JP6623660B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device.

  A main body having a first transport member for transporting the medium, and a plurality of media are accommodated so as to be vertically stacked on an installation surface on which the apparatus is installed, and the medium is disposed along the installation surface. An accommodating section that reciprocates in the direction and is attached to and detached from the main body section, and a supply section for separating the medium accommodated in the accommodating section and supplying the medium to the main body section, and an attaching section for being attached to the accommodating section. A supply unit having a second conveyance member for sandwiching the medium at the position opposed to the first conveyance member and opposed to the first conveyance member, and for separating the medium; A third transporting member for transporting the uppermost one toward a position where the first transporting member and the second transporting member face each other, and a second transporting member in a state where the housing portion is attached to the main body portion. The transport member is predetermined for the first transport member. And a positioning mechanism for positioning the main body and the supply section so that the main body and the supply section are positioned at the same position. A transport device to be positioned is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-81285 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reliably position a supply unit that supplies a recording medium stored in a storage unit with a transport unit that transports a recording medium in a main body unit.

In order to solve the problem, the transport device according to claim 1,
The main body,
A storage unit that stores a recording medium and is detachably attached to the main body unit,
A paper feeder fixed to the main body and having a transport member for transporting the recording medium,
A supply unit that has a separation member that comes into contact with the conveyance member and separates the recording medium between the conveyance member and the conveyance unit, the supply unit being movably held in the mounting direction of the storage unit,
A first urging unit that urges the supply unit with a first urging force, and a second urging unit that urges the supply unit with a second urging force weaker than the first urging force. The storage unit is movably held in the storage unit, and when the storage unit is mounted on the main body unit, the storage unit engages with the paper supply unit against the urging forces of the first urging unit and the second urging unit. And positioning means for performing positioning.
It is characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to the first aspect,
The positioning means includes a positioning pin formed on the paper supply unit side and having a tapered shape at the tip, and a positioning hole formed on the supply unit side into which the positioning pin is inserted and having a tapered shape at an open end. ,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to the second aspect ,
The positioning pin has a contact surface that is in contact with the inner surface of the positioning hole when inserted into the positioning hole, and a contacted surface that does not contact the inner surface of the positioning hole.
It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to the second or third aspect ,
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to the second or third aspect, in a state where the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion ,
The positioning pin is located at an intermediate point between the rotation axis of the separation member and the swing center axis of the separation member,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the transfer device according to the second or third aspect ,
In a state where the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, the positioning pin is located directly below the transport member at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the separation member,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the transfer device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects,
When the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, the separation member contacts the transport member after the positioning pin is engaged with the positioning hole,
It is characterized by the following.
It is characterized by the following.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the transfer device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects,
A hook member provided on the housing portion and engaged with an engaged portion provided on the main body portion, and when the hook member and the engaged portion are engaged at a retracting start position of the housing portion, A biasing member that applies a pulling force to the hook member,
When the storage unit is mounted on the main body,
F1 <F2 <F3
Attached with the relationship of
It is characterized by the following.
Here, the frictional force when the positioning pin engages with the positioning hole is defined as F1, the contact force of the separation member with the transport member is defined as F2, and the pulling force of the urging member is defined as F3.

The invention according to claim 8 is the transfer device according to claim 7 , wherein
When the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, before the positioning pin engages with the positioning hole and before the separation member comes into contact with the transport member, the hook member is connected to the engaged portion. , The retraction is started,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the transport device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects,
The main body is provided with a regulating member that regulates vertical displacement of the supply unit.
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 0, wherein, in the conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
When the accommodating portion is mounted on the main body portion, the paper feeding portion has a receiving surface with which the supply portion abuts, and the main body portion has a contact surface with which the accommodating portion abuts.
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 1, wherein, in the conveying device according to claim 1 0,
When the accommodating portion is attached to the main body portion, after the supply portion abuts on the receiving surface,
Wherein the housing portion is in contact with the contact surface of the main body portion,
It is characterized by the following.

In order to solve the above problem, the transport device according to claim 12,
The main body,
A storage unit that stores a recording medium and is detachably attached to the main body unit,
A paper feeder fixed to the main body and having a transport member for transporting the recording medium,
A separation member that comes into contact with the conveyance member and separates the recording medium from the conveyance member, and moves linearly in a direction that intersects the mounting direction of the storage unit and separates from and comes into contact with the paper supply unit A supply unit movably held in the storage unit,
A first inclined surface that guides a guided member provided in the supply unit when the housing unit is attached to the main body unit, which is formed continuously with the first inclined surface and is steeper than the first inclined surface; A guide member having a second inclined surface having a gentle inclination, and a pressing surface formed continuously with the second inclined surface and being parallel to the moving direction of the housing portion.
In conjunction with the operation in which the storage section is mounted on the main body section, the supply section moves from a first position that does not interfere with the paper supply section to a second position used for supplying the recording medium,
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 3, wherein, in the conveying device according to claim 1 2,
The guided member is located immediately below an urging member that presses the separation member against the transport member at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the separation member,
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 4, wherein, in the conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 1 3,
The storage section has a concave shape at the upper end of the wall surface of the storage section on the side where the recording medium is sent out, and a convex shape that fits with the concave shape at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall of the supply section. A tapered guide surface is formed at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall and the tip of the convex shape.
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 5, wherein, in the conveying device according to claim 1 4,
The inclination angle of the tapered guide surface at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall is an inclination angle at which the leading end side corner of the recording medium contacts the tapered guide surface in a state where the recording medium is skewed. The inclination angle of the convex tapered guide surface is an inclination angle that does not protrude toward the recording medium accommodation side from the wall surface of the accommodation section on the side where the recording medium is sent out,
It is characterized by the following.

The invention of claim 1 6, wherein, in the conveying device according to claim 1 4 or 1 5,
The concave shape and the convex shape are fitted to each other to form a pair of concave and convex shapes, and are formed at least 15 mm inside from both ends in a width direction intersecting with the feeding direction of the recording medium.
It is characterized by the following.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as compared with the case where the supply unit does not have a configuration in which the supply unit is held movably in the mounting direction of the storage unit, the supply unit when positioning the supply unit to the paper supply unit is used. The supply unit can be surely aligned with the conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium by the main unit while suppressing the acting rotational moment .
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the positioning hole of the supply unit can be reliably engaged with the positioning pin of the sheet feeding unit while reducing the resistance when the positioning hole and the positioning pin engage.
According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the insertion resistance of the positioning pin into the positioning hole.
According to the invention as set forth in claims 4 to 6 , it is possible to suppress galling between the positioning pin and the positioning hole.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the housing can be securely mounted on the main body.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the resistance when the housing is mounted on the main body.
According to the invention of claim 1 1, it is possible to suppress the rotational moment acting on the supply portion when positioning the supply unit to the paper feeding unit.
According to the invention described in claim 1 0 and 1 1, it is possible to suppress damage to the supply portion while suppressing the positional deviation of the conveying member and the separating member.
According to claim 1 2 or to the invention described in 1 3, the housing portion can be prevented damage to the paper feed portion at the time of mounting to the main body portion.
According to claims 1 to 4 not to the invention described in 1 6, it is possible to reduce damage of the recording medium.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming system. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a main part of the transfer device 200. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a sheet feeding mechanism. FIG. 7A is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating engagement between a supply unit 240 and a paper feeding unit 230, and FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an engagement state between a positioning hole 242 and a positioning pin 235. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing engagement between a supply unit 240, a paper supply unit 230, and a storage unit 220. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an arrangement position of a positioning pin 235. FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the positioning of the supply unit 240 and the paper supply unit 230. FIG. 4A illustrates a state in which a positioning hole 242 of the supply unit 240 starts engaging with a positioning pin 235 of the paper supply unit 230. () Shows a state in which the positioning hole 242 of the supply unit 240 is engaged with the positioning pin 235 of the paper feeding unit 230 and positioned. (A) is a schematic plan view showing the engagement of the storage section 220 with the main body section 210, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a force acting when the supply section 240 and the paper supply section 230 are engaged. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an arrangement of a regulating member 211. It is the elements on larger scale which show the structure of a comb tooth part. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a position of a comb tooth portion with respect to an end of a sheet P. It is a cross section for explaining operation at the time of attaching accommodation part 220 to main part 210. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of a transport device 200A including a guide member 250 that guides a supply unit 240A to a paper supply unit 230.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments and specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and specific examples.
In the following description using the drawings, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and ratios of respective dimensions and the like are different from actual ones. Illustrations other than members are omitted as appropriate.
In order to facilitate understanding of the following description, in the drawings, the front-back direction is defined as an X-axis direction, the left-right direction is defined as a Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction is defined as a Z-axis direction.

"First Embodiment"
(1) Overall Configuration and Operation of Image Forming System FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming system 1 to which a transport device according to the present embodiment is applied. An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 conveys an image forming apparatus 100 such as a printer or a copying machine that forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and a sheet P as a recording medium on which a toner image is formed in the image forming apparatus 100. And a transfer device 200.
Hereinafter, the overall configuration and operation of the image forming system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1.1) Overall Configuration and Operation of Image Forming Apparatus The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control device 10, a paper feeding device 20, a photoconductor unit 30, a developing device 40, a transfer device 50, and a fixing device 60. ing. A transport device 200 is disposed below the image forming apparatus 100 (in the −Z direction), and a sheet P on which an image is recorded is transported to the image forming apparatus 100.

  At the bottom of the image forming apparatus 100, a sheet feeding device 20 on which sheets P as recording media are stacked is provided, and the sheets P whose width direction positions are determined by a regulating plate (not shown) are one by one from the upper side. After being pulled forward (−X direction) by the paper drawer 22, the sheet is conveyed to the nip of the registration roller pair 23.

  The photoconductor units 30 each include a photoconductor drum 31 that is provided in parallel above the paper feeding device 20 (Z direction) and that is driven to rotate. Yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images are formed on the respective photosensitive drums 31 by the respective developing devices 40.

  The respective color toner images formed on the photoconductor drum 31 of each photoconductor unit 30 are sequentially electrostatically transferred (primary transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 51 of the transfer device 50 to form a superimposed toner image in which the respective color toners are superimposed. Is done. The superimposed toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 51 is sent out from the pair of registration rollers 23, and is collectively transferred by the secondary transfer roller 52 to the sheet P guided by the conveyance guide.

The paper P on which the toner image has been collectively transferred by the transfer device 50 is conveyed to the fixing device 60 in a state where the toner image has not been fixed, and the pair of the heating module 61 and the pressing module 62 is used to press the toner image by pressing and heating. Is established.
The sheet P on which the fixed toner image is formed is guided by a conveyance guide, and is discharged and stored from a pair of discharge rollers 69 to a discharge tray portion T formed on the upper surface (Z direction) of the image forming apparatus 100.

(1.2) Overall Configuration and Operation of Transporting Device The transporting device 200 has a main body 210 and a housing 220. The main body 210 has a configuration that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 100, and has a transport path for the paper P connected to a paper transport path of the image forming apparatus 100.

The storage section 220 is configured to store a large number of sheets of paper P, and reciprocally move and be mounted on the main body section 210. The storage section 220 includes a sheet stacking plate 221 on which sheets P are stacked, and moves the sheet stacking plate 221 according to the remaining amount of the sheets P.
The accommodation section 220 is mounted by moving in the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, also referred to as “mounting direction”), and moves in the direction of arrow R2 (hereinafter, also referred to as “separation direction”). As a result, the detachment, that is, the mounted state is released.

  The main body 210 is provided with a paper feed unit 230, and the storage unit 220 is provided with a supply unit 240. In a state in which the storage section 220 is mounted on the main body section 210, the feed roll 232 as a transport member of the paper feed section 230 and the retard roll 241 as a separation member of the supply section 240 come into contact with each other and are fed from the nudger roll 231. The separated sheets P are conveyed to the image forming apparatus 100 one by one.

(2) Conveying Apparatus FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a main part of the conveying apparatus 200, FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a sheet feeding mechanism, and FIG. FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an engagement state between the positioning hole 242 and the positioning pin 235, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an engagement between the supply unit 240, the paper feeding unit 230, and the storage unit 220. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an arrangement position of the positioning pin 235. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating positioning of the supply unit 240 and the paper supply unit 230. FIG. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the positioning holes start engaging with the positioning pins of the sheet feeding unit 230, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which the positioning holes of the supply unit 240 are engaged with the positioning pins of the sheet feeding unit 230 and positioned. FIG. 8A is a schematic plan view showing the engagement of the storage section 220 with the main body section 210, FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a force acting when the supply section 240 and the paper feed section 230 are engaged, and FIG. Is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the regulating member 211, FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing the configuration of the comb teeth, FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the position of the comb with respect to the end of the paper P, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an operation when the unit 220 is mounted on the main body unit 210.
Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the transport device 200 will be described with reference to the drawings.

(2.1) Paper Feeding Mechanism As shown in FIG. 2, the transport device 200 includes a main body 210 to which a paper feeding unit 230 is fixed, and a storage unit 220 to which a feeding unit 240 is movably held. I have.
The paper feed unit 230 is provided with a nager roll 231 that abuts on the top end side of the paper P and sends out the paper P from the storage unit 220. A feed roll 232 and a transport roll pair 233 are provided. In the paper feed unit 230, the feed unit 240 of the storage unit 220 is positioned, and the retard roll 241 held in the feed unit 240 is fed by the feed roll 232 of the paper feed unit 230. Then, the sheets P stacked in the storage section 220 are transported to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 while being separated one by one.

As shown in FIG. 3, a sheet stacking plate 221 for stacking sheets P in a bundle is provided in the storage unit 220. The sheet stacking plate 221 is moved upward by a raising means (not shown) along the side plate 222 and the front wall 223, and the uppermost sheet P among the sheets P stacked on the sheet stacking plate 221 is the nadger roll 231. Abut.
As a result, even if the stacked sheets P are sent out and the number of sheets P is reduced, the lifting means is operated by the sheet stacking plate 221 until it comes into contact with the actuator 239 of the sheet sensor SR1 (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet P. Is moved upward, so that the uppermost sheet P comes into contact with the nudger roll 231.

A feed roll 232 as an example of a transport member is provided downstream of the nager roll 231 in the paper transport direction. Below the feed roll 232, a retard roll (separation roller) 241 as a separating member is pressed against the feed roll 232.
As a result, a nip portion is formed between the feed roll 232 and the retard roll 241 for holding the sheet P sent out from the storage section.

The feed roll 232 is a drive roller that is driven to rotate around the axis by a drive unit (not shown) provided in the main body 210 with a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction as an axial direction.
The feed roll 232 is brought into contact with the upper surface (front surface) of the paper P sent from the storage unit 220 and conveyed to the nip portion, and is rotated to drive the paper P downstream.

The retard roll 241 is a driven roller that rotates around the axis with a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction as an axial direction, and a torque limiter (not shown) is attached to a rotation shaft of the retard roll 241. The entire retard roll 241 is swingably supported by a retard holder 245 as a support member about a swing shaft 245 a as a swing center, and is pressed by a pressurizing member 246 and pressed against a feed roll 232.
Therefore, when the sheet P comes into contact with the surface of the retard roll 241 and a rotational force is applied to the retard roll 241 by friction with the sheet P, the retard roll 241 functions as a brake that generates a predetermined rotational load. At the same time, when a rotation force equal to or more than a predetermined force acts on the retard roll 241, the rotation is driven. Note that the retard roll 241 may be rotationally driven in a direction opposite to the feed roll 232 by a driving source (not shown).

As described above, when the retard roll 241 functions as a brake, when a plurality of sheets P are conveyed to the nip portion in an overlapping manner, a conveyance resistance is applied to the sheets P from the lower surface side (rear surface side), Double feed of the paper P conveyed by the feed roll 232 is suppressed.
That is, the feed roll 232 and the retard roll 241 form a pair, separate (judge) the overlapped sheets P, and feed the sheets P one by one (see the arrow R in FIG. 3).

  Guide chutes 234 a and 234 b for guiding the sheet P to be fed to the pair of transport rolls 233 are provided between the pair of transport rolls 233 arranged downstream of the feed roll 232 in the sheet transport direction and the feed roll 232. .

(2.2) Positioning of Paper Feeding Unit and Supply Unit As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, positioning pins 235 protrude toward the supply unit 240 on both sides in the axial direction of the feed roll 232 in the paper feeding unit 230. The supply section 240 is formed with a positioning hole 242 corresponding to the positioning pin 235, which is opened in the mounting direction of the housing section 220 to the main body section 210 and into which the positioning pin 235 is inserted.
The positioning pin 235 has a tapered shape 235a at the tip, and the positioning hole 242 is formed with a tapered shape 242a at the open end. Therefore, the configuration is such that the positioning hole 242 of the supply unit 240 can be securely engaged with the positioning pin 235 of the sheet feeding unit 230 while reducing the resistance when the positioning hole 242 and the positioning pin 235 are engaged. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the positioning pin 235 has a contact surface 235b that contacts the inner surface 242b of the positioning hole 242 when inserted into the positioning hole 242, and a contact surface 235c that does not contact the inner surface 242b of the positioning hole 242. have. More specifically, the positioning pin 235 has a double D-cut main body, which reduces the insertion resistance of the positioning pin 235 into the positioning hole 242.

  The supply unit 240 is held movably with respect to the storage unit 220 in the mounting direction of the storage unit 220. Specifically, the supply unit 240 is held movably with respect to the storage unit 220 via a first spring 224 as a first urging unit and a second spring 225 as a second urging unit. When the part 220 is mounted on the main body part 210, the part 220 is fitted into the positioning pin 235 against the urging force of the first spring 224 and the second spring 225.

  The urging force P1 of the first spring 224 is set stronger than the urging force P2 of the second spring 225. As a result, the rotational moment M acting on the supply unit 240 when the positioning hole 242 is engaged with the positioning pin 235 of the sheet feeding unit 230 is offset by the biasing force P1 of the first spring 224 (FIG. 4, see arrows P1 and M).

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the positioning pin 235 is inserted into the positioning hole 242, the contact surface 235b that comes into contact with the inner surface 242b of the positioning hole 242 is positioned at the contact position between the retard roll 241 and the feed roll 232 ( It is disposed so as to be located at an intermediate point between the swing shaft 245a of the retard holder 245 (the load W2 acts in the figure) and the swing shaft 245a (the load W2 acts in the figure) (the reaction force W3 acts in the figure). As a result, when the supply unit 240 is positioned in the paper supply unit 230, the configuration is such that the galling between the positioning pins 235 and the positioning holes 242 can be suppressed.

"Modified example"
As shown in FIG. 6B, when the positioning pin 235 is inserted into the positioning hole 242, the contact surface 235b that comes into contact with the inner surface 242b of the positioning hole 242 is fed at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the retard roll 241. It may be arranged so as to be located directly below the roll 232, and when the supply unit 240 is positioned in the paper feed unit 230, it is possible to suppress the galling between the positioning pin 235 and the positioning hole 242.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the housing section 220 is mounted on the main body section 210 and positioned, the positioning pins 235 provided on the paper supply section 230 are positioned on the supply section 240. After engaging with the hole 242, the retard roll 241 comes into contact with and abuts on the feed roll 232. As a result, the positioning pin 235 and the positioning hole 242 can be prevented from galling.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the housing portion 220 has a hook member 226 on its bottom surface that engages with an engaging pin 212 provided as an engaged portion provided on the main body portion 210, and a hook member 226. A spring 227 is provided as an urging member that applies a pulling force to the hook member 226 when the mating pin 212 is engaged with the housing portion 220 at the pulling start position.

When the housing 220 is mounted, the hook member 226 is hooked on an engaging pin 212 provided on the main body 210 as shown in FIG. At this time, the hook member 226 presses the engagement pin 212 with the urging force of the spring 227, and is pulled into the main body 210 with the retraction force (F3) based on the urging force of the spring 227. Hinders departure from
When the user pulls the accommodating portion 220 with a force larger than the urging force of the spring 227 in a direction to detach the accommodating portion 220 from the main body portion 210, the engagement between the hook member 226 and the engaging pin 212 is released, and the accommodating portion 220 is detached. Become like

  When the accommodating portion 220 is mounted on the main body 210, the hook member 226 contacts the engaging pin 212 before the positioning pin 235 engages with the positioning hole 242 and before the retard roll 241 contacts the feed roll 232. Pulling is started.

  In the present embodiment, the housing portion 220 applies a frictional force when the positioning pin 235 engages with the positioning hole to the main body portion 210 to F1 (see FIG. 8B) and to the feed roll 232 of the retard roll 241. When the contact force is F2 (see FIG. 8B) and the retraction force of the spring 227 is F3, the springs 227 are mounted in a relationship of F1 <F2 <F3. As a result, the housing 220 can be securely mounted on the main body 210.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the main body 210 is provided with a regulating member 211 for regulating the displacement of the supply unit 240 in the vertical direction. The regulating member 211 is provided at two positions on both sides of the rotation axis of the retard roll 241 above and below the positioning pin 235 and on the sides facing the surfaces on which the urging forces of the first spring 224 and the second spring 225 act. When the supply unit 240 is positioned in the paper supply unit 230, the regulating member 211 receives a rotational moment M acting on the supply unit 240 (see the arrow in the figure).

  As shown in FIG. 10, a state in which the storage unit 220 is mounted on the main body unit 210 and the paper P loaded on the paper loading plate 221 is moved upward by the lifting means (not shown) along the side plate 222 and the front wall 223. Then, the concave shape 228 formed at the upper end of the front wall 223 of the storage portion 220 and the convex shape 248 formed at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall 247 of the supply portion 240 are fitted to each other to form a pair of uneven shapes. 249a, 249b, 249c, 249d, and 249e.

A tapered guide surface 247a is formed at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall 247, and a tapered guide surface 248a is formed at the tip of the convex shape 248. The tapered guide surface 247a at the lower end is formed at an inclination angle at which the leading end side corner of the paper P contacts the tapered guide surface 247a even when the paper P is skewed. Are formed at an inclination angle which does not protrude toward the recording medium accommodation side from the front wall 223 of the accommodation section 220.
As a result, the pair of concave and convex shapes prevent the paper P from entering the gap G generated at a position where the storage unit 220 and the supply unit 240 face each other.

The plurality of comb teeth portions 249a, 249b, 249c, 249d, and 249e are formed at least 15 mm inward from both ends in the width direction intersecting the feeding direction of the stacked sheets P. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11A, the paper P of A4 size is positioned 15 mm to 20 mm inside the paper width of 210 mm, and shown in FIG. 11B. As described above, for the paper P of the B5 size, the paper P is formed so as to be located 15 mm to 20 mm inside the paper width of 182 mm.
As a result, even if both ends of the sheet P are curled inward as compared with a flat shape in which both ends of the sheet P are not curled, it is possible to prevent the leading end of the sheet from entering the gap G. I have.

In the transport device 200 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 12, the sheet feeding unit 230 has a receiving surface 238 with which the supply unit 240 is in contact, and the main unit 210 is in contact with the storage unit 220. When the surface 213 is formed and the housing part 220 is mounted on the main body part 210, the housing part 220 comes into contact with the contact surface 213 of the main body part 210 after the supply part 240 comes into contact with the receiving surface 238. ing.
Therefore, the impact force due to the weight of the storage unit 220 when mounting the storage unit 220 loaded with a large number of sheets P is received by the storage unit 220 while suppressing the displacement of the feed roll 232 and the retard roll 241. Thus, damage to the supply unit 240 is suppressed.

"Second embodiment"
FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of a transport device 200A including a guide member 250 that guides the supply unit 240A to the paper supply unit 230. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the transport device 200A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

  The conveyance device 200A includes a main body 210, a storage unit 220, a paper supply unit 230, and a supply unit movably held in the storage unit 220 via a guide unit 229 in a direction crossing the mounting direction of the storage unit 220. The supply unit 240A is moved from a first position where the supply unit 240A does not interfere with the paper supply unit 230 to a second position used for supplying the paper P in cooperation with the operation of mounting the storage unit 220 to the main body unit 210. And a guide member 250 for guiding 240A.

  The guide member 250 includes a first inclined surface 251a and a first inclined surface 251a for guiding a driven roller 240Aa as a guided member, which will be described later, provided in the supply unit 240A when the housing unit 220 is mounted on the main body unit 210. A second inclined surface 251b formed continuously with the first inclined surface 251a and having a steeper inclination than the first inclined surface 251a, and a pressing surface 251c formed continuously with the second inclined surface 251b and parallel to the moving direction of the storage section 220. It is a cam member.

  In the supply section 240A, the driven roller 240Aa that contacts and follows the first inclined surface 251a, the second inclined surface 251b, and the pressing surface 251c of the guide member 250 moves the retard roll 241 at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the retard roll 241. It is provided just below the pressure member 246 that is in pressure contact with the feed roll 232.

Thus constructed transport apparatus 200A, in a state where the housing portion 220 shown in FIG. 1 3 (a) is pulled out from the main body 210, the supply unit 240A is a vertical direction (Z direction) of the conveying device 200A At the first time, the actuator 239 of the sheet sensor SR1 and the nudger roll 231 have been lowered to the first position.
When the accommodating section 220 is moved in the direction in which the accommodating section 220 is mounted on the main body section 210, the supplying section 240A is provided in the supplying section 240A without interfering with the actuator 239 of the paper sensor SR1 and the nudger roll 231. The driven roller 240Aa is guided in contact with the first inclined surface 251a of the guide member 250.

When the accommodating portion 220 is further moved in the direction in which the accommodating portion 220 is mounted on the main body portion 210, the driven roller 240Aa is guided by the second inclined surface 251b of the guide member 250, and moves upward (in the Z direction) and in the main body portion 210 (in the X direction). ) to move reference (FIG. 1 3 (b)).
Then, when the driven roller 240Aa reaches the end of the second inclined surface 251b, the retard roll 241 and the feed roll 232 start contacting each other, and the retard roll 241 and the feed roll 232 reach the pressing surface 251c parallel to the moving direction of the storage unit 220. press nip portion is formed roll 241 and the feed roll 232 face each other (see FIG. 1 3 (c)). Further, the supply section 240A is positioned by engaging the positioning pin 235A and the positioning hole 242A in the width direction of the sheet P crossing the moving direction.
As a result, the feed roll 232 and the retard roll 241 come into contact with each other, and the sheets P sent from the nudger roll 231 are separated one by one and conveyed to the image forming apparatus 100.

  According to the transport device 200A according to the present embodiment, the supply unit 240A is movably held in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the storage unit 220, and when the storage unit 220 is pulled out, the height of the upper surface of the retard roll 241 is determined by the sheet sensor. The height is set lower than the height of the actuator 239 of the SR1 and the nudger roll 231, and when the storage unit 220 is mounted, it moves upward (Z direction) from the position passing through the actuator 239 of the paper sensor SR1 and the nudger roll 231. Interference can be avoided, and damage to the sheet feeding unit 230 can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming system 100 ... Image forming apparatus 10 ... Control apparatus 20 ... Paper supply apparatus 30 ... Photoconductor unit 40 ... Developing apparatus 50 ... Transfer apparatus 60 ... Fixing device 69 ··· Discharge roller pair 200, 200A ···························································································································································· ··· Second spring 226 ··· Restriction member 230 ··· Feeding unit 231 ··· Nadger roll 232 ··· Feed roll 233 ··· Transport roller pair 235 ··· Positioning pins 240 and 240A ··· Supply unit 241, retard roll 242, positioning hole 240Aa, driven roller 250, guide member

Claims (16)

The main body,
A storage unit that stores a recording medium and is detachably attached to the main body unit,
A paper feeder fixed to the main body and having a transport member for transporting the recording medium,
A supply unit that has a separation member that comes into contact with the conveyance member and separates the recording medium between the conveyance member and the conveyance unit, the supply unit being movably held in the mounting direction of the storage unit,
A first urging unit that urges the supply unit with a first urging force, and a second urging unit that urges the supply unit with a second urging force weaker than the first urging force. The storage unit is movably held in the storage unit, and when the storage unit is mounted on the main body unit, the storage unit engages with the paper supply unit against the urging forces of the first urging unit and the second urging unit. And positioning means for performing positioning.
A transfer device characterized by the above-mentioned. The positioning means includes a positioning pin formed on the paper supply unit side and having a tapered shape at the tip, and a positioning hole formed on the supply unit side into which the positioning pin is inserted and having a tapered shape at an open end. ,
The transport device according to claim 1, wherein: The positioning pin has a contact surface that is in contact with the inner surface of the positioning hole when inserted into the positioning hole, and a contacted surface that does not contact the inner surface of the positioning hole.
3. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein: In a state where the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, the positioning pin is located at an intermediate point between a rotation axis of the separation member and a swing center axis of the separation member,
The transport device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: In a state where the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, the positioning pin is located directly below the transport member at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the separation member,
The transport device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: When the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, the separation member contacts the transport member after the positioning pin is engaged with the positioning hole,
The transport device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: A hook member provided on the housing portion and engaged with an engaged portion provided on the main body portion, and when the hook member and the engaged portion are engaged at a retracting start position of the housing portion, A biasing member that applies a pulling force to the hook member,
When the storage unit is mounted on the main body,
F1 <F2 <F3
Attached with the relationship of
The transfer device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein:
Here, the frictional force when the positioning pin engages with the positioning hole is defined as F1, the contact force of the separation member with the transport member is defined as F2, and the pulling force of the urging member is defined as F3. When the housing portion is mounted on the main body portion, before the positioning pin engages with the positioning hole and before the separation member comes into contact with the transport member, the hook member is connected to the engaged portion. , The retraction is started,
The transfer device according to claim 7, wherein: The main body is provided with a regulating member that regulates vertical displacement of the supply unit.
The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device comprises: When the accommodating portion is mounted on the main body portion, the paper feeding portion has a receiving surface with which the supply portion abuts, and the main body portion has a contact surface with which the accommodating portion abuts.
The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: When the accommodating portion is mounted on the main body portion, after the supply portion abuts on the receiving surface, the accommodating portion abuts on the abutting surface of the main body portion,
The transport device according to claim 10, wherein: The main body,
A storage unit that stores a recording medium and is detachably attached to the main body unit,
A paper feeder fixed to the main body and having a transport member for transporting the recording medium,
A separation member that comes into contact with the conveyance member and separates the recording medium from the conveyance member, and moves linearly in a direction that intersects the mounting direction of the storage unit and separates from and comes into contact with the paper supply unit A supply unit movably held in the storage unit,
A first inclined surface that guides a guided member provided in the supply unit when the housing unit is attached to the main body unit, which is formed continuously with the first inclined surface and is steeper than the first inclined surface; A guide member having a second inclined surface having a gentle inclination, and a pressing surface formed continuously with the second inclined surface and being parallel to the moving direction of the housing portion.
In conjunction with the operation in which the storage section is mounted on the main body section, the supply section moves from a first position that does not interfere with the paper supply section to a second position used for supplying the recording medium,
A transfer device characterized by the above-mentioned. The guided member is located immediately below an urging member that presses the separation member against the transport member at both extension positions of the rotation axis of the separation member,
The transfer device according to claim 12, wherein: The storage section has a concave shape at the upper end of the wall surface of the storage section on the side where the recording medium is sent out, and a convex shape that fits with the concave shape at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall of the supply section. A tapered guide surface is formed at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall and the tip of the convex shape.
The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein The inclination angle of the tapered guide surface at the lower end of the recording medium abutting wall is an inclination angle at which the leading end side corner of the recording medium contacts the tapered guide surface in a state where the recording medium is skewed. The inclination angle of the convex tapered guide surface is an inclination angle that does not protrude toward the recording medium accommodation side from the wall surface of the accommodation section on the side where the recording medium is sent out,
The transport device according to claim 14, wherein: The concave shape and the convex shape are fitted to each other to form a pair of concave and convex shapes, and are formed at least 15 mm inside from both ends in a width direction intersecting with the feeding direction of the recording medium.
The transport device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein

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