JP7383492B2 - Paper feeding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper feeding device equipped with a paper feeding cassette, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same.

2. Description of the Related Art As a paper feeding device provided in an image forming apparatus, a paper feeding device including a paper feeding cassette is known. The paper feed cassette can be switched between an attached state in which it is attached to a cassette attachment part of the main body of the paper feeder and a pulled out state in which it is pulled out from the cassette attachment part. In the installed state, paper can be fed from the paper feed cassette to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and in the pulled out state, paper can be replenished or replaced.

In addition, the paper feed device has a paper feed cassette with a movable tray that can be raised and lowered, and when the paper feed cassette is installed, the movable tray is raised, and when the paper feed cassette is pulled out, the movable tray is lowered. be. In this configuration, by raising the movable tray while keeping the position of the paper feed roller in the paper feed device body fixed, the stack of sheets placed on the movable tray can be brought into contact with the paper feed roller.

Regarding the raising and lowering operation of the movable tray, there are two types: one is performed using a motor, and the other is performed mechanically in conjunction with the insertion and removal operation (installation operation and pullout operation) of the paper feed cassette (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-176812

When the movable tray is moved up and down by a motor, there is a problem in that the cost increases due to an increase in the number of parts. In addition, when moving the movable tray up and down mechanically, when inserting and removing the paper feed cassette, the paper is inserted and removed while being in pressure contact with the paper feed roller, which causes the top surface of the paper to be rubbed by the paper feed roller. do.

In the paper feeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the paper feeding roller is provided on the paper feeding cassette side in order to avoid rubbing of the upper surface of the paper by the paper feeding roller. However, such a configuration requires a transmission mechanism to transmit driving force to the paper feed roller when the paper feed cassette is installed, which complicates the structure of the paper feed device main body and the paper feed cassette. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a paper feeding device and an image forming device that minimize the rubbing of the top surface of paper by a paper feeding roller in a paper feeding cassette equipped with a movable tray that can be raised and lowered. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above problems, a paper feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a paper feeding cassette that can be switched between an installed state and a pulled out state by inserting and removing the paper into the main body of the paper feeding device. In the paper feeding device, the paper feeding cassette includes a rotatable rotating shaft extending along the insertion/extraction direction of the paper feeding cassette, and an upstream end in the paper feeding direction rotatably supported on the rotating shaft. a movable tray whose downstream end can be moved up and down by rotation around the rotation axis; a rotating arm that is pivotally supported and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft; and a first rotary arm that is attached to a rear end of the paper feed cassette with respect to the rotating shaft in the insertion/extraction direction of the paper feed cassette and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft. an engaging member, a first biasing member that biases the movable tray in an upward direction, and a second biasing member that biases the rotating arm toward the movable tray, and the sheet feeding device The main body has a fixed position within the paper feed device main body, and is engaged with the first paper feed roller that feeds paper placed on the movable tray when the paper feed cassette is installed. A second engaging member that rotates the rotating arm in a direction away from the movable tray via the first engaging member and the rotating shaft when engaged with the movable tray. There is.

According to the above configuration, the vertical movement of the movable tray is provided by the rotating shaft, the movable tray, the rotating arm, the first engaging member, the second engaging member, the first biasing member, and the second biasing member. An elevating mechanism is constructed that operates in conjunction with the insertion and removal operation of the paper cassette. With this elevating mechanism, it is possible to minimize the friction between the paper feed roller and the upper surface of the paper during the insertion/removal operation of the paper feed cassette.

Further, in the paper feeding device, when the paper feeding cassette is installed, the first engaging member and the second engaging member are in an engaged state, and the rotating arm is rotated in a direction away from the movable tray. By moving the movable tray, the movable tray may be raised to the paper feeding position by receiving the biasing force of the first biasing member.

Further, in the paper feeding device, when the paper feeding cassette is in a pulled out state, the first engaging member and the second engaging member are in a disengaged state, and the rotating arm is in a disengaged state. The movable tray may be configured to be rotated toward the movable tray in response to an urging force, thereby pushing down the movable tray and lowering the movable tray to the lowest position.

Further, in the paper feeding device, the first engaging member has a first inclined portion, the second engaging member has a second inclined portion, and the first engaging member and the second engaging member have a second inclined portion. The engaging member may be configured to engage the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion with each other in the engaged state.

According to the above configuration, when the first engaging member and the second engaging member change from the disengaged state to the engaged state, the state smoothly transitions while the first inclined part and the second inclined part are brought into sliding contact. can do.

Further, the paper feeding device may be configured such that the rotating arm is separated from the movable tray when the paper feeding cassette is installed.

According to the above configuration, when the paper feed cassette is installed, the movable tray does not receive any force from the rotating arm, and an appropriate pressure contact force by the first biasing member is applied between the paper and the paper feed roller. Therefore, the paper feeding roller can perform a good paper feeding operation.

Further, in the paper feeding device, when the paper feeding cassette is in a pulled out state, the rotary arm may have a tip end on the paper feeding roller side contacting the movable tray to push down the movable tray.

According to the above configuration, the rotating arm can efficiently transmit torque when pushing down the movable tray.

The paper feeding device further includes a positioning protrusion provided on a cassette base of the paper feed cassette, and a positioning hole provided on the second engagement member into which the positioning protrusion is inserted when the paper feed cassette is installed. The paper feed cassette may be configured to include a positioning mechanism that reduces positional deviation between the first engagement member and the second engagement member when the paper feed cassette is installed.

According to the above configuration, by reducing the positional deviation between the first engagement member and the second engagement member using the positioning mechanism, it is possible to cause the rotation arm to rotate by a desired amount.

Further, in the paper feeding device, the paper feeding cassette stores postcard-sized paper, and the paper feeding cassette has a notch shaped like a recess in a plan view on the back side of the movable tray in the cassette base of the paper feeding cassette. may be provided, and the second engaging member may be located within the notch when the paper feed cassette is installed.

According to the above configuration, since the first engaging member can be placed close to the movable tray, it is possible to avoid the rotating shaft from becoming unnecessarily long and to apply the rotational torque from the first engaging member to the rotating arm. can be communicated efficiently.

Further, in order to solve the above problem, an image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized by including the paper feeding device described above.

The paper feeding device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention raise the movable tray to the paper feeding position immediately before the installation is completed when the paper feeding cassette is installed, and move the movable tray immediately after the pulling out operation starts when the paper feeding cassette is pulled out. It has an elevating mechanism that lowers the tray to the lowest position, and has the effect of minimizing friction between the paper feed roller and the top surface of the paper during insertion and removal of the paper feed cassette.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a paper feeding device according to a first embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure related to a movable tray elevating mechanism and a paper feed roller extracted from the paper feed device according to the first embodiment, and shows a case where a paper feed cassette is installed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure related to a movable tray elevating mechanism and a paper feed roller extracted from the paper feed device according to Embodiment 1, and shows a case where the paper feed cassette is in a pulled out state. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the movable tray elevating mechanism when the paper feed cassette is in a pulled out state. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the movable tray elevating mechanism when the paper feed cassette is installed. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A'-A' in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line B'-B' in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line C'-C' in FIG. 6. FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement when an engagement member and an engagement block transfer from an engagement release state to an engagement state, and is an enlarged schematic diagram of an engagement member and an engagement block seen from above. It is a diagram showing the operation when the engagement member and the engagement block transition from the disengaged state to the engaged state, and is an enlarged schematic diagram of the engagement member and the engagement block viewed along the axial direction of the rotating shaft. It is.

[Embodiment 1]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 to which a paper feeding device 20 according to the first embodiment is applied. The image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming apparatus main body 11 , a document table 12 , a scanner section 13 , a paper discharge tray 14 , and a paper feeder 20 .

Image forming apparatus main body 11 is a main body portion of image forming apparatus 10 . The document table 12 is a glass body installed on the top surface of the image forming apparatus main body 11. The scanner unit 13 is provided below the document table 12 and reads an image of a document placed on the document table 12. An image forming section is provided inside the image forming apparatus main body 11. The image data read by the scanner section 13 is input to the image forming section, and an image based on the image data is formed on the surface of the paper by an electrophotographic image forming method. The paper ejection tray 14 is installed at the upper center of the image forming apparatus main body 11 (below the scanner section 13), and the paper on which an image has been formed is ejected.

The paper feed device 20 is provided below the paper discharge tray 14, and the image forming apparatus 10 is configured by placing the image forming apparatus main body 11 on the paper feed device 20. The paper feeding device 20 includes a cassette mounting section 21 formed in the paper feeding device main body 200, and a paper feeding cassette 22 that can be inserted into and removed from the cassette mounting section 21. Normally, the paper feeding device 20 is provided with a plurality of stages (four stages in FIG. 1) of cassette mounting sections 21, and a paper feeding cassette 22 is mounted in each cassette mounting section 21.

The paper feed cassette 22 can be switched between an attached state and a pulled out state by inserting and removing the paper feed cassette 22 into and from the paper feed device main body 200. The attached state is a state in which the paper feed cassette 22 is attached to the cassette attachment section 21. The pulled out state is a state in which the paper feed cassette 22 is pulled out from the cassette mounting section 21. The paper feed cassette 22 shown in FIG. 1 is in a pulled out state, and can be switched to the mounted state by pushing it into the cassette mounting portion 21 from the front side in the figure toward the back side. The direction in which the paper feed cassette 22 is moved from the installed state to the pulled-out state is referred to as a pull-out direction D1, and the direction in which the paper feed cassette 22 is moved from the pulled-out state to the installed state is referred to as a mounting direction D2.

The paper feeding device 20 shown in FIG. 1 includes four stages of paper feeding cassettes 22, and each paper feeding cassette 22 can store sheets of different sizes. Furthermore, the characteristic configuration of the present invention is not necessarily applied to all paper feed cassettes 22, but is basically suitably applied to paper feed cassettes 22 that store small-sized sheets. Here, it is assumed that postcard-sized paper is stored in the first (top) paper feed cassette 22, and a case in which the present invention is applied to this paper feed cassette 22 will be described as an example.

The paper feeding device 20 according to the first embodiment includes a movable tray 221 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) on which a bundle of sheets is placed in the paper feeding cassette 22. The movable tray 221 can move up and down within the paper feed cassette 22 by raising and lowering its downstream end in the paper feed direction. The movable tray 221 is lowered to the lowest position when the paper feed cassette 22 is in the pulled out state. On the other hand, when the paper feed cassette 22 is in the installed state, the movable tray 221 is urged upward, and the top surface of the paper bundle placed on the movable tray 221 touches the paper feed roller 211 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). It will rise to the paper feeding position where it will make contact. This allows the paper feed roller 211 to feed paper in the paper feed cassette 22 in the installed state. Note that the paper feed roller 211 is attached to the main body of the paper feed device 20 within the cassette mounting section 21 . Further, the position of the paper feed roller 211 is fixed within the cassette mounting section 21, and the paper feed roller 211 can only rotate in a fixed position.

A characteristic feature of the present invention resides in a lifting mechanism that moves the movable tray 221 up and down in conjunction with the insertion and removal movement of the paper feed cassette 22. The elevating mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the main mechanism) of the movable tray 221 will be described in detail below. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the structure related to this mechanism and the paper feed roller 211 extracted from the paper feed device 20. FIG. 2 shows a case where the paper feed cassette 22 is installed, and FIG. 3 shows a case where the paper feed cassette 22 is pulled out.

This mechanism includes a movable tray 221, a cassette base 222, a rotating shaft 223, a rotating arm 224, an engaging member 225, a first spring 226 (see FIGS. 5C and 7C), a second spring 227, and an engaging block 212. It is made up of.

In this mechanism, a movable tray 221, a cassette base 222, a rotating shaft 223, a rotating arm 224, an engaging member 225, a first spring 226, and a second spring 227 are provided on the paper feed cassette 22 side. That is, these members move as the paper feed cassette 22 is inserted and removed.

The cassette base 222 is a base member that constitutes the bottom plate of the paper feed cassette 22. On the cassette base 222, each member of the paper feed cassette 22 side of this mechanism is attached.

The rotating shaft 223 is rotatably supported on the upper surface of the cassette base 222 and functions as a rotating shaft for the movable tray 221, the rotating arm 224, and the engaging member 225. The upstream end of the movable tray 221 in the paper feeding direction is supported by a rotating shaft 223, and by rotating around the rotating shaft 223, the downstream end in the paper feeding direction can be raised and lowered. . The rotating arm 224 is disposed on the upper surface side of the movable tray 221, and its upstream end in the paper feeding direction is pivotally supported by the rotating shaft 223. Two rotating arms 224 are provided near both ends of the movable tray 221 in the paper width direction (outside the paper placement area on the movable tray 221). The engaging member 225 is attached to an end on the far side of the rotating shaft 223 in the insertion/extraction direction of the paper feed cassette 22 . Note that the movable tray 221 is rotatably attached to the rotating shaft 223, but the rotating arm 224 and the engaging member 225 are attached to rotate integrally to the rotating shaft 223.

The first spring 226 is a spring member for urging the movable tray 221 in the upward direction. In the first embodiment, the first spring 226 is arranged as a compression spring between the cassette base 222 and the movable tray 221. The second spring 227 is a spring member that biases the rotating arm 224 in the downward direction (the direction in which the rotating arm 224 pushes down the movable tray 221) via the engagement member 225 and the rotating shaft 223. In the first embodiment, the second spring 227 is arranged as a tension spring between the cassette base 222 and the engagement member 225.

The biasing forces of the second spring 227 and the first spring 226 are set so that the torque generated by the second spring 227 on the rotating arm 224 is larger than the torque generated on the movable tray 221 by the first spring 226. Further, the first spring 226 and the second spring 227 are not limited to compression springs or tension springs, and other types of springs (for example, leaf springs or torsion springs) can also be used. It is.

The engagement block 212 is fixedly attached to the main body of the paper feeder 20 within the cassette mounting section 21 . The engagement block 212 engages with an engagement member 225 on the paper feed cassette 22 side when the paper feed cassette 22 is in the installed state, and rotates the rotating arm 224 via the engagement member 225 and the rotation shaft 223. can be moved.

First, the operation of this mechanism during the mounting operation of the paper feed cassette 22 (from the drawn state to the mounted state) will be described in detail below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of this mechanism when the paper feed cassette 22 is in a pulled out state. 5A is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4, FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of this mechanism when the paper feed cassette 22 is installed. 7A is a sectional view taken along A'-A' in FIG. 6, FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along B'-B' in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7C is a sectional view taken along C'-C' in FIG. However, in FIGS. 4 and 6, illustration of the cassette base 222 is omitted to simplify the drawings.

When the paper feed cassette 22 is in the pulled out state, the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 are spaced apart from each other, as shown in FIG. That is, the engagement block 212 and the engagement member 225 are in a disengaged state, and the engagement block 212 does not exert any force on the rotating shaft 223 via the engagement member 225. In this pulled out state, the biasing force of the second spring 227 acts on the rotating arm 224 via the engaging member 225 and the rotating shaft 223, and moves the rotating arm 224 in the downward direction (the rotating arm 224 pushes down the movable tray 221). direction).

Further, as described above, the torque generated on the rotating arm 224 by the second spring 227 is set to be larger than the torque generated on the movable tray 221 by the first spring 226. Therefore, in the paper feed cassette 22 in the drawn out state, the rotating arm 224 can push down the movable tray 221 against the biasing force of the first spring 226, and move the movable tray 221 to the lowest position (the lowermost position of the movable tray 221). It can be lowered to a position where at least a portion of the lower surface abuts the cassette base 222 (see FIG. 5B). Note that the distal end of the rotary arm 224 on the paper feed roller 211 side is a contact portion with the movable tray 221, and when the paper feed cassette 22 is in the drawn out state, the distal end of the rotary arm 224 is connected to the movable tray 221. The movable tray 221 is pushed down by making contact with the movable tray 221. This configuration allows the rotating arm 224 to efficiently transmit torque when pushing down the movable tray.

When the movable tray 221 is lowered to the lowest position, the paper placement surface of the movable tray 221 becomes a horizontal surface (or an inclined surface whose downstream end is slightly higher), as shown in FIG. 5C. It is preferable. This is because if the paper loading surface of the movable tray 221 is an inclined surface such that the downstream end is lower, there is a risk that the sheets may slip in the loaded stack of sheets. Furthermore, when the movable tray 221 is lowered to the lowest position, even if the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the movable tray 221 is loaded, there is a gap between the top surface of the stack of sheets and the paper feed roller 211. A gap occurs in the height direction.

On the other hand, when the paper feed cassette 22 is in the installed state, the engaging member 225 and the engaging block 212 are in an engaged state in which they are engaged with each other, as shown in FIG. Due to this engagement, the engaging member 225 receives a force from the engaging block 212, resists the biasing force of the second spring 227, and rotates from the pulled-out position (from the position shown in FIG. 5A to the position shown in FIG. 7A). ).

When the engaging member 225 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 7A, the rotating arm 224 rotates in the upward direction, and the rotating arm 224 separates from the movable tray 221 (see FIG. 7B). As a result, the movable tray 221 no longer receives any force from the rotating arm 224, and is raised to the paper feeding position by the urging force of the first spring 226 (see FIG. 7C). In this state, an appropriate pressure contact force is applied by the first spring 226 between the paper and the paper feed roller 211, so that the paper feed roller 211 can perform a good paper feeding operation. Note that if no paper is placed on the movable tray 221, the upper surface of the raised movable tray 221 comes into contact with the paper feed roller 211.

Next, the operation when the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 shift from the disengaged state to the engaged state will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 viewed from above. FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 viewed along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 223.

In the engagement member 225, a first inclined portion 225a is provided at the end on the rear side. On the other hand, in the engagement block 212, a second inclined portion 212a is provided at the end on the near side. The first inclined part 225a and the second inclined part 212a are formed as inclined surfaces that are substantially parallel to each other in the disengaged state and are inclined with respect to the insertion/extraction direction of the paper feed cassette 22. Further, at least a portion of the first inclined portion 225a and the second inclined portion 212a overlap when viewed along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 223.

When the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 are in the disengaged state, when the engagement member 225 is pushed toward the engagement block 212 as the paper feed cassette 22 is mounted, the first inclined portion 225a and the second inclined portion The portions 212a come into contact and the engagement starts. When the engagement member 225 is further pushed toward the engagement block 212 from this engagement start state, the engagement member 225 rotates while sliding the first inclined part 225a against the second inclined part 212a, and the paper feed cassette is 22 is in the attached state, the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 are in the engaged state. The operation when the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 shift from the engaged state to the disengaged state is the opposite of the above operation.

Here, the rotational movement of the engagement member 225 occurs between the engagement start state and the engagement state. That is, the rotational movement of the engagement member 225 occurs only during the moving distance (engagement distance) of the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 from the engagement start state to the engagement state. This engagement distance can be extremely short (for example, about 2 to 3 mm) compared to the distance (for example, several tens of cm) that the paper feed cassette 22 is moved between the drawn state and the installed state. Therefore, during most of the insertion/removal operation of the paper feed cassette 22, the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 are in a disengaged state, and the paper feed cassette 22 is held at the lowest position. The paper feed cassette 22 can be inserted and removed.

In other words, during the loading operation of the paper feed cassette 22, the movable tray 221 is raised by the engagement between the engaging member 225 and the engaging block 212 immediately before the loading is completed. When the paper feed cassette 22 is pulled out, the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 are disengaged immediately after the start of the pullout operation, and the movable tray 221 is immediately lowered to the lowest position by the biasing force of the second spring. do. Thereby, this mechanism can minimize the friction between the paper feed roller 211 and the upper surface of the paper during the insertion/removal operation of the paper feed cassette 22.

[Embodiment 2]
The present mechanism described in the first embodiment rotates the rotating arm 224 upward by bringing the engaging member 225 and the engaging block 212 into the engaged state in the attached paper feed cassette 22. . At this time, if a positional deviation occurs between the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212, the rotation arm 224 will not rotate by the desired amount, and there is a possibility that the movable tray 221 will not be able to rise to a predetermined position. be. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the positional deviation between the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212.

In order to reduce the positional deviation between the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 in the attached paper feed cassette 22, this mechanism has a positioning mechanism. This positioning mechanism includes a positioning protrusion 222a provided on the cassette base 222 and a positioning hole 212b provided on the engagement block 212 (see FIG. 3).

The positioning protrusion 222a is provided on the back side of the cassette base 222 so as to protrude and extend in the insertion/removal direction of the paper feed cassette 22. When the paper feed cassette 22 is installed, the positioning protrusion 222a fits into the positioning hole 212b of the engagement block 212, so that the positional deviation between the engagement member 225 and the engagement block 212 can be reduced, and as a result, Rotation arm 224 can be caused to rotate by a desired amount. Furthermore, the positioning mechanism can also prevent the front end of the paper feed cassette 22 from lowering due to the weight of the paper feed cassette 22.

[Embodiment 3]
When the paper feed cassette 22 to which the present invention is applied stores postcard-sized paper, the back side of the movable tray 221 in the cassette base 222 becomes a space that is not necessary for paper storage. For this reason, a notch that is recessed in plan view is provided on the back side of the movable tray 221 in the cassette base 222 to form a block storage space SP1 (see FIG. 3), and when the paper feed cassette 22 is installed, it is not engaged. It is preferable that the combination block 212 is located within the block accommodation space SP1.

With this configuration, the engaging member 225 can be placed close to the movable tray 221. As a result, rotational torque can be efficiently transmitted from the engagement member 225 to the rotation arm 224 without making the rotation shaft 223 longer than necessary.

Further, when the paper feed cassette 22 is for storing postcard-sized paper, the space in front of the movable tray 221 in the cassette base 222 is also unnecessary for storing the paper. This front space can also be used, for example, as a spare storage space SP2 (see FIG. 3) for storing spare sheets.

The embodiment disclosed this time is an illustrative example in all respects, and is not a basis for restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted only by the above-described embodiments, but should be defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all changes within the meaning and scope of the claims are included.

10 Image forming apparatus 20 Paper feeding device 200 Paper feeding device main body 21 Cassette mounting section 211 Paper feeding roller 212 Engagement block (second engagement member)
212a Second inclined portion 212b Positioning hole (positioning mechanism)
22 Paper feed cassette 221 Movable tray 222 Cassette base 222a Positioning protrusion (positioning mechanism)
223 Rotating shaft 224 Rotating arm 225 Engaging member (first engaging member)
225a First inclined portion 226 First spring (first biasing member)
227 Second spring (second biasing member)
SP1 Block storage space (notch)
SP2 Spare storage space

Claims (7)

A paper feeding device equipped with a paper feeding cassette that can be switched between an installed state and a pulled out state by inserting and removing the paper into the main body of the paper feeding device,
The paper feed cassette is
a rotatable rotation shaft extending along the insertion/extraction direction of the paper feed cassette;
a movable tray whose upstream end in the paper feeding direction is rotatably supported on the rotating shaft, and whose downstream end can be moved up and down by rotation around the rotating shaft;
a rotating arm disposed on the upper surface side of the movable tray, an upstream end in the paper feeding direction being pivotally supported by the rotating shaft, and rotating integrally with the rotating shaft;
a first engagement member that is attached to a back end of the paper feed cassette in the insertion/extraction direction with respect to the rotation shaft and rotates integrally with the rotation shaft;
a first biasing member that biases the movable tray in an upward direction;
a second biasing member that biases the rotating arm toward the movable tray;
The paper feeding device main body is
a paper feed roller whose position within the paper feed device main body is fixed and which feeds paper placed on the movable tray when the paper feed cassette is installed;
a second engaging member that engages with the first engaging member to rotate the rotating arm in a direction away from the movable tray via the first engaging member and the rotating shaft ;
When the paper feed cassette is installed, the first engaging member and the second engaging member are engaged, and by rotating the rotating arm in a direction away from the movable tray, the first engaging member The movable tray is raised to a paper feeding position by receiving the urging force of the urging member,
When the paper feed cassette is in the pulled out state, the first engaging member and the second engaging member are in a disengaged state, and the rotating arm receives the biasing force of the second biasing member to move the movable tray. A paper feeding device characterized in that the movable tray is pushed down by rotating to the side, and the movable tray descends to the lowest position . The paper feeding device according to claim 1 ,
the first engagement member has a first slope,
The second engagement member has a second slope,
The paper feeding device, wherein the first engaging member and the second engaging member engage the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion with each other when in the engaged state. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The paper feeding device, wherein the rotating arm is separated from the movable tray when the paper feeding cassette is installed. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A paper feeding device characterized in that, when the paper feeding cassette is in a pulled out state, the rotary arm brings a tip end on the paper feeding roller side into contact with the movable tray and pushes down the movable tray. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The paper feed cassette is configured by a positioning protrusion provided on the cassette base of the paper feed cassette, and a positioning hole provided on the second engaging member into which the positioning protrusion is inserted when the paper feed cassette is attached. A paper feeding device comprising a positioning mechanism that reduces positional deviation between the first engaging member and the second engaging member when the first engaging member and the second engaging member are attached. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The paper feed cassette stores postcard-sized paper,
A cutout portion having a concave shape in plan view is provided on the back side of the movable tray in the cassette base of the paper feed cassette, and when the paper feed cassette is in the installed state, the second engaging member is engaged with the cutout portion. A paper feeding device characterized by being configured to be located within a notch. An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

Images