JP6018976B2 - Paper supply apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply device suitably used for a copying machine, a printer, and the like, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a small-sized image forming apparatus capable of connecting a paper supply device above or below a main apparatus having an image forming function. As a result, it is possible to perform printing on various sizes of paper and a large amount of printing.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 11, a pair of conveyance rollers 100 that convey sheets fed out one by one and a pair of positioning holes 102 opened in the bottom surface of the counterpart printer main body 101 are fitted. A paper supply device 104 including a positioning pin 103 is disclosed. The hole 102 and the pin 103 are disposed behind the transport roller 100. The user lifts the printer main body 101 and fits the pins 103 into the holes 102. As a result, the printer main body 101 can be mounted on the paper supply device 104.

JP 2005-262608 A

  However, since a predetermined gap is formed between the pin 103 and the hole 102 as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 for fitting, the printer main body 101 and the paper supply device 104 are twisted with respect to each other. The positional relationship may be different (see FIG. 11). In particular, when the pin 103 and the hole 102 are provided at positions away from the transport roller in a direction (front-rear direction) perpendicular to the axis L, for example, the printer main body 101 rotates clockwise with respect to the paper supply device 104. When they are twisted, they are displaced from each other in the axial direction (left-right direction) (see A shown in FIG. 11). The lateral displacement due to the twist increases as the pin 103 and the hole 102 move away from the transport roller 100 in the front-rear direction, as geometrically apparent (A <B in FIG. 11). When the paper is transported in such a state shifted in the left-right direction, there are problems that the image forming position by the printer main body 101 is shifted and the image at the edge of the paper is cut off.

  The above problems can be solved by reducing the gap between the pin 103 and the hole 102. In this case, however, the smooth fitting operation cannot be performed, and the user operability is deteriorated. There was a problem of letting. Further, in this case, there is a problem that wear of the pin 103 and the hole 102 is promoted when the connection / separation between the printer main body 101 and the paper supply device 104 is repeated.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and can be connected to the counterpart device in a state in which the shift of the transport roller in the axial direction is suppressed, and wear of the connecting portion and the like can be reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet supply device that can be suppressed and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a paper supply device of the present invention is a paper supply device that is connected to a counterpart device in a vertical direction, and a main body case that supports a paper feed cassette that stores and stacks paper. A transport roller that feeds the sheet located in the outermost layer accommodated in the paper feed cassette toward the transport path, and a plurality of covers provided on the lower surface of the counterpart device. A plurality of connecting portions that engage with the connecting portion, and the plurality of connecting portions include a pair of connecting portions that are disposed to face each other so as to sandwich the sheet to be fed from the axial direction of the transport roller. And at least one of the pair of connecting portions is disposed on an axis of the transport roller or an extension of the axis.

  According to this configuration, since the pair of connecting portions (and the pair of connected portions with which they are engaged) are provided on the axial center line of the transport roller, axial displacement due to twisting is connected to the connecting portion and the connected portion. It is limited to the range of the gap between the parts. For this reason, it is possible to minimize the axial displacement due to twisting geometrically. As a result, the sheet can be transported in a state where there is little deviation in the axial direction. For example, when image formation is performed on the sheet in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to effectively prevent displacement of the image formation position and image cutout. be able to.

  In this case, it is preferable that one or more of the connecting portions other than the pair of connecting portions are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the axial center line from at least one of the pair of connecting portions.

  According to this configuration, for example, since the connecting portion is arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the axial center line on a horizontal plane with respect to one of the connecting portions on the axial center line, the axial displacement due to twisting is further reduced. Can be suppressed.

  In these cases, each of the connected parts is a fitting hole recessed upward from the lower surface of the counterpart device, and each of the connecting parts protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body case. It is preferable that the boss is fitted into the fitting hole.

  According to this configuration, the movement in the horizontal direction is restricted by fitting the boss into the fitting hole. In addition, due to the geometrical positional relationship between the boss and the fitting hole, it is caused by twisting compared to the case where the boss and the fitting hole are provided at a position away from the conveying roller in the direction perpendicular to the axial center line on the horizontal plane. Axial misalignment is minimized. In this case, since the allowable range of axial deviation can be set to the size of the gap as it is, the gap formed between the fitting hole and the boss can be increased to the allowable range. Accordingly, the user can easily fit (freely fit) each boss into each fitting hole, and can improve the operability for connecting the devices. Moreover, since each boss can be smoothly fitted in each fitting hole, even if connection / separation of each device is repeated, wear of each fitting hole and each boss can be suppressed.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes any one of the above-described paper supply devices.

  According to this configuration, since the pair of connecting portions are provided on the axis of the transport roller, axial displacement due to twisting is limited to the range of the gap between the connecting portion and the connected portion, and the geometry Therefore, the deviation can be minimized. As a result, the sheet can be transported to an appropriate range, so that it is possible to effectively prevent displacement of the image formation position and image breakage during image formation on the sheet.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to connect to the counterpart device in a state where the shift of the transport roller in the axial direction is suppressed, and it is possible to suppress wear of the connecting portion and the like.

1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper feed cassette is pulled out in the paper supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a paper supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a bottom view showing a paper supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view explaining the procedure which connects the paper supply apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention up and down. FIG. 3 is a front view (partially sectional view) schematically showing a procedure for vertically connecting the paper supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows before connection and (b) shows after connection. Is shown. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which the paper supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected vertically. It is a perspective view which shows the state which pulled out the paper feed cassette in the paper supply apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the paper supply apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the geometric relationship between the position of a conveyance roller, and the magnitude | size of the shift | offset | difference of the width direction by the twist between the apparatuses connected up and down.

  Hereinafter, a paper supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a printer as an image forming apparatus including the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, for convenience, the arrow Fr shown in each figure is defined as the front side (front side) of the printer.

<First Embodiment>
First, the printer 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the printer 1, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 1 includes a main device 3 built in a box-shaped device body 2, and a plurality of paper supply devices 4 having a paper feed cassette 21 that stores a sheet of paper S. , Including. The apparatus main body 2 is integrally provided with a single sheet supply device 4 (see FIG. 2).

  In FIG. 1, the right front portion of the apparatus main body 2 is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and a liquid crystal display portion for displaying various messages, a numeric keypad directly operated by a user, and the like are provided on the upper surface thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main device 3 includes an image forming unit 6 that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 onto the paper S sent from the paper supply device 4 to the conveyance path 5, and the toner image transferred onto the paper. A fixing device 7 for fixing the toner image, and a paper discharge unit 8 as a discharge destination of the paper on which the toner image is fixed.

  The image forming unit 6 performs, for example, a monochrome image forming process, and includes a toner container 10 that stores a supply toner (black (K)). In addition, the image forming unit 6 forms an electrostatic latent image by exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, the photosensitive drum 11 that carries the toner image, the charger 12 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. An exposure unit 13, a developing unit 14 that develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image with toner, a transfer roller 15 that transfers the toner image onto the paper S in cooperation with the photosensitive drum 11, and a photosensitive drum after transfer. 11 and a cleaning device 16 that removes toner remaining on the surface.

  The charging device 12, the exposure device 13, the developing device 14, the transfer roller 15, and the cleaning device 16 are arranged in the order of the transfer process along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 11.

  Here, an image forming operation by the printer 1 will be described. When the printer 1 is turned on, initialization of various parameters such as temperature setting of the fixing device 7 is executed. Then, when image data is input from a personal computer (not shown) connected to the printer 1 and an instruction to start printing is given, an image forming operation is executed as follows.

  First, exposure according to image data is performed by the exposure device 13 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 charged to a predetermined potential by the charger 12. As a result, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 is developed into a toner image by the developing device 14. Then, a transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 15, and the toner image is transferred to the paper S that has been transported through the transport path 5. The transferred toner image is fixed on the paper S by the fixing device 7. The sheet S on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed downstream and discharged to the sheet discharge unit 8. Further, after the transfer is completed, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is removed by the cleaning device 16.

  Next, each paper supply device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper feeding cassette 21 is pulled out in the paper feeding device 4. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the paper supply device 4, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view thereof.

  In the printer 1 according to the first embodiment, for example, one sheet supply device 4 provided integrally with the apparatus main body 2 and four sheet supply devices 4 as additional options are stacked in the vertical direction. The device main body 2 containing the main device 3 is arranged at the top (see FIG. 1). The five paper supply devices 4 are configured to be able to accommodate paper S of different sizes. The paper S includes various recording media such as plain paper, high-quality paper, coated paper, cardboard, and an OHP sheet (including those other than paper).

  As shown in FIG. 3, each paper supply device 4 includes a main body case 20 that forms a main appearance, and a paper feed cassette 21 that is configured to be detachable from the main body case 20 and that stores paper S in a stacked manner. It is formed in a substantially flat rectangular parallelepiped shape. Here, since each paper supply device 4 has substantially the same configuration, hereinafter, the single paper supply device 4 will be mainly described in detail. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the left-right direction is also referred to as “width direction” or “axial direction”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper supply device 4 conveys the pickup roller 22 in contact with the paper S located on the outermost layer of the paper feed cassette 21 and the paper S pulled out by the pickup roller 22 one by one. And a transport mechanism 24 for sending the paper S sent by the separation mechanism 23 toward the transport path 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the main body case 20 is formed in a box shape having an opening 20 a on the front end surface. The main body case 20 supports a paper feed cassette 21 that stores sheets S in a stacked manner. On the upper surface 20b of the main body case 20, there is formed a substantially rectangular cutout portion 20c that is slightly recessed from the front end toward the rear.

  As will be described in detail later, a pair of bosses 25 are provided at the left and right ends of the upper surface 20b of the main body case 20, and a pair of fitting holes 26 are provided at the left and right ends of the lower surface 20d. When the other paper supply device 4 or the main device 3 (more precisely, the device main body 2) as a counterpart device is placed on one paper supply device 4 (main body case 20), the upper devices 3 and 4 Each boss 25 of the lower device 4 is fitted into each fitting hole 26. Thereby, each boss 25 engages with each fitting hole 26, and the plurality of paper supply devices 4 and the main device 3 (device main body 2) are connected in the vertical direction.

  A connector 27 projects from the upper surface 20b of the main body case 20 on the right side and slightly rearward. A mating connector 28 is provided on the lower surface 20 d of the main body case 20 at a position facing the connector 27 with the main body case 20 interposed therebetween. As described above, when the devices 3 and 4 are connected in the vertical direction, the connector 27 is fitted into the mating connector 28 to be electrically connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed cassette 21 is formed in a tray shape so as to accommodate paper S (including a bundle of paper S). The paper feed cassette 21 is inserted into the main body case 20 through the opening 20 a and is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body case 20. A device-side transport path 21a penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the exterior portion provided in the front portion of the paper feed cassette 21 (see FIG. 2). In addition, a paper stacking unit 42 on which the paper S is placed (stacked) is provided in the paper feed cassette 21.

  The sheet stacking unit 42 is pivotally supported by a push-up rotation shaft 42a provided on the rear end side. Further, on the lower side of the front end of the sheet stacking section 42, a push-up spring 42b that urges the sheet stacking section 42 upward with the bottom surface of the sheet feeding cassette 21 as a pedestal is disposed.

  The pickup roller 22 is supported by the main body case 20 so as to be rotatable about a shaft extending in the width direction at a position facing the front end portion of the lifted sheet stacking portion 42. For this reason, the uppermost (outermost) sheet S placed on the sheet stacking unit 42 is urged by the push-up spring 42 b and pressed against the pickup roller 22. Further, the pickup roller 22 is rotationally driven by a driving device 44. The drive device 44 includes a motor 44a, a clutch 44b, and a gear train (not shown), and is built in the right side of the main body case 20 in FIG.

  The separation mechanism 23 includes a pair of separation rollers 32. Each separation roller 32 is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the pickup roller 22, and is driven to rotate by a driving device 44.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport mechanism 24 is fed at a position facing the drive transport roller 33 provided in the notch 20 c formed on the upper surface 20 b of the main body case 20 from the front side of the drive transport roller 33. And a driven transport roller 34 provided in the paper cassette 21. The “conveying roller” in the claims refers to the drive conveying roller 33.

  Each of the transport rollers 33 and 34 is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the pickup roller 22. The drive conveyance roller 33 is rotationally driven by the driving device 44 and sends out the paper S positioned in the uppermost layer (outermost layer) accommodated in the paper feed cassette 21 toward the conveyance path 5. The driven conveyance roller 34 is pressed by the driving conveyance roller 33 by the urging force of a conveyance spring (not shown) in a state where the paper feed cassette 21 is mounted on the main body case 20 and is rotated in a driven manner.

  The drive conveyance roller 33 includes a drive shaft portion 33 a that is pivotally supported by the main body case 20, and a drive roller body 33 b that is fixed to the drive shaft portion 33 a and contacts the paper S. Similarly, the driven conveyance roller 34 has a driven shaft portion 34a and a driven roller body 34b.

  The drive shaft portion 33a is a metal hollow cylindrical shaft, and both end portions in the width direction are pivotally supported on the main body case 20 via bearings (not shown). The driven shaft portion 34a is also formed in the same manner, and both end portions in the width direction are pivotally supported by the paper feed cassette 21 via bearings (not shown).

  The drive roller body 33b is configured by three cylindrical portions 33c formed in a columnar shape by an elastic material such as rubber. The three cylindrical portions 33c are arranged at equal intervals in a substantially central region in the width direction of the drive shaft portion 33a, and are fixed to the drive shaft portion 33a so as to have the same axis. The drive roller body 33b is disposed in the notch 20c with the upper peripheral surface exposed. Similarly, the driven roller body 34b has three cylindrical portions 34c fixed to the driven shaft portion 34a at equal intervals. The driven roller main body 34b is disposed in the upper front portion of the paper feed cassette 21 with the upper peripheral surface exposed.

  When transporting the paper S, the rollers 22, 32, and 33 are driven to rotate by the driving device 44. When the sheet S1 comes into contact with the rotating pickup roller 22, the sheet S is pulled out from the sheet stacking unit 42, passes between the pair of separation rollers 32, and is sent downstream in the transport direction. The sent sheet S passes between the driving conveyance roller 33 and the driven conveyance roller 34 and is supplied to the conveyance path 5 (or the apparatus-side conveyance path 21a of the sheet supply apparatus 4 disposed on the upper side).

  Next, a pair of bosses 25 as connecting portions and a pair of fitting holes 26 as connected portions will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pair of bosses 25 are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the front side of the upper surface 20 b of the main body case 20. Each boss 25 protrudes upward from the upper surface 20 b of the main body case 20. In the following description, the left boss 25 in FIG. 3 is referred to as “left boss 25a”, and the right boss 25 is referred to as “right boss 25b”.

  Each boss 25a, 25b is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. Tapered portions 25c and 25d that are reduced in diameter upward are formed on the upper portions of the bosses 25a and 25b. The left boss 25a is formed shorter in the vertical direction than the right boss 25b.

  The bosses 25 a and 25 b are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the paper S sent from between the driving conveyance roller 33 and the driven conveyance roller 34 from the axial direction (left and right) of the driving conveyance roller 33. The bosses 25 a and 25 b are disposed on an extension line of the axial center line L of the drive conveyance roller 33.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of fitting holes 26 are respectively provided at the front left and right ends of the lower surface 20 d of the main body case 20. Each fitting hole 26 is recessed upward from the lower surface 20 d of the main body case 20. That is, each fitting hole 26 is provided at a position facing the pair of bosses 25 with the main body case 20 interposed therebetween. In the following description, the left fitting hole 26 in FIG. 5 is referred to as a “left fitting hole 26a”, and the right fitting hole 26 is referred to as a “right fitting hole 26b”.

  Each fitting hole 26a, 26b is a substantially cylindrical recess. The inner diameter of each fitting hole 26a, 26b is formed slightly larger than the outer diameter of each boss 25a, 25b. Specifically, the right fitting hole 26b is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the bottom, and the left fitting hole 26a is formed as an ellipse that is long in the width direction when viewed from the bottom. Thereby, each boss | hub 25a, 25b is loosely fitted by each fitting hole 26. As shown in FIG. Further, the vertical length (depth) of the left fitting hole 26a is slightly longer than the vertical length of the left boss 25a, and the vertical length of the right fitting hole 26b is slightly longer than the vertical length of the right boss 25b. Has been. That is, the vertical length (depth) of the left fitting hole 26a is shorter than the vertical length of the right fitting hole 26b. Although not shown, the fitting holes 26 a and 26 b are also provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 2.

  Legs 35 that slightly protrude downward from the lower surface 20d are provided at the four corners of the lower surface 20d of the main body case 20, respectively. Specifically, the front two leg portions 35 are provided on the left side of the left fitting hole 26a and the right side of the right fitting hole 26b, respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, leg placement portions 36 are provided on the upper surface 20 b of the main body case 20 at positions corresponding to the four leg portions 35. Specifically, the front two leg placement portions 36 are provided on the left side of the left boss 25a and the right side of the right boss 25b, respectively. That is, each leg part 35 and each leg mounting part 36 are arrange | positioned outside each fitting hole 26a, 26b and each boss | hub 25a, 25b. Thereby, the upper devices 3 and 4 can be stabilized when connected in the vertical direction.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a case where the upper paper supply device 4 as the counterpart device is connected to the lower paper supply device 4 will be described. Here, FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the procedure of connecting the paper supply device 4 up and down. FIG. 7 is a front view (partially sectional view) schematically showing the connection procedure, in which (a) shows before connection and (b) shows after connection. FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which the paper supply device 4 is connected vertically. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the upper paper supply device 4 is denoted by the reference numeral “4A”, and the lower paper supply device 4 is denoted by the reference numeral “4B”.

  First, the user places the paper supply device 4B on a horizontal place. Then, the paper supply device 4A is held in a substantially horizontal posture above the horizontal paper supply device 4B (see FIG. 6). Next, the user moves the paper supply device 4A downward substantially in parallel.

  Here, as described above, the right boss 25b is formed to be longer in the vertical direction than the left boss 25a. Therefore, when the downward movement proceeds, the right boss 25b of the paper supply device 4A is inserted into the right fitting hole 26b. The right boss 25b starts to be fitted (see FIG. 7A). At this time, the fitting to the right fitting hole 26b is guided by the tapered portion 25d formed in the right boss 25b. Accordingly, the user can smoothly perform the fitting operation even if the positions of the right boss 25b and the right fitting hole 26b cannot be directly recognized.

  At this time, the connector 27 of the paper supply device 4B starts to be fitted to the mating connector 28 of the paper supply device 4A. Thus, the connector 27 and the mating connector 28 are properly connected by first fitting the right boss 25b on the side where the connectors 27 and 28 are provided and the right fitting hole 26b. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent a connection failure between the connectors 27 and 28 and to prevent the connectors 27 and 28 from being damaged due to the displacement of the connection position.

  When the downward movement further proceeds, the left boss 25a of the paper supply device 4B starts to be fitted into the left fitting hole 26a of the paper supply device 4A. At this time, the fitting to the left fitting hole 26a is guided by the tapered portion 25c formed on the left boss 25a. Further, since the left fitting hole 26a is formed in an elliptical shape that is long in the width direction, the left boss 25a can be easily fitted into the left fitting hole 26a.

  Then, each leg portion 35 of the paper supply device 4A comes into contact with each leg placement portion 36 of the paper supply device 4B, so that the connection work of the paper supply device 4A to the paper supply device 4B is completed (FIG. 7B). )reference).

  In this state, the bosses 25a and 25b are fitted into the fitting holes 26a and 26b, and the horizontal movement of the paper supply device 4A is restricted with respect to the paper supply device 4B. Further, the paper supply device 4A and the paper supply device 4B are electrically connected via the connectors 27 and 28, respectively.

  As described above, the inner diameter of each of the fitting holes 26a and 26b is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of each of the bosses 25a and 25b, so that each of the fitting holes 26a and 26b of the paper supply device 4A A slight gap G is formed between the bosses 25a and 25b of the paper supply device 4B (see FIG. 8). That is, the bosses 25a and 25b are loosely fitted in the fitting holes 26a and 26b. Note that the procedure for connecting the main apparatus 3 (apparatus body 2) to the paper supply apparatus 4 is the same as described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the paper supply device 4 according to the first embodiment described above, the pair of bosses 25 (and the pair of fitting holes 26 with which they are engaged) are provided on the axis L of the drive conveyance roller 33. Therefore, the axial displacement due to twisting is limited to the range of the gap G between each boss 25a, 25b and each fitting hole 26a, 26b. Precisely, the axial displacement between the devices 4A and 4B in the first embodiment is limited to the range of the gap G between the right boss 25b and the right fitting hole 26b (see FIG. 8). For this reason, it is possible to minimize the axial displacement due to twisting geometrically. Accordingly, since the sheet S can be transported with little axial displacement, when the printer 1 forms an image on the sheet S, it is possible to effectively prevent displacement of the image formation position and image breakage. Can do.

  Moreover, according to the paper supply device 4 according to the first embodiment, the horizontal movement is restricted by fitting the bosses 25a and 25b into the fitting holes 26a and 26b. Further, due to the geometric positional relationship between the bosses 25a and 25b and the fitting holes 26a and 26b, the bosses 25 and the fitting holes 26 are provided at positions away from the drive conveyance roller 33 in the front-rear direction. Thus, axial displacement due to twisting is suppressed to a minimum (see FIG. 8). In this case, since the allowable range of the axial displacement can be set to the dimension of the gap G as it is, for example, the gap G formed between the right fitting hole 26b and the right boss 25b is reduced to the allowable range. It can also be enlarged. Accordingly, the user can easily fit (freely fit) the bosses 25a and 25b into the fitting holes 26a and 26b, and can improve the operability of connecting the devices. Moreover, since each boss | hub 25a, 25b can be smoothly fitted to each fitting hole 26a, 26b, even if connection / separation of each apparatus is repeated, each fitting hole 26a, 26b and each boss | hub 25a , 25b can be suppressed.

  In the first embodiment, the pair of bosses 25 are disposed at both ends in the axial direction of the drive conveyance roller 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the driven transport roller 34 is pivotally supported by the main body case 20 instead of the paper feed cassette 21, a pair of bosses 25 may be disposed at both ends of the driven transport roller 34 in the axial direction.

  In the first embodiment, the pair of bosses 25 (and the pair of fitting holes 26) are disposed on the extension line of the axis L of the drive conveyance roller 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a pair of bosses 25 or the like may be disposed on the axis L of the drive conveyance roller 33. In the first embodiment, the bosses 25a and 25b (and the fitting holes 26a and 26b) are both disposed on the extension line of the axis L of the drive conveyance roller 33. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, at least one of the bosses 25a and 25b (and the fitting holes 26a and 26b) may be disposed on the axis L or an extension of the axis L. .

  In the first embodiment, the right boss 25b is first fitted into the right fitting hole 26b in order to properly connect the connectors 27 and 28 provided on the right side. However, the left boss 25a may be first fitted into the left fitting hole 26a. In this case, the connectors 27 and 28 are preferably provided on the left side.

Second Embodiment
Next, the paper supply device 4 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the paper feeding cassette is pulled out in the paper feeding device 4 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the paper supply device 4 according to the second embodiment, in addition to the left boss 25a and the right boss 25b described above, a boss 25 (connecting portion) having the same shape as these is formed. In the following description, the bosses 25 other than the pair of bosses 25a and 25b are referred to as additional bosses 40 for convenience.

  The additional boss 40 protrudes at a position away from the rear side of the right boss 25b. That is, the additional boss 40 is installed in a direction orthogonal to the axial center line L from the right boss 25b (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9). Specifically, the additional boss 40 is disposed immediately before the connector 27. Although illustration is omitted, an additional fitting hole is formed in the lower surface 20 d of the main body case 20 so as to correspond to the additional boss 40.

  In addition, since the shape and magnitude | size of each additional boss | hub 40 and each additional fitting hole are substantially the same as the right side boss | hub 25b and the right side fitting hole 26b, the description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the procedure for connecting the upper paper supply device 4 or the main device 3 to the lower paper supply device 4 is the same as that according to the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the paper supply device 4 according to the second embodiment described above, the additional boss 40 (connecting portion) is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the axis L on the upper surface 20b from the right boss 25b on the axis L. Therefore, when the upper paper supply device 4 or the main device 3 is connected to the lower paper supply device 4, first, the right boss 25b and the additional boss 40 are used for positioning, and the connection between the connectors 27 and 28 and the left boss 25a. The left fitting hole 26a is properly fitted. Thereby, the operativity concerning connection of each apparatus 3 and 4 can be improved. Furthermore, axial displacement due to twisting can be suppressed.

  The number of additional bosses 40 is arbitrary, and it is sufficient that one or more additional bosses 40 are provided. Further, the position where the additional boss 40 is disposed is arbitrary, and may be disposed not only in front of the connector 27 but also in the rear.

  In the second embodiment, the additional boss 40 is provided for the right boss 25b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the additional boss 40 is provided for at least one of the left boss 25a and the right boss 25b. It only has to be done. In the second embodiment, the additional boss 40 is disposed behind the right boss 25b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the additional boss 40 is disposed in front of at least one of the left boss 25a and the right boss 25b. You may arrange | position and distribute and arrange | position to front and back.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the paper supply device 4 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the paper supply device 4 according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the paper supply device 4 according to the above-described second embodiment, the additional boss 40 is disposed behind the right boss 25b (near the front side of the connector 27). However, in the third embodiment, the right boss 25b is The drive conveyance roller 33 is arranged so as to move in a direction orthogonal to the axis L of the drive conveyance roller 33.

  Specifically, the left boss 25 a is disposed on the axial center line L on one end side of the drive conveyance roller 33, and the right boss 25 b is a direction orthogonal to the axial center line L on the other end side of the drive conveyance roller 33. At a distance D. That is, the right boss 25 b is disposed so as to move in the vicinity of the front side of the connector 27.

  According to the paper supply device 4 according to the third embodiment described above, the left boss 25a is disposed on the axis L, and the right boss 25b is disposed at a position separated by a predetermined distance with respect to the axis L. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the position of each boss 25 with respect to each fitting hole 26 when the upper paper supply device 4 or the main device 3 is connected to the lower paper supply device 4. Thereby, the operativity concerning connection of each apparatus 3 and 4 can be improved. Further, axial displacement due to twisting can be suppressed.

  In addition, since description of each embodiment has described the preferred embodiment in the printer 1 provided with the paper supply device 4 according to the present invention, there may be various technically preferable limitations. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless specifically described to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements in the respective embodiments can be appropriately replaced with existing constituent elements and the like, and various variations including combinations with other existing constituent elements are possible. The description does not limit the content of the invention described in the claims.

1 Printer (image forming device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Apparatus main body 3 Main apparatus 4 Paper supply apparatus 5 Conveyance path 20 Main body case 20b Upper surface 21 Paper feed cassette 25 Boss 25a Left boss 25b Right boss 26 Fitting hole 33 Drive conveyance roller (conveyance roller)
40 Additional Boss S Paper

Claims (4)

A paper supply device connected in the vertical direction to a counterpart device,
A main body case for supporting a paper cassette for storing and stacking paper;
A driving conveyance roller for sending out the sheet located in the outermost layer accommodated in the sheet feeding cassette toward a conveyance path;
Wherein the projecting manner from the upper surface of the main body case upward, and three bosses which engages the three engagement holes that are recessed upward from a lower surface of the mating device,
A connector that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body case and that is electrically connected to a mating connector provided on the lower surface of the mating device ;
The three bosses are
A left boss and a right boss arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the paper to be sent out from the axial direction of the drive conveyance roller ;
An additional boss provided at a position away from the left boss or the right boss in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drive conveyance roller ,
The left boss and the right boss are disposed on an axial center line of the driving conveyance roller or an extension line of the axial center line ,
The additional boss is provided in front of or behind the connector.
One of the left boss and the right boss is formed shorter in the vertical direction than either the left boss or the right boss and the additional boss . The four corners on the lower surface of the counterpart device are provided with four legs protruding downward from the lower surface,
On the upper surface of the main body case, four leg placement portions are provided at positions corresponding to the four leg portions,
2. The two leg placement portions of the four leg placement portions are disposed outside the left boss and the right boss on the axial center line of the drive conveyance roller. Paper feeder. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a sheet feeder according to claim 1 or 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the counterpart apparatus is the upper sheet supply apparatus coupled to the lower sheet supply apparatus.

Images