JP7501002B2 - Sheet material supply unit, image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet material supply section of an image forming device.

Technology is already known that automatically detects the size of the sheets loaded in the sheet material supply section of an image forming device.

For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2016-065849 A) discloses a technology for automatically detecting the size of paper loaded on a manual feed tray (sheet material supply unit) of an image forming device. Figures 11 and 12 are diagrams showing the paper size detection mechanism in the manual feed tray of Patent Document 1.

When paper is set on the manual feed tray 290 in FIG. 11, a motor is driven in response to detection by a paper set sensor (not shown), and the drive pinion gear 293 rotates in response to the drive of the motor. The rotation of the drive pinion gear 293 causes the rack 294 to move from right to left in the figure, and the side fence 291, which is integrated with the rack 294, also moves from right to left in the figure.

When the rack 294 moves, the intermediate pinion gear 295, which is located on the opposite side of the drive pinion gear 293, rotates, and the rotation of the intermediate pinion gear 295 causes the rack 296 to move from left to right in the figure, and the side fence 292, which is integrated with the rack 296, also moves from left to right in the figure.

The side fences 291 and 292 have built-in paper edge detection sensors. When the side fences 291 and 292 move from both sides toward the center of the manual feed tray and come into contact with the edge of the paper, the rotation of the drive pinion gear 293 stops in response to detection by the paper edge detection sensor, and the movement of the racks 294 and 296 and the side fences 291 and 292 also stops.

The paper size detection mechanism detects the paper size by detecting the position of the rack 296 that has stopped moving as described above. For this purpose, a paper size detection unit 300 is provided on the rack 296 and the main body of the manual feed tray 290. As shown in FIG. 12, the paper size detection unit 300 includes a target member 303 attached to the rack 296 and a magnetic flux sensor 301 fixed to the main body of the manual feed tray 290. In addition, a flat pattern coil 302 is formed on the surface of the magnetic flux sensor 301.

The paper size detection unit 300 is configured so that the area of the target member 303 facing the flat pattern coil 302 changes depending on the position of the rack 296. This mechanism changes the inductance, and a signal with a frequency according to the position of the rack 296 is obtained as the output signal of the magnetic flux sensor 301. In other words, the paper size detection unit 300 outputs a signal with a frequency according to the paper size to be detected.

As described above, the paper size detection mechanism of Patent Document 1 uses two types of sensors: a paper edge detection sensor that detects contact between the paper and the side fences 291, 292, and a paper size detection unit 300 that detects the position of the rack 296 that has stopped moving. This increases the number of parts and increases costs.

The present invention aims to simplify the configuration of the sheet material size detection means in the sheet material supply section of an image forming device and reduce costs.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a sheet material supply unit of an image forming apparatus, comprising: a loading member on which sheet materials are loaded; a regulating member slidably attached to the loading member and regulating the position of the edge of the sheet material loaded on the loading member; and a detection means for detecting the size of the sheet material, the detection means being rotatably attached to the regulating member, a portion of which protrudes toward the sheet material from an opposing surface of the regulating member that faces the sheet material, ... when the opposing surface comes into contact with the sheet material and the portion of which is pushed into the sheet material and moves within the regulating member. a contact member that is immersed in a state and displaced over a range of a state of being immersed in ...

According to the present invention, the displacement of the conductive member is detected using multiple electrodes installed in the loading member, thereby detecting the contact between the opposing surface of the regulating member and the sheet material, and the position of the regulating member when the opposing surface and the sheet material come into contact, and the size of the sheet material is detected based on these detections, which simplifies the configuration of the detection means and reduces costs.

1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the manual feed tray (sheet material supply unit) of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section along line AA in FIG. 2. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the regulating member in FIG. 3 approaches the paper and the contact member comes into contact with an edge of the paper. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the regulating member in FIG. 4 approaches further and contacts an edge of the paper, and the contact member is pressed into the paper and sinks into the regulating member; FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the conductive member and its vicinity in FIG. 5 . 6 is a table showing the correspondence between detection patterns by the sensor in FIG. 5 and paper sizes. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a manual feed tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the regulating member in FIG. 8 approaches the paper and the contact member comes into contact with an edge of the paper. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the regulating member in FIG. 9 approaches further and contacts an edge of the paper, and the contact member is pressed into the paper and sinks into the regulating member; FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a paper size detection mechanism in a conventional manual feed tray. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a paper size detection mechanism shown in FIG. 11 .

The image forming apparatus and sheet material supply unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1 is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and includes an apparatus main body 11 and a manual feed tray 10 as a "sheet material supply unit" provided on the side of the apparatus main body 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the manual feed tray 10 includes a loading member 1 on which paper 2 as "sheet material" is loaded, a paper set sensor 8, a pair of regulating members 3a, 3b slidably attached to the loading member 1 and regulating the position of the ends of the paper 2 loaded on the loading member 1, a moving mechanism (not shown) that slides the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b, and a detection means 9 that detects the size of the paper 2.

Arrow B in FIG. 2 indicates the direction in which paper 2 set on manual feed tray 10 is transported toward device body 11. Arrow C in FIG. 2 indicates the sliding direction of a pair of regulating members 3a and 3b. Arrows B and C are perpendicular to each other.

The stacking member 1 is formed in the shape of a hollow plate, and the paper 2 is positioned on its upper surface.

The paper set sensor 8 is a sensor that detects when paper 2 is placed on the top surface of the stacking member 1 and when the leading edge of the paper 2 in the transport direction is positioned at a predetermined position.

The pair of regulating members 3a, 3b are arranged facing each other, standing like plates on the top surface of the stacking member 1. The pair of regulating members 3a, 3b are slidable in the direction toward and away from each other, and slide in the direction (arrow C) perpendicular to the conveying direction (arrow B) of the paper 2. The pair of regulating members 3a, 3b abut against opposite sides of the paper 2, respectively, and sandwich the paper 2 between them, thereby positioning the paper 2 at an appropriate position in the perpendicular conveying direction. The surfaces of each regulating member 3a, 3b facing the paper 2 are referred to as "facing surfaces" and are denoted by the reference numeral 31 (see FIG. 3). The facing surfaces 31 are planes perpendicular to the top surface of the stacking member 1.

The movement mechanism starts sliding the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b toward the paper 2 when the paper set sensor 8 detects the leading edge of the paper 2 in the transport direction. The movement mechanism also stops the sliding of the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b when the detection means 9 described below detects contact between the facing surfaces 31 of the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b and the paper 2.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the detection means 9 includes contact members 5 rotatably attached to each of the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b, a biasing member 6 that biases each contact member 5, a conductive member 7 attached to each contact member 5, a sensor 4a that detects the displacement of the conductive member 7 on the regulating member 3a side, and a sensor 4b that detects the displacement of the conductive member 7 on the regulating member 3b side.

Note that in Figures 3 to 5, only the restricting member 3a, contact member 5, biasing member 6, conductive member 7, and sensor 4a on one side are shown, and the restricting member 3b, contact member 5, biasing member 6, conductive member 7, and sensor 4b on the other side are not shown, but because these members on one side and the other side are symmetrical, only one of the members will be described as a representative.

The contact member 5 is made of insulating synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 3, is formed in an L-shape with the first plate portion 51 and the second plate portion 52 intersecting at a substantially right angle. The regulating member 3a has a recess formed in the opposing surface 31 to accommodate the first plate portion 51. The first plate portion 51 is accommodated in this recess, and the end portion away from the second plate portion 52 is rotatably attached to the regulating member 3a by the rotating shaft 50. The second plate portion 52 is accommodated in the internal space of the stacking member 1. In addition, a slit is formed on the upper surface of the stacking member 1 to pass the second plate portion 52 through. Such a contact member 5 is displaced between a state in which a part of the first plate portion 51 protrudes from the opposing surface 31 toward the paper 2 side (FIG. 3) and a state in which the part of the first plate portion 51 is sunk into the recess (FIG. 5).

The biasing member 6 biases the contact member 5 so that a portion of the first plate portion 51 protrudes toward the paper 2. As a result, the contact member 5 is in a natural state in which a portion of the first plate portion 51 protrudes from the opposing surface 31 toward the paper 2. When the restricting member 3a approaches the paper 2 and the opposing surface 31 comes into contact with the paper 2, the portion of the first plate portion 51 is pushed into the paper 2, and the contact member 5 is displaced to a state in which it is sunk into the recess.

The conductive member 7 is attached to the end of the second plate portion 52 that is remote from the first plate portion 51.

The sensor 4a is a capacitance sensor, and as shown in Figures 2 to 5, is provided with a plurality of electrodes 4a-1, 4a-2, 4a-3, 4a-4, 4a-5, 4a-6, 4a-7, and 4a-8 that are installed in the loading member 1 and aligned in the sliding direction of the regulating member 3a. The conductive member 7 faces these electrodes.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the conductive member 7 faces the electrodes 4a-6 and 4a-7, but the electrode facing the conductive member 7 changes depending on the position of the regulating member 3a. In addition, the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrodes changes depending on the rotation angle of the contact member 5 (the degree to which the paper 2 is pressed into the recess). As shown in FIG. 3, when the contact member 5 and the paper 2 are not in contact, the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrodes is maximum, and as shown in FIG. 4, the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrodes becomes smaller as the contact member 5 is pressed into the paper 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the opposing surface 31 and the paper 2 are in contact, the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrodes is minimum. Furthermore, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 6, when the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrodes is minimum (i.e., when the conductive member 7 and the electrodes are closest to each other), the proximity surface 71 of the conductive member 7 and the proximity surfaces of the multiple electrodes become parallel.

When the contact member 5 is rotated and displaced, and the conductive member 7 approaches each of the electrodes 4a-1, 4a-2, 4a-3, 4a-4, 4a-5, 4a-6, 4a-7, and 4a-8, the capacitance between the electrode and the conductive member 7 increases. The sensor 4a in this example detects the displacement of the conductive member 7 based on the change in capacitance between the conductive member 7 and the multiple electrodes. A specific example of detection is described below.

Figure 7 is a table showing the correspondence between the detection pattern by the sensor 4a and the paper size. "1 (= ON)" in the table means that the capacitance between the electrode and the conductive member 7 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, specifically, that the opposing surface 31 and the paper 2 are in contact and the distance D between the conductive member 7 and the electrode is at a minimum. Also, "0 (= OFF)" in the table means that the capacitance between the electrode and the conductive member 7 is below the threshold value, specifically, that the opposing surface 31 and the paper 2 are not in contact. For example, in the state of Figure 3 and the state of Figure 4, all electrodes of the sensor 4a are "0 (= OFF)", and in the state of Figure 5, electrodes 4a-6 and 4a-7 are "1 (= ON)", and the other electrodes are "0 (= OFF)".

The detection means 9 has a database of correspondence between detection patterns and paper sizes, as shown in the table in FIG. 7, and detects the paper size (SRA3, A3, A4 portrait, etc.) based on which electrode becomes "1 (= ON)." In other words, by detecting "1 (= ON)" in any of the electrodes, it is possible to detect contact between the opposing surface 31 and the paper 2, and by identifying the electrode that detects "1 (= ON)," it is possible to detect the positions of the regulating members 3a and 3b when the opposing surface 31 and the paper 2 come into contact. Then, the size of the paper 2 is detected based on these detections.

As described above, according to the present invention, the displacement of the conductive member 7 is detected using a plurality of electrodes installed in the stacking member 1, thereby detecting the contact between the opposing surfaces 31 of the regulating members 3a and 3b and the paper 2, and the positions of the regulating members 3a and 3b when the opposing surfaces 31 and the paper 2 come into contact, and the size of the paper 2 is detected based on these detections, which simplifies the configuration of the detection means 9 and reduces costs.

In addition, in the conventional example shown in Figures 11 and 12, a paper edge detection sensor that detects contact between the paper and the side fences 291, 292 is provided inside the side fences 291, 292. However, in the present invention, the sensors 4a, 4b are provided inside the stacking member 1, not in the movable regulating members 3a, 3b, so there is no need to provide power supply lines to the regulating members 3a, 3b, improving durability.

In addition, in this example, since the capacitance sensors 4a and 4b are used, the displacement of the conductive member 7 can be detected without contacting the conductive member 7 with each electrode, improving durability.

In addition, in this example, when the conductive member 7 and the electrodes are in the closest proximity, the proximity surface 71 of the conductive member 7 and the proximity surfaces of the multiple electrodes are configured to be parallel, making it possible to make the sensor output more stable.

Furthermore, the detection means 9 does not start feeding paper unless it detects the size of the paper 2, which makes it possible to prevent improper setting of the paper 2 and paper transport problems caused by improper setting of the paper 2.

Furthermore, if the detection means 9 cannot detect the size of the paper 2, it indicates this on the display of the device main body 11, etc. This makes it possible to inform the user that the paper 2 is not set properly, etc., and to prompt the user to operate the device correctly.

The sheet material supply unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. In Figures 8 to 10, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The sensor 4a in this example is a conduction sensor, and as shown in Figures 8 to 10, it is provided with a number of electrodes 4a-1, 4a-2, 4a-3, 4a-4, 4a-5, 4a-6, 4a-7, and 4a-8 that are installed in the stacking member 1 and aligned in the sliding direction of the regulating member 3a. In this example, the sensor 4a is configured so that the conductive member 7 and any of the multiple electrodes 4a-1, 4a-2, 4a-3, 4a-4, 4a-5, 4a-6, 4a-7, and 4a-8 come into contact and conduct when the opposing surface 31 of the regulating member 3a comes into contact with the paper 2. The sensor 4a in this example detects the displacement of the conductive member 7 based on the state of conduction between the conductive member 7 and the multiple electrodes.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the contact member 105 in this example is configured to elastically deform when the conductive member 7 and each electrode are in contact and conductive. That is, the conductive member 7 and the electrodes come into contact before the opposing surface 31 of the regulating member 3a comes into contact with the paper 2, and then, when the opposing surface 31 comes into contact with the paper 2, the contact member 105 elastically deforms, causing the conductive member 7 to come into contact with the electrodes with even higher contact pressure. By configuring it in this way, the contact pressure between the conductive member 7 and each electrode can be increased, making the sensor output more stable.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, one contact member is attached to one regulating member, but multiple contact members may be attached to one regulating member. By providing multiple contact members in this way and increasing the number of contact points with the sheet material, it is possible to detect whether the paper is set at an angle.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a pair of regulating members 3a, 3b are provided on both sides of the paper 2, but one regulating member may be provided on one side. In that case, one regulating member is placed on one side of the sheet material, a fixed wall is provided on the opposite side, and the sheet material is positioned between the regulating member and the wall.

In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a manual feed tray, but the present invention is not limited to manual feed trays and may be applied to a paper feed tray that is attached to the device body so that it can be inserted and removed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the manual feed tray 10 is equipped with a movement mechanism that slides the pair of regulating members 3a, 3b, but the movement mechanism is not a required configuration, and the user may manually slide the regulating members.

1 Loading member 2 Paper (sheet material)
3a, 3b Regulating member 4a, 4b Sensor 5, 105 Contact member 6 Pressing member 7 Conductive member 9 Detection means 10 Manual feed tray (sheet material supply section)
100 Image forming apparatus

JP 2016-65849 A

Claims (8)

A sheet material supply unit of an image forming apparatus,
A loading member on which sheet material is loaded;
a regulating member slidably attached to the loading member and regulating a position of an end of the sheet material loaded on the loading member;
a detection means for detecting a size of the sheet material,
The detection means is
a contact member that is rotatably attached to the regulating member and displaces between a state in which a portion of the contact member protrudes toward the sheet material from an opposing surface of the regulating member that faces the sheet material, and a state in which the opposing surface comes into contact with the sheet material and the portion is pushed into the sheet material and recessed into the regulating member;
a biasing member that biases the contact member so as to cause the portion to protrude toward the sheet material;
a conductive member attached to the contact member;
a plurality of electrodes disposed within the loading member and arranged in a sliding direction of the regulating member;
The sheet material supply section is characterized in that the detection means detects the displacement of the conductive member using the multiple electrodes, thereby detecting contact between the opposing surface and the sheet material, and the position of the regulating member when the opposing surface and the sheet material come into contact, and detects the size of the sheet material based on these detections. 2. The sheet material supply section according to claim 1, wherein the detection means detects the displacement of the conductive member based on a change in electrostatic capacitance between the conductive member and the plurality of electrodes. The sheet material supply section according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the opposing surface and the sheet material are in contact with each other, the conductive member and the multiple electrodes are closest to each other, and the adjacent surface of the conductive member and the multiple electrodes are parallel to each other. 2 . The sheet material supply section according to claim 1 , wherein, when the opposing surface is in contact with the sheet material, the conductive member is in contact with any one of the plurality of electrodes and the contact member is elastically deformed. 5. The sheet material supply section according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the contact members are attached to the regulating member. 6. The sheet material supply section according to claim 1, wherein the supply of the sheet material is not started unless the detection means detects the size of the sheet material. 7. The sheet material supply section according to claim 1, wherein, when the detection means cannot detect the size of the sheet material, the detection means indicates that fact. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet material supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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