JP5978192B2 - Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus is known as a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a sheet. The sheet feeding device includes a sheet cassette that is detachable from the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, and a pickup roller, a sheet feeding roller, and a retard roller disposed in the apparatus main body. Sheets are accommodated in the sheet cassette. Then, the sheet is fed in the sheet conveyance direction by rotating the pickup roller.

  The sheet fed by the pickup roller is carried into a sheet feeding nip formed by the sheet feeding roller and the retard roller. The sheet is further conveyed downstream in the sheet conveying direction by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a sheet cassette is mounted on an apparatus main body in a predetermined mounting direction. And the sheet | seat accommodated in the sheet cassette is conveyed toward the sheet | seat conveyance direction along the said mounting direction.

JP 2002-284367 A

  When image formation is started in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of sheets are arranged on the upstream side of the sheet feeding nip portion. In this state, when the sheet cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body by the user, the sheet may remain inside the apparatus main body. When the sheet cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body again, the sheet may be damaged or a mounting failure of the sheet cassette may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a sheet feeding device that prevents a sheet from remaining in the apparatus main body when the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and an image forming apparatus including the same. The purpose is to do.

  A sheet feeding device according to one aspect of the present invention is a device main body and a sheet that is detachably attached to the device main body, is mounted toward the device main body in a predetermined mounting direction, and has a bottom portion and a sheet that accommodates the sheet. A cassette including a storage section, a sheet transport path in which the sheet stored in the sheet storage section is transported in a sheet transport direction along the mounting direction, and the sheet storage section on the inlet side of the sheet transport path A pickup roller that is disposed opposite to the sheet, and that feeds the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction; and a sheet feeding roller that is disposed downstream of the pickup roller in the sheet conveyance direction and conveys the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction; A retard roller disposed opposite to the paper feed roller to form a paper feed nip portion through which the sheet passes with the paper feed roller; A first position along the bottom of the cassette and above the first position, the sheet being placed on the upper surface of the cassette accommodating section, A lift plate capable of changing a position between a second position in which an end on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the uppermost sheet among the stored sheets is brought into contact with the pickup roller; and the cassette In conjunction with a drawing operation in which the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the cassette enters the sheet conveying path from the sheet conveying direction downstream to the sheet conveying direction upstream of the sheet feeding nip portion. And a regulating portion that is spaced apart from the sheet conveying path in conjunction with a loading operation in which the cassette is loaded on the apparatus main body, and is disposed in the cassette, and the regulating portion is the sheet. The urging member that urges the restricting portion so as to enter the feeding path, and the urging force of the urging member against the urging force of the urging member in conjunction with an attachment operation in which the cassette is attached to the apparatus main body. And a separation mechanism for separating the sheet from the sheet conveying path.

  According to this structure, the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion of the cassette is conveyed through the sheet conveying path by the pickup roller and the feeding roller. At this time, the lift plate is moved from the first position to the second position in advance, so that the sheet comes into contact with the pickup roller. When the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body with the leading end of the sheet disposed around the sheet feeding nip, the sheet tends to remain inside the apparatus main body. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the restricting portion is rotatably arranged in the cassette, and is linked to the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction from the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the feeding operation of the cassette. Enter the sheet conveyance path. For this reason, as the cassette is pulled out, the restricting portion comes into contact with the leading end portion of the sheet located around the sheet feeding nip portion, and the sheet can be pushed back to the sheet storage portion side. Furthermore, since the restricting portion is arranged on the cassette side in this way, the restricting portion can reliably contact the sheet as compared with the case where the restricting portion is arranged on the apparatus main body side. The separation mechanism separates the regulating portion from the sheet conveyance path in accordance with the mounting operation of the cassette to the apparatus main body. For this reason, after the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body, the restricting portion is prevented from hindering the conveyance of the sheet.

  In the above configuration, a driving unit that is coupled to the lift plate and generates a driving force for moving the lift plate between the first position and the second position, and controls the driving unit, A position control unit that controls the position of the lift plate, wherein the position control unit causes the lift plate to be disposed at the second position during a sheet feeding operation in which the pickup roller feeds the sheet, and When the pickup roller does not perform the paper feeding operation, the lift plate is moved above the first position and below the second position, and the uppermost sheet is It is desirable to arrange at a third position separated from the pickup roller.

  According to this configuration, the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body in a state where the sheet in the sheet storage portion is not pressed by the pickup roller. For this reason, the movement of the sheet is prevented from being hindered by the pickup roller when the regulating unit pushes the sheet back toward the sheet storage unit.

  In the above configuration, when the cassette starts to be pulled out from the apparatus main body during the standby operation, the connection between the lift plate and the drive unit is released, and the lift plate is moved from the third position by its own weight. It is desirable to move to the first position.

  According to this configuration, the lift plate is moved to the first position by its own weight as the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated drive mechanism for moving the lift plate from the third position to the first position. Furthermore, even when the lowering speed of the lift plate due to its own weight is slow compared to the speed at which the cassette is pulled out, the movement of the sheet by the restricting portion is hindered because the lift plate is arranged in the third position in advance. Is deterred.

  In the above configuration, the feeding nip portion is opened by separating the retard roller from the feeding roller in conjunction with a drawing operation in which the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and the mounting of the cassette is performed. It is desirable to further include a contact / separation mechanism that forms the paper feed nip portion by bringing the retard roller into contact with the paper feed roller in conjunction with the operation.

  According to this configuration, even when the leading end portion of the sheet enters the sheet feeding nip portion, the restricting portion pushes back the sheet with the sheet feeding nip portion opened. For this reason, the sheet can be reliably collected to the sheet storage portion side as the cassette is pulled out.

  In the above configuration, the cassette is provided with a wall portion standing on the front end side in the mounting direction, and is disposed on the wall portion and extends in the sheet width direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction, and rotates the restriction portion. A rotary shaft that is movably supported, and the restricting portion extends from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the sheet conveyance path and enters the sheet conveyance path. And a contact portion that extends from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the opposite side of the restricting piece and rotates about the rotation shaft integrally with the restricting piece. The mechanism includes a contacted portion that is disposed in the apparatus main body and is in contact with the contact portion in accordance with the mounting operation of the cassette, and the biasing member is configured such that the restriction piece enters the sheet conveyance path. At the same time, the abutting part faces the abutted part. When the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body, the contact portion comes into contact with the contacted portion, and the restriction portion resists the biasing force of the biasing member. Then, it is desirable that the regulating piece is separated from the sheet conveying path by rotating around the rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, the control piece and the contact portion turn around the rotation axis, so that the control piece can be moved in and out of the sheet conveyance path.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes any one of the above-described sheet feeding devices and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet conveyed by the sheet feeding roller. And

  According to said structure, when a cassette is pulled out from an apparatus main body, it is suppressed that a sheet | seat remains in an apparatus main body. As a result, the sheet is not damaged inside the apparatus main body when the cassette is attached or detached, and an image is stably formed on the sheet.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet feeding device that prevents a sheet from remaining in the apparatus main body when the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a part of an apparatus main body and a cassette of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a part of an apparatus main body and a cassette of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the cassette concerning one embodiment of the present invention, it is a sectional view (A), (B), and (C) for explaining a motion of a lift board. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a part of an apparatus main body and a cassette of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where a restriction piece is disposed at a protruding position. It is a cassette which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the state by which the control piece was arrange | positioned in the protrusion position. 1 is a perspective view of a part of an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the state from which the retard roller which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was spaced apart from the paper feed roller. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the retard roller which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention contact | abutted to the paper feed roller. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the control piece of the control part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention moves. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the control piece of the control part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention moves. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the control piece of the control part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention moves. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the control piece of the control part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention moves.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, a monochrome printer is illustrated as the image forming apparatus 1, but the image forming apparatus may be a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and an image forming apparatus that forms a color image. It may be.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body housing 10 (apparatus main body) having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing structure, an image forming unit 30 accommodated in the main body housing 10, a fixing unit 40, a toner container 36, and a supply container. A paper section 20.

  A front cover 11 is provided on the front side of the main body housing 10, and a rear cover 12 is provided on the rear side. Various devices for executing image formation are housed in an internal space 10 </ b> S defined by the front cover 11, the rear cover 12, and the paper discharge unit 13.

  The image forming unit 30 performs an image forming process for forming a toner image on the sheet S delivered from the paper supply unit 20. The image forming unit 30 includes a photosensitive drum 31, and a charging device 32, an exposure device (not shown in FIG. 2), a developing device 33, a transfer roller 34, and a cleaning device disposed around the photosensitive drum 31. 35.

  The photosensitive drum 31 includes a rotating shaft and a cylindrical surface that rotates around the rotating shaft (not shown). An electrostatic latent image is formed on the cylindrical surface, and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is carried on the cylindrical surface. The charging device 32 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, and includes a charging roller that contacts the photosensitive drum 31. The cleaning device 35 has a cleaning blade (not shown), cleans the toner adhering to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 after the toner image is transferred, and conveys the toner to a collecting device (not shown).

  The exposure apparatus has a laser light source and optical equipment such as a mirror and a lens, and irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 with light modulated based on image data given from an external device such as a personal computer. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing device 33 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 in order to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 31 to form a toner image. The transfer roller 34 is a roller for transferring a toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 onto a sheet. The transfer roller 34 is in contact with the cylindrical surface of the photoconductor drum 31 to form a transfer nip portion. The transfer roller 34 is given a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner.

  The fixing unit 40 performs a fixing process for fixing the transferred toner image on the sheet. The fixing unit 40 includes a fixing roller 41 having a heating source therein, and a pressure roller 42 that is pressed against the fixing roller 41 and forms a fixing nip portion with the fixing roller 41. When the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is passed through the fixing nip portion, the toner image is fixed on the sheet S by heating by the fixing roller 41 and pressing by the pressure roller 42.

  The toner container 36 stores supply toner to be supplied to the developing device 33. The replenishment toner stored in the toner container 36 is supplied into the developing device 33 from a toner discharge port 363 provided on the lower surface of the front end of the cylindrical portion 362 when the rotating member 361 is driven to rotate.

  The sheet feeding unit 20 includes a cassette 110 that houses a sheet S on which an image forming process is performed. The cassette 110 is provided with a sheet storage portion 110S that stores the bundle of sheets S, a lift plate 111 that lifts the bundle of sheets S for feeding. The sheet S is carried into the main conveyance path 22F, which will be described later, extended from the cassette 110 into the main body housing 10. The cassette 110 will be described in detail later.

  In the main body housing 10, a main conveyance path 22F (sheet conveyance path) and a reverse conveyance path 22B are provided to convey the sheet. The main conveyance path 22 </ b> F passes through the sheet storage unit 110 </ b> S of the paper supply unit 20 via the image forming unit 30 and the fixing unit 40, and the paper discharge port 14 provided to face the paper discharge unit 13 on the upper surface of the main body housing 10. It extends to. The reverse conveyance path 22B is a conveyance path for returning a sheet printed on one side to the upstream side of the image forming unit 30 in the main conveyance path 22F when performing duplex printing on the sheet.

  The main transport path 22F is extended so as to pass through a transfer nip portion formed by the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer roller 34 from the lower side to the upper side. In addition, a registration roller pair 23 is disposed on the upstream side of the transfer nip portion of the main conveyance path 22F. After the sheet is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 23 and skew correction is performed, the sheet is sent out to the transfer nip portion at a predetermined timing for image transfer. A plurality of transport rollers for transporting the sheet are disposed at appropriate positions on the main transport path 22F and the reverse transport path 22B. For example, a pair of paper discharge rollers 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 14.

  The reverse conveyance path 22 </ b> B is formed between the outer side surface of the reverse unit 25 and the inner surface of the rear cover 12 of the main body housing 10. Note that one roller of the transfer roller 34 and the registration roller pair 23 is mounted on the inner surface of the reversing unit 25. The rear cover 12 and the reversing unit 25 can be rotated about the axis of the cover fulcrum portion 12S provided at the lower end thereof. When a sheet jam occurs in the reverse conveyance path 22B, the rear cover 12 is opened. When a sheet jam occurs in the main conveyance path 22F, or when the unit of the photosensitive drum 31 and the developing device 33 are taken out, the reversing unit 25 is opened in addition to the rear cover 12.

<About the paper feed unit>
Next, in addition to FIG. 1, the paper feeding unit 20 (paper feeding device) according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The paper feed unit 20 includes the cassette 110, the pickup roller 112, the paper feed roller 113, the retard roller 117, and the guide wall 100. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the cassette 110 and the guide wall 100. FIG. The guide wall 100 is a part of the main body housing 10. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 110 mounted on the main body housing 10, and is a cross-sectional view in a state where the lift plate 111 is disposed at the lower end position (first position). FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 110 and is a cross-sectional view in a state where the lift plate 111 is disposed at the paper feed position (second position). FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the cassette 110, and is a cross-sectional view in a state where the lift plate 111 is disposed at the standby position (third position). In FIG. 4, the illustration of the sheet S placed on the lift plate 111 is omitted.

  The cassette 110 is detachable from the main body housing 10 (apparatus main body). In this embodiment, the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10 in the direction of arrow DC (mounting direction) in FIG. The cassette 110 includes a cassette bottom wall 110A (bottom portion) and a sheet storage portion 110S. The sheet S is accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 110S. Further, the sheet S stored in the sheet storage unit 110S is transported through the main transport path 22F (sheet transport path) described above. The main conveyance path 22F is a conveyance path that extends from the sheet storage portion 110S and that conveys the sheet S in the sheet conveyance direction (the arrow DP direction in FIG. 4B) along the mounting direction. The cassette 110 has a box shape in which the wall portion is erected upward from the front, rear, left and right of the cassette bottom wall 110A. In other words, the cassette 110 further includes a cassette front wall 110B, a cassette front wall 110C (wall portion), a cassette left wall 110D, and a cassette right wall 110E.

  The cassette front wall 110 </ b> B defines the front side of the cassette 110 and is disposed flush with the front cover 11 of the main body housing 10. The cassette front wall 110 </ b> C defines the rear side of the cassette 110. In other words, the cassette front wall 110 </ b> C is a wall portion erected on the distal end side in the mounting direction in which the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10. The cassette left wall 110D is a side wall that is arranged along the mounting direction on the left side of the cassette 110 so as to intersect the cassette front wall 110C. The cassette right wall 110E is a side wall arranged in parallel to the cassette left wall 110D on the right side of the cassette 110.

  The cassette 110 further includes a lift plate 111. The lift plate 111 is disposed on the bottom side of the sheet storage portion 110 </ b> S of the cassette 110. The sheet S is placed on the upper surface of the lift plate 111. The lift plate 111 is moved upward to move the end of the sheet S stored in the sheet storage unit 110 </ b> S on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction toward the pickup roller 112. More specifically, the lift plate 111 is accommodated in the first position (FIG. 4A) along the cassette bottom wall 110A of the cassette 110 and above the first position, and is accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 110S. The position of the uppermost sheet of the sheet S to be moved can be changed between a second position (FIG. 4B) where the end of the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction contacts the pickup roller 112 described later. It is said. The lift plate 111 is moved up and down by an elevating part 114 described later after the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10.

  The pickup roller 112 (FIG. 1) is disposed on the inlet side of the main conveyance path 22F so as to face the sheet storage unit 110S. The pickup roller 112 is disposed above the rear end (the downstream end in the sheet conveying direction) of the sheet storage unit 110S. The pickup roller 112 is disposed at the center of the cassette 110 in the sheet width direction (left-right direction) that intersects the mounting direction (rear direction) of the cassette 110. As described above, when the lift plate 111 is raised, the end of the sheet S on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is brought into contact with the pickup roller 112. When the pickup roller 112 is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown), the pickup roller 112 conveys the sheet S toward the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction.

  The paper feed roller 113 is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 112 in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet feeding roller 113 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to further convey the sheet S sent out by the pickup roller 112 toward the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

  The retard roller 117 is disposed below the paper feed roller 113 so as to face the paper feed roller 113. The retard roller 117 is rotatably supported by a guide wall 100 described later. The retard roller 117 forms a paper feed nip portion N (FIG. 11) through which the sheet S enters and passes with the paper feed roller 113. The main conveyance path 22F described above extends from the sheet storage portion 110S of the cassette 110 so as to pass through the sheet feeding nip portion N. The retard roller 117 is rotatable following the paper feed roller 113. When a plurality of sheets S enter the sheet feeding nip portion N, only the sheet S arranged at the uppermost position is conveyed downstream in the sheet conveying direction by the sheet feeding roller 113. The other sheets S are stopped at the sheet feeding nip portion N by contacting the circumferential surface of the retard roller 117.

  The guide wall 100 is a unit that is disposed to face the cassette 110 inside the main body housing 10. The guide wall 100 includes a guide surface 100A. 100 A of guide surfaces are curved surfaces arrange | positioned at the upper surface part of the guide wall part 100. FIG. 100 A of guide surfaces guide the sheet | seat S sent out from the cassette 110 toward the registration roller pair 23 (FIG. 1).

  Further, the sheet feeding unit 20 includes a drive motor 63 (drive unit), a position control unit 64, a transmission unit 6, and an elevating unit 114.

  The drive motor 63 (FIG. 3) is disposed in the main body housing 10. The drive motor 63 is a stepping motor. The drive motor 63 is connected to the lift plate 111 via a transmission unit 6 and a lifting unit 114 which will be described later. The drive motor 63 includes a reduction gear (not shown). The reduction gear is engaged with a main body side input gear (not shown) that is rotatably arranged on the main body side input shaft 60 of FIG. The rotational driving force of the drive motor 63 is transmitted from the reduction gear to the cassette 110 side via the main body side input gear. The drive motor 63 generates a driving force that moves the lift plate 111 between the first position and the second position. In FIG. 3, for the sake of omission, the drive motor 63 is shown connected to the main body side input shaft 60, but actually, as shown above, a reduction gear (not shown) arranged in the drive motor 63 is provided. The main body side input gear (not shown) is supported so as to be rotatable around the main body side input shaft 60. When the cassette 110 is attached to the main body housing 10, the reduction gear is connected to the main body side input gear. On the other hand, when the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10, the connection between the reduction gear and the main body side input gear is released, and the lift plate 111 is lowered by its own weight as described later.

  The position control unit 64 is disposed in the main body housing 10 and controls the position of the lift plate 111 by controlling the drive motor 63. When the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10, the position control unit 64 moves the lift plate 111 upward from the first position (lower end position). Specifically, the position control unit 64 arranges the lift plate 111 at the second position (paper feeding position) when the pickup roller 112 feeds the sheet S. On the other hand, when the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10 and the standby operation in which the paper feeding operation of the pickup roller 112 is not performed, the position control unit 64 moves the lift plate 111 from the first position. A third position where the uppermost sheet S among the sheets S accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 110S is spaced downward from the pickup roller 112 (see FIG. C)).

  The transmission unit 6 (FIG. 3) is disposed in the cassette 110, is connected to the reduction gear of the drive motor 63, and rotates the lifting unit 114. With reference to FIG. 3, the transmission part 6 is arrange | positioned at the front end side (rear side) of the said mounting direction of cassette left wall 110D of the cassette 110. FIG. The transmission unit 6 includes an input gear 61 and a sector gear 62.

  The input gear 61 is connected to the main body side input gear (not shown) disposed on the main body side input shaft 60. The input gear 61 is a gear that transmits the rotational driving force of the drive motor 63 to the sector gear 62.

  The sector gear 62 is a fan-shaped member. The sector gear 62 includes a sector gear shaft portion 62A and an outer peripheral gear portion 62B. The sector gear 62 is rotatable around the sector gear shaft portion 62A. The outer peripheral gear portion 62B is engaged with the input gear 61. Further, the sector gear shaft portion 62A of the sector gear 62 is connected to a lifting shaft portion 114A (FIG. 4A), which will be described later, through a shaft hole 62H (FIG. 6) formed in the cassette left wall 110D of the cassette 110. Yes.

  The elevating unit 114 (FIG. 4A) is disposed between the cassette bottom wall 110 </ b> A of the cassette 110 and the lift plate 111. The elevating part 114 includes an elevating shaft part 114A, an elevating part main body 114B, and an elevating contact part 114C. The elevating part 114 moves the lift plate 111 up and down by rotation around the elevating shaft part 114A. At this time, the lifting contact portion 114 </ b> C contacts the lower surface of the lift plate 111. Further, the elevating shaft portion 114A is rotatably supported by a housing portion 114S (FIGS. 4A and 6) that protrudes from the lower end portion of the cassette front wall 110C of the cassette 110. In FIG. 6, the elevating shaft portion 114A does not appear, but the elevating shaft portion 114A is inserted between the insertion hole 114T opened on the left side of the accommodating portion 114S and the above-described shaft hole 62H. The aforementioned sector gear 62 is connected to the left end of the lifting shaft 114A.

  3 and 4A, when the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10, the lift plate 111 is disposed at a first position along the cassette bottom wall 110A. On the other hand, before the image forming operation is started in the image forming apparatus 1, the position controller 64 rotates the drive motor 63. Then, the rotational driving force of the drive motor 63 is transmitted to the transmission unit 6, and the elevating unit 114 rotates (arrows D51 and D52 in FIG. 4A). As a result, the lift plate 111 is raised (arrow D53 in FIG. 4A), and the lift plate 111 is disposed at the second position shown in FIG. 4B. When the lift plate 111 is raised, the sheet S placed on the lift plate 111 pushes the pickup roller 112 upward. At this time, a sensor (not shown) detects a paper feed holder 115 (FIG. 4B) that rotatably supports the pickup roller 112 and the paper feed roller 113, so that the lift plate 111 is moved to the second position (paper feed). (Position) is detected by the position control unit 64, and the drive of the drive motor 63 is stopped. When the pickup roller 112 and the paper feed roller 113 are rotated in a state where the lift plate 111 is disposed at the second position (arrows D61 and D62 in FIG. 4B), the sheet S is conveyed in the sheet conveyance direction. (Arrow DP in FIG. 4B).

  Further, in the present embodiment, the position control unit 64 drives the drive motor 63 during the standby operation in which the image forming operation is not performed in the image forming apparatus 1 and the paper feeding operation of the pickup roller 112 is not performed. 111 is arranged at the third position shown in FIG. At this time, a predetermined gap is formed between the sheet S placed on the lift plate 111 and the pickup roller 112. Further, when the cassette 110 starts to be pulled out from the main body housing 10 during the standby operation, the connection between the lift plate 111 and the drive motor 63 is released, and the lift plate 111 is moved from the third position to the first position by its own weight. Move to. In the present embodiment, it is restricted by a lock mechanism (not shown) that the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10 in a state where the lift plate 111 is disposed at the second position.

<Regulation section 5>
Next, with reference to FIG. 5 thru | or FIG. 7, the control part 5 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the guide wall 100 (a part of the main body housing 10) and the cassette 110 according to the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the regulation piece 51 is arranged at the protruding position described later. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cassette 110 and is a perspective view in a state in which the regulation piece 51 is arranged at the protruding position. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide wall portion 100.

  With reference to FIG. 6, the cassette 110 further includes a support part 110 </ b> C <b> 1, a fulcrum part 110 </ b> C <b> 2 (rotating shaft), a positioning pin 110 </ b> F, a restriction part 5, and an urging spring 53.

  The support part 110C1 is disposed on the cassette front wall 110C. The support portion 110C1 is a pair of support members that protrude rearward from the cassette front wall 110C. The pair of support portions 110C1 is configured by arranging a pair of plate-like members in parallel. The fulcrum part 110C2 is disposed at the tip of the support part 110C1. The fulcrum portion 110C2 is a shaft portion that extends in the sheet width direction (left-right direction) intersecting the sheet conveyance direction so as to connect the pair of plate-like members of the support portion 110C1, and the restriction portion 5 can be rotated. To support.

  The positioning pins 110F are a pair of pin members that project rearward from both end portions of the cassette front wall 110C. With the mounting operation of the cassette 110 to the main body housing 10, the positioning pins 110F are inserted into the positioning holes 100C described later. As a result, the position of the cassette 110 in the main body housing 10 is restricted.

  The restricting portion 5 is rotatably supported by the fulcrum portion 110C2 of the cassette 110. The restriction portion 5 includes a bearing hole (not shown), a restriction piece 51, and a contact portion 52. The bearing hole is disposed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction of the restricting portion 5. The bearing hole is a hole through which the fulcrum part 110C2 is inserted. The restriction piece 51 extends from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the main conveyance path 22F. In particular, at the separation position of the regulating piece 51 shown in FIG. 12, the regulating piece 51 extends substantially upward from the fulcrum part 110C2. The front end of the restricting piece 51 is bent in a generally U shape. The contact portion 52 extends substantially downward from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the side opposite to the regulating piece 51. The contact part 52 rotates around the fulcrum part 110C2 integrally with the regulating piece 51. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 52 is bent at two locations in a substantially square shape.

  The restricting piece 51 of the restricting portion 5 is disposed at a separation position shown in FIG. 12 in a state where the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10. In this case, since the regulation piece 51 is separated from the main conveyance path 22F, the regulation piece 51 does not contact the sheet S in the main conveyance path 22F. On the other hand, the regulating piece 51 moves from the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the sheet feeding nip portion N (FIG. 11) in conjunction with the pulling out operation of the cassette 110 being pulled out from the main body housing 10. The main transport path 22F. As a result, the restricting piece 51 is disposed at the protruding position protruding in the main conveyance path 22F (FIG. 5). At the protruding position of the restricting piece 51, the leading end portion of the restricting piece 51 is disposed so as to face the upper end portion of the cassette front wall 110 </ b> C of the cassette 110. As will be described later, the sheet S having the leading end disposed around the sheet feeding nip portion N is pushed back toward the sheet storage portion 110S by the moving operation in which the restriction piece 51 moves from the separation position to the protruding position.

  The urging spring 53 (FIG. 6) is a coil spring that is externally fitted to the fulcrum part 110C2 inside the support part 110C1 of the cassette 110. In FIG. 6, the urging spring 53 does not appear, and therefore the fulcrum portion 110 </ b> C <b> 2 is given the reference numeral of the urging spring 53 in parentheses. The biasing spring 53 biases the regulating piece 51 so that the regulating piece 51 enters the main transport path 22F. Specifically, the urging spring 53 is configured so that the restricting piece 51 enters the main conveyance path 22F, the abutting portion 52 faces the abutted portion 100D described later, and the restricting portion 5 is disposed at the protruding position. The regulating part 5 is urged around the fulcrum part 110C2.

  Referring to FIG. 7, the aforementioned guide wall portion 100 includes a bottom wall portion 100B, a positioning hole 100C, a contacted portion 100D, and a shaft support portion 100E.

  The bottom wall 100B is the bottom of the guide wall 100. The positioning holes 100 </ b> C are cylindrical members that are disposed in a pair at both ends in the left-right direction of the guide wall 100. The positioning pin 110F is inserted into the positioning hole 100C. The contacted portion 100D is a rectangular parallelepiped member that is erected from the bottom wall portion 100B inside the pair of positioning holes 100C. As the cassette 110 is attached to the main body housing 10, the contact portion 52 of the restriction portion 5 contacts the contacted portion 100D.

  Note that the contact portion 52 and the contacted portion 100D of the restriction portion 5 function as the separation mechanism 5S (FIG. 5) of the present embodiment. The separation mechanism 5 </ b> S moves the restriction piece 51 of the restriction portion 5 away from the main conveyance path 22 </ b> F against the biasing force of the biasing spring 53 in conjunction with the mounting operation of mounting the cassette 110 on the main body housing 10.

  The shaft support portion 100E is disposed inside and above the pair of contacted portions 100D in the left-right direction. The shaft support portion 100E is a bearing portion that rotatably supports a pressing piece 90 described later.

  In the state where the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the restriction piece 51 of the restriction portion 5 is disposed at a protruding position disposed opposite to the upper end portion of the cassette front wall 110 </ b> C. For this reason, the sheet S accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion 110S is prevented from jumping out to the front end side in the sheet conveyance direction (mounting direction of the cassette 110) while the cassette 110 is being attached to the main body housing 10. Referring to FIG. 5, at the final stage where cassette 110 is mounted on main body housing 10, contact portion 52 contacts contacted portion 100 </ b> D. As a result, when the restricting portion 5 rotates around the fulcrum portion 110C2 against the urging force of the urging spring 53 (arrow D101 in FIG. 6), the restricting piece 51 of the restricting portion 5 is separated from the main transport path 22F. (Arrow D102 in FIG. 6). Therefore, in a state where the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10, the sheet S is not prevented from being conveyed through the main conveyance path 22 </ b> F by the restriction piece 51. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the turning of the restriction piece 51 and the contact portion 52 around the fulcrum portion 110C2 realizes the protrusion and depression of the restriction piece 51 with respect to the main conveyance path 22F.

<About the contact / separation mechanism 80S>
Next, the contact / separation mechanism 80S according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the guide wall 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the guide wall portion 100 in an enlarged manner. 10 and 11 are sectional views of the periphery of the retard roller 117 according to this embodiment. 10 shows a state in which the retard roller 117 is separated from the paper feed roller 113, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the retard roller 117 is close to or in contact with the paper feed roller 113.

  The paper feeding unit 20 includes an approach / separation mechanism 80S (FIG. 8). The contact / separation mechanism 80 </ b> S opens the paper feed nip portion N by separating the retard roller 117 from the paper feed roller 113 in conjunction with the drawing operation in which the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10. Further, the contact / separation mechanism 80 </ b> S forms the paper feed nip portion N by bringing the retard roller 117 into contact with the paper feed roller 113 in conjunction with the mounting operation of mounting the cassette 110 on the main body housing 10. In another embodiment, the retard roller 117 may be brought close to (substantially contact) the paper feed roller 113.

  The contact / separation mechanism 80S includes a retard holder 80, a pressing piece 90 (FIG. 9), and a coil spring 83 (FIG. 10). In addition, the guide wall 100 includes a guide surface central portion 100A1. The guide surface center portion 100A1 is a member that forms the center portion of the guide surface 100A in the left-right direction. The guide surface central portion 100A1 is detachable from the guide wall portion 100.

  With reference to FIG. 8, the retard holder 80 supports the retard roller 117 rotatably. The retard holder 80 is disposed in front of and below the guide surface central portion 100A1 described above. The retard holder 80 includes a pair of side wall portions 80A arranged in the left-right direction, an outer wall 80B connecting the pair of side wall portions 80A, and a hole portion 80C. The outer wall 80 </ b> B has a curved shape so as to cover the peripheral surface of the retard roller 117 below the retard roller 117. The hole 80C is a hole that is opened at the center of each of the pair of side walls 80A. A roller shaft 117A that rotatably supports the retard roller 117 is inserted into the hole 80C. As a result, the retard roller 117 is rotatably supported by the retard holder 80. The retard holder 80 further includes a holder bearing portion 81 and a holder pressed portion 82.

  A pair of holder shaft portions 100A2 are arranged at the front end portions of the guide surface central portion 100A1 and at both end portions in the left-right direction. The holder shaft portion 100A2 is a shaft portion that pivotally supports the retard holder 80 so as to be rotatable, and protrudes outward in the left-right direction.

  The holder bearing portion 81 is a bearing portion disposed on the pair of side wall portions 80 </ b> A of the retard holder 80. The holder bearing portion 81 is pivotally supported by the guide wall portion 100 so as to be rotatable. That is, when the holder bearing portion 81 is externally fitted to the holder shaft portion 100A2, the retard holder 80 can be rotated about the holder shaft portion 100A2.

  The holder pressed portion 82 is a protruding piece that protrudes downward from the right end portion of the outer wall 80 </ b> B of the retard holder 80. The holder pressed portion 82 is disposed to face the cassette front wall 110C of the cassette 110 in the front-rear direction. The holder pressed portion 82 can be pressed against a pressing portion 92 of a pressing piece 90 described later.

  The coil spring 83 (FIG. 10) is a coiled spring that is compressed and disposed between the holder pressed portion 82 and the rear wall portion of the guide wall portion 100. The coil spring 83 urges the retard holder 80 around the holder shaft portion 100A2 so that the retard roller 117 is disposed at a position where the retard roller 117 contacts the paper feed roller 113. When no external force is applied to the holder pressed portion 82, the retard roller 117 is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 113 by the biasing force of the coil spring 83. As a result, the sheet feeding nip portion N is formed.

  Referring to FIG. 14, the pressing piece 90 is rotatably supported by the above-described shaft support portion 100 </ b> E. The pressing piece 90 is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction. A pressing piece shaft portion (not shown) protruding in the left-right direction is inserted into the shaft support portion 100E at the central portion in the vertical direction of the pressing piece 90. The pressing piece 90 includes a pressed part 91, a pressing part 92, and a pressing piece spring (not shown). The pressed portion 91 extends downward from the pressing piece shaft portion. The accommodating portion 114S of the cassette 110 can be brought into contact with the pressed portion 91. The pressing portion 92 extends upward from the pressing piece shaft portion. The pressing portion 92 can be brought into contact with the above-described holder pressed portion 82. A pressing piece spring (not shown) is externally fitted to the pressing piece shaft portion. The pressing piece spring urges the pressing piece 90 around the pressing piece shaft portion so that the pressing portion 92 presses the holder pressed portion 82 rearward. The urging force of the pressing piece spring is set larger than the urging force of the coil spring 83 described above.

  Referring to FIG. 10, when the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10, no external force is applied to the pressed portion 91. For this reason, the pressing piece 90 is rotated by the urging force of the pressing piece spring, and the pressing portion 92 presses the holder pressed portion 82 rearward. As a result, the retard holder 80 rotates around the holder shaft portion 100A2 against the biasing force of the coil spring 83, and the retard roller 117 is disposed at a position away from the paper feed roller 113 (arrow D15 in FIG. 10). ).

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 11, when the cassette 110 is mounted on the main body housing 10, the accommodating portion 114S (FIG. 6) of the cassette 110 presses the pressed portion 91 rearward (arrow D161 in FIG. 11). ). As a result, the pressing piece 90 rotates around the pressing piece shaft portion, and the pressing portion 92 is separated forward from the holder pressed portion 82 (arrow D162 in FIG. 11). Then, the retard holder 80 rotates around the holder shaft portion 100 </ b> A <b> 2 by the biasing force of the coil spring 83, and the retard roller 117 contacts the paper feed roller 113. As a result, a paper feed nip N is formed.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15, the movement of the restriction piece 51, the lift plate 111, and the retard roller 117 when the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10 will be described in further detail. 12 to 15 are cross-sectional views showing the movement of the regulating piece 51 and the retard roller 117 in the drawer operation of the cassette 110. FIG.

  When the other restricting mechanism compared with the restricting piece 51 according to the present embodiment is disposed on the main body housing 10 side, the movement of the restricting mechanism protruding into the sheet conveyance path does not catch up with the rapid withdrawal of the cassette 110. , It becomes difficult to pull out the sheet S together with the cassette 110. In addition, if the cassette 110 is started to be pulled out with the sheet S being sandwiched between the lift plate 111 and the pickup roller 112 at the second position (FIG. 4B), even if the restriction mechanism is Even if the front end of the sheet S is pressed forward, the movement of the sheet S is hindered by the pickup roller 112.

  Further, referring to FIG. 1, when the sheet S is sent out from the sheet storage portion 110 </ b> S along the mounting direction (arrow DC) of the cassette 110 as in the present embodiment, the pickup roller 112 and the paper feeding roller 113 are used. In addition, the retard roller 117 can be disposed on the main body housing 10 side. However, in this case, since the sheet feeding nip portion N is disposed on the main body housing 10 side, the sheet S tends to remain inside the main body housing 10 as the cassette 110 is pulled out. In FIG. 1, if the cassette 110 is attached to the main body housing 10 from the rear side to the front side, the cassette 110 interferes with the pickup roller 112, the paper feed roller 113, and the retard roller 117. For this reason, the above rollers are often arranged not on the main body housing 10 side but on the cassette 110 side. In this case, the sheet S arranged in the vicinity of the sheet feeding nip portion N is easily pulled out from the main body housing 10 together with the cassette 110, and thus the above-described problem hardly occurs.

  In the present embodiment, in order to solve the remaining of the sheet S as described above, the arrangement and operation of the restriction piece 51, the lift plate 111, and the retard roller 117 are suitably set. With reference to FIGS. 4B and 12, the lift plate 111 is disposed at the second position (paper feeding position), the retard roller 117 abuts on the paper feeding roller 113, and the regulating piece 51 is in the main transport path 22F. In the state of being separated from the sheet S, the sheet S feeding operation by the pickup roller 112 and the sheet feeding roller 113 is executed. On the other hand, as described above, the lift plate 111 is arranged at the third position (standby position) shown in FIG. The movement time of the lift plate 111 from the second position to the third position is controlled by the position control unit 64 detecting the number of pulses of the drive motor 63. However, even when the lift plate 111 is in the third position, the leading ends of the plurality of sheets S may enter the sheet feeding nip portion N due to the immediately preceding sheet feeding operation.

  In this state, when the user starts to pull out the cassette 110 (arrow D181 in FIG. 13 and arrow D191 in FIG. 14), the regulating piece 51 moves from the downstream side of the sheet feeding nip portion N toward the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction. It enters the main transport path 22F (arrow D182 in FIG. 13 and arrow D192 in FIG. 14). At this time, in the present embodiment, as described above, the retard roller 117 is separated downward from the paper feed roller 113. Therefore, even when the cassette 110 is started to be pulled out with the leading end of the sheet S being sandwiched between the sheet feeding nips N, the sheet feeding nips N are opened, and the regulating pieces 51 are smoothly fed into the sheet. The tip of S can be pushed back forward. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the drawer operation of the cassette 110 is started, the lift plate 111 is previously arranged at the third position (standby position). Therefore, the regulation piece 51 does not press the leading end of the sheet S in a state where the sheet S is sandwiched between the lift plate 111 and the pickup roller 112. For this reason, the movement of the sheet S is prevented from being prevented by the pickup roller 112, and the restricting piece 51 can smoothly push the front end portion of the sheet S forward.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the cassette front wall 110C of the cassette 110 is separated from the guide wall 100 by a predetermined distance forward, the restricting piece 51 reaches a position facing the upper end of the cassette front wall 110C. As a result, the drawer of the cassette 110 is completed in a state where the sheet S is stored in the sheet storage portion 110S. Thus, in this embodiment, since the regulation piece 51 is arrange | positioned at the cassette 110 side, even if it is a case where the cassette 110 is pulled out rapidly, the regulation piece 51 is parallel to the drawer | drawing-out of the cassette 110. Can push the sheet S back to the sheet storage portion 110S.

  In the present embodiment, the lift plate 111 is moved to the first position by its own weight as the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated drive mechanism for moving the lift plate 111 from the third position to the first position. Furthermore, even when the lowering speed of the lift plate 111 due to its own weight is slow, the lift plate 111 is previously arranged at the third position, and thus the movement of the sheet S by the restriction piece 51 is prevented from being hindered. .

  Heretofore, the paper feeding unit 20 and the image forming apparatus 1 including the same according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described. According to the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the sheet S is prevented from remaining in the main body housing 10 when the cassette 110 is pulled out from the main body housing 10. As a result, the sheet S is not damaged inside the main body housing 10 when the cassette 110 is attached and detached, and an image is stably formed on the sheet S in the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, this invention is not limited to this, For example, the following modified embodiment can be taken.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the restriction portion 5 has been described as being rotated around the fulcrum portion 110C2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The restricting portion 5 may be slidably disposed on the cassette 110, and the restricting piece 51 of the restricting portion 5 may appear and disappear in the main conveyance path 22F by the sliding movement.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the retard holder 80 that supports the retard roller 117 is described as rotating around the holder shaft portion 100A2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The retard holder 80 may be slid and moved so that the retard roller 117 contacts and separates from the paper feed roller 113.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Main body housing (device main body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Guide wall part 100A Guide surface 100A1 Guide surface center part 100A2 Holder shaft part 100B Bottom wall part 100C Positioning hole 100D Abutting part 100E Shaft support part 110 Cassette 110A Cassette bottom wall 110B Cassette front wall 110C Cassette front wall (wall part)
110C1 support part 110C2 fulcrum part (rotating shaft)
110D Cassette left wall 110E Cassette right wall 110F Positioning pin 110S Sheet storage part 111 Lift plate 112 Pickup roller 113 Paper feed roller 114 Lifting part 114A Lifting shaft part 114B Lifting part main body 114C Lifting contact part 114S Storage part 114T Insertion hole 115 Paper feed Holder 117 Retard roller 117A Roller shaft part 20 Paper feed part 22F Main transport path (sheet transport path)
5 Restriction part 51 Restriction piece (regulation member)
52 Contact portion 53 Biasing spring 5S Separation mechanism 6 Transmission portion 60 Main body side input shaft 61 Input gear 62 Sector gear 62A Shaft portion 62B Outer peripheral gear portion 62H Shaft hole 63 Drive motor (drive portion)
64 Position control unit 80 Retard holder 80A Side wall part 80B Outer wall 80C Hole part 80S Contact / separation mechanism 81 Holder bearing part 82 Holder pressed part 83 Coil spring 90 Pressing piece 91 Pressed part 92 Pressing part

Claims (6)

The device body;
A cassette that is detachable from the apparatus main body, is mounted toward the apparatus main body in a predetermined mounting direction, and includes a bottom portion and a sheet storage portion that stores a sheet;
A sheet conveying path in which the sheet accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion is conveyed in a sheet conveying direction along the mounting direction;
A pickup roller disposed on the inlet side of the sheet conveyance path so as to face the sheet storage unit, and feeding the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction;
A paper feed roller that is disposed downstream of the pickup roller in the sheet conveying direction and conveys the sheet in the sheet conveying direction;
A retard roller disposed opposite to the paper feed roller and forming a paper feed nip portion through which the sheet passes with the paper feed roller;
A first position along the bottom of the cassette and above the first position, the sheet being placed on the upper surface of the cassette; A lift plate capable of changing a position between a second position in which an end of the uppermost sheet in the sheet conveyance direction on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction is brought into contact with the pickup roller;
The cassette is disposed in the cassette, and in conjunction with a drawing operation in which the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the sheet is moved to the sheet conveying path from the sheet conveying direction downstream to the sheet conveying direction upstream of the sheet feeding nip portion. A regulatory section to enter,
An urging member disposed in the cassette and urging the restricting portion so that the restricting member enters the sheet conveyance path;
A separation mechanism that separates the restricting portion from the sheet conveyance path against the urging force of the urging member in conjunction with an attachment operation in which the cassette is attached to the apparatus main body.
A sheet feeding device comprising: A drive unit coupled to the lift plate and generating a drive force for moving the lift plate between the first position and the second position;
A position control unit that controls the drive unit and controls the position of the lift plate;
The position control unit arranges the lift plate at the second position during a paper feeding operation in which the pickup roller feeds the sheet, and during a standby operation in which the paper feeding operation of the pickup roller is not performed, A lift plate is disposed at a third position above the first position and below the second position, the uppermost sheet being spaced from the pickup roller. The paper feeding device according to claim 1.   When the cassette starts to be pulled out from the apparatus main body during the standby operation, the connection between the lift plate and the drive unit is released, and the lift plate is moved from the third position to the first position by its own weight. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device moves.   In conjunction with the drawing operation in which the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the sheet feeding nip is opened by separating the retard roller from the sheet feeding roller, and in conjunction with the mounting operation of the cassette. 4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a contact / separation mechanism that forms the sheet feeding nip portion by bringing the retard roller into contact with the sheet feeding roller. 5. . The cassette is
A wall portion standing on the tip side in the mounting direction;
A rotation shaft disposed on the wall and extending in a sheet width direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction, and rotatably supporting the restricting portion;
With
The regulation part is
A bearing hole for supporting the rotating shaft;
A restriction piece extending from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the sheet conveyance path, and capable of entering the sheet conveyance path;
An abutting portion that extends from the periphery of the bearing hole toward the opposite side of the restricting piece and rotates about the rotation axis integrally with the restricting piece;
With
The separation mechanism is disposed in the apparatus main body, and includes a contacted portion with which the contact portion comes into contact with the mounting operation of the cassette.
The urging member urges the restricting portion around the rotation axis so that the restricting piece enters the sheet conveyance path and the abutting portion faces the abutted portion.
When the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body, the abutting portion comes into contact with the abutted portion, and the restricting portion rotates around the rotation axis against the urging force of the urging member. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating piece is separated from the sheet conveyance path. A paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet conveyed by the paper feed roller.