit 94, a fixing unit 97, and a paper discharge unit 96. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 93 is used as a processing unit that applies an image forming process to a sheet. In other processing apparatuses, the processing unit includes, for example, a cutting element that cuts a sheet, and a bending element that folds a sheet. Further, it may be a punching element for punching a sheet or a processing element for applying a desired process to the sheet.

  The image forming unit 93 includes a yellow toner container 900Y, a magenta toner container 900M, a cyan toner container 900C, and a black toner container 900K. Below these containers, developing devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K corresponding to the respective colors of YMCK are disposed.

  The image forming unit 93 includes a photosensitive drum 17 (a photosensitive member on which a latent image is formed by an electrophotographic method) that carries a toner image of each color. As the photosensitive drum 17, a photosensitive drum using an amorphous silicon (a-Si) material can be used. The photosensitive drums 17 are supplied with yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners from the toner containers 900Y, 900M, 900C, and 900K, respectively.

  Around the photosensitive drum 17, a charger 16, a developing device 10 (10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K), a transfer device (transfer roller) 19 and a cleaning device 18 are arranged. The charger 16 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 17. The surface of the photosensitive drum 17 after charging is exposed by the exposure unit 94 to form an electrostatic latent image. The exposure unit 94 emits laser light based on the digital signal generated by the scanning mechanism 224 described above. The developing devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K develop the electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photosensitive drums 17 using the toners of the respective colors supplied from the toner containers 900Y, 900M, 900C, and 900K, respectively ( Visualization). The transfer roller 19 forms a nip portion with the photosensitive drum 17 across the intermediate transfer belt 921, and primarily transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 17 onto the intermediate transfer belt 921. The cleaning device 18 cleans the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 17 after the toner image is transferred.

  Each developing device 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K includes a developing case 20. A two-component developer having a magnetic carrier and toner is accommodated in the developing case 20. Further, in the developing case 20, two stirring rollers 11 and 12 (developer stirring members) are rotatably arranged in parallel near the bottom of the developing case 20 with the longitudinal direction as an axial direction.

  A developer circulation path is set on the inner bottom surface of the developing case 20, and the stirring rollers 11 and 12 are disposed in the circulation path. A partition wall 201 erected from the bottom of the developing case 20 is provided in the axial direction between the stirring rollers 11 and 12. The partition wall 201 divides the circulation path. A circulation path is formed so as to circulate around the partition wall 201. The two-component developer is charged while being stirred and conveyed on the circulation path by the stirring rollers 11 and 12.

  The two-component developer circulates in the developing case 20 while being stirred by the stirring rollers 11 and 12, and the toner is charged. The two-component developer on the stirring roller 11 is attracted and conveyed by the magnetic roller 14 located on the upper side. The sucked two-component developer forms a magnetic brush (not shown) on the magnetic roller 14. The layer thickness of the magnetic brush is regulated by the doctor blade 13. The toner layer on the developing roller 15 is formed by a potential difference between the magnetic roller 14 and the developing roller 15. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 17 is developed by the toner layer.

  The exposure unit 94 includes various optical system devices such as a light source, a polygon mirror, a reflection mirror, and a deflection mirror. Light based on image data is provided on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 17 provided in each of the image forming units 93. To form an electrostatic latent image.

  The intermediate transfer unit 92 includes an intermediate transfer belt 921, a driving roller 922, and a driven roller 923. On the intermediate transfer belt 921, toner images are overcoated from a plurality of photosensitive drums 17 (primary transfer). The overcoated toner image is secondarily transferred to the sheet supplied from the cassette 500 or the tray 212 (see FIG. 1) in the secondary transfer unit 98. A driving roller 922 and a driven roller 923 that rotate the intermediate transfer belt 921 are rotatably supported by the lower housing 21.

  The fixing unit 97 performs a fixing process on the toner image on the sheet secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer unit 92. The sheet with the color image that has been subjected to the fixing process is discharged toward a paper discharge unit 96 formed in the upper part of the fixing unit 97 (in the connection housing 23).

  The paper discharge unit 96 discharges the sheet conveyed from the fixing unit 97 onto the upper surface 213 of the lower housing 21 used as a paper discharge tray.

  The cassette 500 stores a sheet bundle formed by stacking a plurality of sheets on which images are formed. The cassette 500 is detachably attached to the lower housing 21 as described above. When the pickup roller 40 provided in the cassette 500 is driven, the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle in the cassette 500 is taken out one by one, fed out to the paper feed conveyance path 133, and introduced into the image forming unit 93. The Roll elements disposed in the middle of the pickup roller 40, the paper feed conveyance path 133, and the paper feed conveyance path 133 are used as a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet to the image forming unit 93 that forms an image on the sheet.

  The tray 212 is disposed above the cassette 500. The tray 212 shown in FIG. 2 is in a closed position for closing the paper feed port. The lower end portion of the tray 212 serves as a rotation shaft, and the tray 212 is rotated rightward so that a sheet bundle formed by stacking a plurality of sheets can be supported. A paper feed structure 950 is disposed near the lower end of the tray 212. The paper feed structure 950 feeds the sheets placed on the tray 212 one by one to the image forming unit 93, and an image is formed on the sheet by the image forming unit 93.

  FIG. 3 shows the image forming apparatus 1 with the cassette 500 removed. The image forming apparatus 1 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in conjunction with FIG.

  The lower housing 21 includes a wall portion 610 that forms an accommodation space 600 for accommodating the cassette 500. In FIG. 3, a side wall 611 facing the side surface of the cassette 500 and a bottom wall 612 facing the lower surface of the cassette 500 are shown. A rail 613 extending in the depth direction of the main housing 2 (a direction from the front side toward the back side) is attached to the side wall 611.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cassette 500 inserted into the storage space 600 or the cassette 500 pulled out from the storage space 600. The cassette 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 in conjunction with FIG. 4.

  The cassette 500 is formed so as to be accommodated in the accommodation space 600. The user pulls out the cassette 500 from the storage space 600 when replenishing the sheet in the cassette 500 or when replacing the sheet in the cassette 500 with another sheet. The user pushes the cassette 500 into the accommodation space 600 when a new sheet is replenished in the cassette 500 or after the sheet in the cassette 500 is replaced with a new sheet. When the cassette 500 is accommodated in the accommodation space 600, the cassette 500 holds the sheet in the lower housing 21. The movement of the cassette toward the inside and outside of the accommodation space 600 is guided by the rail 613. In the following description, the direction in which the cassette 500 is pulled out from the storage space 600 (the direction from the back side to the front side) is referred to as the first direction for convenience, and the cassette 500 is stored in the opposite direction to the first direction. The direction pushed into the space 600 (the direction from the front side to the back side) is referred to as the second direction for convenience.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cassette 500. The cassette 500 is further described with reference to FIGS. 2-4 in conjunction with FIG.

  The cassette 500 includes a cassette housing 510 formed so as to be able to accommodate sheets. The cassette housing 510 includes a substantially rectangular bottom wall 511, and a pair of side walls 512, a front wall 513, and a back wall 514 erected upward from the periphery of the bottom wall 511. A front wall 513 extending between the front side edges of the pair of side walls 512 appears on the outer surface of the main housing 2 when the cassette housing 510 is completely housed in the housing space 600. The back wall 514 is disposed to face the front wall 513. Of the pair of side walls 512, the right side wall is a downstream wall 515 located downstream in the sheet conveyance direction, and the left side wall is an upstream wall 516 located upstream in the sheet conveyance direction. It is. Each of the pair of side walls 512 meshes with the rail portion 613, so that the movement of the cassette 500 in the first direction and the second direction is guided. The front wall 513 includes a substantially U-shaped grip portion 518. The user can grip the grip portion 518 and move the cassette 500 in the first direction and the second direction. The upper edges of the pair of side walls 512, the front wall 513 and the back wall 514 form an opening 517 for accommodating a sheet in the cassette 500. The user can store the sheet in the cassette housing 510 through the opening 517.

  The cassette 500 further includes a pair of sliders 520 adjacent to the front wall 513 and the back wall 514, respectively. The slider 520 extends upward from the bottom wall 511 and is disposed along the side edge of the sheet disposed in the cassette housing 510. A guide groove 521 for guiding the movement of the slider 520 is formed in the bottom plate 511. The guide groove 521 extends from the front wall 513 toward the back wall 514. Therefore, the slider 520 can move in the width direction of the sheet. Thus, the user can bring the slider 520 into contact with the side edge of a sheet of any size.

  The cassette 500 further includes a lift plate 530 that supports sheets accommodated in the cassette housing 510. The lift plate 530 plays a role of supplying the sheet stored in the cassette housing 510 to the pickup roller 40.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the lift plate 530. The lift plate 530 is further described with reference to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG.

  The lift plate 530 is a substantially H-shaped thin plate. The lift plate 530 includes a front end plate 531 and a base end plate 532 extending in the sheet width direction, and a connection plate 533 formed to connect the front end plate 531 and the base end plate 532. The base end plate 532 includes a pair of thin plate-like connecting portions 534 along the front wall 513 and the back wall 514. A slit 535 is formed in the connecting portion 534. A rotation shaft 536 extending from the inner surface of each of the front wall 513 and the back wall 514 supports the lift plate 530 in a rotatable manner. The lift plate 530 is connected to the front wall 513 and the back wall 514 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 536. As a result, the tip plate 531 of the lift plate 530 can move up and down. The position / posture of the lift plate 530 approaching the opening 517 formed by the upper edge of the pair of side walls 512, the front wall 513, and the back wall 514 is referred to as the close position for convenience. The position / posture where the tip plate 531 of the lift plate 530 moves downward from the proximity position and is separated from the opening 517 is referred to as a separation position for convenience.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a moving mechanism for moving the lift plate 530 between the proximity position and the separation position. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram schematically showing the lift plate 530 and the moving mechanism, and FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram schematically showing the lift plate 530 in the proximity position. c) is a schematic view schematically showing the lift plate 530 in the separated position. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cassette 500 as viewed from below. The moving mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5 in conjunction with FIGS. 7 and 8.

  The moving mechanism 540 is attached to the rotary shaft 541 extending between the bottom wall 511 of the cassette housing 510 and the tip plate 531 of the lift plate 530, and is attached to the middle portion of the rotary shaft 541 and extends in the radial direction of the rotary shaft 541. And an extruding portion 543 having a rectangular flat plate shape. A base end portion of the rotation shaft 541 is located outside the back wall 514. The rotating shaft 541 passes through the back wall 514 and extends toward the front wall 513. The proximal end portion of the rotating shaft 541 includes a connecting rod 542 that extends in the radial direction from the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 541. When the cassette housing 510 is completely accommodated in the accommodating space 600, the connecting rod 542 meshes with a coupling attached to a rotating shaft of a motor (not shown) disposed at the back of the accommodating space 600. By driving the motor, the rotating shaft 541 rotates between the lift plate 530 and the bottom wall 511 of the cassette housing 510.

  A base end portion of the pushing portion 543 is integrally connected to the rotating shaft 541. Therefore, the pushing portion 543 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 541. When the pushing portion 543 rotates along with the rotation of the rotation shaft 541, the lift plate 530 rotates around the rotation shaft 536. As a result, the tip of the pushing portion 543 comes into contact with the lower surface of the lift plate 530. As a result, the front end plate 531 of the lift plate 530 moves toward the pickup roller 40 disposed above the opening 517 of the cassette housing 510. As a result, the sheet bundle including the plurality of sheets S stacked on the lift plate 530 comes into contact with the pickup roller 40. Thus, the moving mechanism 540 moves the lift plate 530 to the close position, and the sheet S is supplied to the pickup roller 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the cassette 500 further includes an adjustment mechanism 550. The adjusting mechanism 550 is formed so as to adjust the position of the lift plate 530 in the separated position.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for schematically explaining the structure of the adjusting mechanism 550. The adjustment mechanism 550 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 8 in conjunction with FIG. 9.

  The adjustment mechanism 550 includes an adjustment piece 551 and a first elastic member 560 connected to the adjustment piece 551. A holder 519 for holding the adjustment mechanism 550 is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall 511 of the cassette housing 510. The first elastic member 560 and the adjustment piece 551 are accommodated in an accommodation space formed by the holder 519. In this embodiment, a coil spring is shown as the first elastic member 560. However, in another embodiment, any element that can bias the adjustment piece 551 is used as the first elastic member 560. Good.

  The adjustment piece 551 includes a substantially pentagonal columnar tip block 552 and a base block 553 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The adjustment piece 551 is biased so as to be pushed out of the cassette housing 510 by the first elastic member 560, and the tip block 552 protrudes from the cassette housing 510. On the other hand, the base end portion 552 is caught by the inner wall surface of the holder 519 and stays in the accommodation space formed by the holder 519. The adjustment piece 551 partially shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 is in a protruding position that protrudes to the maximum from the cassette housing 510.

  A columnar protrusion 554 is formed from the end surface of the proximal block 553 toward the first elastic member 560. The distal end portion of the first elastic member 560 winds the protruding portion 554. Thereby, the 1st elastic member 560 and the adjustment piece 551 are connected. Wings 555 extend from both side surfaces of the proximal block 553. On the upper surface of the wing portion 555, a protrusion 556 extending in parallel with the urging direction of the first elastic member 560 is formed. The protrusion 556 meshes with a rail portion (not shown) formed in the holder 519 and guides the movement of the proximal block 553 within the holder 519.

  The proximal block 553 is formed thicker than the distal block 552. Therefore, the upper surface of the proximal end block 553 is located closer to the opening 517 of the cassette housing 510 than the upper surface of the distal end block 552. In a specific embodiment, the upper surface of the proximal block 553 is used as a first support 557 that supports the lift plate 530, and the upper surface of the distal block 552 is used as a second support 558 that supports the lift plate 530. .

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the operation of the adjustment mechanism 550. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10A shows the adjustment piece 551 in the protruding position, and FIG. 10B shows the adjustment piece 551 in the immersion position. The operation of the adjusting mechanism 550 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 7 and 9 in conjunction with FIG. 10.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the adjustment piece 551 is connected to the first elastic member 560 in the holder 519. Therefore, when the front end block 552 appearing outside the cassette housing 510 is pushed into the holder 519, it is between the protrusion 559 protruding from the inner wall surface of the holder 519 and the protrusion 554 extending from the base end block 553 of the adjustment piece 551. The extending first elastic member 560 is compressed and deformed, and the adjustment piece 551 is moved to the immersion position. At the immersion position, the leading end block 552 of the adjustment piece 551 is immersed in the cassette housing 510. Since the first elastic member 560 urges the adjustment piece 551 toward the protruding position as described above, when the force applied to the adjustment piece 551 is removed, the adjustment piece 551 returns to the protruding position. Thus, the adjustment piece 551 can move between the immersion position and the protruding position.

  The tip plate 531 of the lift plate 530 includes a first portion 537 bent downward. The first portion 537 is adjacent to the downstream wall 515 of the cassette housing 510. The proximal end block 553 of the adjustment piece 551 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the downstream wall 515 forming the holder 519 and is located below the first portion 537. When the lift plate 530 moves toward the separation position due to the weight of the bundle of sheets S and / or the weight of the lift plate 530, the first portion 537 comes into contact with the first support portion 557 of the proximal end block 553. Thus, the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530 is supported by the first support portion 557 of the proximal block 553 when the adjustment piece 551 is in the protruding position.

  As described above, when the adjustment piece 551 is moved to the immersion position, the proximal end block 553 is separated from the downstream wall 515, and the second support portion 558 of the distal end block 552 is positioned below the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530. Will be. As described above, since the distal end block 552 is formed thinner than the proximal end block 553, the lift plate 530 is further increased by the difference in thickness between the distal end block 552 and the proximal end block 553, and the cassette housing 510. It moves to a position spaced apart from the opening 517. As a result, the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530 comes into contact with the second support portion 558 of the tip block 552. Thus, the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530 is supported by the second support portion 558 of the tip block 552 when the adjustment piece 551 is in the retracted position.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram schematically showing an adjustment mechanism 550 according to another embodiment. FIG. 11A shows the adjustment piece 551 in the protruding position, and FIG. 11B shows the adjustment piece 551 in the immersion position. The adjustment mechanism 550 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 10 in conjunction with FIG. 11.

  The bending dimension of the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530 shown in FIG. 11 is smaller than the bending dimension of the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530 shown in FIG. When the bending dimension of the first portion 537 is smaller than the thickness difference between the distal end block 552 and the proximal end block 553 of the adjustment piece 551, even if the adjustment piece 551 moves to the immersion position, the first portion 537 is 2 Does not contact the support portion 558. Instead, the lower surface of the distal end plate 531 excluding the first portion 537 functions as the second portion 538 supported by the first support portion 557 of the proximal block 553. In the adjustment mechanism 550 shown in FIG. 11, when the second portion 538 is in contact with the adjustment piece 551, the lift plate 530 has an opening of the cassette housing 510 compared to when the first portion 537 is in contact. It will be at a position away from the portion 517.

  The interlocking between the moving mechanism 540 and the adjusting mechanism 550 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the adjustment piece 551 is in the retracted position, the proximal end block 553 of the adjustment piece 551 contacts the inner surface of the first portion 537 of the lift plate 530. When the rotation shaft 541 of the moving mechanism 540 rotates and the pushing portion 543 supplies the sheet S to the pickup roller 40, the tip plate 531 of the lift plate 530 is raised. As a result, the contact between the first portion 537 and the base end block 553 of the adjustment piece 551 is released. Thereafter, the adjustment piece 551 is moved to the protruding position by the first elastic member 560.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the cassette 500 is pushed into the accommodation space 600, the adjustment piece 551 is moved to the immersion position. The rail portion 613 described with reference to FIG. 3 is formed with a displacement mechanism that moves the adjustment piece 551 to the immersion position.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing the displacement mechanism. The displacement mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG.

  The displacement mechanism 570 includes a protruding piece 571 and a second elastic member 572 connected to the protruding piece 571. The protruding piece 571 is rotatably connected to the rail portion 613. For example, a substantially C-shaped cut is made in the rail portion 613, and the region of the rail portion 613 surrounded by the cut is bent in a direction opposite to the accommodation space 600 in which the cassette 500 is accommodated, thereby the base on which the protruding piece 571 is attached. Part 614 is formed.

  The protruding piece 571 includes a mounting portion 573 that is rotatably mounted on the pedestal portion 614 and a protruding block 574 that protrudes inward of the accommodation space 600. The attachment portion 573 includes a rotation shaft 575 that extends toward the pedestal portion 614. The rotation shaft 575 is rotatably inserted into a recess or a through hole formed in the pedestal portion 614. Thereby, the protrusion piece 571 will be attached with respect to the rail part 613 so that rotation is possible.

  The protruding block 574 includes a first block 576 formed in a substantially right triangular prism shape, a first block 576, and a second block 577 disposed between the first block 576 and the rail portion 613. The first block 576 includes a first surface 578 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rail portion 613 and a second surface 579 inclined with respect to the rail portion 613. The first surface 578 and the side surface 580 of the attachment portion 573 are substantially flush with each other, and the second block 577 protrudes from the first surface 578 and the side surface 580 of the attachment portion 573. The surface of the protruding portion of the second block 577 facing the rail portion 613 is in contact with the rail portion 613 and serves as a holding portion 581 that prevents rotation of the protruding piece 571 around the rotating shaft 575. In this embodiment, the surface of the rail portion 613 is used as a wall portion that comes into contact with the holding portion 581. In other embodiments, an arbitrary wall portion other than the rail portion 613 is brought into contact with the holding portion 581, and The rotation range of the protruding piece 571 may be restricted.

  A substantially C-shaped arch portion 582 is formed on the upper surface of the attachment portion 573. The second elastic member 572 can be, for example, a coil spring. The distal end portion of the second elastic member 572 is formed in a hook shape and engages with the arch portion 582. The second elastic member 572 biases the protruding piece 571 in a direction in which the holding portion 581 is pressed against the rail portion 613.

  FIG. 13 shows the contact between the adjustment piece 551 of the cassette 500 moving in the second direction and the protruding piece 571. The interlocking between the displacement mechanism 570 and the adjustment mechanism 550 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 10 to 12 in conjunction with FIG. In FIG. 13, the rail portion 613 is omitted.

  When the cassette 500 is moving in the second direction, the inclined surface forming the pointed tip of the adjusting piece 551 contacts the second surface 579 of the protruding piece 571. As described with reference to FIG. 12, even if the adjustment piece 551 comes into contact with the second surface 579, the holding portion 581 of the protruding piece 571 prevents the protruding piece 571 from rotating. Therefore, the adjustment piece 551 moves toward the immersion position while being guided by the second surface 579 of the protruding piece 571.

  FIG. 14 shows the contact between the adjustment piece 551 of the cassette 500 moving in the first direction and the protruding piece 571. The interlocking between the displacement mechanism 570 and the adjustment mechanism 550 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 10 to 13 in conjunction with FIG. In FIG. 14, the rail portion 613 is omitted.

  When the cassette 500 is accommodated in the accommodating space 600 and is moved in the first direction, the adjustment piece 551 is brought into contact with the first surface 578 of the protruding piece 571 and the inclined surface forming the sharp tip of the adjustment piece 551. To do. As a result, the protruding piece 571 rotates around the rotation shaft 575. Therefore, the cassette 500 is pulled out from the storage space 600 while the adjustment piece 551 maintains the protruding position (that is, in a state where the adjustment piece 551 does not move to the immersive position).

  When the adjustment piece 551 of the cassette 500 moving in the first direction passes through the protruding piece 571, the second elastic member 572 protrudes in a rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction of the protruding piece 571 generated by contact with the adjustment piece 551. The piece 571 is rotated. As a result, the protruding piece 571 returns to the original position (position shown in FIG. 13).

  FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the adjustment mechanism 550 and the displacement mechanism 570. As shown in FIG. The positional relationship between the adjustment mechanism 550 and the displacement mechanism 570 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 14, and 15 in conjunction with FIG. 15.

  In the present embodiment, a pair of adjustment mechanisms 550 are formed along the downstream wall 515. The displacement mechanism 570 is formed between the adjustment mechanism 550 formed closest to the front wall 513 of the pair of adjustment mechanisms 550 and the front wall 513. Thereby, when the cassette 500 is inserted into the storage space 600 and when the cassette 500 is pulled out of the storage space 600, the displacement mechanism 570 adjusts both the adjustment mechanisms 550 as described in FIGS. The position of the piece 551 can be displaced.

  The present invention can be applied to a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, various apparatuses for forming an image on a sheet, and a processing apparatus for applying a predetermined process to a sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 40 ... Pick-up roller 133 ... Paper feed conveyance path 500 ... Cassette 510 ... Cassette housing 517 ... Opening 530 ... Lift plate 537- .... First part 538 ... Second part 540 ... Movement mechanism 541 ... Rotating shaft 543 ... Extrusion part 550 ... Adjustment mechanism 551 ... Adjustment piece 557 ... First support part 558 ... second support part 560 ... first elastic member 570 ... displacement mechanism 571 ... protruding piece 572 ... second elastic member 581 ... holding part S ... sheet

Claims (5)

A processing device for applying a predetermined process to a sheet,
A main housing that houses a processing section that performs the predetermined processing;
A cassette formed to hold the sheet conveyed to the processing unit in the main casing and to be movable in and out of the main casing;
A transport unit that transports the sheet from the cassette toward the processing unit,
The cassette includes a cassette housing having an opening for accommodating the sheet, a lift plate for supporting the sheet in the cassette housing, a spaced position where the lift plate is separated from the opening, and the opening. A movement mechanism that moves between a proximity position close to the adjustment position, and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the lift plate at the separation position,
The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment piece formed so as to be movable between a protruding position protruding from the cassette casing, and an immersion position immersed in the cassette casing from the protruding position, and toward the protruding position. And a first elastic member for biasing the adjustment piece,
The adjustment piece includes a first support portion that supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the protruding position, and a second support portion that supports the lift plate when the adjustment piece is in the retracted position. Including
  The main housing includes a wall portion that forms an accommodation space for accommodating the cassette, and a displacement mechanism that moves the adjustment piece to the immersion position when the cassette moves inward of the accommodation space. Including,
The second support part supports the lift plate at a position spaced apart from the opening than the position at which the first support part supports the lift plate,
The displacement mechanism includes a protruding piece that protrudes inward of the accommodation space and contacts the adjustment piece,
When the moving mechanism moves the lift plate to the proximity position and supplies the sheet to the transport unit, the first elastic member moves the adjustment piece toward the protruding position,
The projecting piece is rotatable to the wall portion so as not to move the adjusting piece to the retracted position when contacting the adjusting piece of the cassette that is moving in the first direction from the housing space. The processing apparatus characterized by being attached to. A processing device for applying a predetermined process to a sheet,
A main housing that houses a processing section that performs the predetermined processing;
A cassette for holding the sheet conveyed to the processing unit in the main housing,
The cassette has a cassette housing having an opening for accommodating the sheet;
A lift plate for supporting the sheet in the cassette housing;
A movement mechanism for moving the lift plate between a separation position separated from the opening and a proximity position close to the opening;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the lift plate at the spaced position;
A conveyance unit that conveys the sheet toward the processing unit through the opening,
The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment piece formed so as to be movable between a protruding position protruding from the cassette casing, and an immersion position immersed in the cassette casing from the protruding position, and toward the protruding position. And a first elastic member for biasing the adjustment piece,
The lift plate includes a first portion supported by the adjustment piece in the protruding position, and a second portion supported by the adjustment piece in the immersion position,
The main housing includes a wall portion that forms an accommodation space for accommodating the cassette, and a displacement mechanism that moves the adjustment piece to the immersion position when the cassette moves inward of the accommodation space. Including,
When the second part is in contact with the adjustment piece, the lift plate is supported by the adjustment piece at a position farther from the opening than when the first part is in contact with the adjustment piece. ,
The displacement mechanism includes a protruding piece that protrudes inward of the accommodation space and contacts the adjustment piece,
  When the moving mechanism moves the lift plate to the proximity position and supplies the sheet to the transport unit, the first elastic member moves the adjustment piece toward the protruding position,
The projecting piece is rotatable to the wall portion so as not to move the adjusting piece to the retracted position when contacting the adjusting piece of the cassette that is moving in the first direction from the housing space. The processing apparatus characterized by being attached to. The protruding piece includes a holding portion that comes into contact with the wall portion,
The holding portion prevents rotation of the protruding piece when the protruding piece comes into contact with the adjustment piece of the cassette moving in the second direction opposite to the first direction. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The displacement mechanism includes a second elastic member that biases the protruding piece in a rotation direction opposite to a rotation direction of the protruding piece due to contact with the adjustment piece of the cassette moving in the first direction. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is an image forming process for forming an image on the sheet .

Images