JP6619244B2 - Sheet supply apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a sheet such as a recording sheet in a predetermined sheet feeding direction, and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a multifunction machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine including the sheet feeding apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine, a sheet tray on which a sheet of recording paper or the like is placed can be attached and detached in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 2. Description of the Related Art A so-called cassette-type sheet feeding apparatus that is fed in the transport direction is conventionally known. Sheet replenishment in such a sheet supply apparatus is performed by pulling out the sheet tray from the image forming apparatus main body, placing the sheet to be replenished on the drawn sheet tray, and pushing the sheet tray back into the image forming apparatus main body to return it. Done.

  In the case of such a sheet feeding apparatus, if the sheet tray is pulled out during the sheet feeding operation, there is a possibility that the sheet is jammed (so-called jam). Specifically, if the sheet tray is pulled out while the sheet is held in the nip between the sheet feeding roller and the separation roller, the sheet remains in the sheet supply apparatus, and a jam may occur. In order to suppress the occurrence of jamming, measures such as locking the sheet tray so that it cannot be pulled out during the sheet feeding operation are taken (for example, Patent Document 1).

  There is also known a sheet supply apparatus having a structure in which a stacking table for stacking sheets is stored in a case body (for example, Patent Document 2). Sheet replenishment in such a sheet supply apparatus is performed by opening a door provided on the case body and placing the sheet on the stacking table. However, in Patent Document 2, there is no description regarding replenishment of the sheet during the sheet supply operation, and when the sheet is exhausted and the supply operation is stopped, the door is opened to remove the sheet. There is only mention about replenishment.

JP-A-6-183579 JP-A-1-176733

  The configuration described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the cost increases because it is necessary to newly add a mechanism for locking. There is also a problem that a space for incorporating a mechanism for locking is required. Further, there is a problem that the sheet cannot be replenished during the sheet feeding operation and the efficiency is low.

  Further, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, since there is no description about the sheet supply during the sheet supply operation, it is assumed that the sheet supply is not performed during the sheet supply operation. Therefore, there is a problem that the sheet cannot be replenished during the sheet feeding operation and the efficiency is low. Further, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, since the placing table is automatically lowered when the door is opened, if the door is opened during the sheet feeding operation, the placing table is lowered during the sheet feeding operation. Therefore, it can be said that a jam may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and the object thereof is to prevent the occurrence of a jam even when a sheet is replenished during the sheet feeding operation, and the sheet can be replenished efficiently. A sheet supply apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus are provided.

  A sheet supply apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a sheet supply apparatus including a stacking tray for stacking sheets and an openable / closable opening / closing member, and an open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the open / close member; A sheet supply unit that supplies the sheets stacked on the stacking tray in a predetermined sheet supply direction, and the sheet supply unit is in a closed state when performing a sheet supply operation. When the open / close detection unit detects that the sheet is in the open state, the supply operation is stopped after the sheet currently being supplied is supplied.

  As a result, even if the opening / closing member is opened during the sheet supply operation, the sheet supply operation is not hindered and jamming can be prevented. In addition, since the supply operation is not performed after the currently supplied sheet is supplied, it is possible to prevent a jam from occurring even if a preparation operation for supplying the sheet is started.

Further, in the above-described sheet supply apparatus, when the opening / closing detection unit detects that the opening / closing member that has been in a closed state has been opened, further includes a lifting / lowering control unit that controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray. , if a predetermined condition is satisfied a predetermined, may be a benzalkonium control the vertical movement of the stacking tray by the elevating controller so as to lower the stacking tray to a predetermined position.

  Accordingly, even when the sheet is being supplied, by opening the opening / closing member, the stacking tray can be quickly lowered when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

  In the above-described sheet supply apparatus, it is preferable that the predetermined position is a sheet supply position that is a position for supplying sheets to the stacking tray.

  Thus, even during the sheet supply operation, by opening the opening / closing member, it is possible to prepare for the quick sheet supply, and therefore the sheet supply operation can be performed efficiently. .

Further, in the above-described sheet supply apparatus, the sheet supply unit is separated by the pickup unit that picks up the sheets from the stacking tray, the separation unit that separates the sheets picked up by the pickup unit, and the separation unit. A discharge unit that discharges the discharged sheet to the outside, and whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied depends on which of the conveyance paths of the sheet from the separation unit to the discharge unit the supplied sheet is It may be determined based on whether the position has been reached.

  As a result, when a sheet is present at a position where jamming is unlikely to occur, a preparatory operation for replenishing the sheet can be performed, thus preventing the occurrence of jamming and efficient sheet replenishment work. It can be carried out.

  In the above-described sheet supply apparatus, the sheet supply unit includes a pickup unit that picks up a sheet from the stacking tray, and a separation unit that separates the sheet picked up by the pickup unit into one sheet, and the predetermined unit The condition may be that the supplied sheet is in a state of being applied to the separation unit.

  As a result, a preparatory operation for replenishing sheets is performed in a state in which jamming is unlikely to occur, so that jamming can be prevented. Furthermore, the sheet replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  Further, in the above-described sheet supply apparatus, the sheet supply unit is separated by the pickup unit that picks up the sheets from the stacking tray, the separation unit that separates the sheets picked up by the pickup unit, and the separation unit. A discharge unit that discharges the discharged sheet to the outside, and the predetermined condition may be that the supplied sheet passes through the discharge unit.

  As a result, a preparatory operation for replenishing sheets is performed in a state in which jamming is unlikely to occur, so that jamming can be prevented. Furthermore, the sheet replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  Further, in the above-described sheet supply apparatus, when the sheet supply unit detects that the open / close member that has been closed is in an open state while performing a sheet supply operation. Alternatively, the sheet that is currently being supplied may be supplied, and the supply operation of the sheet that is scheduled to be supplied next may be stopped.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent a jam from occurring even when a preparation operation for replenishing a sheet is started.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes the above-described sheet supply device.

  Accordingly, even when the opening / closing member is opened during the sheet supply operation, the sheet supply operation is not hindered and jamming can be prevented. In addition, since the supply operation is not performed after the currently supplied sheet is supplied, it is possible to prevent a jam from occurring even when the preparation operation for supplying the sheet is started.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the predetermined condition may be a state where a sheet discharged from the sheet supply apparatus is received in the image forming apparatus main body.

  As a result, a preparatory operation for replenishing sheets is performed in a state in which jamming is unlikely to occur, so that jamming can be prevented. Furthermore, the sheet replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the predetermined condition may be that the sheet discharged from the sheet supply apparatus is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body.

  As a result, a preparatory operation for replenishing sheets is performed in a state in which jamming is unlikely to occur, so that jamming can be prevented.

  The image forming apparatus may further include a post-processing device, and the predetermined condition may be that a sheet discharged from the sheet supply device is discharged from the post-processing device.

  As a result, a preparatory operation for replenishing sheets is performed in a state in which jamming is unlikely to occur, so that jamming can be prevented. Furthermore, the sheet replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet supply device that can hardly cause a jam even if a sheet is supplied during a sheet supply operation and can efficiently perform a sheet supply operation, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet supply device. it can.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet supply apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment as viewed from the front. FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a sheet replenishing operation with respect to the sheet feeding apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an opening / closing cover is closed, and FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the state in which the opening / closing cover is closed. FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views for explaining a sheet replenishing operation for the sheet feeding apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an opening / closing cover is opened, and FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the state in which the cover was opened. FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views for explaining a sheet replenishing operation for the sheet feeding apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a bundle of sheets is replenished with an open / close cover open. It is a perspective view, (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration in a state where a bundle of sheets is supplied with the open / close cover open. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a stacking tray and a lifting device in the sheet supply device. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration in which a control unit in the image forming apparatus performs a control operation on a sheet supply apparatus. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the lifting / lowering state of the stacking tray by the lifting / lowering device in the sheet supply device, where (a) is a diagram showing a state where the open / close cover is closed when there is no sheet on the stacking tray. (B) is a figure which shows the state which the opening-and-closing cover opened. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a lifting / lowering state of a stacking tray by a lifting / lowering device in a sheet supply device, (a) is a diagram showing a state in the middle of storing a bundle of sheets in the stacking tray; (B) is a diagram showing a state in which a stack of sheets has been stored in the stacking tray, and (c) is a state in the middle of storing the next stack of sheets after the stacking tray is lowered. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement of the raising / lowering apparatus by a control part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of supply stop operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by a control part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by the control part in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by the control part in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by the control part in 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by the control part in 4th Embodiment.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Description of overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus 100 provided with a sheet supply apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front.

  The image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 forms a color image for forming multicolor and single color images on a sheet P such as a recording sheet (see FIG. 2) according to image data transmitted from the outside. Device. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a document reading apparatus 108, an image forming apparatus main body 110, and a sheet supply apparatus 200 (a so-called sheet feeding apparatus, in this example, a large capacity sheet feeding apparatus) (see FIG. 1). The image forming apparatus main body 110 is provided with an image forming unit 102 and a sheet conveying system 103. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction machine having a copy function, a printer function, and a facsimile function.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 102 includes an exposure unit 1, a plurality of developing units 2-2, a plurality of photosensitive drums 3-3, a plurality of cleaning units 4-4, a plurality of chargers 5-5, An intermediate transfer belt unit 6, a plurality of toner cartridge units 21 to 21, and a fixing unit 7 are provided.

  The sheet conveyance system 103 includes a paper feed tray 81, a sheet supply device 200, a discharge tray 14, and a sheet discharge device 400.

  The sheet discharge device 400 shifts the discharge roller 31 that transports the sheet P in a predetermined transport direction Y3 and discharges the sheet P to the discharge tray 14 along the axial direction (shift direction) (depth direction X) of the discharge roller 31. A sheet sorting unit 300 that sorts the sheets P discharged by the discharge roller 31 by being moved, and an upper discharge tray 15 provided above the discharge tray 14 with a space SP therebetween are provided. Note that the sheet discharge device 400 may include a discharge tray 14.

  In addition, a second discharge detection unit 16 for detecting that the sheet P is discharged from the discharge roller 31 to the outside is arranged near the upstream side or the downstream side of the discharge roller 31 (in the vicinity of the downstream side in this example). It is installed. The second discharge detection unit 16 detects that the sheet P is conveyed by the discharge roller 31 and enters or exits the discharge roller 31. The 2nd discharge | emission detection part 16 is electrically connected to the input system of the control part 120 (refer FIG. 7 mentioned later). Thereby, the control unit 120 determines whether the leading end of the sheet P has entered the discharge roller 31 or whether the trailing end of the sheet P has escaped from the discharge roller 31 based on the detection signal from the second discharge detection unit 16 ( As a result, it is possible to detect (recognize) whether or not the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200. In this example, the second discharge detection unit 16 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator.

  An upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 110 is provided with an original placing table 92 made of transparent glass on which an original (not shown) is placed, and an optical unit 90 for reading the original is provided below the original placing base 92. It has been. A document reading device 108 is provided above the document table 92. The document reading device 108 automatically conveys the document on the document placing table 92. Further, the document reading device 108 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 110 so as to be pivotable by opening on the front side, so that the document can be placed manually by opening the document placing table 92. It has become.

  The document reading device 108 can read a document that is automatically conveyed or a document placed on the document placing table 92. The original image read by the original reading device 108 is sent as image data to the image forming apparatus main body 110 of the image forming apparatus 100, and an image formed based on the image data in the image forming apparatus main body 110 is recorded on the sheet P. The

  Image data handled in the image forming apparatus 100 corresponds to a color image using a plurality of colors (in this example, black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y)). . Accordingly, the developing units 2 to 2, the photosensitive drums 3 to 3, the cleaning units 4 to 4 to 4, the chargers 5 to 5, and the toner cartridge units 21 to 21 have a plurality of types (four types in this example) corresponding to each color. In this example, a plurality of (four in this example are provided, black, cyan, magenta, yellow) are set to form a plurality (four in this example) of image stations. Yes.

  The chargers 5 to 5 are charging means for uniformly charging the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3 to 3 to a predetermined potential. The exposure unit 1 exposes the charged photosensitive drums 3 to 3 in accordance with the input image data, so that an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is displayed on the surface of each of the photosensitive drums 3 to 3. To form. The toner cartridge units 21 to 21 are units for storing toner, and the toner is supplied to the developing tanks of the developing units 2 and 2. The developing units 2 to 2 visualize the electrostatic latent images formed on the respective photosensitive drums 3 to 3 with toners of four colors (Y, M, C, and K). The cleaning units 4 to 4 remove and collect toner remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3 to 3 after development and image transfer.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 6 disposed above the photosensitive drums 3 to 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 61 that acts as an intermediate transfer member, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 62, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63, and a plurality of intermediate transfer belts. Rollers 64 to 64 and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65 are provided.

  Four intermediate transfer rollers 64 to 64 are provided corresponding to each color of Y, M, C, and K. The intermediate transfer belt drive roller 62 stretches the intermediate transfer belt 61 together with the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63 and the intermediate transfer rollers 64 to 64 and is driven to rotate, whereby the intermediate transfer belt 61 is moved in the moving direction M. Accordingly, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 63 and the intermediate transfer rollers 64 to 64 are driven to rotate. A transfer bias for transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drums 3 to 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61 is applied to the intermediate transfer rollers 64 to 64. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is provided in contact with the photosensitive drums 3 to 3. The intermediate transfer belt 61 sequentially superimposes and transfers the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 3 to 3 to form a color toner image (multicolor toner image) on the surface. Here, when the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 61 onto the sheet P by the transfer roller 10, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 without being transferred onto the sheet P is transferred by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 65. Removed and recovered.

  The paper feed tray 81 stores sheets P on which image formation (printing) is performed in advance, and is arranged in one or more stages (three stages in this example) below the exposure unit 1 in the image forming apparatus main body 110. Is provided. Further, the sheet supply apparatus 200 stacks sheets P on which images are formed (printed) on a stacking tray 221 and stores them in advance. In this example, the sheet supply apparatus 200 is a large-capacity sheet feeding apparatus that accommodates a large capacity (for example, 1000 sheets or more) of sheets P. The large-capacity paper feeding device is called, for example, a large-capacity paper feeding cassette or a large-capacity paper feeding tray. The sheet supply apparatus 200 will be described in detail later.

  The discharge tray 14 is provided above the image forming unit 102 in the image forming apparatus main body 110, and stacks sheets P on which image formation (printing) has been completed face-down. The discharge tray 14 is configured such that the upstream side of the placement surface 14a on which the sheet P is placed in the conveyance direction Y3 of the sheet P is lower than the downstream side. The discharge tray 14 is not limited thereto, but in this example, a copy sheet P image-formed (printed) by the copy function and a printer sheet P image-formed (printed) by the printer function are discharged. . The copy sheet P and the printer sheet P are sorted by the sheet sorting unit 300 in the discharge tray 14.

  Further, the upper discharge tray 15 is provided in the image forming unit 102 of the image forming apparatus main body 110 with a space SP spaced above the discharge tray 14, and stacks sheets P on which image formation (printing) has been performed face-down. To do. Similar to the discharge tray 14, the upper discharge tray 15 is configured such that the upstream side of the placement surface 15a on which the sheet P is placed is lower than the downstream side in the conveyance direction Y3 of the sheet P. The upper discharge tray 15 is not limited to this, but in this example, a facsimile sheet P on which an image is formed (printed) by the facsimile function is discharged.

  Further, the image forming apparatus main body 110 includes a sheet conveyance path S1 that guides the sheet P sent from the sheet feeding trays 81 to 81 or the sheet supply apparatus 200 to the discharge tray 14 via the transfer roller 10 and the fixing unit 7. An upper sheet conveyance path S2 that branches upward from the branching section S1a located between the fixing unit 7 and the discharge roller 31 in the sheet conveyance path S1 and leads to the upper discharge tray 15 is provided. In the vicinity of the sheet conveyance path S1, pickup rollers 11a to 11a and 211a, a pair of supply rollers (11b and 11c) to (11b and 11c), (211b and 211c), a plurality of conveyance rollers 12a to 12a and 12b, a resist A roller 13, a transfer roller 10, a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72 in the fixing unit 7, and a discharge roller 31 are disposed.

  An upper transport roller 12c and an upper discharge roller 36 are disposed in the vicinity of the upper sheet transport path S2. A branch claw G1 is provided in the vicinity of the branch portion S1a. The branching claw G1 has a first switching position for guiding the sheet P from the fixing unit 7 to the discharge roller 31 (an attitude shown by a solid line in FIG. 2), and a second position for guiding the sheet P from the fixing unit 7 to the upper sheet conveyance path S2. A switching posture (posture indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 2) is taken.

  Further, the upper discharge roller 36 rotates in the forward direction so as to discharge the sheet P to the upper discharge tray 15, while the reverse direction so as to transport the sheet P to the opposite side to the transport direction Y3 (so-called switchback). It is designed to rotate. In the image forming apparatus main body 110, there is a reverse sheet conveyance path S3 that leads upstream from the registration rollers 13 in the sheet conveyance path S1 so that the front and back of the sheet P is reversed from the upper branch portion S2a in the middle of the upper sheet conveyance path S2. Is provided.

  Further, in the vicinity of the upstream side of the upper discharge roller 36 or the vicinity of the downstream side (in the vicinity of the downstream side in this example), a third discharge detection unit 17 for detecting that the sheet P is discharged from the upper discharge roller 36 to the outside. Is arranged. The third discharge detection unit 17 detects that the sheet P is conveyed by the upper discharge roller 36 and enters or leaves the upper discharge roller 36. The third discharge detection unit 17 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, the control unit 120 determines whether the leading end of the sheet P has entered the upper discharge roller 36 or whether the trailing end of the sheet P has escaped from the upper discharge roller 36 based on the detection signal from the third discharge detection unit 17. (As a result, whether or not the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200) can be detected (recognized). In this example, the third discharge detection unit 17 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator.

  A plurality (four in this example) of reverse conveyance rollers 12d to 12g are disposed in the vicinity of the reverse sheet conveyance path S3. An upper branch claw G2 is provided in the vicinity of the upper branch portion S2a. The upper branch claw G2 reverses the sheet P that is switched back from the first discharge posture (the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 2) for guiding the sheet P from the branch portion S1a to the upper discharge roller 36 and the upper discharge roller 36. A second switching posture (posture indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 2) leading to the transport path S3 is taken.

  The conveyance rollers 12a to 12a and 12b, the upper conveyance roller 12c, and the reverse conveyance rollers 12d to 12g are small rollers for promoting and assisting conveyance of the sheet P, and are respectively a sheet conveyance path S1 and an upper sheet conveyance path S2. And the reversing sheet conveyance path S3.

  The pickup rollers 11a to 11a in the paper feed tray 81 are provided in the vicinity of the sheet supply side of the paper feed trays 81 to 81, and pick up the sheets P one by one from the paper feed trays 81 to 81, and the sheet conveyance path S1. To supply. The pair of supply rollers 11b to 11b and 11c to 11c supplies the sheet P sent from the pickup rollers 11a to 11a toward the sheet conveyance path S1.

  Similarly, a pickup roller 211a in the sheet supply unit 210 of the sheet supply apparatus 200 is provided in the vicinity of the sheet supply side of the sheet supply apparatus 200, and picks up one sheet P at a time from the sheet supply apparatus 200 to the sheet conveyance path S1. To supply. The pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c supplies the sheet P sent from the pickup roller 211a toward the sheet conveyance path S1.

  In addition, an entrance detection unit 18 is disposed in the vicinity of a portion where the sheet P is received from the sheet supply apparatus 200 in the image forming apparatus main body 110. The entrance detector 18 detects that the sheet P discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200 has been received by the image forming apparatus main body 110. The entrance detector 18 is electrically connected to the input system of the controller 120 (see FIG. 7). Accordingly, the control unit 120 determines whether the leading end or the trailing end of the sheet P is located in the image forming apparatus main body 110 based on the detection signal from the entrance detection unit 18 (the sheet P discharged from the sheet supply device 200). It is possible to detect (recognize) whether or not the image forming apparatus main body 110 has received the image. In this example, the entrance detector 18 is a light transmission detection switch with an actuator.

  The registration roller 13 temporarily holds the sheet P conveyed to the sheet conveyance path S1. Then, the registration roller 13 transfers the sheet P to the transfer roller 10 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 at a timing when the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drums 3 and 3 is aligned with the downstream end (leading edge P1) in the conveyance direction Y3 of the sheet P. It is conveyed to the transfer nip portion between.

  The fixing unit 7 fixes an unfixed toner image on the sheet P, and includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72 that act as a fixing roller. The heat roller 71 is driven to rotate so as to convey the sheet P while sandwiching the sheet P together with the pressure roller 72 that is driven to rotate. The heat roller 71 is heated by a heater 71a provided on the inner side, and is maintained at a predetermined fixing temperature based on a signal from the temperature detector 71b. The heat roller 71 heated by the heater 71a melts, mixes, and presses the multicolor toner image by thermally pressing the multicolor toner image transferred onto the sheet P together with the pressure roller 72 to the sheet P, so that the sheet P Heat fix.

  In addition, the component of the code | symbol which is not demonstrated in FIG. 2 is demonstrated later.

(Sheet feeding device)
Next, the sheet feeding apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10.

  3 to 5 are explanatory diagrams for explaining a sheet replenishing operation for the sheet feeding apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the open / close cover 201 is closed, and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration in a state in which the open / close cover 201 is closed. is there. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the opening / closing cover 201 is opened, and FIG. 4B is a schematic sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration in a state in which the opening / closing cover 201 is opened. FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which one bundle (for example, 500 bundles) of sheets P to P is supplied with the opening / closing cover 201 being opened, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration in a state where a bundle of sheets P to P is supplied with the opening / closing cover 201 being opened.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the stacking tray 221 and the lifting device 230 in the sheet supply device 200.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration in which the control unit 120 in the image forming apparatus 100 performs a control operation on the sheet supply apparatus 200.

  FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic cross-sectional views schematically showing the lifted state of the stacking tray 221 by the lifting device 230 in the sheet supply device 200. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the opening / closing cover 201 is closed when there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the opening / closing cover 201 is opened. FIG. 9A shows a state in the middle of storing a bundle of sheets P to P in the stacking tray 221, and FIG. 9B shows a stack of sheets P to P in the stacking tray 221. FIG. 9C shows a state where the stacking tray 221 is lowered and the next bundle of sheets P to P is being accommodated.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting / lowering device 230 by the control unit 120.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of supply stop operation when the lifting device is opened by the control unit.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the lifting operation when the lifting device is opened by the control unit according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13: is a flowchart which shows an example of the raising / lowering operation | movement at the time of open | release of the raising / lowering apparatus by the control part in 2nd Embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the lifting operation when the lifting device is opened by the control unit according to the third embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the lifting operation when the lifting device is opened by the control unit according to the fourth embodiment.

  The sheet supply apparatus 200 includes a stacking tray 221 (see FIGS. 2 and 3B, FIGS. 4 to 6, 8, and 9) and a housing 202 (see FIGS. 3 to 6, 8, and 9). ), A positioning member 222 (see FIGS. 3B, 4, 5, 8, and 9), an opening / closing cover 201 (see FIGS. 3 to 5, 8, and 9), and an elevating device 230. (See FIG. 6), a pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c (see FIGS. 2, 8, and 9), and a transport roller 211e (see FIGS. 2, 8, and 9). One of the pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c may be a driving roller, and either of the other may be a driven roller, or both may be driving rollers.

[Loading tray]
The stacking tray 221 is provided inside the housing 202 so as to be movable up and down, and stacks sheets P to P.

  Specifically, the stacking tray 221 is provided in the casing 202 of the sheet supply apparatus 200 so as to be reciprocally movable along the vertical direction Z. The stacking tray 221 is a plate-like member along both a predetermined depth direction X and a left-right direction Y. The stacking tray 221 is a rectangular member that is long in the depth direction X in plan view. Here, the depth direction X is the direction of the front side (front side, operation side) and the back side (rear side, opposite to the operation side) of the sheet supply apparatus 200, and the left-right direction Y is the depth direction X and the vertical direction It is a direction orthogonal to both directions Z. In this example, the depth direction X is a direction along the sheet surface of the sheets P to P orthogonal to the sheet supply direction Y1 of the sheets P to P stacked on the stacking tray 221, and the left-right direction Y is the stacking tray 221. This is a direction along the sheet supply direction Y1 of the sheets P to P stacked on the sheet.

[Case]
The housing 202 accommodates the stacking tray 221 so as to be movable up and down. The casing 202 has a predetermined surface (in this example, one side in the depth direction X) in a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction Z and a front surface 2021 (FIGS. 3A, 4A, and 5A). )) In the left-right direction Y with respect to the front surface 2021 of the housing 202 (direction Y2 opposite to the sheet supply direction Y1), in this example, the right side 2022 (FIGS. 3A and 4A). In addition, the sheets P to P are replenished from FIG.

  Specifically, the housing 202 has a pair of inner walls 202a and 202b (FIGS. 3B, 4 and 5) provided along both the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z at predetermined intervals. 8 and 9) and a side wall 202c (FIGS. 3B and 4B) provided along both the depth direction X and the vertical direction Z on the sheet P supply side of the pair of inner walls 202a and 202b. b), FIG. 5, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). The stacking tray 221 is provided at both ends in the depth direction X, and reciprocates along the vertical direction Z. The pair of sliding contact portions 221a and 221a that are slidably contacted with the pair of inner walls 202a and 202b in the housing 202, respectively. (See FIG. 6) and a plurality (two in this example) that are provided at one end on the supply side of the sheet P in the left-right direction Y and are slidably contacted with the side wall 202c of the housing 202 when reciprocating along the up-down direction Z. ) Sliding contact portions 221b to 221b (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the stacking tray 221 can stably reciprocate along the vertical direction Z with respect to the housing 202.

[Positioning member]
The positioning member 222 positions the sheets P to P stacked on the stacking tray 221.

  Specifically, the positioning member 222 includes a front side positioning member 222a (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) and a back side positioning member 222b (FIGS. 3B, 4, 5, 8, and 8). 9).

  The front-side positioning member 222a and the back-side positioning member 222b are respectively moved to the front side X1 of the sheets P to P placed on the stacking tray 221 and to the back side X2 opposite to the front side X1. The sheets P to P are positioned by restricting the movement.

  The front-side positioning member 222a and the rear-side positioning member 222b have a predetermined interval in the depth direction X (an interval slightly larger than the size of the sheet P in the depth direction X by a predetermined gap). It stands up along both the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z with respect to the bottom face 202d (refer FIG. 6) of the body 202. FIG.

  In this example, the front-side positioning member 222a and the rear-side positioning member 222b can adjust the positioning position in the depth direction X corresponding to the sheets P of a plurality of sizes (specifically, A4 size, letter size, B5 size). Is provided.

  Specifically, a fixing screw hole (not shown) for fixing the front-side positioning member 222a and the rear-side positioning member 222b and a fixing engagement portion (for example, an engagement protrusion) are provided on the housing 202 of the sheet supply apparatus 200. ) Are provided along the vertical direction Z. On the other hand, the front-side positioning member 222a and the back-side positioning member 222b have a plurality of fixing screw through holes (not shown) and fixing locking portions (for example, arranged in the depth direction X corresponding to a plurality of sizes, respectively). (Locking holes) (not shown) are provided along the vertical direction Z. Then, the fixing screw through hole is made to match or substantially match the fixing screw hole, and the fixing engaging portion (for example, the engaging protrusion) corresponding to the size of the sheet P to be stacked (for example, the engaging protrusion) With the locking hole) locked, a fixing screw (not shown) is inserted through the fixing screw through hole corresponding to the size of the sheets P to be stacked, and screwed into the fixing screw hole. By doing so, the front side positioning member 222a and the back side positioning member 222b can adjust the positioning position in the depth direction X according to the size of the sheet P in the depth direction X.

  The positioning member 222 includes a supply-side positioning member 222c (see FIGS. 3B, 4B, 5, 8, and 9) and a supply-side positioning member 222d (FIGS. 4A and 4B). 5 (a)).

  The supply side positioning member 222c and the replenishment side positioning member 222d move in the sheet supply direction Y1 of the sheets P to P placed on the stacking tray 221 and move in the direction Y2 opposite to the sheet supply direction Y1, respectively. And the sheets P to P are positioned.

  The supply side positioning member 222c constitutes a side wall 202c provided on the supply side of the sheet P of the pair of inner walls 202a and 202b. The replenishment-side positioning member 222d is provided in a state of being divided into an inner surface of the opening / closing cover 201 and an inner surface of the side cover 203 (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) at the center in the depth direction X. Yes.

  In this example, the replenishment-side positioning members 222d and 222d have their positioning positions on one side in the left-right direction Y (sheet supply direction Y1) corresponding to the sheets P of a plurality of sizes (specifically, A4 size and B5 size). Adjustable.

  Specifically, a fixing screw hole (not shown) for fixing the supply side positioning members 222d and 222d is provided along the left-right direction Y on each of the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 201 and the inner surface of the side cover 203. Yes. On the other hand, the replenishment-side positioning members 222d and 222d have a rectangular cubic shape when viewed from the vertical direction Z (plane). The fixing portion (not shown) for fixing the replenishment-side positioning members 222d and 222d in the short direction has a short direction fixing screw through hole (not shown) as viewed from the vertical direction Z (plane). And a fixing portion (not shown) for fixing in the longitudinal direction of the replenishment-side positioning members 222d and 222d has a longitudinal fixing screw through hole (not shown) in the vertical direction. It is provided along the longitudinal direction of the shape viewed from the direction Z (plane). When the maximum size sheet P is supported, the supply side positioning members 222d and 222d are fixed to the short direction fixing screw through-holes so that the short side direction is in the left and right direction Y when viewed from the vertical direction Z (plane). Insert a screw (not shown) into the fixing screw hole. When the sheet P is smaller than the maximum size, the fixing screw is fixed to the longitudinal fixing screw through-hole so that the longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction Y when the supply side positioning members 222d, 222d are viewed from the vertical direction Z (plane). Is inserted and screwed into the fixing screw hole. By doing so, the replenishment-side positioning members 222d and 222d can adjust the positioning position in the left-right direction Y according to the size of the sheet P in the left-right direction Y.

  Further, the stacking tray 221 is provided with insertion holes 221c and 221d (see FIG. 6) through which the front side positioning member 222a and the back side positioning member 222b are inserted. The insertion holes 221c and 221d are slightly larger in the left-right direction Y than the front-side positioning member 222a and the rear-side positioning member 222b in the left-right direction Y (the front-side positioning member 222a and the rear-side positioning member 222b are inserted in the insertion holes 221c, The predetermined size is large (by a predetermined distance so that it can move smoothly to 221d). Further, the insertion holes 221c and 221d have a predetermined size for adjusting the positioning of the front side positioning member 222a and the back side positioning member 222b in the depth direction X in the depth direction X.

[Open / close cover]
The open / close cover 201 is provided on the housing 202 so as to be openable and closable, and faces the stacking tray 221. In this example, the opening / closing cover 201 is provided so as to be openable / closable on the casing 202 and covers the stacking tray 221 in a closed state (closed state). Thus, the open / close cover 201 is opened (opened). The opening / closing cover 201 is not limited to the one that covers the stacking tray 221, and for example, a mode in which the opening / closing cover 201 is provided only on the side surface side of the stacking tray 221 can be exemplified. In addition, when a frame member is provided inside the housing 202, the opening / closing cover 201 may be provided so as to be openable and closable on the frame member.

  The opening / closing cover 201 is provided on one side surface (right side surface 2022 in this example) in the left-right direction Y of the housing 202. The open / close cover 201 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the housing 202. The opening / closing cover 201 can be opened and closed around a rotation axis along a positioning direction (depth direction X in this example) in which the sheet P is positioned by a positioning member 222 (front positioning member 222a and rear positioning member 222b in this example). It is said that.

  Specifically, at both ends of the opening / closing cover 201 in the depth direction X, rotation shafts 201a and 201a projecting outward in the depth direction X (see FIGS. 3B, 4B, and 5B). ) Is provided. The rotation shafts 201a and 201a are rotatably inserted into rotation holes (not shown) provided in the pair of inner walls 202a and 202b of the housing 202. In addition, the rotation between the pair of inner walls 202a and 202b of the housing 202 and the opening / closing cover 201 is restricted from rotating beyond a predetermined full opening angle that is a predetermined opening angle of the opening / closing cover 201. A pair of rotation restricting members 204 and 204 (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) are provided. Thereby, the opening / closing cover 201 is maintained in the fully open state (see FIGS. 5 and 9) by restricting the rotation exceeding the fully open angle by the pair of rotation restricting members 204 and 204. ing.

〔lift device〕
As shown in FIG. 6, the lifting device 230 lifts and lowers the stacking tray 221 in the housing 202. The lifting device 230 includes a lift mechanism 231 and a lift drive unit 232.

  The lift mechanism 231 is configured to perform an ascending operation for raising the stacking tray 221 and a descending operation for lowering the loading tray 221. The lift drive unit 232 is configured to drive the lift mechanism 231 to raise the lift mechanism 231 while releasing the drive to the lift mechanism 231 and lower the lift mechanism 231 by its own weight.

  Specifically, the lift mechanism 231 includes a plurality (four in this example) of lift wires 231a to 231a that suspends the stacking tray 221 and a winding unit 231b that winds up the lift wires 231a to 231a that suspends the stacking tray 221. ing.

  In this example, the lift wires 231a to 231a are arranged so that the one end portions 231a1 to 231a1 are horizontally or substantially horizontal at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction Y on both side surfaces in the depth direction X of the stacking tray 221. The pair of lift wires (231a, 231a) and (231a, 231a) are connected so as to maintain balance. The winding portions 231b and 231b include a pair of support pulleys 231b1 and 231b1 and a winding pulley 231b2 provided on the front side X1 in the depth direction X, and a pair of support pulleys 231b1 provided on the back side X2 in the depth direction X. 231b1 and a winding pulley 231b2.

  Specifically, the pair of support pulleys (231b1, 231b1) provided on the front side X1 in the depth direction X are a pair of connection portions with the pair of lift wires (231a, 231a) on the front side X1 of the stacking tray 221. (221e, 221e) are rotatably provided on a pair of pivot shafts (not shown) provided on the housing 202 at positions above (221e, 221e). Similarly, the pair of support pulleys (231b1, 231b1) provided on the back surface side X2 in the depth direction X are connected to the pair of lift wires (231a, 231a) on the back surface side X2 of the stacking tray 221 (221e). , 221e) are rotatably provided on a pair of pivot shafts (not shown) respectively provided on the housing 202.

  The take-up pulley 231b2 provided on the front side X1 in the depth direction X has a pair of lift wires 231a and 231a connected to the front side X1 of the stacking tray 221 at one end 231a1 and 231a1, and a pair of support pulleys 231b1 and 231b1, respectively. The other end portions 231a2 and 231a2 of the pair of lift wires 231a and 231a are connected so as to be able to be wound around 231b1. Similarly, the take-up pulley 231b2 provided on the back surface side X2 in the depth direction X similarly has a pair of lift wires 231a and 231a connected to the back surface side X2 of the stacking tray 221 at one end 231a1 and 231a1. The other end portions 231a2 and 231a2 of the pair of lift wires 231a and 231a are connected so as to be wound around the support pulleys 231b1 and 231b1.

  Further, the two take-up pulleys 231b2 and 231b2 provided on both sides in the depth direction X are fixed to a rotation support shaft 231b3 provided in the housing 202 so as to be rotatable along the depth direction X. The take-up pulleys 231b2 and 231b2 are rotated in the take-up direction M1 (clockwise in FIG. 6) around the axis of the rotation support shaft 231b3, so that a pair of lift wires (231a and 231a) on both sides in the depth direction X is obtained. , (231a, 231a) to raise the stacking tray 221 while maintaining the posture of the stacking tray 221, while the rotating support shaft 231b3 has a feeding direction M2 opposite to the winding direction M1 around the axis (FIG. 6). ) By rotating the pair of lift wires (231a, 231a), (231a, 231a) on both sides in the depth direction X to maintain the posture of the stacking tray 221 while maintaining its posture. It is designed to be lowered.

  The lift drive unit 232 includes a lift drive motor 232a and a lift drive transmission mechanism 232b. The lift drive motor 232a is driven to perform the lifting / lowering operation of the lift mechanism 231. The lift drive transmission mechanism 232b transmits the rotational driving force from the lift drive motor 232a to the lift mechanism 231.

  Specifically, the lift drive motor 232a is provided on the back side X2 in the depth direction X, and is solidified on the housing 202 so that the rotation support shaft 232a1 faces the front side X1 in the depth direction X. The lift drive transmission mechanism 232b is a gear train including a plurality (two in this example) of gears 232b1 and 232b2.

  Specifically, of the two gears 232b1 and 232b2, one gear 232b1 is fixed to the rotation support shaft 232a1 of the lift drive motor 232a, and the other gear 232b2 is engaged with the one gear 232b1. And is fixed to the rotation support shaft 231b3.

[A pair of supply rollers]
The pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c are stacked on the stacking tray 221 and raised to a predetermined sheet supply position Q1 (see FIG. 8A) determined in advance by the lifting device 230. Supplying in the supply direction Y1.

  In supplying the sheet P, the first supply roller 211b and the second supply roller 211c are in a pressure contact state, and the sheet P conveyed from the pickup roller 211a is in contact with the first supply roller 211b and the second supply roller 211b. It is sandwiched between the supply roller 211c and conveyed to the conveyance roller 211e. Even when a plurality of sheets P are picked up by the pickup roller 211a, the second feeding roller 211c separates and conveys the sheets P one by one, and the sheets P are conveyed while being overlapped. Can be prevented. That is, the second supply roller 211c functions as a so-called separation roller.

[Conveyance roller]
The conveyance roller 211e is disposed downstream of the pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c in the sheet supply direction Y1, and supplies the sheet P supplied from the pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c to the image forming apparatus main body 110. To do.

  The pickup roller 211a, the first supply roller 211b, the second supply roller 211c, and the transport roller 211e are rotationally driven by a roller drive motor 251 (see FIG. 7). The roller drive motor 251 is configured by meshing a plurality of gears (not shown), and is connected to a roller drive transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the driving force of the roller drive motor 251 to each roller. . When the roller drive motor 251 is driven, each roller rotates through the roller drive transmission mechanism, and the sheet P is supplied. That is, the sheet P is picked up and conveyed from the stacking tray 221 and discharged to the outside. As shown in FIG. 7, the roller drive motor 251 is electrically connected to the output system of the control unit 120. Thereby, the roller drive motor 251 is controlled by the control signal from the control unit 120.

(Control part)
As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 100 further includes a control unit 120 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. Note that the control unit 120 may be provided in the sheet supply apparatus 200.

  The control unit 120 is configured to control the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 by the lifting / lowering device 230.

  The control unit 120 includes a processing unit 121 formed of a microcomputer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). And have. The control unit 120 controls the operation of various components by causing the processing unit 121 to load a control program stored in advance in the ROM of the storage unit 122 onto the RAM of the storage unit 122 and execute it. . The RAM of the storage unit 122 provides a working work area and an area as an image memory for storing image data to the processing unit 121, respectively.

  The sheet supply apparatus 200 includes a lowering detection unit 261 (see FIGS. 7 to 9), an open / close cover detection unit 262 (see FIGS. 4A, 5A, and 7), and a sheet presence / absence detection unit 263 ( 3 (b), FIG. 4 (b), FIG. 5 (b) and FIGS. 7 to 9) and the sheet replenishment position detection unit 264 (FIG. 3 (b), FIG. 4 (b), FIG. 5 (b). ), FIG. 7 to FIG. 9), lower limit position detector 265 (see FIG. 7 to FIG. 9), separation detector 266 (see FIG. 7 to FIG. 9), and first discharge detector 267 (from FIG. 7). FIG. 9).

  The lowering detection unit 261 is a lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 from the sheet supply position Q1, specifically, the sheet stacking surface 2211 of the stacking tray 221 (see FIG. 3B, FIGS. 4 to 6, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9). ) Is detected at the sheet supply position Q1. The descending detection unit 261 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. As a result, the control unit 120 performs the lowering operation from the sheet supply position Q1 of the stacking tray 221 based on the detection signal from the lowering detection unit 261, specifically, whether or not the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q1. Can be detected (recognized). In this example, the lowering detection unit 261 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator provided in the vicinity of the pickup roller 211a, and detects the raising / lowering position of the pickup roller 211a around the axis of the first supply roller 211b.

  The open / close cover detection unit 262 detects the open / close state of the open / close cover 201, specifically, whether or not the open / close cover 201 is open. The open / close cover detection unit 262 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. Thereby, the control unit 120 can detect (recognize) the open / close state of the open / close cover 201, specifically, whether the open / close cover 201 is open. In this example, the open / close cover detection unit 262 is a micro switch provided on the right side 2022 of the housing 202, and the open / close cover 201 is opened by a protrusion 2011 (see FIG. 5A) provided on the open / close cover 201. Detect whether or not.

  The sheet presence / absence detection unit 263 detects the presence / absence of the sheet P in the stacking tray 221. The sheet presence / absence detection unit 263 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. Accordingly, the control unit 120 can detect (recognize) the presence or absence of the sheet P in the stacking tray 221 based on the detection signal from the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263. In this example, the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263 is a light reflection type detection switch provided at an upper position in the housing 202, and the sheet P on the stacking tray 221 (when there is a sheet P) or the upper surface of the stacking tray 221. Light is irradiated (when there is no sheet P) to detect the presence or absence of reflected light reflected from the sheet P on the stacking tray 221 (when the sheet P is present) or the upper surface of the stacking tray 221 (when there is no sheet P). .

  The sheet replenishment position detection unit 264 has a predetermined sheet replenishment position Q2 (FIG. 3B, FIG. 4B, FIG. 5B, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) determined in advance by the sheet stacking surface 2211 of the stacking tray 221. It is detected whether it is above (see). The sheet supply position detection unit 264 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. Thus, the control unit 120 can detect (recognize) whether or not the sheet stacking surface 2211 of the stacking tray 221 is above the sheet supply position Q2 based on the detection signal from the sheet supply position detection unit 264. In this example, the sheet supply position detection unit 264 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator provided at a boundary position above or below the sheet supply position Q2 of the housing 202. It is detected whether or not the surface 2211 is above the boundary position. The sheet replenishment position detection unit 264 may be the same as that of the conventional configuration, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The lower limit position detection unit 265 detects the lower limit position Q3 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the stacking tray 221. The lower limit position detection unit 265 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. Thus, the control unit 120 can detect (recognize) the lower limit position Q3 of the stacking tray 221 based on the detection signal from the lower limit position detection unit 265. In this example, the lower limit position detection unit 265 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator provided on the bottom surface in the housing 202, and detects whether or not the stacking tray 221 has reached the lower limit position Q3.

  Further, the sheet supply apparatus 200 has a maximum sheet stacking position Qmax (FIGS. 3B, 4B, and 4B) indicating that stacking of sheets P to P exceeding the maximum stacking amount on the stacking tray 221 is prohibited. 5 (b), FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) are displayed. In this example, a label LB (see FIG. 3B, FIG. 4B, FIG. 5B, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) with the maximum sheet stacking position Qmax is placed on the inner surface of the rear side positioning member 222b. It is pasted.

  A separation detection unit 266 for detecting that the sheet P is placed on the second supply roller 211c in the vicinity of the upstream side or the downstream side (in this example, the vicinity of the downstream side) of the second supply roller 211c. Is arranged. The separation detection unit 266 detects that the sheet P is hung on the second supply roller 211c. The separation detection unit 266 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. Accordingly, the control unit 120 causes the leading edge of the sheet P to enter the second supply roller 211c or the trailing end of the sheet P to escape from the second supply roller 211c according to the detection signal from the separation detection unit 266. It is possible to detect (recognize) whether or not the separation operation of P has been started. In this example, the separation detection unit 266 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator. Note that the state in which the sheet P is applied to the second supply roller 211c specifically means that the sheet P is sandwiched between the second supply roller 211c, which is a separation roller, and the first supply roller 211b. This is a state where a separation operation is performed.

  A first discharge detection unit 267 for detecting the discharge of the sheet P from the sheet supply apparatus 200 is disposed in the vicinity of the upstream side or the downstream side (in the vicinity of the downstream side in this example) of the transport roller 211e. Yes. The first discharge detection unit 267 detects that the sheet P has been discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200. The first discharge detection unit 267 is electrically connected to the input system of the control unit 120. As a result, the control unit 120 supplies the sheet when the leading edge of the sheet P enters the second conveying roller 211e or the trailing edge of the sheet P comes out of the conveying roller 211e according to the detection signal from the first discharge detection unit 267. It can be detected (recognized) that the sheet P is discharged from the apparatus 200. In this example, the first discharge detection unit 267 is a light transmission type detection switch with an actuator.

[About the height of the highest part of the cover]
In the sheet supply apparatus 200, when the opening / closing cover 201 is open, the sheet stacking surface 2211 for stacking the sheets P on the stacking tray 221 is in a state where the opening / closing cover 201 is open (in this example, a fully open state). The highest highest portion 201b in the vertical direction Z (in this example, the tip of the opening / closing cover 201 having an L-shape in cross section) (see FIGS. 5B and 9) is configured to be positioned higher. . Here, the position of the sheet stacking surface 2211 when the open / close cover 201 is open (the fully opened state in this example) is a sheet supply position Q2 that is a position where the sheet P is supplied.

  Here, the sheet stacking surface 2211 is an upper surface of the stacking tray 221 in a state in which there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221 (FIGS. 3B, 4B, 5B, 8 and 9). (See (a)). The sheet stacking surface 2211 is an upper surface of the uppermost sheet P stacked on the stacking tray 221 in a state where the sheet P is present on the stacking tray 221 (see FIGS. 9B and 9C).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lift drive motor 232 a is electrically connected to the output system of the control unit 120. As a result, the lift drive motor 232a is controlled by the control signal from the control unit 120.

  When the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed by detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262, the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned higher than a predetermined predetermined sheet supply position Q2. The lifting device 230 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221. Here, the upper position is a position between the sheet supply position Q2 and the maximum sheet stacking position Qmax. In this example, the upper position is the sheet supply position Q1, and the control unit 120 causes the stacking tray 221 by the lifting device 230 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q1 by the detection of the lowering detection unit 261. Controls the lifting and lowering operation.

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that the sheet P is present on the stacking tray 221 by the detection of the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263, the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262. The lifting / lowering device 230 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the upper position (the sheet supply position Q1 in this example).

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262, the sheet stacking surface 2211 is lowered from the upper position (the sheet supply position Q1 in this example) and the sheet replenishment position. The lifting / lowering device 230 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 so as to be positioned at the sheet supply position Q2 by the detection of the detection unit 264.

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221 by detection of the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263, the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed by detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262. The elevating device 230 controls the elevating operation of the stacking tray 221 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet replenishing position Q2 by the detection of the sheet replenishing position detecting unit 264.

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262, the sheet stacking surface 2211 is maintained at the sheet supply position Q2 by detection of the sheet supply position detection unit 264. The lifting device 230 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221.

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221 by detection of the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263, the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed by detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262. The elevating operation of the stacking tray 221 is controlled by the elevating device 230 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at a lower position lower than the sheet supply position Q2. Here, the lower position is a position between the sheet supply position Q2 and the lower limit position Q3. For example, the lower position can be the lower limit position Q3, and the control unit 120 moves the stacking tray 221 up and down by the lifting device 230 so that the stacking tray 221 is positioned at the lower limit position Q3 by the detection of the lower limit position detection unit 265. Can be controlled.

  In addition, when the control unit 120 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262, the sheet stacking surface 2211 rises from a lower position (for example, the lower limit position Q3) and the sheet supply position detection unit 264 is detected. The lifting / lowering device 230 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 so as to be positioned at the sheet replenishment position Q <b> 2 by detecting this.

  Further, when the control unit 120 detects that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is above the sheet supply position Q2 by the detection of the sheet supply position detection unit 264, the controller 120 performs the lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 by the lifting device 230. When the sheet supply position detection unit 264 detects that the sheet stacking surface 2211 has fallen below the sheet supply position Q2 from the sheet supply position Q2, the lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 is stopped by the lifting device 230. Yes.

(Regarding control example of lifting operation of lifting device)
Next, a control example of the lifting operation of the lifting device 230 by the control unit 120 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the lifting operation of the lifting device 230, first, the control unit 120 detects the sheet on the stacking tray 221 by the detection of the sheet presence / absence detection unit 263 while the image forming apparatus 100 is activated (step S <b> 101: Yes). It is determined whether or not there is P (step S102). If it is determined that there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221 (step S102: No), the sheet P supply operation is stopped (step S103), and there is no sheet. Is displayed (step S104). Further, the control unit 120 controls the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting / lowering device 230 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q2 by the sheet supply position detection unit 264 (step S105) (see FIG. 8A). It is determined whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 has been opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 (step S106). When the control unit 120 determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened (step S106: Yes), the control unit 120 proceeds to step S110 (see FIG. 8B).

  On the other hand, when the control unit 120 determines that there is a sheet P on the stacking tray 221 (step S102: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 (step S107). ). When the control unit 120 determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed (step S107: No), the control unit 120 detects the lowering detection unit 261 so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q1. The raising / lowering operation is controlled (step S108), the supply of the sheet P is being activated (step S109), and the process proceeds to step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that the open / close cover 201 is opened (step S107: Yes), the process proceeds to step S110. Transition.

  Next, the control unit 120 lowers the stacking tray 221 by the lifting device 230 (step S110), and determines whether or not the sheet stacking surface 2211 has been lowered to the sheet supply position Q2 by the detection of the sheet supply position detection unit 264. (Step S111) When it is determined that the sheet stacking surface 2211 has not been lowered to the sheet supply position Q2 (No at Step S111), the process proceeds to Step S110 (FIGS. 9A and 9C). When it is determined that the sheet stacking surface 2211 has been lowered to the sheet supply position Q2 (step S111: Yes), the lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 by the lifting device 230 is stopped (step S112).

  Next, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the sheet P has been replenished (step S113). If it is determined that the sheet P has been replenished (step S113: Yes), the process proceeds to step S110, while the sheet P is replenished. When it is determined that P is not replenished (step S113: No), the process proceeds to step S114.

  Next, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 is closed by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 (step S114), and determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is open (step S114: No). ), On the other hand, when it is determined that the opening / closing cover 201 is closed (step S114: Yes), the stacking tray 221 is raised by the elevating device 230 (step S115).

  Next, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the sheet stacking surface 2211 is located at the sheet supply position Q1 based on the detection of the sheet supply position detection unit 264 (step S116), and the sheet stacking surface 2211 is determined as the sheet supply position Q1. When the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q1 (step S116: Yes), the process proceeds to step S115. The raising operation of the stacking tray 221 is stopped (step S117).

  Then, when the activation of the image forming apparatus 100 is stopped (Step S101: No), the control unit 120 ends the process.

  In the control example shown in FIG. 10, when there is no sheet P on the stacking tray 221, when the open / close cover 201 is closed, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 is positioned at the sheet supply position Q2. However, the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 is controlled so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 maintains the sheet supply position Q1 or is positioned at a lower position (for example, the lower limit position Q3) lower than the sheet supply position Q2. May be. When the sheet stacking surface 2211 maintains the sheet supply position Q1, when the open / close cover 201 is opened, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down so that the sheet stacking surface 2211 descends from the sheet supply position Q1 and is positioned at the sheet supply position Q2. Can be controlled. Further, when the sheet stacking surface 2211 is located at a lower position lower than the sheet supply position Q2, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened, the sheet stacking surface 2211 rises from the lower position (for example, the lower limit position Q3) and the sheet supply position Q2 is reached. The lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 can be controlled so as to be positioned at the position.

[Notch]
In the sheet supply apparatus 200, the open / close cover 201 is configured to be openable and closable so that the sheet P is replenished from one side in the left-right direction Y, and includes a housing 202 that houses the stacking tray 221. On one side, a cutout portion 2023 with a part cut away is provided. Specifically, in the sheet supply apparatus 200, a part of the front surface 2021 of the housing 202 in the left-right direction Y (a direction Y2 opposite to the sheet supply direction Y1) (the right side surface 2022 in this example) is partially cut away. A notch 2023 (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) is provided.

  The notch 2023 has an upper side 2023a (see FIGS. 4A and 5A) on the front surface 2021 of the housing 202 and a side 2023b on one side in the left-right direction Y (right side 2022 in this example) (see FIG. 4 (a) and FIG. 5 (a)). In this example, the notch 2023 is formed such that the upper side 2023a and the side 2020b are at right angles or substantially right angles.

  The sheet supply apparatus 200 is configured such that the opening / closing cover 201 covers the notch 2023 when the opening / closing cover 201 is closed (see FIG. 3A). That is, the opening / closing cover 201 hides the notch 2023 when the opening / closing cover 201 is closed.

  The notch 2023 also serves as an opening for visually recognizing the rear side positioning member for visually recognizing the rear side positioning member 222b. That is, the notch portion 2023 has the rear positioning member 222b and the stacking tray 221 through the notch portion 2023 when the casing 202 is viewed from the front with the open / close cover 201 open (in this example, the fully open state). The housing 202 is cut out to such an extent that the stacking state of the sheets P to P can be visually recognized.

[Open position of the highest part of the cover]
In the sheet supply apparatus 200, the positioning member 222 and the opening / closing cover 201 are positioned in a direction along the sheet surface of the sheet P perpendicular to the positioning direction (depth direction X in this example) when the opening / closing cover 201 is open. The opening / closing cover side end 2221 (see FIG. 9A) of the positioning member 222 in the orthogonal direction (the left-right direction Y in this example) and the vertical direction Z in the opened state (fully opened state in this example) of the opening / closing cover 201 A distance L1 (see FIG. 9A) in the positioning orthogonal direction (in this example, the left-right direction Y) with the highest highest portion 201b (in this example, an L-shaped tip in cross-sectional view) is stacked on the stacking tray 221. From the size L2 (see FIG. 9A) of the sheet P (the sheet P having the maximum size in this example) in the positioning orthogonal direction (the left-right direction Y in this example). And it is configured to be larger.

[Configuration of the embodiment]
In the sheet supply apparatus 200, the opening / closing cover 201 can be opened by an operator to replenish the sheet P during the supply operation of conveying the sheet P. When the opening / closing cover 201 is opened, that is, stacking is performed. When the sheet P placed on the tray 221 or the stacking tray 221 is exposed, the sheet P being supplied is discharged, but the sheet P scheduled to be conveyed next to the sheet P is picked up. Without stopping the supply operation. Then, in order to be able to replenish sheets P, the stacking tray 221 is lowered by the lifting device 230, and the sheet stacking surface 2211 is lowered to a predetermined position (in this example, the sheet replenishing position Q2).

  As described above, since the sheet P can be replenished even during the sheet P feeding operation in the sheet feeding apparatus 200, the timing of the replenishment is not restricted, and the sheet P is at a timing preferable by the operator. Can be replenished and work can be performed efficiently. Further, as described above, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened for replenishment of the sheet P, the sheet P supply operation is stopped. However, for the sheet P currently being conveyed, the supply operation is stopped after the discharge is completed. It is possible to prevent the sheet P from being newly picked up. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sheet P from remaining in any of the pickup roller 211a, the first supply roller 211b, the second supply roller 211c, and the transport roller 211e. Therefore, when the supply operation is restarted, it is possible to prevent a problem such that a jam occurs because the sheet P remains on the roller.

  Further, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened, the stacking tray 221 can be lowered at a predetermined timing to start a preparation operation for replenishment. As a result, the sheet P can be replenished quickly with less waiting time, and work can be performed efficiently. Note that the supply operation of the sheet P currently being conveyed is stopped after the completion of the discharge, and therefore the supply operation is not stopped at the same time as the opening / closing cover 201 is opened. Therefore, if the stacking tray 221 starts to descend at the same time as the opening / closing cover 201 is opened, a jam may occur. However, in the sheet supply apparatus 200, the predetermined timing at which the stacking tray 221 starts to descend is when the sheet P passes through a position where a jam does not occur in the conveyance path. Thereby, the occurrence of jam can be prevented, and the sheet P can be replenished efficiently.

  In this example, as in the following first embodiment to fourth embodiment, the lifting device 230 is in a case where the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 detects that the opening / closing cover 201 that has been closed has been opened. When the predetermined condition is satisfied, the stacking tray is lowered to a predetermined position (specifically, the sheet supply position Q2).

[Configuration of First Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation and the sheet P is replenished, the sheet P currently being conveyed is caught on the second supply roller 211c acting as a separation roller. The lowering of the stacking tray 221 is started. As described above, since the stacking tray 221 starts to descend while the sheet P is caught on the second supply roller 211c, the sheet P is prevented from being picked up after the stacking tray 221 starts to descend. be able to. Thereby, the occurrence of jam can be prevented. Further, the stacking tray 221 starts to descend immediately, and preparation for the sheet P replenishment operation can be started. Thereby, replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  The supply stopping operation and the raising / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. To do.

  First, the supply stop operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 during the supply operation (step S301: Yes) (step S302). When it is determined that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened (step S302: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether or not the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200 based on the detection of the first discharge detection unit 267 (step S302: Yes). Step S303). When the control unit 120 determines that the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200 (step S303: Yes), the control unit 120 stops the supply operation (step S304) and ends the process. Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the roller drive motor 251 with the control signal to stop driving of each roller, and also stops the sheet P supply request to the sheet supply apparatus 200. Since the supply operation is stopped when the sheet P is discharged, the pickup of the sheet P scheduled to be conveyed next is performed after the currently conveyed sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200. Therefore, the sheet P does not remain on any of the rollers when the supply operation is stopped.

  Here, when the supply operation is stopped, the control unit 120 stops the image forming operation because the sheet P is being replenished by a display device (not shown) that displays an error or the like to the operator. You may make it alert | report to an operator that it is carried out.

  Next, the raising / lowering operation | movement of the stacking tray 221 is demonstrated. The lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 is performed in parallel with the supply stop operation. As shown in FIG. 12, during the supply operation (step S401: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 has been opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 (step S402). When the control unit 120 determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened (step S402: Yes), whether the sheet P is caught on the second supply roller 211c (separation roller) by the detection of the separation detection unit 266 is determined. Judgment is made (step S403). When the control unit 120 determines that the sheet P is caught on the second supply roller 211c (step S403: Yes), the control unit 120 proceeds to step S404.

  In step S404, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down, and this operation is the same as the operation from step S110 to step S117 in FIG. Therefore, description of the operation in step S404 is omitted.

  After step S404, the control unit 120 resumes the supply operation that has been stopped (step S405). Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the roller drive motor 251 with a control signal to start driving each roller. Thereby, the process is terminated.

[Configuration of Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation and the sheet P is replenished, the stacking tray 221 is lowered when the currently conveyed sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200. Is started. As described above, since the stacking tray 221 starts to descend while the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200, the sheet P is prevented from being picked up after the stacking tray 221 starts to descend. it can. Thereby, the occurrence of jam can be prevented. Further, the stacking tray 221 starts to descend immediately, and preparation for the sheet P replenishment operation can be started. Thereby, replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  Since the supply stop operation when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the second embodiment is the same as the supply stop operation in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. The description is omitted. The raising / lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, during the supply operation (step S501: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 (step S502). When the control unit 120 determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened (step S502: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200 based on the detection of the first discharge detection unit 267 (step S502: Yes). Step S503). If the control unit 120 determines that the sheet P is discharged from the sheet supply apparatus 200 (step S503: Yes), the control unit 120 proceeds to step S504.

  In step S504, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down, and this operation is the same as the operation from step S110 to step S117 in FIG. Therefore, the description of the operation in step S504 is omitted.

  After step S504, the control unit 120 resumes the supply operation that has been stopped (step S505). Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the roller drive motor 251 with a control signal to start driving each roller. Thereby, the process is terminated.

[Configuration of Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation and the sheet P is replenished, the stacking tray 221 is lowered when the sheet P currently being conveyed is received by the image forming apparatus main body 110. Is started. Thus, the stacking tray 221 can start to descend while the sheet P is received in the image forming apparatus main body 110. Thereby, since the sheet P is not picked up after the stacking tray 221 starts to descend, the occurrence of jam can be prevented. Further, the stacking tray 221 starts to descend immediately, and preparation for the sheet P replenishment operation can be started. Thereby, replenishment work can be performed efficiently.

  The supply stop operation when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation in the third embodiment and the sheet P is replenished is the same as the supply stop operation in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. The description is omitted. The up and down operation of the stacking tray 221 when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 during the supply operation (step S601: Yes) (step S602). When it is determined that the opening / closing cover 201 has been opened (step S602: Yes), the control unit 120 determines whether the sheet P has been received by the image forming apparatus main body 110 based on detection by the entrance detection unit 18 (step S603). ). When the control unit 120 determines that the sheet P has been received by the image forming apparatus main body 110 (step S603: Yes), the control unit 120 proceeds to step S604.

  In step S604, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down. This operation is the same as the operation from step S110 to step S117 in FIG. Therefore, the description of the operation in step S604 is omitted.

  After step S604, the control unit 120 resumes the supply operation that has been stopped (step S605). Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the roller drive motor 251 with a control signal to start driving each roller. Thereby, the process is terminated.

[Configuration of Fourth Embodiment]
In the fourth embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation and the sheet P is replenished, the sheet P currently being conveyed is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110, and The descent starts. As described above, since the stacking tray 221 starts to descend while the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110, the sheet P is prevented from being picked up after the stacking tray 221 starts to descend. Can do. This prevents jamming.

  The supply stop operation in the case where the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the fourth embodiment is the same as the supply stop operation in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. The description is omitted. With reference to FIG. 15, the following describes the raising and lowering operation of the stacking tray 221 when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened and the sheet P is replenished during the supply operation in the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the opening / closing cover 201 is opened by the detection of the opening / closing cover detection unit 262 during the supply operation (step S <b> 701: Yes) (step S <b> 702). When the control unit 120 determines that the opening / closing cover 201 is opened (step S702: Yes), the sheet P is discharged to the image forming apparatus main body 110 by the detection of the second discharge detection unit 16 and the third discharge detection unit 17. It is determined whether or not it has been done (step S703). When the control unit 120 determines that the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110 (step S703: Yes), the control unit 120 proceeds to step S704.

  In step S704, the stacking tray 221 is moved up and down, and this operation is the same as the operation from step S110 to step S117 in FIG. Therefore, the description of the operation in step S704 is omitted.

  After step S704, the control unit 120 resumes the supply operation that has been stopped (step S705). Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the roller drive motor 251 with a control signal to start driving each roller. Thereby, the process is terminated.

(Other embodiments)
In the present embodiment, the sheet supply device 200 is a large-capacity paper feeding device. However, the sheet P stacked on the stacking tray 221 and raised to the sheet supply position Q1 by the lifting device 230 is moved by the pair of supply rollers 211b and 211c. Any one may be used as long as the sheet is supplied in the sheet supply direction Y1. For example, the sheet supply device 200 may be a paper feeding device provided in the image forming apparatus main body 110.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation, the stacking tray 221 starts to descend at a predetermined timing. The timing of the descending start may be any timing that can suppress the occurrence of a jam. Specifically, the sheet P may be located at any position on the conveyance path from the second supply roller 211c acting as a separation roller until it is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110 to the outside. The timing is not limited to that in the first to fourth embodiments.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus main body 110 may further include a post-processing device that performs preset post-processing after image formation. The post-processing device includes, for example, a sorting device, a finisher device, a punch processing device that punches holes in the image-formed sheet P, a staple processing device that binds the image-formed sheet P, and a folding device that folds the image-formed sheet P. It may include at least one of the processing devices. When the opening / closing cover 201 is opened during the supply operation of the sheet supply apparatus 200, when the post processing is performed by the post processing apparatus and the sheet P is discharged from the post processing apparatus, the replenishment work of the sheet P is performed. The loading tray 221 may start to descend for preparation.

  In the present embodiment, the post-processing device may be a post-processing unit (optional unit) connected to the image forming apparatus main body 110 or may be integrated with the image forming apparatus main body 110 to form an image. You may make it provide in the apparatus main body 110. FIG.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented in various other forms. Therefore, such an embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

16 Second discharge detection unit 17 Third discharge detection unit 18 Entrance detection unit 100 Image forming apparatus 120 Control unit 121 Processing unit 122 Storage unit 200 Sheet supply device 201 Opening / closing cover (opening / closing member)
201a Rotating shaft 201b Highest part 202 Case 2021 Front 2022 Right side 2023 Notch 2023a Upper side 2023b Side side 203 Side cover 210 Sheet supply part 211a Pickup roller (pickup part)
211b 1st supply roller 211c 2nd supply roller (separation part)
211e Transport roller (discharge unit)
221 Stacking tray 2211 Sheet stacking surface 222 Positioning member 2221 Opening / closing cover side end 222a Front side positioning member 222b Rear side positioning member 230 Lifting device (an example of lifting control unit)
231 Lift mechanism 232 Lift drive unit 232a Lift drive motor 232b Lift drive transmission mechanism 251 Drive motor 261 Lowering detection unit 262 Opening / closing cover detection unit (opening / closing detection unit)
263 Sheet presence / absence detection unit 264 Sheet supply position detection unit 265 Lower limit position detection unit 266 Separation detection unit 267 First discharge detection unit L1 Distance L2 Size P Sheet Q1 Sheet supply position Q2 Sheet supply position Q3 Lower limit position Qmax Maximum sheet stacking position X Depth Direction X1 Front side X2 Back side Y Left and right direction Y1 Sheet feeding direction Y2 Opposite direction Z Up and down direction

Claims (11)

A sheet supply device including a stacking tray for stacking sheets and an openable / closable member,
An open / close detector for detecting an open / closed state of the open / close member;
A sheet supply unit that supplies the sheets stacked on the stacking tray in a predetermined sheet supply direction,
The sheet supply unit performs a current supply operation when the open / close detection unit detects that the open / close member that has been closed is in an open state while performing a sheet supply operation. A sheet supply apparatus, wherein the supply operation is stopped after supplying the existing sheet. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1,
An elevating control unit that controls the elevating operation of the stacking tray;
When the open / close detection unit detects that the open / close member that has been in the closed state is open, the stacking tray is lowered to a predetermined position when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The sheet feeding apparatus, wherein the lifting control unit controls the lifting / lowering operation of the stacking tray so that the lifting / lowering control unit controls the lifting / lowering operation. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 2,
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a sheet supply position which is a position for supplying sheets to the stacking tray. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein
The sheet supply unit
A pickup section for picking up sheets from the stacking tray;
A separation unit that separates the sheet picked up by the pickup unit into one sheet;
A discharge unit for discharging the sheet separated by the separation unit to the outside,
Whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined based on a position where the supplied sheet has reached the sheet conveyance path from the separation unit to the discharge unit. Sheet feeding device. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein
The sheet supply unit
A pickup section for picking up sheets from the stacking tray;
A separation unit that separates the sheet picked up by the pickup unit into one sheet,
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the supplied sheet is placed on the separation unit. The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein
The sheet supply unit
A pickup section for picking up sheets from the stacking tray;
A separation unit that separates the sheet picked up by the pickup unit into one sheet;
A discharge unit for discharging the sheet separated by the separation unit to the outside,
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the supplied sheet passes through the discharge unit. A sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The sheet supply unit performs a current supply operation when the open / close detection unit detects that the open / close member that has been closed is in an open state while performing a sheet supply operation. A sheet supply apparatus, wherein a sheet supply operation is stopped, and a sheet supply operation to be performed next is stopped.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet feeding device according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a sheet discharged from the sheet supply apparatus is received by a main body of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the sheet discharged from the sheet supply apparatus is discharged from the main body of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
A post-processing device;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a sheet discharged from the sheet supply apparatus is discharged from the post-processing apparatus.

Images