JP5760752B2 - Sheet supply system, sheet supply apparatus, and tray support - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply system, a sheet supply apparatus, and a tray support for sending out sheets in a tray.

  Conventionally, as a sheet supply system, a small-capacity tray, a pair of support portions that support a small-capacity tray at the bottom, and a large-capacity tray that is formed deeper than the small-capacity tray And an expansion member provided under a pair of support portions in order to expand the accommodation space to a size capable of accommodating a large capacity tray (see Patent Document 1). Specifically, in this technique, the small-capacity tray and the large-capacity tray are supported by a common rail provided in the pair of support portions.

JP-A-5-61278

  However, with the above configuration, since the upper portions of the pair of side walls of the large capacity tray are supported by the pair of support portions, the side walls may be distorted by the weight of the sheets stored in the large capacity tray. .

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet supply system, a sheet supply apparatus, and a tray support that can suppress distortion of a large-capacity tray.

In order to solve the above problems, a sheet supply system according to the present invention is capable of storing a first tray that can store a predetermined number of sheets and a sheet that is formed deeper than the first tray and more than the predetermined number of sheets. The first tray can be attached and detached with a second tray and a pair of first rail portions provided on a pair of support portions that are disposed so as to sandwich the housing space and have a housing space for housing the first tray. And an expansion member attached below the pair of support portions to expand the accommodation space to a size capable of accommodating the second tray.
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that protrude toward the housing space and support both ends of the bottom wall of the second tray.
The second tray is supported only by the pair of second rail portions out of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions .
The sheet supply system according to the present invention includes a first tray that can store a predetermined number of sheets, a second tray that is formed deeper than the first tray and can store more sheets than the predetermined number of sheets, An apparatus main body having an accommodation space for accommodating the first tray at a lower portion and detachably supporting the first tray by a pair of first rail portions provided on a pair of support portions arranged so as to sandwich the accommodation space. And an expansion member attached below the pair of support portions to expand the accommodation space to a size capable of accommodating the second tray, wherein the expansion member includes the first supply unit. A pair of second rail portions that support two trays are provided, and the second tray is provided only on the pair of second rail portions of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions. The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray to position the first tray, and the second tray includes the main body side. The structure provided with the 2nd positioning part which contacts the positioning part and positions the said 2nd tray may be sufficient.

  The sheet supply apparatus according to the present invention includes the second tray, the apparatus main body, and the expansion member, and the tray support according to the present invention includes the apparatus main body and the expansion member. The

  According to the present invention, since the lower side of the second tray is supported by the expansion member disposed on the lower side of the apparatus main body, the distortion of the second tray is suppressed compared to the structure in which the upper side of the second tray is supported. Can do. In addition, since the second tray does not interfere with the pair of first rail portions, for example, compared to a structure in which the rail supporting the first tray interferes with the second tray, the work of removing the rail becomes unnecessary, and the second Tray assembly work can be facilitated.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of first rail portions are grooves that are recessed in a direction away from the housing space and that can extend in the attaching / detaching direction of the first tray and support the first tray. .

  According to this, since interference can be prevented without denting the side wall of the second tray, the structure of the second tray can be simplified.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that protrude toward the accommodation space and support both ends of the bottom wall of the second tray.

  According to this, since the bottom wall of the second tray is supported by the pair of second rail portions, for example, a protruding portion is provided on the side wall of the second tray, and the protruding portion is supported by a groove formed in the expansion member. In comparison, the side wall of the second tray can be prevented from being bent by the weight of the sheet.

  In the present invention, the apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray and positions the first tray, and the second tray includes the main body side. It is desirable to provide a second positioning portion that contacts the positioning portion and positions the second tray.

  According to this, since the main body side positioning section common to the first tray and the second tray is provided in the apparatus main body, the positioning section for the first tray and the positioning section for the second tray are separately provided for the apparatus main body and the expansion member. The structure can be simplified as compared with the embodiment provided in FIG. In addition, the second tray supported by the expansion member can be accurately positioned with respect to the apparatus main body.

  In the present invention, the apparatus main body is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the sheet in the first tray or the second tray into the apparatus main body, and the first positioning unit, the second positioning unit, and the It is desirable that the main body side positioning portion is disposed on the pickup roller side in the sheet conveying direction.

  According to this, since each positioning part is provided near the pickup roller, the position accuracy of each tray with respect to the pickup roller can be improved.

  In the present invention, the first tray includes a pair of side walls facing the pair of support parts, a pair of projecting parts that project outward from the side walls and engage the first rail part, and the first tray. A pressure plate for urging the sheet in the tray toward the pickup roller; and a drive gear for driving the pressure plate; and the drive gear is provided outside one of the pair of side walls, It is desirable to form a protrusion provided on one side wall so as to protrude outward from the drive gear.

  According to this, since the projecting portion is projected outward from the drive gear, the force generated by the rotation of the drive gear can be favorably received by the projecting portion.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the protrusion is disposed on an extended surface of the bottom wall of the first tray.

  According to this, for example, compared to a structure in which a protruding portion is provided on the upper portion of the side wall of the first tray and this protruding portion is supported by a groove formed in the apparatus body, a pair of sheets is applied by the load of the sheet applied to the bottom wall of the first tray. It can suppress that a side wall bends.

  In the present invention, it is desirable that the first rail portion is integrally formed with the support portion made of resin.

  According to this, compared with the structure which makes a 1st rail part and a support part separate components, cost reduction can be aimed at.

  According to the present invention, since the lower side of the second tray, which is a large capacity tray, is supported by the expansion member arranged on the lower side of the apparatus main body, distortion of the second tray can be suppressed.

It is sectional drawing which shows the laser printer which has a small capacity | capacitance paper feed tray. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (a) schematically showing a laser printer having a large capacity tray, and an explanatory diagram (b) schematically showing a laser printer having a small capacity paper feed tray. It is sectional drawing which shows the lower part of the laser printer which has a large capacity tray. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows each rail part of the left side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows each rail part on the right side. It is a perspective view which shows a paper feed tray. It is a perspective view which shows a large capacity tray. It is a front view which shows the state which mounted | wore the paper feed tray with the tray support body. It is a front view which shows the state which mounted | wore the large capacity tray with the tray support body. It is a simplified diagram showing the relationship between the length of the first pressure plate and the second pressure plate.

<Overall configuration of laser printer>
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, first, an overall configuration of a general laser printer will be described, and then a laser printer as an example of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user when using the laser printer. That is, in FIG. 1, the right side toward the paper surface is “front side (front side)”, the left side toward the paper surface is “rear side (back side)”, the back side toward the paper surface is “right side”, and it faces the paper surface. Let the near side be the “left side”. In addition, the vertical direction toward the page is defined as the “vertical direction”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the laser printer 1 includes an apparatus main body 2, a feeder unit 3 for feeding a sheet P as an example of a sheet to an image forming unit 4, and an image for forming an image on the sheet P. And a forming unit 4.

  The apparatus main body 2 includes a main body frame 21 as an example of a pair of left and right support portions, an upper panel 22 that connects the upper portions of the main body frames 21, and a front cover 23 that is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body frames 21. It has. On the upper panel 22, a paper discharge tray 22 </ b> A for placing paper P discharged outside the apparatus main body 2 is formed.

  The feeder unit 3 is provided at a lower portion in the apparatus main body 2 and includes a paper feed tray 31 as an example of a first tray that is detachably mounted from the front side, and a first pressure plate 32 provided in the paper feed tray 31. It has. The feeder unit 3 includes a pickup roller 33 provided above the front end of the paper P stacked in the paper feed tray 31 and a separation roller 34 provided on the downstream side of the pickup roller 33 in the conveyance direction of the paper P. And a separation pad 35. The pickup roller 33 and the separation roller 34 are supported by a single member (not shown) and are rotatably provided.

  The pickup roller 33 is provided so as to be rotatable about the separation roller 34. The first pressure plate 32 urges the paper P in the paper feed tray 31 toward the pickup roller 33, so that the rear end 32A is rotatably supported by the bottom wall of the paper feed tray 31 and the front end 32B. Is configured to move up and down. Further, the feeder unit 3 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper dust removing roller 36A, the transport roller 36B facing the paper dust removing roller 36A, and the paper dust removing roller 36A. And a pair of registration rollers 37.

  The paper feed tray 31 is supported by each main body frame 21 so as to be detachable in the front-rear direction. The pickup roller 33, the separation roller 34, and the transport roller 36 </ b> B are held by the apparatus main body 2, but the separation pad 35 and the paper dust removal roller 36 </ b> A are held by the paper feed tray 31. Therefore, when the paper feed tray 31 is removed, the nip between the separation roller 34 and the separation pad 35 and the nip between the paper dust removal roller 36A and the conveyance roller 36B are opened.

  In the feeder unit 3 configured as described above, the paper P in the paper feed tray 31 is urged by the pickup roller 33 as the first pressure plate 32 rotates, and is sent out by the pickup roller 33 to be separated. They are separated by the roller 34 and the separation pad 35. Thereafter, the paper P passes through the various rollers 36 and 37 and is then conveyed to the image forming unit 4 one by one.

  The image forming unit 4 includes a scanner unit 5, a process cartridge 6, and a fixing device 7.

  The scanner unit 5 is provided at an upper portion in the apparatus main body 2 and includes a laser light emitting unit (not shown), a polygon mirror, a lens, a reflecting mirror, and the like that are not shown. In the scanner unit 5, a laser beam is irradiated on the surface of a photosensitive drum 61 described later by high-speed scanning.

  The process cartridge 6 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 2 through an opening formed by opening the front cover 23, and includes a photosensitive drum 61, a transfer roller 62, a charger, a developing roller, and a layer thickness regulation, which are not shown. A blade and a toner storage chamber.

  In the process cartridge 6, the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 61 is uniformly charged by a charger and then exposed by high-speed scanning of a laser beam from the scanner unit 5. As a result, the potential of the exposed portion is lowered, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 61.

  Next, the toner in the toner storage chamber is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 61 by the developing roller, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 61. Thereafter, the paper P is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 61 and the transfer roller 62, whereby the toner image on the photosensitive drum 61 is transferred onto the paper P.

  The fixing device 7 includes a heating unit 71 that includes a halogen heater, a fixing film, a nip plate, and the like that are not shown, and a pressure roller 72 that holds the fixing film between the nip plate of the heating unit 71. ing. In the fixing device 7 configured as described above, the toner transferred onto the paper P is thermally fixed while the paper P passes between the heating unit 71 and the pressure roller 72.

  The paper P thermally fixed by the fixing device 7 is conveyed to a paper discharge roller R disposed on the downstream side of the fixing device 7, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller R onto a paper discharge tray 22A.

<Laser printer according to the present invention>
As schematically shown in FIG. 2A, a laser printer 100 as an example of a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention is used in place of the paper feed tray 31 of the laser printer 1 described above (see FIG. 2B). In order to provide a large capacity tray 110 as an example of a second tray larger than the paper feed tray 31, a pair of expansion members 200 are provided below the pair of main body frames 21. That is, in order to expand the accommodation space of the paper feed tray 31 formed between the lower portions of the pair of main body frames 21 to a size that can accommodate the large capacity tray 110, the pair of expansion members 200 is provided below the pair of main body frames 21. Is attached.

  In other words, the laser printer 100 includes a large-capacity tray 110, a pair of resin body frames 21 facing each other with the upper portion of the large-capacity tray 110 interposed therebetween, and a pair of resin-made members facing each other with the lower portion of the large-capacity tray 110 interposed therebetween. The expansion member 200 is provided. Note that the laser printer 100 also includes a structure (such as the image forming unit 4 and the pickup roller 33) other than the paper feed tray 31 of the laser printer 1 described above.

  The pair of expansion members 200 are members that extend in the front-rear direction, and are connected to each other by two underbars 210 (see FIG. 4) that are provided at an interval in the front-rear direction (the attachment and detachment direction of the large capacity tray 110). The main body frame 21 is attached. In other words, the pair of expansion members 200 and the pair of main body frames 21 constitute a tray support for supporting the large capacity tray 110.

The large capacity tray 110 is formed deeper than the paper feed tray 31 (see FIG. 2B) described above, and can accommodate more paper P than the predetermined number of papers P stored in the paper feed tray 31. The expansion member 200 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (detachable). As a result, the lower side of the large capacity tray 110 is supported by the expansion member 200 disposed on the lower side of the main body frame 21, so that, for example, distortion of the large capacity tray 110 is reduced compared to a structure in which the upper side of the large capacity tray is supported. It is possible to suppress.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the large-capacity tray 110 includes a second pressure plate 132 having substantially the same configuration as the first pressure plate 32, the separation pad 35, and the paper dust removing roller 36A provided on the paper feed tray 31 described above. A pad 135 and a paper dust removing roller 136A are provided. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In FIGS. 1 and 3, for convenience, both the states of the pressure plates 32 and 132 before and after the operation are illustrated.

  With this configuration, it is possible to share the main body frame 21 when using the paper feed tray 31 and when using the large capacity tray 110. In other words, when there is a demand for the laser printer 1 for the commonly used paper feed tray 31 (for example, the maximum number of stacked sheets 250 sheets), only the main body frame 21 is used, and the large capacity tray 110 (for example, the maximum stacking capacity) is used. When there is a demand for the laser printer 100 of 500 sheets, the main body frame 21 and the expansion member 200 may be combined.

  In other words, the sheet feed tray 31, the large capacity tray 110, the apparatus main body 2 having a pair of main body frames 21, and the expansion member 200 constitute an image forming system as an example of a sheet supply system. The operator can selectively manufacture the laser printer 1 for the small-capacity paper feed tray 31 and the laser printer 100 for the large-capacity tray 110 by using this image forming system. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pair of main body frames 21 are provided with a pair of first rail portions R <b> 1 that support the sheet feeding tray 31 so as to be movable (detachable) in the front-rear direction, and a pair of expansion members. 200 includes a pair of second rail portions R2 that support the large capacity tray 110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The large capacity tray 110 supported by the expansion member 200 is formed so as not to interfere with the pair of first rail portions R1.

  Specifically, the large capacity tray 110 is not provided with any portion that enters into a groove-shaped first rail portion R1 described later and moves from one end of the first rail portion R1 to the other end. It is like that. This eliminates the need to remove the rail compared to a structure in which, for example, the rail supporting the paper feed tray interferes with the large capacity tray, thereby facilitating the assembly work of the large capacity tray 110. It is possible.

  The first rail portion R1 is a groove that is recessed outward in the left-right direction (the direction away from the storage space of the paper feed tray 31) and extends in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the paper feed tray 31 is attached / detached) to support the paper feed tray 31. It is formed in a shape. Since the first rail portion R1 is formed in a groove shape in this way, interference can be prevented without denting the side wall 111 (see FIG. 7) of the large capacity tray 110, so the structure of the large capacity tray 110 can be reduced. Simplification is possible.

  The first rail portion R1 is formed integrally with the main body frame 21 made of resin. Thereby, for example, compared with the structure which makes a 1st rail part and a main body frame separate components, it is possible to aim at cost reduction.

  The second rail portion R2 protrudes from the lower end of the expansion member 200 toward the inner side in the left-right direction (accommodating space side), and supports the left and right ends of the bottom wall 112 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) of the large capacity tray 110. It is configured. Thereby, since the bottom wall 112 of the large capacity tray 110 is supported by the pair of second rail portions R2, for example, a protrusion is provided on the side wall of the large capacity tray, and the protrusion is supported by a groove formed in the expansion member. As compared with the above, it is possible to suppress the side wall 111 of the large capacity tray 110 from being bent by the weight of the paper P.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the front end R11 of the first rail portion R1 is formed so as to expand in the vertical direction toward the front side. This makes it easy to insert a later-described protruding portion 312 of the paper feed tray 31 into the first rail portion R1.

  And the main body side positioning part 213 dented in the left-right direction outer side is formed in the bottom face of front end part R11 of 1st rail part R1. The main body side positioning unit 213 is provided on the left and right main body frames 21 and abuts on the pair of left and right first positioning units 313 provided on the paper feed tray 31 or the pair of left and right second positioning units 113 provided on the large capacity tray 110. As a result, the front / rear side / left / right positioning of the front portion of the paper feed tray 31 or the large capacity tray 110 is performed.

  Specifically, the first positioning portion 313 of the paper feed tray 31 is provided at a position away from the lower end of the paper feed tray 31 by a predetermined distance (distance from the lower surface of the first rail portion R1 to the main body side positioning portion 213). ing. The second positioning portion 113 of the large capacity tray 110 is provided at a position away from the lower end of the large capacity tray 110 by a distance larger than the predetermined distance (distance from the lower surface of the second rail portion R2 to the main body side positioning portion 213). It has been.

  According to this, since the main body side positioning portion 213 common to the paper feeding tray 31 and the large capacity tray 110 is provided in the apparatus main body 2, the positioning portion for the paper feeding tray and the positioning portion for the large capacity tray are extended with the main body of the apparatus. The structure can be simplified as compared with a mode in which the members are provided separately. Further, since the large capacity tray 110 supported by the expansion member 200 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 2, the second pressure plate 132, the separation pad 135 and the paper dust removing roller 136A provided on the large capacity tray 110 are attached to the apparatus main body 2. It is possible to accurately match the provided counterpart part.

  The first positioning unit 313, the second positioning unit 113, and the main body side positioning unit 213 are arranged on the pickup roller 33 (see FIG. 1) side in the front-rear direction (sheet conveyance direction). Thereby, since the positioning portions 313, 113, and 213 are provided near the pickup roller 33, the positional accuracy of the trays 31 and 110 with respect to the pickup roller 33 can be further improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the paper feed tray 31 includes a pair of side walls 311 (only one is shown) opposed to the pair of main body frames 21, and protrudes outward from the side walls 311 in the left-right direction to the first rail portion R <b> 1. A pair of projecting portions 312 and a first drive mechanism 410 for driving the first pressure plate 32 described above are provided.

  The protruding portion 312 is formed on the extended surface of the bottom wall 314 of the paper feed tray 31 by being formed so as to protrude in the left-right direction from the lower end portion of the side wall 311. As a result, for example, a protrusion is provided at the upper part of the side wall of the paper feed tray, and this protrusion is supported by a groove formed in the apparatus main body. It is possible to suppress the side wall 311 from bending.

  Further, the protruding portion 312 provided on the left side wall 311 is formed so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction with respect to a driving gear 411 described later of the first driving mechanism 410. Since the protruding portion 312 is protruded outward from the driving gear 411 as described above, the force generated by the rotation of the driving gear 411 can be favorably received by the protruding portion 312.

  The first drive mechanism 410 includes a drive gear 411, a first pressing member 412 (see FIG. 1), a first sector member 413, and an intermediate gear 414.

  The driving gear 411 is a gear to which driving force is input from a known pressure plate raising mechanism provided in the apparatus main body 2, and is rotatably provided outside the left side wall 311. Here, the pressure plate raising mechanism is a mechanism that is driven by a motor provided in the apparatus main body 2. For example, a mechanism that intermittently transmits a driving force to the driving gear 411 can be employed.

  Specifically, for example, a predetermined number of sheets are conveyed without transmitting the driving force to the drive gear 411 until the sheet P on the first pressure plate 32 is conveyed by the pickup roller 33 to a predetermined number (for example, five sheets). In some cases, a mechanism can be employed in which the driving force is transmitted to the driving gear 411 for a predetermined time to rotate the driving gear 411 a predetermined number of times and raise the first pressure plate 32 by a predetermined number.

  One end of the first pressing member 412 is rotatably supported on the bottom wall of the paper feed tray 31 and is configured to push up the first pressure plate 32 at the other end.

  The first fan-shaped member 413 is provided at the left end of the first pressing member 412 and is configured to rotate integrally with the first pressing member 412. A gear is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first sector member 413, and the gear engages with the intermediate gear 414.

  The intermediate gear 414 is provided between the drive gear 411 and the first fan-shaped member 413, and transmits the driving force from the drive gear 411 to the first fan-shaped member 413.

  The drive gear 411, the first fan-shaped member 413, and the intermediate gear 414 described above are provided between the first positioning portion 313 and the protruding portion 312 in the front-rear direction, and the first positioning portion 313 and the protruding portion 312 are provided. Protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the drive gear 411, the first fan-shaped member 413, and the intermediate gear 414. Thus, when the paper feed tray 31 is removed and placed on the floor or the like, even if the paper feed tray 31 is inclined and the left side wall 311 interferes with the floor or the like, the drive gear 411 is driven by the protruding portion 312 or the like. Etc. are to be protected.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the large-capacity tray 110 drives the second pressure plate 132 that urges the paper P in the large-capacity tray 110 toward the pickup roller 33, and the second pressure plate 132. A second drive mechanism 420 is provided.

  Similar to the first pressure plate 32, the second pressure plate 132 is configured such that the rear end 132A is rotatably supported by the bottom wall 112 and the front end 132B moves up and down. The second pressure plate 132 is formed to be longer than the first pressure plate 32 in the conveyance direction of the paper P.

  Since the second pressure plate 132 is formed longer than the first pressure plate 32 in this way, the maximum angle of the second pressure plate 132 can be made closer to the maximum angle of the first pressure plate 32. The leading edge of the paper P discharged from between the rollers 33 can be prevented from being directed upward, and the paper P can be supplied satisfactorily.

  Specifically, as simply shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the ratio of the height H1 from the bottom surface 31A of the paper feed tray 31 to the pickup roller 33 with respect to the length L1 of the first pressure plate 32 (L1: The ratio (L2: H2) of the height H2 from the bottom surface 110A of the large capacity tray 110 to the pickup roller 33 with respect to the length L2 of the second pressure plate 132 is the same. In other words, the angle θ1 when the first pressure plate 32 is tilted to the maximum with respect to the bottom surface 31A and the angle θ2 when the second pressure plate 132 is tilted to the maximum with respect to the bottom surface 110A are configured to be the same. Yes.

  As a result, the angle of the last sheet P remaining in each of the trays 31 and 110 with respect to the pickup roller 33 can be set to the same angle in each of the trays 31 and 110, so that the sheet P can be supplied more favorably. It is possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the second drive mechanism 420 includes a drive gear 421 and an intermediate gear 424 that have substantially the same structure as the first drive mechanism 410, and is different from the first drive mechanism 410. A pressing member 422 and a second fan-shaped member 423 are provided. The second drive mechanism 420 is configured such that the rising speed of the front end 132B of the second pressure plate 132 is the same as the rising speed of the front end 32B of the first pressure plate 32 driven by the first drive mechanism 410. Yes.

  Specifically, the second pressing member 422 is formed such that its length (the length from the rotation center to the swinging tip) is longer than the first pressing member 412, and the second fan-shaped member 423 is The radius is larger than that of the first fan-shaped member 413. Thereby, since the angular velocity of the second pressure plate 132 becomes slower than the angular velocity of the first pressure plate 32, it is possible to make the rising speeds of the front ends 32B and 132B of the pressure plates 32 and 132 having different lengths the same. .

  Thus, by making the ascent speeds of the front ends 32B and 132B of the pressure plates 32 and 132 the same, there is no need to switch the control of the drive mechanisms 410 and 420 in accordance with the type of tray, so the type of tray is detected. A sensor or the like is not required, and the configuration of the apparatus main body 2 can be simplified. In other words, the amount of rise of the front ends 32B and 132B of the pressure plates 32 and 132 with respect to the number of rotations of the drive gears 411 and 421 can be made the same, so that, for example, the drive force from the aforementioned known pressure plate raising mechanism is used as the drive gear. It is not necessary to perform control to switch the time to be transmitted to 411 and 421 depending on the type of tray, and the configuration of the apparatus main body 2 can be simplified.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can utilize with various forms so that it may illustrate below.
In the embodiment, the first rail portion R1 has a groove shape, and the second rail portion R2 has a convex shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the uneven relationship may be reversed as appropriate.

  In the embodiment, the paper P such as a thick paper, a postcard, and a thin paper is adopted as an example of the sheet. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an OHP sheet or another sheet.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming system, the image forming apparatus, and the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus are employed as the sheet supply system, the sheet supply apparatus, and the tray support. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the sheet is conveyed. The present invention can be applied to any system or apparatus. The image forming apparatus is not limited to the laser printer 100, and may be another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a multifunction machine.

2 Device body 21 Body frame 31 Paper feed tray 100 Laser printer 110 Large capacity tray 200 Expansion member P Paper R Paper discharge roller R1 First rail portion R2 Second rail portion

Claims (23)

A first tray that can store a predetermined number of sheets, a second tray that is formed deeper than the first tray and can store more sheets than the predetermined number, and a storage space that stores the first tray And a device body that removably supports the first tray with a pair of first rail portions provided in a pair of support portions disposed so as to sandwich the housing space, and the housing space for the second tray. An expansion member attached under the pair of support parts to expand to a size that can be accommodated, and a sheet supply system comprising:
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that protrude toward the housing space side and support both ends of the bottom wall of the second tray,
The sheet feeding system, wherein the second tray is supported only by the pair of second rail portions of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions . A first tray that can store a predetermined number of sheets, a second tray that is formed deeper than the first tray and can store more sheets than the predetermined number, and a storage space that stores the first tray And a device body that removably supports the first tray with a pair of first rail portions provided in a pair of support portions disposed so as to sandwich the housing space, and the housing space for the second tray. An expansion member attached under the pair of support parts to expand to a size that can be accommodated, and a sheet supply system comprising:
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that support the second tray,
The second tray is supported only by the pair of second rail portions out of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions ,
The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray and positions the first tray.
The sheet supply system, wherein the second tray is provided with a second positioning portion that contacts the main body side positioning portion and positions the second tray . It said second rail section of the pair of sheet feeding system according to claim 2, protrudes toward the housing space side, characterized the Turkey to support both ends of the second tray bottom wall. The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray and positions the first tray.
2. The sheet supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the second tray is provided with a second positioning unit that contacts the main body side positioning unit to position the second tray. First rail portions of the pair is recessed in a direction away from the receiving space, and, according to claim 1, characterized in that extending in the detachment direction of the first tray is capable of supporting grooves the first tray The sheet supply system according to claim 4 . The apparatus main body is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the sheet in the first tray or the second tray into the apparatus main body,
The first positioning portion, the second positioning portion and the main body side positioning portion, in the conveying direction of the sheet, any of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that arranged on the pickup roller side sheet supply system according to item 1. The first tray includes a pair of side walls opposed to the pair of support parts, a pair of protrusions protruding outward from the side walls and engaging the first rail part, and sheets in the first tray. A pressure plate for urging the pickup roller and a drive gear for driving the pressure plate are provided;
The drive gear is provided outside one of the pair of side walls,
The sheet supply system according to claim 6 , wherein a protrusion provided on the one side wall is formed to protrude outward from the drive gear. The sheet supply system according to claim 7 , wherein the protrusion is disposed on an extended surface of a bottom wall of the first tray. The first rail portion includes a sheet feeding system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is formed integrally with the supporting portion formed of resin. A pair of first rail portions that movably support a first tray capable of storing a predetermined number of sheets, and having a storage space corresponding to the first tray at the bottom and sandwiching the storage space An apparatus main body having a pair of support portions arranged, a second tray formed deeper than the first tray and capable of accommodating more than the predetermined number of sheets, and the accommodation space capable of accommodating the second tray An expansion member that is attached under the pair of support portions in order to expand to a large size,
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that protrude toward the housing space side and support both ends of the bottom wall of the second tray,
The sheet feeding apparatus, wherein the second tray is supported only by the pair of second rail portions of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions . A pair of first rail portions that movably support a first tray capable of storing a predetermined number of sheets, and having a storage space corresponding to the first tray at the bottom and sandwiching the storage space An apparatus main body having a pair of support portions arranged, a second tray formed deeper than the first tray and capable of accommodating more than the predetermined number of sheets, and the accommodation space capable of accommodating the second tray An expansion member that is attached under the pair of support portions in order to expand to a large size,
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that support the second tray,
The second tray is supported only by the first pair of second rail portions of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions ,
The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray and positions the first tray.
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second tray is provided with a second positioning portion that contacts the main body side positioning portion and positions the second tray . It said second rail section of the pair, the sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 11 which protrudes toward the housing space side, characterized the Turkey to support both ends of the second tray bottom wall. The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion that contacts the first positioning portion provided on the first tray and positions the first tray.
11. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the second tray is provided with a second positioning portion that contacts the main body side positioning portion and positions the second tray. First rail portions of the pair is recessed in a direction away from the receiving space, and claim 10, characterized in that extending in the detachment direction of the first tray is capable of supporting grooves the first tray The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 13 . The apparatus main body is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the sheet in the second tray into the apparatus main body,
The sheet according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the second positioning portion and the main body side positioning portion are arranged on the pickup roller side in the sheet conveyance direction. Feeding device. The sheet supply device according to any one of claims 10 to 15 , wherein the first rail portion is integrally formed with the support portion formed of resin. A pair of first rail portions that movably support a first tray capable of storing a predetermined number of sheets, and having a storage space corresponding to the first tray at the bottom and sandwiching the storage space An apparatus main body having a pair of support portions arranged, and a second tray attached below the pair of support portions and formed deeper than the first tray and capable of accommodating more than the predetermined number of sheets. An expansion member that expands the accommodation space so that it can be accommodated, and a tray support comprising:
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that protrude toward the housing space side and support both ends of the bottom wall of the second tray,
Of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions, only the pair of second rail portions is configured to be capable of supporting the second tray. A pair of first rail portions that movably support a first tray capable of storing a predetermined number of sheets, and having a storage space corresponding to the first tray at the bottom and sandwiching the storage space An apparatus main body having a pair of support portions arranged, and a second tray attached below the pair of support portions and formed deeper than the first tray and capable of accommodating more than the predetermined number of sheets. An expansion member that expands the accommodation space so that it can be accommodated, and a tray support comprising:
The expansion member is provided with a pair of second rail portions that support the second tray,
Of the pair of first rail portions and the pair of second rail portions, only the pair of second rail portions is configured to be able to support the second tray ,
The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion capable of contacting both a first positioning portion provided on the first tray and a second positioning portion provided on the second tray. Tray support. Said second rail section of the pair of tray support according to claim 18 which protrudes toward the housing space side, it characterized the Turkey to support both ends of the second tray bottom wall. The apparatus main body is provided with a main body side positioning portion capable of contacting both a first positioning portion provided on the first tray and a second positioning portion provided on the second tray. The tray support according to claim 17 . First rail portions of the pair is recessed in a direction away from the receiving space, and claim 17, characterized in that extending in the detachment direction of the first tray is capable of supporting grooves the first tray The tray support according to claim 20 . The apparatus main body is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the sheet in the first tray or the second tray into the apparatus main body,
The tray support according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the main body side positioning portion is disposed on the pickup roller side in the sheet conveying direction. The tray support according to any one of claims 17 to 22 , wherein the first rail portion is integrally formed with the support portion made of resin.

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