JP6711034B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet.

For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the manual feed tray is inserted into the housing toward the paper feed roller provided in the housing of the image forming apparatus, and the manual feed tray is attached to the frame in the housing. To be done. The housing accommodates an image forming mechanism that forms an image on the sheet and a sheet feeding mechanism that includes the sheet feeding roller that feeds the sheet toward the image forming mechanism. Then, the sheet on the manual feed tray attached to the housing is fed toward the image forming mechanism by the paper feed roller.

JP, 2004-196516, A

There is room for improving convenience when a sheet is placed on the attachment/detachment tray that can be attached to and detached from the frame in the housing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to improve convenience when a sheet is placed on a removable tray that can be mounted on and removed from a frame in a housing.

In the present application, an image forming mechanism, a frame that supports the image forming mechanism, a casing that covers the frame 15, a detachable tray that can be attached to and detached from the frame, and has a sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting area. And a restricting portion that is displaceable between the restricting position and a non-restricting position that is different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in the state of being located at the restricting position. The attachment/detachment tray includes a restriction portion including a surface arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet support area in the first direction.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve convenience when a sheet is placed on the removable tray that can be mounted on and removed from the frame in the housing.

1 is an external view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the removable tray 11 is mounted on the frame in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which the removable tray 11 is mounted on the frame 15 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inside of the housing 3 showing a state in which the removable tray 11 is not inserted in the housing 3 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a perspective view of the inside of the housing 3 showing a state in which the removable tray 11 is mounted on the frame 15 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a perspective view of the attachment/detachment tray 11 which has the regulation part 18 in a regulation position according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the attachment/detachment tray 11 which has the regulation part 18 in a non-regulation position according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the rail 20 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of the periphery of the sheet feeding unit 7 and the attachment/detachment tray 11 in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is a side sectional view showing a state of the second support member 17D of the removable tray 11 displaced by the pressing plate 13.

(First embodiment)
1. Outline of Image Forming Apparatus The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has an outer appearance formed by a rectangular parallelepiped casing 3 having approximately six surfaces. The housing 3 has a paper feed cover 3A and a paper discharge cover 3B, and the housing 3 covers the frame 15 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed cover 3A constitutes a part of the front surface of the housing 3, and is provided with respect to the frame 15 about a rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the lower end of the paper feed cover 3A. It is assembled so that it can rotate forward. The paper discharge cover 3B constitutes a part of the upper surface of the housing 3, and is rotatable forward with respect to the frame 15 about a rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the front end of the paper discharge cover 3B. It is assembled. The paper discharge cover 3B supports the sheet in a state of being rotated forward of the image forming apparatus 1. The sheet supported by the paper discharge cover 3B has an image formed by the image forming mechanism 5 described later and is discharged to the outside of the housing 3.

<frame>
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the frame 15 has a first frame 15A, a second frame 15B, a paper feed frame 15C, and two side walls 15D. The first frame 15A is a wall-shaped strength member that forms the left part of the image forming apparatus 1, and is covered by the left side surface of the housing 3. The second frame 15B is a wall-shaped strength member that forms the right portion of the image forming apparatus 1, and is covered by the right side surface of the housing 3. The paper feed frame 15C (an example of “second guide”) forms the rear portion of the image forming apparatus 1 and is covered by the rear surface of the housing 3. The sheet feeding frame 15C guides the sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A to the image forming mechanism 5. Further, the paper feeding frame 15C has two side walls 15D. Each side wall 15D is provided near the center of the image forming apparatus 1 in the left-right direction and extends toward the front of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the two side walls 15D are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to a virtual straight line L that bisects the image forming apparatus 1 in the left-right direction. The paper unit 7 is sandwiched from the left and right directions. The first frame 15A and the paper feed frame 15C are fixed to each other by screws or the like. Similarly, the second frame 15B and the paper feed frame 15C are fixed to each other by screws or the like.
The frame 15 supports the image forming mechanism 5, the paper feeding unit 7, the paper feeding tray 9, the attachment/detachment tray 11, two rails 20 (an example of a “first guide”), and two holding portions 21.
The left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 1 is a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet feeding roller 7A.

<Image forming mechanism>
The image forming mechanism 5 forms an image on a sheet by electrophotography. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming mechanism 5 includes a photosensitive drum 5A, a charging device 5B, an exposing device 5C, a developing device 5D, a transfer roller 5E, and a fixing device 5F. The photosensitive drum 5A carries a developer image. The charger 5B charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 5A.

The exposure device 5C exposes the charged photosensitive drum 5A to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 5D develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 5A with a developer to form a developer image. The transfer roller 5E transfers the developer image carried on the photosensitive drum 5A onto a sheet. The fixing device 5E fixes the developer image transferred on the sheet.
Although the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration of forming an image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method, any image forming method such as a configuration of forming an image on a sheet by an inkjet method may be used. I do not care.

<Paper feeding unit>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a paper feeding unit 7 is provided at the rear and below the housing 3 of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper feeding unit 7 is provided on a virtual straight line L that bisects the image forming apparatus 1 in the left-right direction. The sheet feeding unit 7 feeds the sheet supported by the sheet feeding tray 9 or the attachment/detachment tray 11 rearward. The paper feeding unit 7 has a paper feeding roller 7A and a separating unit 7B.

The sheet feeding roller 7A feeds the sheet by abutting the upper surface of the sheet supported by the sheet feeding tray 9 or the attachment/detachment tray 11 and rotating around the rotation shaft 7E. The paper feed roller 7A is provided on the virtual straight line L, and is sandwiched by the two side walls 15D of the paper feed frame 15C from both axial sides of the rotary shaft 7E.

When the paper feed roller 7A feeds a plurality of sheets, the separation unit 7B separates and feeds the sheets one by one. The separation section 7B has a separation roller 7C and a separation pad 7D.

The separation roller 7C contacts the upper surface of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A and rotates. The separation pad 7D is disposed on the sheet feeding frame 15C facing the separation roller 7C, and abuts the lower surface of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A to apply a frictional force to the sheet.

<Paper tray>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A, the paper feed tray 9 constitutes the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1, and is provided below the removable tray 11 supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. The paper feed tray 9 is provided with a pressing plate 13. The pressing plate 13 is selectively displaced in a direction approaching the sheet feeding roller 7A and a direction separating from the sheet feeding roller 7A. More specifically, the front end portion 13A of the pressing plate 13 is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction with respect to the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the pressing plate 13 is displaced about the rotation axis from a position along the bottom surface of the housing 3 to a position where the rear end portion 13B of the pressing plate 13 comes into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A. As a result, when the pressing plate 13 is supporting the sheet and the rear end portion 13B of the pressing plate 13 is displaced in the direction of contacting the sheet feeding roller 7A, the pressing plate 13 presses the sheet against the sheet feeding roller 7A. The sheet feeding roller 7A feeds the pressed sheet backward.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the paper feed cover 3A is rotated forward and the paper feed cover 3A is in a state of being along the installation surface of the image forming apparatus 1, the paper feed cover 3A is a part of the paper feed tray 9. Make up the department. For example, when the user places an A4 size sheet on the paper feed tray 9 so that the longitudinal direction of the sheet is along the feeding direction of the paper feed roller 7A, the A4 size sheet is pressed by the pressing plate 13 and the paper feed cover. It is supported across 3A.

<Detachable tray>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4B, the detachable tray 11 is detachably supported by the frame 15 at a position above the paper feed tray 9 and below the image forming mechanism 5 in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 1. .. “Detachable” means that the detachable tray separated from the frame 15 is supported by the frame 15 or the detachable tray 11 supported by the frame 15 is detached from the frame 15, the frame 15 and the detachable tray. It means that 11 is not broken or disassembled.

When the paper feed cover 3A is in a state along the installation surface of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, the user inserts the detachable tray 11 into the housing 3 from the front of the image forming apparatus 1 and attaches it to the frame 15. Alternatively, the detachable tray 11 can be detached from the frame 15 and taken out of the housing 3.
When the frame 15 supports the removable tray 11, the entire removable tray 11 is housed in the housing 3. Therefore, the user can close the paper feed cover 3A with the attachment/detachment tray 11 attached to the apparatus main body. In the present embodiment, the entire removable tray 11 is housed in the housing 3, but when the frame 15 supports the removable tray 11, a part of the removable tray 11 goes out of the housing 3. May be

When the frame 15 supports the attachment/detachment tray 11, the attachment/detachment tray 11 is inclined downward toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 1. At this time, if the pressing plate 13 is not in contact with the second supporting member 17D of the attachment/detachment tray 11, the second supporting member 17D is located on the dotted line shown in FIG. Then, when the rear end portion 13B of the pressing plate 13 is displaced in the direction in which it comes into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A, the rear end portion 13B of the pressing plate 13 eventually comes to the second support of the removable tray 11 at the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. It abuts the member 17D and pushes up the second support member 17D in the direction of approaching the paper feed roller 7A. When the pressing plate 13 comes into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A, the displacement of the second support member 17D, which has been pushed up by the pressing plate 13, in the direction approaching the sheet feeding roller 7A stops. At this time, if the attachment/detachment tray 11 does not support the sheet, the second support member 17D is located on the solid line shown in FIG. As a result, when the detachable tray 11 supports the sheet, when the rear end portion 13B of the pressing plate 13 is displaced in the direction of contacting the sheet feeding roller 7A, the pressing plate 13 is placed on the second supporting member 17D of the detachable tray 11. Sheet is pressed against the paper feed roller 7A. The sheet feeding roller 7A feeds the pressed sheet backward.

Hereinafter, the direction in which the sheet fed rearward by the sheet feeding roller 7A moves with respect to the attachment/detachment tray 11 may be referred to as a “first direction”. Further, the position of the detachable tray 11 with respect to the frame 15 when the sheet on the second supporting member 17D is pressed against the sheet feeding roller 7A when the second supporting member 17D is pushed up by the pressing plate 13 is referred to as a “mounting position”. Sometimes. Further, the position of the sheet with respect to the removable tray 11 when the sheet on the second supporting member 17D is pressed against the sheet feeding roller 7A in a state where the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position is the "standard position". Sometimes called.
The detailed structure of the removable tray 11 will be described later.

<Rail>
There are two rails 20, one of the rails 20 is provided on the first frame 15A of the frame 15, and the other of the rails 20 is provided on the second frame 15B. Note that, in FIG. 4, only the rail 20 provided on the second frame 15B is illustrated. Each rail 20 is extended rearward, and as shown in FIG. 4B, guides the removable tray 11 into the housing 3 to the mounting position and supports the removable tray 11. Hereinafter, the direction in which the rail 20 guides the removable tray 11 into the housing 3 may be referred to as a “second direction”. In the present embodiment, the “second direction” is the same as the “first direction”.
The detailed structure of the rail 20 will be described later.

<Holding part>
As shown in FIG. 4A, the holding portion 21 is provided on one of the two sidewalls 15D and one on the other. As shown in FIGS. 4B and 8A, the holding portion 21 comes into contact with the guide portion 18C provided on the restriction portion 18 of the removable tray 11 when the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, and the removable portion 11 is mounted and removed. The regulation portion 18 of the tray 11 is held at a non-regulation position described later (see FIGS. 6 and 8A).
The detailed structure of the holding unit 21 will be described later.

2. Detailed structure of removable tray, rail, and holding part <Detailed structure of removable tray>
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the attachment/detachment tray 11 has a support member 17, a restricting portion 18, two locking portions 19, and two side guides 22.

<Supporting member>
The support member 17 is a plate-shaped member that supports the sheet. The supporting member 17 has a first supporting member 17A, a second supporting member 17D, and a rotating shaft 17C. The arrows shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 move in the first direction, that is, when the sheet supported by the supporting member 17 is fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A, the sheet moves with respect to the supporting member 17. Shows the direction.

The first support member 17A is a rigid body and supports the upstream portion of the sheet in the first direction. In the present embodiment, the first support member 17A is injection molded with resin such as ABS. The sheet support region, which is a region capable of supporting the sheet, on the upper surface of the first support member 17A extends from the upstream end 17G in the first direction to the downstream end 17B in the first direction. is there. The length of the first support member 17A extending in the direction orthogonal to the first direction of the sheet supported by the attachment/detachment tray 11 and along the surface of the sheet is longer than the long side of the A5 size sheet. The second support member 17D is attached to the first direction downstream end 17B of the first support member 17A. Hereinafter, the direction orthogonal to the first direction of the sheet supported by the removable tray 11 and along the surface of the sheet may be referred to as the “width direction”. When the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, the “width direction” corresponds to the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 1.

Two side guides 22 are attached to the first support member 17A so as to be movable in the width direction, and the side guides 22 contact the widthwise ends of the sheet supported on the upper surface of the first support member 17A. Movement in the width direction can be restricted. Therefore, in the upper surface of the first support member 17A, the sheet support region is from the position facing the one side guide 22 to the position facing the other side guide 22 in the width direction.

The second support member 17D is formed in a plate shape and extends from the first direction downstream end portion 17B of the first support member 17A toward the first direction. The second support member 17D supports the downstream portion in the first direction of the sheet. The length of the second support member 17D in the width direction is substantially equal to the length of the first support member 17A in the width direction, and is longer than the long side of the A5 size sheet. The length of the second support member 17D in the first direction is shorter than the short side of the A5 size sheet.
Of the upper surface of the second support member 17D, the sheet support region extends from the upstream end 17H in the first direction (see FIG. 8A) to the downstream end 17E in the first direction and in the width direction. That is, from a position facing one side guide 22 to a position facing the other side guide 22.

The bending rigidity around the width direction of the second support member 17D is smaller than the bending rigidity around the width direction of the first support member 17A. More specifically, the bending rigidity of the second support member 17D around the width direction is such that the pressing plate 13 is moved relative to the second support member 17D by the pressing plate 13 when the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. When the force is applied in the direction of approaching, the second support member 17D bends. On the other hand, the bending rigidity of the second support member 17A around the width direction is such that the pressing plate 13 approaches the paper feed roller 7A with respect to the second support member 17D in a state where the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. The degree is such that the second support member 17A does not bend even if a force is applied in the direction. Therefore, in a state in which the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, the second support member 17D is pushed up by the pressing plate 13 and approaches the paper feed roller 7A (see FIG. 8B). 8B in the direction from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line) and the direction in which the pressing plate 13 is lowered to separate from the paper feed roller 7A (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8B). Direction toward)) and is selectively displaced.

When the pressing plate 13 supports the sheet, the second supporting member 17D is indirectly pushed up by the pressing plate 13 via the sheet.

In the present embodiment, the second support member 17D is made of an elastic resin such as PET. As a result, displacing the second support member 17D in the direction approaching the paper feed roller 7A and in the direction away from the paper feed roller 7A does not require a special mechanical configuration for the second support member 17D and has a simple configuration. Can be achieved with.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, the first direction downstream end 17E of the second support member 17D is aligned with the axis of the rotation shaft 7E of the paper feed roller 7A. The positions are the same in the first direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a recess 17F is provided in the widthwise central portion of the first direction downstream end portion 17E of the second support member 17D. The length of the recess 17F in the width direction is longer than the length of the paper feed roller 7A in the axial direction. Thereby, even if the pressing plate 13 pushes up the attachment/detachment tray 11 toward the paper feed roller 7A, the first-direction downstream end 17E of the second support member 17D does not contact the paper feed roller 7A. Therefore, the sheet supported by the pressing plate 13 can be brought into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A. In other words, even if the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, when the removable tray 11 does not support the sheet at the standard position on the upper surface of the second support member 17D, the second support is performed. The member 17D has a shape that allows the sheet supported by the pressing plate 13 to come into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A, so that the sheet supported by the pressing plate 13 can be fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A. .. When the attachment/detachment tray 11 supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position supports the sheet at the standard position on the upper surface of the second support member 17D, the sheet is moved to the recess 17F provided in the second support member 17D. Since it covers, when the pressing plate 13 is displaced in the direction of approaching the sheet feeding roller 7A, the sheet on the detachable tray 11 comes into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A. That is, the sheet on the removable tray 11 prevents the sheet supported by the pressing plate 13 from coming into contact with the sheet feeding roller 7A.

As described above, when the removable tray 11 supports the sheet at the standard position, the sheet supported by the removable tray 11 can be fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A. On the other hand, when the detachable tray 11 does not support the sheet, the sheet supported by the pressing plate 13 can be fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A.
The rotating shaft 17C is provided at both widthwise ends of the first support member 17A at the downstream end 17B in the first direction. The rotating shaft 17C pivotally supports a restricting portion 18 described later.

<Regulation Department>
The restriction unit 18 restricts a sheet supported on the removable tray 11 at a standard position from moving in the first direction with respect to the removable tray 11 (see FIG. 5) and a non-regular position different from the restricted position. It is displaced with respect to the support member 17 between the regulation position (see FIGS. 6 and 8A).
The regulation portion 18 has a side plate 18A (an example of a "side member"), two regulation pawls 18D, and two guide portions 18C.

The side plate 18A is a plate-shaped rigid body, and is provided on the surface of the support member 17 that supports the sheet, in other words, on the sheet support region on the upper surface of the support member 17. At the upstream end in the first direction of the side plate 18A, both widthwise ends of the upstream end are pivotally supported by the rotary shaft 17C. The side plate 18A is selectively displaced about the rotation shaft 17C in a direction approaching the upper surface of the support member 17 and a direction separating from the upper surface of the support member 17. In the state where the restricting portion 18 is in the restricting position shown in FIG. 5, the alongside plate 18A extends parallel to the upper surface of the supporting member 17 from the rotating shaft 17C in the first direction. That is, when the restricting portion 18 is in the restricting position, the alongside plate 18A extends in the first direction along the upper surface of the sheet supported by the removable tray 11 at the standard position, and covers a part of the sheet. Here, the maximum stacking amount of the bundle of sheets held by the supporting member 17 is an amount in which the thickness of the bundle of sheets is the distance from the upper surface of the supporting member 17 to the lower surface of the side plate 18A at the regulation position.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the installation plate 18A is in the regulation position, the first direction downstream end portion 18B of the installation plate 18A is located closer to the first direction downstream end portion 17E of the second support member 17D. It is located upstream in the direction of 1. This is also related to the fact that the length of the side plate 18A in the first direction is shorter than the length of the second support member 17D in the first direction.

Further, the alongside plate 18A has a recess 18H in the widthwise central portion of the first-direction downstream end 18B. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B, the recess 18H does not prevent the user from inserting the detachable tray 11 into the mounting position, so that the recessed portion 18H does not have the sheet feeding unit 7 or the two side walls 15D in the sheet feeding frame 15C. It is shaped so as to avoid a portion that supports and extends in the direction opposite to the second direction.

The two restricting claws 18D (an example of the “first restricting claw” and the “second restricting claw”) are located downstream of the sheet supporting area in the first direction in the state where the restricting portion 18 is at the restricting position, and are attached/detached trays. 11 extends in a direction intersecting with a plane extending along the upper surface of the support member 17. The two regulating claws 18D come into contact with the downstream end portion of the sheet supported in the standard position with respect to the removable tray 11 in the first direction, so that the sheet supported in the standard position moves relative to the removable tray 11 in the first direction. It regulates the deviation in the direction of 1.

The two restricting claws 18D are provided at a part of the downstream end portion 18B of the side plate 18A. As shown in FIG. 3, the two restricting claws 18D are, with respect to a virtual straight line L that bisects the image forming apparatus 1 in the left-right direction, that is, a virtual straight line L that bisects the removable tray 11 in the width direction. They are provided at positions that are line-symmetric with each other. As a result, compared to the configuration in which the regulating claw 18D is provided on only one of the right side and the left side with respect to the virtual straight line L, when the user places the sheet at the standard position of the removable tray, the first direction It is difficult for the seat to tilt. Therefore, since the detachable tray 11 can more reliably support the sheet at the standard position, the sheet supported by the detachable tray 11 can be more reliably fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A. Furthermore, when the side where the two side walls 15D sandwich the sheet feeding unit 7 is the inside of the side wall 15D, the two regulating claws 18D are outside the side wall 15D when the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. It is provided in. Thereby, when the user inserts the attachment/detachment tray 11 to the attachment position, it is possible to prevent the two restriction claws 18D from colliding with the sheet feeding unit 7 and the two side walls 15D.

The two restricting claws 18D are integrally molded with the side plate 18A with resin, and each restricting claw 18D has a base end portion 18E and a protruding portion 18G.
The base end portion 18E extends in the first direction from a part of the downstream end portion 18B of the alongside plate 18A.
The protruding portion 18G intersects a plane extending along the upper surface of the support member 17 of the removable tray 11 from the first direction downstream end portion 18F of the base end portion 18E in a state where the restricting portion 18 is in the restricting position. Extending in the direction. Therefore, the protrusion 18G can contact the downstream end of the sheet supported by the removable tray 11 in the first direction, so that the sheet supported at the standard position moves in the first direction with respect to the removable tray 11. Can be regulated. The protrusion 18G is located in a direction intersecting a plane extending along the upper surface of the support member 17 of the attachment/detachment tray 11 more than the distance between the upper surface of the support member 17 and the lower surface of the side plate 18A located at the regulation position. Has long dimensions. Therefore, even when the support member 17 supports the bundle of sheets having the maximum stacking amount, the movement of all the sheets in the first direction can be restricted by the protrusion 18G. The protrusion 18G contacts the downstream end 17E of the second support member 17D. That is, the surface of the protruding portion 18G located at the regulation position that can come into contact with the sheet supported on the upper surface of the support member 17 of the removable tray 11 is located downstream of the upper surface of the support member 17 in the first direction. Adjacent to each other.

Here, a series of flow in which the user places the sheet at the standard position of the attachment/detachment tray 11 will be described.
FIG. 5 shows the removable tray 11 that is removed from the image forming apparatus 1 and is located outside the housing 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the user places the sheet on the upper surface of the first support member 17A so that the attachment/detachment tray 11 is oriented such that the restriction portion 18 is above the support member 17. Then, the user manually pushes the upstream end of the sheet in the first direction to slide the sheet in the first direction with respect to the first support member 17A. The downstream end of the seat in the first direction enters between the second support member 17D and the side plate 18A of the restriction portion 18. Further, when the user slides the sheet with respect to the support member 17 in the first direction, the downstream end portion of the sheet in the first direction abuts on the protrusions 18G of the two regulating pawls 18D, and the user attaches and detaches the sheet. The placement of the sheet on the standard position of the tray 11 is completed.

As described above, the base end portion 18E of each regulation pawl 18D extends in the first direction from a part of the downstream end portion 18B of the side plate 18A in the state where the regulation portion 18 is in the regulation position. .. Therefore, when the user slides the sheet in the first direction with respect to the upper surface of the support member 17, the downstream end portion of the sheet in the first direction will eventually reach the downstream end portion 18B of the side plate 18A. Two of the restricting claws 18D are projected from a portion where they do not extend and can be visually observed. Therefore, the user can visually recognize not only that the sheet has reached the standard position by feeling the repulsive force when the sheet comes into contact with the restricting claw 18D, but also visually. Then, the user can move the removable tray 11 to a position where it is inserted into the housing 3 of the image forming apparatus 1, while visually confirming that the removable tray 11 can support the sheet at the standard position. .. Furthermore, since this effect can be realized while using the plate-shaped side plate 18A that covers the sheet supported at the standard position of the attachment/detachment tray 11, the user inserts it in the housing 3 of the image forming apparatus 1. The wind generated when the removable tray 11 is moved to the retracted position can be prevented from hitting the sheet, and the sheet supported at the standard position of the removable tray 11 can be prevented from being displaced.

As the member provided with the two restricting claws 18D, a alongside member having a shape that does not cover the sheet as much as possible, such as a lattice-like alongside member, is used instead of the plate-like alongside plate 18A as in the present embodiment. May be. With such a side-by-side member, the regulating claw 18D does not have the base end portion 18E, and the protrusion 18G is directly provided at the downstream side end portion of the side-by-side member in the first direction. Even if there is, the user can see the sheet from above the removable tray 11.

Moreover, the protrusion 18G contacts the downstream end 17E of the second support member 17D. In this way, if the downstream end portion 17E of the second support member 17D is located downstream in the first direction from the downstream end portion 18B of the alongside plate 18A located at the regulation position, the downstream end portion 17E is Compared with the structure located upstream of the downstream end 18B in the first direction, the following effects are achieved. That is, the downstream end of the sheet in the first direction that is brought into contact with the restricting pawl 18D is less likely to jump out of the second support member 17D, so that the sheet is prevented from hanging down from the second support member 17D and shifting from the standard position. be able to.

Now, as shown in FIG. 5, the two guide portions 18C are integrally molded with the side plate 18A by resin, and one guide portion 18C has a recess 18H at the downstream end 18B of the side plate 18A. Is provided at a position sandwiched by one width direction one end side and one of the restriction claws 18D, and the other guide portion 18C is provided at a position sandwiched by the other width direction other end of the recess 18H and the other restriction claw 18D. Has been.

In the state where the two guide portions 18C are in the regulation position, the distance between the upstream end of the guide portion 18C in the first direction and the upper surface of the second support member 17D of the removable tray 11 is along the guide portion 18C. It is inclined so as to be smaller than the distance between the downstream position in the first direction and the upper surface of the second support member 17D. The height from the upper surface of the side plate 18A to the downstream end in the first direction of the guide portion 18C is greater than the length in the direction intersecting the plane extending along the support member 17 of the protruding portion 18G of the restriction claw 18D. high.

When the attachment/detachment tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the attachment position and the regulation portion 18 remains in the regulation position, when the sheet feeding roller 7A tries to feed the sheet on the attachment/detachment tray 11, Since the regulation unit 18 regulates the movement of the sheet in the first direction, the sheet cannot be fed. Therefore, the guide portion 18C rides on the inclined portion 21A of the holding portion 21 described later, so that unlike the regulation position, the non-regulation position does not hinder the feeding of the sheet in the first direction (see FIGS. 6 and 8A). In addition, since the regulating portion 18 can be displaced, the sheet feeding roller 7A can feed the sheet on the removable tray 11.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration has two guide portions 18C, but the configuration may have only one guide portion 18C.

<Locking part>
As shown in FIG. 5, there are two locking portions 19, one of the locking portions 19 is provided on one widthwise one end side of the first supporting member 17A, and the other of the locking portions 19 is the first supporting member. It is provided on the other end side of the member 17A in the width direction. Each locking portion 19 is provided at a position at both ends in the width direction with respect to each side guide 22 with respect to the first support member 17A. Each locking portion 19 has a shape extending in the first direction and has a downstream end portion 19A in the first direction, a leaf spring 19B, and a support claw 19C. The downstream end of the leaf spring 19B in the first direction serves as a fixed end, the upstream end of the leaf spring 19B in the first direction serves as a free end, and the leaf spring 19B supports the sheet of the support member 17 around the fixed end. Elastically deforms in a direction intersecting the plane. The support claw 19C is provided at the free end of the leaf spring 19B and projects upward.
The two locking portions 19 are locked by two rails 20 (described later) provided on the first frame 15A and the second frame 15B of the image forming apparatus 1, so that the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. To be done.

<Detailed rail structure>
As shown in FIG. 4, one of the two rails 20 (an example of “first guide”) is provided on the first frame 15A of the frame 15, and the other is provided on the second frame 15B. Note that, in FIG. 4, only the rail 20 provided on the second frame 15B is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 7, each rail 20 has an upper wall 20A, a lower wall 20B, a locking wall 20C, a protrusion 20D, and a second direction upstream end 20E.

The upper wall 20A and the lower wall 20B face each other and guide the locking portion 19 of the removable tray 11 to the mounting position. The upper wall 20A and the lower wall 20B are provided so as to be inclined downward toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the second direction forms an angle with the horizontal direction, and is a direction that goes downward toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 1. Thus, when the user inserts the attachment/detachment tray 11 into the housing 3 to the attachment position, the sheet is brought into contact with the regulation claw 18D of the regulation unit 18 by utilizing the gravity applied to the sheet itself. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the upper wall 20A and the lower wall 20B are provided in the horizontal direction and are inclined upward toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 1, the sheet is moved from the standard position with respect to the removable tray 11. The shift can be suppressed.

The locking wall 20C is a wall that is orthogonal to the upper wall 20A and the lower wall 20B, and comes into contact with the downstream end 19A of the locking portion 19 of the removable tray 11 guided by the upper wall 20A and the lower wall 20B, so as to be removable. The movement of the tray 11 in the second direction is restricted. The position where the locking wall 20C and the downstream end 19A of the locking portion 19 of the removable tray 11 contact each other corresponds to the above-mentioned "mounting position".
The protrusion 20D protrudes downward from the upper wall 20A, presses the support claw 19C of the locking portion 19 of the removable tray 11 at the mounting position, and moves the removable tray 11 in the direction opposite to the second direction. Regulate.

Thus, the two rails 20 guide the removable tray 11 into the housing 3 to the mounting position and lock the removable tray 11 guided to the mounting position. It should be noted that the term “lock” as used herein means to support the removable tray 11 so that the removable tray 11 does not move from the mounting position due to the weight of the removable tray 11. That is, even if the image forming apparatus 1 is tilted such that the upstream end portion 20E of the rail 20 is downward and the locking wall 20C of the rail 20 is upward, the rail 20 holds the removable tray 11 at the mounting position. The removable tray 11 at the position does not drop.

Focusing on the position of the restriction portion 18 of the attachment/detachment tray 11 at the mounting position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8A, the downstream end portion 18F of the restriction claw 18D is in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 7E of the paper feed roller 7A ( It is arranged in the “left-right direction” and the “width direction”) with the paper feed roller 7A. As a result, the sheet supported by the removable tray 11 can be reliably fed to the sheet feeding roller as compared with the configuration in which the downstream end portion 18F of the regulating pawl 18D at the mounting position is located upstream of the sheet feeding roller 7A in the second direction, for example. It can be located directly below 7A. Therefore, the sheet supported by the attachment/detachment tray 11 at the standard position can be more reliably fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A.

<Detailed structure of holding section>
As shown in FIG. 4A, each of the two holding portions 21 has an L shape when viewed from the front of the image forming apparatus 1 and extends along the second direction. One of the two holding portions 21 has a portion attached to one of the two side walls 15D and an inclined portion 21A. The other of the two holding portions 21 has a portion attached to the other of the two side walls 15D and an inclined portion 21A. Since the holding portion 21 extending along the second direction is provided on the side wall 15D that also extends along the second direction, the holding portion 21 is provided on the sheet feeding frame 15C where the side wall 15D is not provided. The strength of the holding portion 21 is easily increased as compared with the case where the holding portion 21 is used. Although there are two holding portions 21 in this embodiment, the number of holding portions 21 may be one.

The inclined portion 21A is formed so as to extend along the upper surface of the support member 17 of the removable tray 11 supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. As shown by the dotted lines in FIGS. 4A and 8A, the inclined portion 21A has a shape that becomes higher toward the downstream side in the second direction. That is, in the inclined portion 21A, the distance between the upstream end of the inclined portion 21A in the first direction and the upper surface of the second support member 17D of the detachable tray 11 is the downstream position in the first direction along the inclined portion 21A. And a shape that is inclined so as to be smaller than the distance between the upper surface of the second support member 17D and.

Then, the inclined portion 21A of the holding portion 21 comes into contact with the guide portion 18C of the removable tray 11 guided in the second direction, and when the removable tray 11 is further guided in the second direction, the guide portion 18C becomes Then, slide on the inclined portion 21A and climb up to the inclined portion 21A. Along with this, the restriction portion 18 of the attachment/detachment tray 11 in the restriction position starts to be displaced in the direction in which it is separated from the sheet supported by the attachment/detachment tray 11. Finally, the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the guide portion 18C is located on the inclined portion 21A, and the holding portion 21 is the removable tray. The restriction part 18 of 11 is hold|maintained in a non-regulation position.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the inclination degree of the inclined portion 21A upstream in the second direction is larger than the inclination degree of the inclined portion 21A downstream in the second direction. This is to make it easier to get on the guide portion 18C of the removable tray 11.

The user needs to place the sheet so that the sheet feeding roller can reliably feed the sheet on the removable tray.
Here, when the user tries to place a sheet on the attachment/detachment tray mounted on the frame in the housing, it is necessary to insert the sheet along the attachment/detachment tray into the interior of the housing with the paper feed roller. However, for example, when a user tries to place a small size sheet such as A5 such that the short side of the sheet is along the first direction, it may be difficult to insert the sheet into the removable tray. This is because when a user tries to insert a short sheet along the first direction into the removable tray, the user's hand interferes with the housing, the frame and the removable tray, or the user inserts the sheet into the housing. This is because it may be difficult for the user to confirm the position of the seat that is being inserted. Therefore, the sheet is not supported by the attachment/detachment tray at a position where it can contact the sheet feed roller, and the sheet feed roller may not be able to feed the sheet on the attachment/detachment tray.

However, in the present embodiment, the user can place the sheet on the removable tray 11 that is detached from the image forming apparatus 1, so that the user can freely place the sheet on the removable tray 11. Thus, the sheet can be easily inserted into the removable tray 11.

On the other hand, when the user tries to place a sheet on the removable tray that has been detached from the frame of the image forming apparatus, it is difficult to understand which position of the removable tray should be used to load the sheet. is there. Therefore, the user cannot place the sheet at a predetermined position on the attachment/detachment tray, and even if the attachment/detachment tray supporting the sheet is attached to the frame, the sheet feeding roller cannot feed the sheet on the attachment/detachment tray. There is.

However, in the present embodiment, the removable tray 11 is displaceable between the regulation position and the non-regulation position, and in the state of being located at the regulation position, it is adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet support region in the first direction. A regulation portion 18 including a surface to be arranged is provided. As a result, when the user places the sheet on the attachment/detachment tray 11 detached from the image forming apparatus 1, the user places the sheet so that the downstream end portion of the sheet in the first direction abuts against the regulation portion 18. If so, the sheet can be reliably placed at a predetermined position on the attachment/detachment tray 11.
As described above, it is possible to improve convenience when a sheet is placed on the detachable tray 11 that can be attached to and detached from the frame 15 in the housing 3.

Then, if the user inserts the attachment/detachment tray 11 supporting the sheet along the rail 20 to the attachment position, the sheet can be guided to a position where the sheet feeding roller 7A can feed the sheet. Further, since the holding portion 21 holds the regulating portion 18 in the non-regulating position when the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, the feeding of the sheet in the first direction with respect to the removable tray 11 is regulated. It is not obstructed by the part 18. Therefore, the sheet supported by the attachment/detachment tray 11 can be more reliably fed by the sheet feeding roller 7A.

In the present embodiment, in the state where the removable tray 11 is supported by the frame 15 at the mounting position, the guide portion 18C of the removable tray 11 rides on the holding portion 21 and the restriction portion 18 is held at the non-restricted position. It is possible to suppress the power consumption of the image forming apparatus 1 as compared with the configuration in which the drive mechanism is operated to displace the regulating portion 18 to the non-regulating position.

In the present embodiment, the restriction portion 18 of the removable tray 11 is configured to be displaced about the rotation shaft 17C in a direction toward the upper surface of the support member 17 and a direction away from the upper surface of the support member 17. In the state where the restricting portion 18 is located at the restricting position, the restricting claw 18D is located downstream in the first direction of the sheet supporting region, and the sheet supported on the upper surface of the supporting member 17 is in the first direction from the standard position. Regulate moving to. Therefore, the user can displace the restricting portion 18 in the non-regulating position to the restricting position by using gravity only by removing the detachable tray 11 in the mounting position from the image forming apparatus 1 by the user.

As the configuration of the regulation portion 18, for example, the regulation position in which the sheet is supported by the support member 17 at the standard position in contact with the downstream end portion in the first direction, and the side where the sheet is present as seen from the width direction end portion of the sheet. A configuration may be considered in which the restriction portion 18 slides in the width direction and is displaced between the restriction portion 18 and the non-regulation position which is outside the width direction end portion of the sheet when the inside is defined as.

1... Image forming apparatus 3... Housing 3A... Paper feed cover 3B... Paper discharge cover 5... Image forming mechanism 5A... Photosensitive drum 5B... Charger 5C... Exposure device 5D... Developing device 5E... Transfer roller 5F... Fixing device 7... Paper feed unit 7A... Paper feed roller 7B... Separation part 7C... Separation roller 7D... Separation pad 7E... Rotation shaft 9... Paper feed tray 11... Attachment/detachment tray 13... Press plate 13A... Front end 13B... Rear end 15... Frame 15A ... 1st frame 15B... 2nd frame 15C... Paper feeding frame 15D... Side wall 17... Support member 17A... 1st support member 17B... Downstream end 17C... Rotating shaft 17D... 2nd support member 17E... Downstream end 17F... Recessed part 17G...Upstream end part 17H...Upstream end part 18...Regulation part 18A...Installation plate 18B...Downstream end part 18C...Guide part 18D...Regulation claw 18E...Base end part 18F...Downstream end part 18G...Protrusion part 18H...Concave part 19 ... Locking part 19A... Downstream end part 19B... Leaf spring 19C... Supporting claw 20... Rail 20A... Upper wall 20B... Lower wall 20C... Locking wall 20D... Projection part 20E... Upstream end part 21... Holding part 21A... Inclined part 22... Side guide

Claims (13)

An image forming mechanism,
A frame that supports the image forming mechanism,
A casing that covers the frame,
A detachable tray attachable to and detachable from the frame,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A detachable tray having a restricting portion including a surface disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet supporting area in the first direction;
A first guide provided on the frame for guiding the removable tray to a mounting position;
A holding portion that holds the regulating portion in the non-regulating position in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position,
The attachment/detachment tray includes the regulation portion that selectively displaces in a direction in which the regulation portion approaches the sheet supporting surface of the attachment/detachment tray and in a direction in which the regulation portion separates from the sheet supporting surface of the detachable tray. It has a rotating shaft to support,
The holding portion is an inclined portion that extends along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray mounted on the frame, and is between the upstream end of the inclined portion in the first direction and the sheet supporting surface. The distance has an inclined portion that is inclined so as to be smaller than the distance between the downstream position in the first direction along the inclined portion and the sheet supporting surface,
The regulating portion is inclined so that the distance between the upstream end in the first direction and the sheet supporting surface is smaller than the distance between the downstream position in the first direction and the sheet supporting surface. Has a guide part
The image forming apparatus, wherein the guide portion is located above the inclined portion of the holding portion in a state where the attachment/detachment tray is supported by the frame at the attachment position. An image forming mechanism,
A frame that supports the image forming mechanism,
A casing that covers the frame,
A detachable tray attachable to and detachable from the frame,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A detachable tray having a restricting portion including a surface disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet supporting area in the first direction;
A first guide provided on the frame for guiding the removable tray to a mounting position;
A holding portion that holds the regulating portion in the non-regulating position in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position;
A paper feed roller,
A second guide for guiding a sheet fed by the paper feed roller from the removable tray to the image forming mechanism,
The frame has two side walls sandwiching the paper feeding roller from both sides in the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the paper feeding roller,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the holding unit is provided on at least one of the two sidewalls. An image forming mechanism,
A frame that supports the image forming mechanism,
A casing that covers the frame,
A detachable tray attachable to and detachable from the frame,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A detachable tray having a restricting portion including a surface disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet supporting area in the first direction;
A first guide provided on the frame for guiding the removable tray to a mounting position;
A holding portion that holds the regulating portion in the non-regulating position in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position;
With a paper feed roller,
The surface of the restriction portion restricts movement of the sheet on the sheet support surface from a standard position in the first direction,
The removable tray is
A supporting member having the sheet supporting surface, and supporting the sheet at the standard position on the sheet supporting surface;
A rotation shaft that supports the regulating portion that is selectively displaced in a direction in which the regulating portion approaches the sheet supporting surface of the supporting member and in a direction in which the regulating portion separates from the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray. Have
The restriction unit is
A side-by-side member that is supported by the rotating shaft and extends in the first direction along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray in a state where the restricting portion is located at the restricting position;
A regulating pawl provided at a downstream end portion of the alongside member in the first direction in the state where the regulating portion is located at the regulating position and located downstream of the sheet supporting region in the first direction. Have,
In a state in which the removable tray is located at the mounting position, a downstream end portion of the regulation pawl located at the regulation position in the first direction is connected to the paper feed roller in the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the paper feed roller. An image forming apparatus characterized by being lined up. An image forming mechanism,
A frame that supports the image forming mechanism,
A casing that covers the frame,
A detachable tray attachable to and detachable from the frame,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A detachable tray having a restricting portion including a surface disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet supporting region in the first direction; and a first guide provided on the frame and guiding the detachable tray to a mounting position,
A holding portion that holds the regulating portion in the non-regulating position in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position,
The surface of the restriction portion restricts movement of the sheet on the sheet support surface from a standard position in the first direction,
The removable tray is
A supporting member having the sheet supporting surface, and supporting the sheet at the standard position on the sheet supporting surface;
A rotation shaft that supports the regulating portion that is selectively displaced in a direction in which the regulating portion approaches the sheet supporting surface of the supporting member and in a direction in which the regulating portion separates from the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray. Have
The restriction unit is
A side-by-side member that is supported by the rotating shaft and extends in the first direction along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray in a state where the restricting portion is located at the restricting position;
A regulating pawl provided at a downstream end portion of the alongside member in the first direction in the state where the regulating portion is located at the regulating position and located downstream of the sheet supporting region in the first direction. Have,
The alongside member has a plate-like member provided on the seat support region in a state where the alongside member is located at the regulation position,
The restriction claw is
A base end portion extending in the first direction from a part of the downstream end portion of the alongside member located at the regulation position;
A protrusion extending from a downstream end of the base end in the first direction of the restriction pawl located at the restriction position in a direction intersecting a plane extending along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray; An image forming apparatus characterized in that. The downstream end of the support member in the first direction is located downstream of the downstream end of the alongside member located in the regulation position in the first direction. The image forming apparatus described. An image forming mechanism,
A frame that supports the image forming mechanism,
A casing that covers the frame,
A detachable tray attachable to and detachable from the frame,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A detachable tray having a restricting portion including a surface disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet supporting area in the first direction;
A first guide provided on the frame for guiding the removable tray to a mounting position;
A holding portion that holds the regulating portion in the non-regulating position in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position;
A paper feed roller,
A paper feed tray provided below the removable tray supported by the frame at the mounting position;
A pressing plate that is provided on the paper feed tray and that is selectively displaced in a direction approaching the paper feed roller and a direction separating from the paper feed roller;
The surface of the restriction portion restricts movement of the sheet on the sheet support surface from a standard position in the first direction,
The removable tray is
A supporting member having the sheet supporting surface, and supporting the sheet at the standard position on the sheet supporting surface;
A rotation shaft that supports the regulating portion that is selectively displaced in a direction in which the regulating portion approaches the sheet supporting surface of the supporting member and in a direction in which the regulating portion separates from the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray. Have
The restriction unit is
A side-by-side member that is supported by the rotating shaft and extends in the first direction along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray in a state where the restricting portion is located at the restricting position;
A regulating pawl provided at a downstream end portion of the alongside member in the first direction in the state where the regulating portion is located at the regulating position and located downstream of the sheet supporting region in the first direction. Have,
The support member is
A first support member including a downstream end in the first direction;
A second support member extending in the first direction from the downstream end of the first support member, the direction approaching the paper feed roller in a state where the removable tray is supported by the frame at the mounting position. And a second support member that selectively displaces in a direction away from the paper feed roller,
Further, the second support member feeds the sheet supported by the pressing plate in a state where the removable tray not supporting the sheet on the sheet supporting surface is supported by the frame at the mounting position. An image forming apparatus which allows contact with a roller. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second support member is made of an elastically deformable resin. The restricting claw is arranged in a direction intersecting a plane extending along the sheet supporting surface of the removable tray, and is larger than a distance between the sheet supporting surface of the supporting member and the alongside member located at the restricting position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus has a long dimension. Equipped with a paper feed roller,
The paper feed roller is provided on a virtual straight line that bisects the removable tray in a direction orthogonal to the first direction,
The restriction claw is
A first regulating claw,
The image according to any one of claims 3 to 8, further comprising: a second restricting claw provided at a position that is line-symmetrical to the first restricting claw with respect to the virtual straight line. Forming equipment. When the direction in which the first guide guides the removable tray from the outside of the housing into the inside of the housing is the second direction, the second direction is the same as the first direction,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide is inclined downward in the second direction. A sheet supporting tray detachable from the image forming apparatus,
A sheet supporting surface having a sheet supporting region,
A restricting portion that is displaceable between a restricting position and a non-restricting position that is a position different from the restricting position, and extends along at least a part of the sheet supporting surface in a state of being located at the restricting position. A restriction portion including a surface arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet support region in the first direction;
A supporting member having the sheet supporting surface, and supporting the sheet at a standard position on the sheet supporting surface;
A rotation shaft that supports the regulating portion that is selectively displaced in a direction in which the regulating portion approaches the sheet supporting surface of the supporting member and in a direction in which the regulating portion separates from the sheet supporting surface,
The surface of the restriction portion restricts movement of the sheet on the sheet supporting surface from the standard position in the first direction,
The restriction unit is
A side-by-side member that is supported by the rotating shaft and extends in the first direction along the seat supporting surface in a state in which the restricting portion is located at the restricting position;
A regulating pawl provided at a downstream end portion of the alongside member in the first direction in the state where the regulating portion is located at the regulating position and located downstream of the sheet supporting region in the first direction. Have,
The alongside member has a plate-like member provided on the seat support region in a state where the alongside member is located at the regulation position,
The restriction claw is
A base end portion extending in the first direction from a part of the downstream end portion of the alongside member located at the regulation position;
A protrusion extending in a direction intersecting a plane extending along the sheet supporting surface from a downstream end portion of the base end portion in the first direction of the regulation pawl located at the regulation position. A sheet support tray. The restriction claw has a dimension longer than a distance between the sheet support surface of the support member and the alongside member located at the restriction position in a direction intersecting a plane extending along the sheet support surface. sheet support tray of claim 1 1, wherein the. The downstream end portion of the support member in the first direction is located downstream of the downstream end portion of the alongside member located in the regulation position in the first direction. sheet support tray according to 1 2.