JP7013185B2 - Sheet transfer device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet transfer device and an image forming device.

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic method, an image forming apparatus in which a sheet is conveyed to an image forming portion and an image is formed on the sheet is widely used. And such an image forming apparatus is generally provided with a sheet conveying apparatus which conveys a loaded sheet to an image forming part.

The sheet transfer device has a feeding roller formed of a friction member such as rubber as a rotating body, and when the sheet is fed, the feeding roller comes into contact with the loaded sheet and rotates to rotate the sheet. Is sent to the image forming unit.

If the rubber of the feeding roller deteriorates due to wear or the like in the sheet transporting device having such a configuration, the feeding performance may be deteriorated. Therefore, a sheet transfer device in which the rollers are replaceable by a user or a service person has been proposed.

Patent Document 1 proposes a sheet transport device provided with a dropout prevention mechanism so that the rollers do not fall off except during the feeding operation. (Patent Document 1)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-288654

In Patent Document 1, when the feeding roller is replaced, the user needs to move the lock member from the locked position to the unlocked position, which increases the user's replacement work procedure.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet transfer device and an image forming device that regulate the falling off of rollers without deteriorating usability.

The invention according to claim 1 is a rotating body having a mounting portion, a rotating body unit that can be removed from the mounting portion and that can come into contact with a seat, and a holding member that holds the rotating body. The unit, a support shaft that supports one end side of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body, and the other end side of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body are supported in the axial direction of the rotating body. In a sheet transport device having a movable moving shaft and transporting a sheet by the rotating body, an interlocking mechanism for moving the moving shaft according to the movement of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body. It is characterized in that the restricting means for restricting the movement of the interlocking mechanism is provided, and the restricting means restricts the movement of the interlocking mechanism to regulate the movement of the moving axis in the axial direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet transport device and an image forming device that regulate the falling off of rollers without deteriorating usability by the regulating means that regulates the movement of the interlocking mechanism.

It is sectional drawing which shows the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the schematic structure of the sheet transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the holding structure of the roller unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is the lower right perspective view of the image forming apparatus, (b) is the upper left perspective view. It is a figure which shows the feeding unit before the loading plate ascending of the feeding unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional view. It is a figure which shows the feeding unit after the loading plate is raised of the feeding unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional view. It is a figure which shows the feeding unit in the state which the feeding cassette of the feeding unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment is removed, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional view. It is a figure which shows the removal procedure of the roller unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is the perspective view at the mounting position, (b) is the perspective view in the state which the roller unit was moved in the axial direction, (c) is It is a perspective view of the state which the feeding roller unit was moved in the removal direction. The roller unit according to the first embodiment is a diagram of an interlocking mechanism at a mounting position, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the right direction. It is a figure of the interlocking mechanism of the position where the roller unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment came into contact with a lever member, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right sectional view. It is a figure of the interlocking mechanism of the position where the roller unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment pushed the lever member, and the slide shaft began to separate from a feed roller unit, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right sectional view. Is. It is a figure of the interlocking mechanism of the position which can pull out the roller unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right sectional view. It is a perspective view which shows the operation of the interlocking mechanism which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a position of FIG. 8, (b) is a position of FIG. 9, (c) is a position of FIG. 10, (d) is a figure. It is the position of 11. It is an upward sectional view in the state that the slide shaft which concerns on 1st Embodiment is not completely separated from the recess of a feed roller. (A) is a view of the roller unit and the interlocking mechanism from above in the U direction, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the center of the feed roller in FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the interlocking mechanism E of (b). (A) is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating means F is not acting, and (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating means F is operating. It is a perspective view explaining the regulation means which concerns on other embodiment.

[Example 1]
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus 1 adopting the electrophotographic process, and may be an image forming apparatus of another type, for example, a printer adopting an inkjet image forming process. In this embodiment, as shown in each figure, the front side (front side) toward the image forming apparatus 1 is the front direction F, the back side (dorsal side) is the rear direction B, the left side is the left direction L, and the right side. Is R in the right direction, U is in the upper direction, and D is in the lower direction.

The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a process cartridge 2 (2Y, 2M, 2C, 2K) that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. These four process cartridges 2 have the same structure, but differ in that they form images with different colors, namely yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners. .. The process cartridge 2 includes a photosensitive drum 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K) which is an image carrier, a charging means 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K), a cleaning means 5 (5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K), and development. It has means 6 (6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K). A laser scanner unit 7 (7Y, 7M, 7C, 7K) is arranged below the process cartridge. The surface of the photosensitive drum 3 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 4. The laser scanner unit 7 irradiates the photosensitive drum 3 with a laser based on the image information to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing means 6 adheres toner to the photosensitive drum 3 to form a toner image.

The intermediate transfer belt unit 8 has an intermediate transfer belt 10 as a transfer belt, a drive roller 11 for tensioning the intermediate transfer belt 10, and a tension roller 12. The tension roller 12 applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 10 in the L direction. The photosensitive drum 3 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1, and the intermediate transfer belt 10 rotates counterclockwise. A primary transfer roller 9 (9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K) is provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 10 at a position corresponding to each photosensitive drum 3. The primary transfer roller 9 is configured to apply a transfer voltage by a transfer power source (not shown).

When a voltage is applied to the primary transfer roller 9, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3Y is sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10, and the toner images of the four colors are transferred to the secondary transfer unit 14 in an overlapping state. The toner that is not transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 and remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 is removed by the cleaning means 5.

The image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeding device 30 as a sheet transporting device for transporting sheets. The sheet S fed from the sheet feeding device 30 is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 14 after the tip positions are aligned by the resist roller pair 16. In the secondary transfer unit 14, the transfer voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 15 from the secondary transfer power supply, so that the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is transferred to the transferred sheet S. The toner that is not transferred to the sheet S and remains on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10 is removed by the belt cleaning means 17 and collected in a waste toner collection container (not shown).

The sheet S to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing means 18, and is heated and pressurized by the fixing means. As a result, the toner image is fixed on the surface of the sheet S. After that, the sheet S is guided to the discharge transport path side 20 by being guided by the double-sided flapper 19, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 22 via the paper discharge roller pair 21.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding device 30. The sheet feeding device 30 feeds the sheet S to the image forming unit. The sheet feeding device 30 has a feeding unit 100 and a separation unit 40 attached to the image forming apparatus (device main body) 1, and a feeding cassette 50 that can be attached to and detached from the device main body 1 in the front-rear direction. Further, the seat feeding device 30 has a feeding drive unit (not shown) for driving each roller, a lifter mechanism, and the like, which will be described later.

The feeding unit 100 includes a roller unit (rotating body unit) 101. The roller unit 101 includes a pickup roller 103 and a feed roller 104, which are rotating bodies. Further, the roller unit 101 includes a roller holder 102 (holding member) that holds the pickup roller 103 and the feed roller 104 in parallel, and is removable from the feeding unit 100. The detailed configuration of the feeding unit 100 will be described later.

The separation unit 40 includes a separation roller 41, a separation roller holder 42 that rotatably holds the separation roller 41, a separation base 43 that rotatably holds the separation roller holder 42, and a separation that is held by the separation base 43 and presses the separation roller holder. It is composed of a spring 44. The separation unit 40 is attached to the apparatus main body 1 so that the separation roller 41 faces the feed roller 104, and the separation roller 41 is pressed against the feed roller 104 by the separation roller spring 44. The separation roller 41 is attached to the separation roller holder 42 via a torque limiter (not shown). The separation roller 41 may be connected to a drive shaft in a direction opposite to the direction in which the seat is fed by a drive shaft (not shown) such as a motor via a torque limiter.

The feed cassette 50 has a box-shaped cassette tray 52 and a loading plate 51 that is swingably attached to the cassette tray 52 and on which the sheet S is loaded.

Subsequently, the seat feeding operation of the seat feeding device 30 will be described. When the feed cassette 50 is inserted into the apparatus main body 1, the loading plate 51 rises, and the top sheet Sa of the loaded sheet S and the pickup roller 103 come into contact with each other. Both the pickup roller 103 and the feed roller 104 are driven by a drive source (not shown) and rotate counterclockwise in FIG. The sheet S fed from the feed cassette 50 by the rotation of the pickup roller 103 is separated and fed one by one by the feed roller 104 and the separation roller 41. After that, the sheet S is transferred to the resist roller pair 16 by the transport roller pair 33.

[Feeding unit]
Subsequently, the configuration of the feeding unit 100 and the holding configuration of the roller unit 101 in the feeding unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing a holding configuration of the roller unit 101, FIG. 3A is a perspective view from the lower right direction in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view from the upper left direction.

A feeding frame 110 is attached to the main body of the apparatus, and a feeding unit 100 is provided on the feeding frame 110. A drive shaft (support shaft) 111 that rotates under the drive of a motor (not shown) is supported on the feed frame 110 via a bearing 112. The drive shaft 111 supports one end side of the roller unit 101 in the rotation axis direction of the pickup roller 103 when the roller unit 101 is mounted on the feeding frame 110. Further, the slide shaft (moving shaft) 113 is supported on the feeding frame 110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction coaxially with the drive shaft 111, and the slide shaft 113 is supported in the B direction (drive shaft 111) by the urging spring 114. Is receiving a force in the direction of). The slide shaft 113 supports the other end side of the roller unit 101 in the rotation axis direction of the pickup roller 103 when the roller unit 101 is mounted on the feeding frame 110.

The roller unit 101 provided in the feeding unit 100 is composed of a roller holder 102, a pickup roller 103, a feed roller 104, a transmission gear 105, and the like. The roller unit 101 is removable with respect to the feeding frame 110 which is a mounting portion. A gear portion 103a is provided at one end of the pickup roller 103. A gear portion 104a is provided at one end of the feed roller 104, and the transmission gear 105 is arranged between the gear portion 103a and the gear portion 104a and meshes with the gear portions 103a and 104a. The gear portion 104a of the feed roller 104 is integrally provided with a coupling portion 104b having a tooth portion that meshes with the tooth portion formed at the tip of the drive shaft 111.

The bearing 112 provided in the feeding frame 110 has a concave portion 112a concentric with the drive shaft 111, and the circular and hollow convex portion 102a provided in the roller holder 102 is engaged (fitted) with the concave portion 112a. It is possible to do so. The end portion of the drive shaft 111 is coaxially located inside the concave portion 112a, and the hollow portion of the convex portion 102a and the coupling portion 104b of the feed roller 104 are arranged coaxially. With this configuration, when the convex portion 102a of the roller holder 102 is fitted into the concave portion 112a of the bearing 112, the tooth portion at the tip of the drive shaft 111 and the tooth portion of the coupling portion 104b mesh with each other.

Further, the feeding frame 110 is provided with a slide shaft 113 arranged coaxially with the drive shaft 111. The tip portion 113a of the slide shaft 113 engages (fits) with the circular recess 104c provided on the side opposite to the coupling portion 104b of the feed roller 104. As a result, the roller unit 101 is sandwiched between the drive shaft 111 and the slide shaft 113, and can swing to the feed frame 110 so that the pickup roller 103 moves up and down with these shafts 111 and 113 as swing fulcrums. Is held in.

In this state, the drive from a drive source (not shown) is transmitted to the feed roller 104 via the drive shaft 111. Further, in the roller unit 101, the drive transmitted to the feed roller 104 is transmitted from the gear portion 103a to the gear portion 104a via the transmission gear 105 to rotate the pickup roller 103.

Further, the feeding unit 100 is rotatably supported around the slide shaft 113 with the flag member 150, which is a stored sheet and is a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet on the loading plate 51. A photo interrupter 151 is fixed to the feeding unit 100, and the light transmission / light shielding is changed by the light shielding portion 150a of the flag member, so that the posture of the flag member 150 can be detected.

Subsequently, other configurations provided in the feeding unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The roller unit 101 of the present embodiment is configured to be swingable according to the attachment / detachment operation of the feed cassette 50 to the device main body 1 and the ascending operation of the loading plate 51. FIG. 4 shows a state before the loading plate 51 is raised after inserting the feeding cassette 50, FIG. 5 shows a state after the loading plate 51 is raised, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the feeding cassette 50 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 1. ing. In each figure, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view cut along a plane perpendicular to the axis at the center of the pickup roller 103 in the axial direction.

The feeding frame 110 rotatably holds the pressing member 115, the first link member 116, and the second link member 117, respectively. The feeding frame 110 is provided with a pressing member 115 for abutting on the roller unit 101 and urging the pickup roller 103 downward. The pressing member 115 is urged by a pressing spring 118 in the R1 direction in FIG. 4 with a support shaft as the center. The pressing member 115 has a first pushing-up portion 115a, and the first pushing-up portion 115a is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the guide portion 102c which is the top surface of the roller holder 102. Then, the pressing member 115 is urged by the elastic force of the pressing spring 118 so as to rotate the roller holder 102 counterclockwise in FIG. 4 (b).

Further, the pressing member 115 is provided with a first pushing-up portion 115a having a pushing-up surface 115b that abuts on the lower surface of the plate-shaped tab portion 102b provided on the roller holder 102. Then, in FIG. 4B, when the pressing member 115 rotates clockwise, the first push-up portion 115a rotates the roller holder 102 clockwise around the axis (drive shaft 111) of the feed roller 104. Let me.

The first link member 116 is urged in the R2 direction in FIG. 4A about a support shaft by a spring (not shown), and one end thereof engages with the first push-up portion 115a of the pressing member 115. A push-up portion 116b is provided. At the other end of the first link member 116, a contact surface 116a that can be engaged with the arm portion 117c of the second link member 117 is provided.

The second link member 117 is urged in the R3 direction in FIG. 4A about a support shaft by a spring (not shown), and the second link member 117 is supplied to the second link member 117 when rotated in the R3 direction. A second locking portion 117b that can come into contact with the stopper portion 110a of the feed frame 110 is provided.

With reference to FIG. 6, the state of each member in a state where the feeding cassette 50 is removed will be described. The second link member 117 is urged in the R3 direction by the elastic force of a spring (not shown), and the second locking portion 117b is stopped by abutting on the stopper portion 110a of the feeding frame 110. The second link member 117 is urged in the R2 direction by the elastic force of a spring (not shown), but the arm portion 117c is pressed against the contact surface 116a of the first link member 116 and is rotated in the direction opposite to R2. It has stopped. This is because the elastic force of the spring that urges the second link member 117 is set to be larger than the elastic force of the spring that urges the first link member 116.

The second push-up portion 116b of the first link member 116 engages with the first push-up portion 115a of the pressing member 115 from below, and as shown in FIG. 6B, presses the pressing member 115 with the elastic force of the pressing spring 118. It is rotated in the direction opposite to the R1 direction against the above. Further, the push-up surface 115b of the pressing member 115 pushes up from the lower side of the tab portion 102b of the roller holder 102, so that the roller unit 101 is rotated counterclockwise around the drive shaft 111. This state is a state in which the pickup roller 103 has moved upward.

In a state where the roller unit 101 is rotated by the first link member 116, the guide portion 102c provided on the roller holder 102 is stopped at a position where the rollers 103 and 104 of the roller unit 101 are substantially horizontal. .. This state is a mounting position that allows the roller unit 101, which will be described later, to be removed and mounted from the feeding unit 100.

FIG. 4 shows a state before the feeding cassette 50 is inserted into the mounting position where the sheet of the apparatus main body 1 can be fed and the loading plate 51 is raised. In this state, the second link member 117 is pressed against the urging force of the spring B by the cassette tray 52 of the feeding cassette 50 into which the first locking portion 117a is inserted, and rotates in the direction opposite to the R3 direction. It is being moved.

Since the arm portion 117c of the second link member 117 is also rotated in the direction opposite to the R3 direction, the first link member 116 is rotated in the R2 direction by the urging force of a spring (not shown). The contact surface 116a is in contact with the arm portion 117c of the stopped second link member 117 and is stopped.

Further, the engagement of the pressing member 115 with the first pushing portion 115a by the pushing portion 116b of the first link member 116 is released, and the pressing member 115 is counterclockwise in FIG. 4B due to the urging force of the pressing spring 118. It rotates and stops. At this time, since the push-up surface 115b of the pressing member 115 is also lowered, the roller unit 101 rotates around the drive shaft 111 due to its own weight. Then, in the roller holder 102, the roller unit 101 is stopped when the tab portion 102b comes into contact with the push-up surface 115b of the pressing member 115. In this state, the pickup roller 103 has moved downward.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the cassette tray 52 is mounted on the apparatus main body 1, the loading plate 51 is raised by a lifter mechanism (not shown), and the sheet S on the loading plate 51 comes into contact with the lowered pickup roller 103. Further, when the loading plate 51 is raised and the uppermost sheet Sa lifts the pickup roller 103 and detects that the height reaches a predetermined height by a detection means (not shown), the raising of the loading plate 51 is stopped. This predetermined height is a position where the top sheet Sa can be fed by the pickup roller 103.

At this time, the tab portion 102b of the roller holder 102 is separated from the push-up portion 116a of the first link member 116. Further, the guide portion (top surface) 102c of the roller holder 102 abuts on the pressing portion 115c of the pressing member 115, and the pressing member 115 is rotated in the direction opposite to the R1 direction against the urging force of the pressing spring 118. In the state where the loading plate 51 has stopped rising, the urging force of the pressing spring 118 acts between the pickup roller 103 and the uppermost seat Sa on the loading plate 51. As a result, when the pickup roller 103 rotates, the seat S can be fed by the frictional force. This position is the feeding position of the roller unit 101.

In this state, the pickup roller 103 rotates to feed out the sheet, and the feed roller 104 and the separation roller 41 separate the sheets one by one and feed them out. When the sheet is fed out and the position of the uppermost surface of the sheet on the loading plate 51 becomes low, it is detected by a detection means (not shown), and based on the detection, the loading plate 51 is raised by a lifter mechanism (not shown) to raise the upper surface of the sheet. Moves to a predetermined height. In this way, the top-level sheet loaded on the loading plate 51 is maintained within the height range in which the feedable roller unit can be fed [feeding roller unit removal operation].
Subsequently, the operation of removing the roller unit 101 from the feeding unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the feeding unit 100 at the mounting position of the roller unit 101. In this state, the separation unit 40 is either removed or rotated to move it to a position where the attachment / detachment of the roller unit 101 is not hindered. The roller unit 101 is attached / detached by opening the opening / closing door provided on the side surface of the apparatus main body 1.

From the state of FIG. 7A, when the user operates the roller unit 101 and moves it in the F direction against the urging force of the urging spring 114 of the slide shaft 113, the roller unit 101 moves in the F direction. It becomes the position shown in. Here, the F direction is a direction in which the roller unit 101 is separated from the drive shaft 112.

At the position of the roller unit 101, the convex portion 102a of the roller holder is separated from the concave portion 112a of the bearing, and the tooth portion at the tip of the drive shaft 111 is also separated from the tooth portion of the coupling portion 104b of the feed roller. There is. Further, when the roller unit 101 is moved in the F direction, the tip portion 113a of the slide shaft 113 is separated from the recess 104c of the feed roller by the interlocking mechanism E described later. Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the roller unit 101 can be pulled out from each of the drive shaft 111 and the slide shaft 113 in the R direction. The pull-out direction of the roller unit 101 is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the feed roller 104.

Here, the detailed configuration of the interlocking mechanism E in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. 8 to 11 show in order the operation of the interlocking mechanism E when the roller unit 101 is moved in the forward direction. In each figure, (a) is a view of the roller unit 101 and the interlocking mechanism E from above in the U direction, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the center of the feed roller 104 in FIG. be. A perspective view of the interlocking mechanism E from FIGS. 8 to 11 is shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 12 (a) is shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 12 (b) is shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 (c) is shown in FIG. , FIG. 12 (d) correspond to FIG. 11, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the roller unit 101 and the interlocking mechanism E at the mounting position shown in FIG. First, the configuration of the interlocking mechanism E will be described.

The interlocking mechanism E has a lever member 130 rotatably supported around the shaft portion 130a on the feeding frame 110, and the lever member 130 includes a contact portion 130b that abuts on the roller holder 102. Further, the interlocking mechanism E includes an engaged portion 113b provided on the mounting portion 113d fixed to the slide shaft 113. The lever member 130 is formed with a U-shaped engaging portion 130c that engages with the engaged portion 113b.

Here, the distance between the shaft portion 130a of the lever member 130 and the contact portion 130b is L1, and the distance between the shaft portion 130a of the lever member 130 and the engaged portion 113b of the slide shaft 113 is L2. It is set so that L2> L1. Further, the position of the lever member 130 is positioned when the roller unit 101 is attached to the feeding unit 100 so as not to hinder the swing between the feeding position and the mounting position of the roller unit 101. A gap is provided between the contact portion 130b of the positioned lever member 130 and the roller holder 102. Due to this gap, the lever member 130 does not become a resistance when the roller unit 101 moves up and down. Further, a plate-shaped protrusion 102e that comes into contact with the lever member is provided on the side of the roller holder 102 opposite to the tab portion 102b, and a recess 102d for the user to catch a finger when operating the roller unit 101. Is provided.

Subsequently, the operation of the interlocking mechanism E for removing the roller unit 101 will be described. When the roller unit 101 is operated by putting a finger on the recess 102d and moving it in the F direction from the mounting position of the roller unit 101 in FIG. 8, the roller unit 101 first opposes the urging force of the urging spring 114 in the B direction. Then, the slide shaft 113 moves integrally. Then, the contact portion 130b of the lever member 130 comes into contact with the protruding portion 102e of the roller holder 102, as shown in FIG.

Further, after the protruding portion 102e of the roller holder 102 comes into contact with the lever member 130, the roller unit 101 moves the lever member 130 in the F direction while rotating the lever member 130 as a fulcrum. At this time, since the slide shaft 113 is arranged so that L2> L1, the slide shaft 113 moves more than the amount of movement in the front direction (axis direction) of the roller unit 101. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip portion 113a of the slide shaft gradually begins to separate from the recess 104c of the feed roller. Finally, the convex portion 102a of the roller holder 102 is separated from the concave portion 112a of the bearing, and the tip portion 113a of the slide shaft 113 and the concave portion 104c of the feed roller are separated from each other in the state shown in FIG. 11 (FIG. 7B). Become. In this state, when the roller unit 101 is pulled out in the R direction, the protruding portion 102e (contacted portion) of the roller holder 102 can be removed from the feeding unit 100 while being rubbed against the abutting portion 130b of the lever member 130. .. At this time, the urging force of the urging spring 114 that urges the slide shaft 113 is applied from the lever 130 to the roller holder 102, but since this urging force is set to be relatively small, it may affect the pulling-out operation of the roller unit 101. There is no.

When the roller unit 101 is pulled out in the R direction, the tip portion 113a of the slide shaft does not need to be completely separated from the recess 104c of the feed roller 104. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 (cross-sectional view of the engaging portion between the tip portion 113a of the slide shaft and the recess 104c of the feed roller viewed from above), an inclined surface 113c provided at the tip portion of the slide shaft 113 is provided. If a part of the inclined surface 113c protrudes outside the recess 104 of the feed roller, the R-direction component force F1 of the force F received by the inclined surface 113c of the slide shaft 113 when the user pulls out the roller unit 101 to the right side. The slide shaft 113 moves in the F direction. Therefore, the roller unit 101 can be pulled out in the R direction even if the slide shaft 113 is not completely separated from the recess 104c of the feed roller. 14 (a) is a view of the roller unit 101 and the interlocking mechanism E viewed from above in the U direction, and FIG. 14 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the center of the feed roller 104 in FIG. 14 (a) viewed from the right in the L direction. 14 (c) is a perspective view illustrating the interlocking mechanism E of FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). As shown in FIG. 14, the roller unit 101 can be removed from the feeding frame 110.

As described above, when the roller unit 101 is operated from the mounting position and moved in the F direction, the amount of movement of the slide shaft 113 is larger than the amount of movement of the roller unit 101. As a result, when the roller unit 101 is separated from the drive shaft 111, the slide shaft 113 is also separated from the roller unit 101. Therefore, after the roller unit 101 is moved in the F direction, the roller unit 101 can be easily removed from the feeding frame 110 in the R direction, the procedure for replacement can be reduced, and the usability can be improved.

[Regulatory means]
Subsequently, the operation of the flag member 150 and the regulating means F of the roller unit 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 15 (a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating means F is not acting, and FIG. 15 (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating means F is operating.

In this embodiment, the flag member 150, which is a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet on the loading plate 51, is used as a part constituting the regulatory means and can be moved to at least the first position and the second position. Is. Further, the flag member 150 includes a regulation unit 150b that regulates the rotation of the lever member 130. When the feeding cassette 50 is not attached, or when the feeding cassette 50 is inserted and the loading plate 51 is in a state before being raised, the flag member 150 rotates from U to D by its own weight. At that time, the flag member 150 comes into contact with the feeding frame 110 at the contact portion 150c and stands still (FIG. 15 (a)). The position of the flag member 150 in this state is the first position.

In the state of FIG. 15A, the restricting portion 150b of the flag member 150 is located at a position (movement allowable region) away from the rotation locus of the lever member 130, so that the operation of the lever member 130 is not hindered. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the loading plate 51 rises after the feeding cassette 50 is inserted into the apparatus main body 1 and the roller unit 101 is in the feeding position, the top sheet Sa on the loading plate 51 The flag member 150 is rotated by this. As a result, the regulation portion 150b of the flag member 150 is at a position (movement restriction region) that overlaps with the rotation locus of the lever member. The position of the flag member 150 in this state is the second position. When the flag member 150 is located at the second position, the movement of the lever member 130 is restricted and the movement of the slide shaft 113 does not move, so that it is possible to maintain the state in which the roller unit 101 is supported by the slide shaft 113. ..

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the roller unit 101 from being detached from the feeding frame 110 without deteriorating usability by the regulating means F.

Further, although the configuration in which the flag member 150, which is a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet, includes the regulation unit 150b has been described, a configuration in which a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet may be separately provided may be provided. As in the present embodiment, if the detection member for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet is provided with the regulation unit 150b, the members can be shared, which has an effect of contributing to the miniaturization of the image forming apparatus.

Further, the flag member 150 included in the regulating means F may adopt a moving method other than rotation. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, instead of the flag member 150, a flag member 160 that moves in the vertical direction may be provided.

The roller unit 101 includes a feed roller 104 and a pickup roller 103 as rotating bodies, but may be configured to include only one of them. Further, although the configuration in which the roller unit 101 is removed from the feeding unit 100 has been described, the configuration may be such that the feed roller 104 or the pickup roller 103, which are rotating bodies, are individually removed. For example, when the feed roller 104 itself is removed from the feed unit 100, the shafts on both sides that support the feed roller 104 become the moving shaft and the support shaft.

Further, the flag member 150 regulates the movement of the roller unit 101 by restricting the rotation of the lever member 130, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the regulation unit 150b of the flag member 150 may be in direct contact with the roller unit 101 to restrict the movement of the roller unit 101.

100 Feeding unit 101 Roller unit (rotating body unit)
103 Pickup roller (rotating body)
104 Feed roller (rotating body)
110 Feeding frame 111 Drive shaft (support shaft)
113 Slide axis (movement axis)
114 Biasing spring (Biasing means)
130 Lever member 110a, 112d, 115c Guide part 150 Flag member 150b Restriction part

Claims (14)

With the mounting part
A rotating body unit that can be removed from the mounting portion and that can come into contact with the seat,
A rotating body unit including a holding member for holding the rotating body, and a rotating body unit.
A support shaft that supports one end side of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body, and
In a sheet transport device having a moving shaft that supports the other end side of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body and is movable in the axial direction of the rotating body, and transports a sheet by the rotating body.
It is provided with an interlocking mechanism for moving the moving axis according to the movement of the rotating body unit in the axial direction of the rotating body, and a regulating means for restricting the movement of the interlocking mechanism.
A sheet transport device, characterized in that the restricting means restricts the movement of the interlocking mechanism, thereby restricting the movement of the moving shaft in the axial direction. When the rotating body unit is moved to a side away from the support shaft when the rotating body unit is removed from the mounting portion, in the interlocking mechanism, the amount of movement of the moving shaft in the axial direction is the amount of the rotating body unit. The sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the moving axis is moved so as to be larger than the moving amount in the axial direction. The sheet transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes a lever member that rotates with the shaft portion as a fulcrum, and the moving shaft is moved by the rotation of the lever member. The sheet transport device according to claim 3, wherein the regulating means includes a flag member that can be moved to at least a first position and a second position. The claim is characterized in that the flag member does not regulate the movement of the lever member when it is located at the first position, and regulates the movement of the lever member when it is located at the second position. 4. The sheet transfer device according to 4. The sheet transport device according to claim 5, wherein the flag member includes a regulating unit that comes into contact with the lever member when it is located at the second position and restricts the movement of the lever member. The sheet transfer device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the flag member also serves as a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet housed in the sheet transfer device. The sheet transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rotating body is arranged coaxially with the support shaft and is a transfer roller that conveys a sheet. Claims 1 to 8 include a drive source for driving the support shaft, and the rotating body is driven by the drive source in a state where the rotating body unit is pivotally supported by the support shaft. The sheet transfer device according to any one of the above items. The rotating body unit includes a contacted portion that abuts on the abutting portion of the lever member, and the lever member moves the moving shaft by pressing the abutting portion by the abutting portion. The sheet transport device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the sheet transport device is characterized. The seat transfer device according to claim 10, wherein the lever member includes an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion included in the moving shaft. The sheet transport device according to claim 11, wherein the distance from the shaft portion to the engaging portion is longer than the distance from the shaft portion to the contacted portion. After the moving shaft is moved by the lever member, the rotating body unit is removed from the mounting portion while the contacted portion of the rotating body unit rubs against the abutting portion of the lever member. The sheet transport device according to claim 11 or 12. The sheet transporting device is claimed 1 in an image forming apparatus having a rotating body and a sheet conveying device for transporting a sheet by the rotating body and an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet conveyed by the rotating body. The image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 13.

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