JP6428676B2 - Paper cassette, sheet transport device, image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding cassette that stores sheets, a sheet conveying apparatus that includes a sheet feeding cassette, and an image forming apparatus that includes the sheet conveying apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer includes a paper feed cassette that can be inserted and removed to store a sheet on which an image is formed. For example, the paper feed cassette has a sheet storage space that is open upward.

  In addition, the sheet cassette may be configured such that the sheet storage space can be expanded. In this type of paper feed cassette, when the sheet storage space is expanded, a part of the sheet storage space may be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus. When a part of the sheet storage space is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus, foreign matter such as dust may adhere to the sheet stored in the paper feed cassette, which may cause problems in image formation. On the other hand, there is known a paper feed cassette including a cover member that covers a part of the sheet storage space exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus when the sheet storage space is in an expanded state (see Patent Document 1). .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-92011

  By the way, when a paper feed cassette including a cover member is accommodated inside the image forming apparatus, the cover member may reduce a space in which the constituent members of the image forming apparatus can be arranged inside the image forming apparatus.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding cassette, a sheet conveying apparatus, and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a reduction in available space inside the apparatus by a cover member housed in the apparatus.

  A sheet feeding cassette according to one aspect of the present invention is provided so as to be able to be inserted into and removed from a sheet conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet, has a sheet accommodating space capable of accommodating a sheet, and opens upward. The paper feed cassette includes a first sheet storage unit, a second sheet storage unit, and a cover member. The second sheet storage portion defines the sheet storage space together with the first sheet storage portion, and is pulled out of the first sheet storage portion from the storage state stored in the first sheet storage portion, and the sheet storage. The state can be changed to an expanded state that expands the space. The cover member is rotatably provided in the second sheet storage unit, and closes a part of the opening of the sheet feeding cassette on the side of the second sheet storage unit in the pulling direction side from the first sheet storage unit. . The cover member closes the opening in a posture inclined downward toward the first sheet storage portion when the second sheet storage portion is in the storage state, and the second sheet storage portion When in the expanded state, the opening is closed in a substantially horizontal posture.

  A sheet conveying apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a sheet feeding cassette and a sheet conveying unit. The sheet feeding cassette is provided to be able to be inserted into and removed from the sheet conveying device, has a sheet accommodating space in which a sheet can be accommodated, and opens upward. The paper feed cassette includes a first sheet storage unit, a second sheet storage unit, and a cover member. The second sheet storage portion defines the sheet storage space together with the first sheet storage portion, and is pulled out of the first sheet storage portion from the storage state stored in the first sheet storage portion, and the sheet storage. The state can be changed to an expanded state that expands the space. The cover member is rotatably provided in the second sheet storage unit, and closes a part of the opening of the sheet feeding cassette on the side of the second sheet storage unit in the pulling direction side from the first sheet storage unit. . The cover member closes the opening in a posture inclined downward toward the first sheet storage portion when the second sheet storage portion is in the storage state, and the second sheet storage portion When in the expanded state, the opening is closed in a substantially horizontal posture. On the other hand, the sheet conveying unit conveys a sheet stored in the sheet feeding cassette.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a sheet conveying device and an image forming unit. The sheet conveying apparatus includes a sheet feeding cassette and a sheet conveying unit. The sheet feeding cassette is provided to be able to be inserted into and removed from the sheet conveying device, has a sheet accommodating space in which a sheet can be accommodated, and opens upward. The paper feed cassette includes a first sheet storage unit, a second sheet storage unit, and a cover member. The second sheet storage portion defines the sheet storage space together with the first sheet storage portion, and is pulled out of the first sheet storage portion from the storage state stored in the first sheet storage portion, and the sheet storage. The state can be changed to an expanded state that expands the space. The cover member is rotatably provided in the second sheet storage unit, and closes a part of the opening of the sheet feeding cassette on the side of the second sheet storage unit in the pulling direction side from the first sheet storage unit. . The cover member closes the opening in a posture inclined downward toward the first sheet storage portion when the second sheet storage portion is in the storage state, and the second sheet storage portion When in the expanded state, the opening is closed in a substantially horizontal posture. The sheet conveying unit conveys a sheet stored in the sheet feeding cassette. On the other hand, the image forming unit forms an image based on image data on a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to suppress the reduction | decrease of the space which can be utilized in the inside of an apparatus by the cover member accommodated in the inside of an apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a paper feed cassette included in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a paper feed cassette included in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a paper feed cassette included in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the cover member and the guide portion of the paper feed cassette. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the cover member and the guide portion of the paper feed cassette.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Embodiment described below is only an example which actualized this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention. For convenience of explanation, the vertical direction is defined as the vertical direction D1 in the installation state (the state shown in FIG. 2) in which the image forming apparatus 10 can be used. Also, the front-rear direction D2 is defined with the front surface (front surface) on which the paper feed cassette 31 shown in FIG. Further, the left-right direction D3 is defined with reference to the front of the image forming apparatus 10 in the installed state. Here, the front direction D22 of the front-back direction D2 is an example of the extraction direction of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus having at least a printing function. The image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called tandem type color printer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a housing 10A. The housing 10A has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Each part constituting the image forming apparatus 10 is disposed inside the housing 10A.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an operation display unit 1, an image forming unit 2, a first sheet feeding unit 3, a second sheet feeding unit 4, a sheet conveying unit 5, and the like. An apparatus including the first sheet feeding unit 3 and the sheet conveying unit 5 is an example of the sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention.

  The operation display unit 1 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display that displays various types of information according to control instructions from a control unit (not shown), and operation keys that input various types of information to the control unit according to user operations. And an operation unit.

  The image forming unit 2 forms an image on the printing paper conveyed by the sheet conveying unit 5 by an electrophotographic method. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 2 includes four image forming units 21, an intermediate transfer belt 22, an optical scanning device 23, a secondary transfer roller 24, and a fixing device 25.

  Each of the image forming units 21 includes a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a developing device, a primary transfer roller, and the like. In each image forming unit 21, a toner image of each color is formed based on the laser light emitted from the optical scanning device 23. The toner images formed by the image forming units 21 are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 22 while being superimposed.

  The intermediate transfer belt 22 is supported by a driving roller 22A and a driven roller 22B so as to be rotationally driven. The intermediate transfer belt 22 conveys the toner image transferred from each of the image forming units 21 along the conveyance direction D4 shown in FIG.

  The optical scanning device 23 generates laser light based on the input image data of each color, and irradiates the photosensitive drum of each image forming unit 21 with the laser light.

  The secondary transfer roller 24 transfers the toner image conveyed by the intermediate transfer belt 22 to a printing paper (an example of the sheet of the present invention).

  The fixing device 25 includes a heating roller 25A and a pressure roller 25B. The heating roller 25A and the pressure roller 25B heat and press the toner image transferred to the printing paper to fix the toner image on the printing paper.

  The first paper feeding unit 3 supplies printing paper to the sheet conveying unit 5. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the first paper feed unit 3 includes a paper feed cassette 31, a lift plate 32, a pickup roller 33, and a feed roller pair 34.

  The paper feed cassette 31 is provided at the bottom (lowermost part) of the housing 10A. The paper feed cassette 31 has a sheet storage space 31A that can store printing paper of a prescribed size. For example, the sheet storage space 31A can store A4-size printing paper. The paper feed cassette 31 is formed in a tray shape having an opening 31B (see FIG. 5) on the upper side so as to accommodate a plurality of print sheets. The configuration of the paper feed cassette 31 will be described in detail later.

  The paper feed cassette 31 is configured to be insertable / removable in the front / rear direction D2 with respect to the housing 10A. The paper feed cassette 31 is inserted into the housing 10A through an opening 10C (see FIG. 3) formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the housing 10A (an example of the outer surface of the sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention). For example, the paper feed cassette 31 is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction D2 inside the housing 10A. The moving mechanism of the paper feed cassette 31 includes, for example, a rail that is long in the front-rear direction D2 provided in the housing 10A, and a rail guide that engages with this rail and enables sliding movement in the front-rear direction D2. A rail support mechanism is conceivable. As a result, the sheet feeding cassette 31 can be pulled out to the front outer side than the front surface of the housing 10 </ b> A from the state where it is mounted on the image forming apparatus 10. Of course, the movement mechanism of the paper feed cassette 31 may be other than the rail support mechanism.

  The lift plate 32 is provided on the rear side at the bottom of the paper feed cassette 31. The lift plate 32 is moved up and down in the vertical direction D1 in response to a driving force from a driving source such as a motor. Printing paper is stacked on the lift plate 32. The front end portion of the lift plate 32 is rotatably supported on the bottom portion of the paper feed cassette 31, and the rear end portion is a free end. When the lift plate 32 is displaced in the vertical direction D1, the printing paper on the lift plate 32 is also lifted in the vertical direction D1.

  The pickup roller 33 is provided above the rear end portion of the paper feed cassette 31. The pickup roller 33 takes out the printing paper lifted by the lift plate 32 one by one and carries it out from the paper feed cassette 31.

  The feed roller pair 34 is provided on the rear side of the pickup roller 33. The feed roller pair 34 includes a driving roller 34A that rotates by receiving a driving force from a driving source such as a motor, and a retard roller 34B that is disposed below the driving roller 34A. The pair of feeding rollers 34 sends the printing paper carried out from the paper feeding cassette 31 by the pickup roller 33 to the sheet conveying unit 5.

  The sheet conveying unit 5 discharges the printing paper supplied from the first paper feeding unit 3 or the second paper feeding unit 4 via the transfer position of the toner image by the secondary transfer roller 24 and the fixing position by the fixing device 25. Transport to tray 10B. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the sheet conveyance unit 5 includes a conveyance path 51, a registration roller pair 52, a conveyance roller pair 53, and a discharge roller pair 54.

  The conveyance path 51 is formed to extend in the vertical direction D1 by a pair of guide members provided inside the housing 10A. In the conveyance path 51, the printing paper is conveyed in the conveyance direction D5 shown in FIG. In the conveyance path 51, a registration roller pair 52, a secondary transfer roller 24, a fixing device 25, a conveyance roller pair 53, and a discharge roller pair 54 are arranged.

  The registration roller pair 52 conveys the print sheet sent from the first sheet feeding unit 3 or the second sheet feeding unit 4 to the conveyance path 51 toward the secondary transfer roller 24.

  The transport roller pair 53 and the discharge roller pair 54 transport the printing paper that has passed through the fixing device 25 to the paper discharge tray 10B.

  The second paper feeding unit 4 supplies printing paper to the sheet conveying unit 5. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the second paper feed unit 4 includes a paper tray 41, a paper feed unit 42, a feed roller pair 43, a feed path 44, and a transport roller pair 45.

  The paper tray 41 is provided above the paper feed cassette 31 outside the image forming apparatus 10 on the front direction D22 side. The paper tray 41 has a paper placement surface 41A on which printing paper is placed. The paper tray 41 also serves as a cover on the front surface of the housing 10A. As shown in FIG. 1, a support shaft 41 </ b> B is provided at the lower end portion of the paper tray 41. The support shaft 41B is rotatably supported by a shaft hole (not shown) provided in the inner frame of the housing 10A. Thereby, the paper tray 41 can be rotated around the support shaft 41B. When printing paper is fed from the second paper feed unit 4 to the image forming unit 2, the paper tray 41 is rotated around the support shaft 41 </ b> B, and the paper placement surface 41 </ b> A is outside the image forming apparatus 10. It arrange | positions with the attitude | position facing upwards.

  The paper feed unit 42 is provided above the paper feed cassette 31 on the front side of the housing 10A. The paper feed unit 42 is formed in an elongated shape along the left-right direction D3. The paper feed unit 42 includes a pickup roller 42A. The pick-up roller 42A takes out the printing paper placed on the paper tray 41 one by one and feeds it into the housing 10A.

  The feed roller pair 43 is provided at the rear end of the paper feed unit 42. The feed roller pair 43 is rotatably supported by the paper feed unit 42. The feed roller pair 43 includes a driving roller 43A that rotates by receiving a driving force from a driving source such as a motor, and a retard roller 43B that is disposed below the driving roller 43A. The pair of feeding rollers 43 sends the printing paper carried out from the paper tray 41 by the pickup roller 42 </ b> A to the feeding path 44.

  The feeding path 44 is provided on the rear side of the paper feeding unit 42. As shown in FIG. 2, the feed path 44 is formed to extend in the front-rear direction D <b> 2 by a pair of guide members provided between the optical scanning device 23 and the paper feed cassette 31. The feeding path 44 guides the printing paper unloaded from the paper tray 41 by the paper feeding unit 42 to the sheet conveying unit 5.

  The conveying roller pair 45 is provided in the feeding path 44. The conveyance roller pair 45 conveys the printing paper to the sheet conveyance unit 5.

  In the image forming apparatus 10, the sheet storage space 31A of the sheet feeding cassette 31 is configured to be expandable along the front-rear direction D2. For example, the sheet storage space 31A of the paper feed cassette 31 is expanded when the size of the print paper to be stored is changed from the A4 size to the legal size. When the sheet storage space 31 </ b> A is in an expanded state, in the image forming apparatus 10, a part of the sheet storage space 31 </ b> A is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 10. If a part of the sheet storage space 31A is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 10, a foreign matter such as dust may adhere to the sheet stored in the paper feed cassette 31 and a problem may occur in image formation. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a cover member 313 that covers a part of the sheet accommodating space 31A exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 10 when the sheet accommodating space 31A is in an expanded state.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the paper feed cassette 31 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. 5, 6, and 8 show the paper feed cassette 31 when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state. 7 and 9 show the paper feed cassette 31 when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in an expanded state. 5 to 7 show the paper feed cassette 31 with the lift plate 32 removed. 5 to 7, the boundary line between the first sheet storage unit 311 and the second sheet storage unit 312 at the bottom of the paper feed cassette 31 is indicated by a one-dot chain line L1. 8 and 9, the horizontal line is indicated by a one-dot chain line L2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed cassette 31 includes a first sheet storage unit 311, a second sheet storage unit 312, and a cover member 313.

  The first sheet storage unit 311 has a bottom 311A, a pair of side walls 311B, and a rear wall 311D. The bottom 311A is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction D2. The pair of side walls 311B is erected along both ends of the bottom 311A in the left-right direction D3. The rear wall 311D is erected along the end on the rear direction D21 side of the bottom 311A. For example, the first sheet storage portion 311 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like. Here, the pair of side walls 311B is an example of the pair of support walls in the present invention. Moreover, the left-right direction D3 is an example of the width direction in the present invention.

  The second sheet storage unit 312 has a bottom 312A and a front wall 312B. The bottom 312A has a dimension in the front-rear direction D2 that is shorter than the bottom 311A of the first sheet storage 311 and is substantially the same as the bottom 311A of the first sheet storage 311 in the left-right direction D3. The front wall 312B is erected along the end of the bottom 312A on the front direction D22 side. The front wall 312B is formed higher than the rear wall 311D of the first sheet storage portion 311. That is, the front wall 312B is formed such that the upper end 312C in the vertical direction D1 is located above the upper end 311E in the vertical direction D1 of the rear wall 311D. On the front direction D22 side of the front wall 312B, a handle portion 312D (see FIG. 2) that is recessed toward the rear direction D21 is provided. The handle portion 312D is provided on the front panel attached to the front wall 312B, and is used for inserting and removing the paper feed cassette 31. For example, the second sheet storage unit 312 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like.

  In the paper feed cassette 31, a placement surface on which printing paper is placed is formed by the bottom 311 </ b> A of the first sheet storage unit 311 and the bottom 312 </ b> A of the second sheet storage unit 312. Further, in the paper feed cassette 31, a pair of side walls 311 </ b> B and a rear wall 311 </ b> D of the first sheet storage unit 311 and a front wall 312 </ b> B of the second sheet storage unit 312 form a storage space for printing paper that is open upward. Has been. That is, the sheet storage space 31A is defined by the bottom 311A, the bottom 312A, the pair of side walls 311B, the rear wall 311D, and the front wall 312B. An opening 31B is formed by the upper end 311C of the pair of side walls 311B, the upper end 311E of the rear wall 311D, and the upper end 312C of the front wall 312B. Here, the opening 31B is an example of the opening in the present invention.

  The second sheet storage unit 312 is supported by the first sheet storage unit 311 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction D2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a rail portion 311 </ b> F formed along the front-rear direction D <b> 2 is provided on the bottom portion 311 </ b> A of the first sheet storage portion 311. Further, an engaging portion (not shown) formed to be engageable with the rail portion 311F is provided on the lower surface of the bottom portion 312A of the second sheet storage portion 312. The second sheet storage portion 312 is supported by the first sheet storage portion 311 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction D2 by engaging the engaging portion with the rail portion 311F.

  When the second sheet storage unit 312 is slid in the rearward direction D21, the state changes to a storage state (see FIG. 6) in which the bottom 312A is stored in the first sheet storage unit 311. Further, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is slid in the front direction D22 from the stored state, the state changes to the expanded state (see FIG. 7) in which the bottom 312A is pulled out from the first sheet storage unit 311. When the state of the second sheet storage unit 312 changes from the stored state to the expanded state, the sheet storage space 31A is expanded. That is, in the sheet feeding cassette 31, the sheet storage space 31A can be expanded by pulling out the second sheet storage unit 312 from the first sheet storage unit 311 along the front direction D22. Here, the front direction D22 is an example of the drawing direction in the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a pair of positioning bosses 311 </ b> J protruding in the rear direction D <b> 21 are provided on the rear wall 311 </ b> D of the first sheet storage unit 311. For example, the pair of positioning bosses 311J are provided at both ends of the rear wall 311D in the left-right direction D3. On the other hand, a pair of positioning holes (not shown) corresponding to the pair of positioning bosses 311J are provided in the inner frame of the housing 10A. When the paper feed cassette 31 is inserted into the housing 10A through the opening 10C and mounted, the pair of positioning bosses 311J are inserted into the pair of positioning holes. As a result, the paper feed cassette 31 is positioned with respect to the housing 10A.

  Here, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state in a state where the paper feed cassette 31 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 10 (the state where the positioning is performed), as shown in FIG. The second sheet storage unit 312 is stored in the housing 10A. That is, when the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the storage state, the handle portion 312D of the second sheet storage portion 312 is disposed on the rear direction D21 side from the front surface of the housing 10A. When the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state, the opening 31B is stored in the housing 10A.

  On the other hand, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state in a state in which the paper feed cassette 31 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 10, the second sheet storage unit 312 is moved forward as shown in FIG. A part on the D22 side protrudes outward from the outer surface of the housing 10A. That is, when the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the expanded state, the handle portion 312D of the second sheet storage portion 312 is disposed on the front direction D22 side from the front surface of the housing 10A. Further, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state, a part of the opening 31B protrudes in the front direction D22 from the front surface of the housing 10A.

  The cover member 313 is rotatably provided on the upper end portion 312C of the front wall 312B of the second sheet storage portion 312 with the front end portion as a fulcrum. The cover member 313 closes part of the opening 31B on the front direction D22 side. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cover member 313 includes an upper surface plate 313A and a cover side plate 313B. The upper surface plate 313A closes the opening 31B. The top plate 313A is formed to have substantially the same dimension in the left-right direction D3 as the bottom 312A of the second sheet storage unit 312. The cover side plate 313B protrudes downward from both ends in the left-right direction D3 of the upper surface plate 313A, and is parallel to the pair of side walls 311B of the first sheet storage portion 311. As shown in FIG. 7, the cover side plate 313 </ b> B covers the side surface in the left-right direction D <b> 3 of the second sheet storage portion 312 when the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the expanded state. For example, the cover member 313 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover member 313 is provided to extend in the rear direction D21 from the upper end portion 312C. Specifically, the cover member 313 includes the front-rear direction D2 of the projecting region (see FIG. 3) of the opening 31B that projects in the front direction D22 from the front surface of the housing 10A when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state. The upper end 312C extends beyond the length at. The cover member 313 covers the projecting region of the opening 31B projecting in the front direction D22 from the front surface of the housing 10A when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the base end 313C on the front direction D22 side of the cover member 313 is provided with a shaft hole 313D formed along the left-right direction D3. The cover member 313 is rotatably supported by the upper end portion 312C of the second sheet storage portion 312 by supporting the support shaft inserted into the shaft hole 313D by the upper end portion 312C of the second sheet storage portion 312. . As a result, the cover member 313 is disposed in such a posture that when the printing paper is replenished to the paper feed cassette 31, the free end 313E is rotated upward to expose the opening 31B.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a guide portion 311G that supports the free end portion 313E (see FIG. 8) of the cover member 313 is provided at the upper end portion 311C of the pair of side walls 311B of the first sheet storage portion 311. . The guide portion 311G holds the cover member 313 in an inclined posture when the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the storage state, and when the second sheet storage portion 312 shifts from the storage state to the expanded state. Then, the free end 313E of the cover member 313 is lifted upward. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the guide portion 311G has an inclined surface 311H that is inclined upward toward the second sheet storage portion 312 side. Here, the guide portion 311G is an example of the upper edge in the present invention.

  When the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the storage state, as shown in FIG. 8, the cover member 313 is configured such that the free end portion 313E is supported by the rear end portion of the inclined surface 311H, thereby The opening 31B is closed in a posture inclined downward toward the part 311 side. Thereby, compared to the configuration in which the cover member 313 is arranged in a horizontal posture when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state, the space available in the housing 10A by the cover member 313 is reduced. Is suppressed.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the paper feeding unit 42 is disposed above the cover member 313 when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state. That is, in the image forming apparatus 10, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the storage state, the cover member 313 is arranged in a posture inclined downward toward the rear direction D 21, so that the paper feed unit 42 is placed. It is possible to arrange it below the conventional level. As a result, the space above the sheet feeding unit 42 is expanded, and the degree of freedom of arrangement and configuration of each component of the image forming apparatus 10 arranged inside the housing 10A is improved.

  On the other hand, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is shifted from the stored state to the expanded state, the free end 313E of the cover member 313 is moved from the rear end of the inclined surface 311H to the front end. As a result, the free end 313E of the cover member 313 is lifted upward. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state, the cover member 313 is held in a substantially horizontal posture by the guide unit 311G and closes the opening 31B. As a result, a gap is formed between the upper end of the opening 10C and the upper surface plate 313A of the cover member 313, as compared with a configuration in which the cover member 313 is pulled out to the outside of the housing 10A while being inclined downward. Is avoided. Therefore, foreign matter such as dust in the outside air can be prevented from entering the sheet storage space 31A through the gap. Further, since the cover member 313 is held in a horizontal posture, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust attached to the upper surface plate 313A from entering the sheet accommodation space 31A through the upper surface plate 313A.

  Thus, in the image forming apparatus 10, the cover member 313 that covers the protruding region of the opening 31B that protrudes in the front direction D22 from the front surface of the housing 10A when the second sheet storage unit 312 is in the expanded state. When the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the storage state, the free end portion 313E is disposed in a posture inclined downward. As a result, a reduction in available space inside the image forming apparatus 10 by the cover member 313 housed inside the image forming apparatus 10 is suppressed.

  Instead of the cover side plate 313 </ b> B of the cover member 313, side walls may be erected along both end portions in the left-right direction D <b> 3 of the bottom portion 312 </ b> A of the second sheet storage portion 312. In this case, the cover member 313 may be rotatably supported on the side wall.

  Further, the cover member 313 may be provided by being fixed in a posture in which the free end portion 313E is inclined downward at the upper end portion 312C of the second sheet storage portion 312.

  Further, the cover member 313 may be held by the guide portion 311G so that the free end portion 313E is tilted upward or downward when the second sheet storage portion 312 is in the expanded state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation display part 2 Image formation part 3 1st paper feed part 4 2nd paper feed part 5 Sheet conveyance part 10 Image forming apparatus 31 Paper feed cassette 31A Sheet storage space 31B Opening 311 1st sheet storage part 311A Bottom part 311B Side wall 311D Rear wall 311G Guide portion 312 Second sheet storage portion 312A Bottom portion 312B Front wall 313 Cover member 313A Top plate 313B Cover side plate

Claims (6)

A sheet feeding cassette that is provided so as to be insertable / removable in a sheet conveying device that conveys a sheet, has a sheet accommodating space capable of accommodating a sheet, and is opened upward,
A first sheet storage portion;
The sheet storage space is defined together with the first sheet storage portion, and is in an expanded state in which the sheet storage space is extended by being pulled out of the first sheet storage portion from the storage state stored in the first sheet storage portion. A changeable second sheet storage portion;
A cover member that is pivotally provided in the second sheet storage unit and closes a part of the opening of the paper feed cassette on the side of the second sheet storage unit in the pulling direction side from the first sheet storage unit; Prepared,
The cover member closes the opening in a posture inclined downward toward the first sheet storage portion when the second sheet storage portion is in the storage state, and the second sheet storage portion is expanded. A paper feed cassette that closes the opening in a substantially horizontal posture when in a state. The first sheet storage portion has a pair of support walls extending on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction,
The pair of support walls have upper edges that are inclined upward toward the second sheet storage portion side,
The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is supported by the upper edge of each of the pair of support walls.   The second sheet storage portion can be pulled out from the first sheet storage portion along a pulling-out direction of the sheet feeding cassette with respect to the sheet transport device, and when the storage state is in the inside of the sheet transport device 3. The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein a part of the drawing direction side protrudes outward from an outer surface of the sheet conveying apparatus when being in the expanded state. The cover member includes an upper surface plate that closes the opening, and a cover side plate that protrudes downward from both ends of the width direction of the upper surface plate and is parallel to the support wall,
3. The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 2, wherein the cover side plate covers a side surface in the width direction of the second sheet storage portion when the second sheet storage portion is in the expanded state. A paper feed cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A sheet conveying section that conveys the sheet stored in the sheet cassette;
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: A sheet conveying device according to claim 5;
An image forming unit that forms an image based on image data on a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images