JP7512752B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming device.

There is known an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet of paper. As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233636 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233636, an image forming apparatus having a transport stand on which a transport path for a sheet of paper is formed that can be inserted and removed from a main body of the apparatus.
Furthermore, the manual feed unit (separating roller/manual feed roller) is integrated into the transport stand, and the manual feed unit is also inserted and removed when the transport stand is inserted and removed.
The manual paper feed section feeds paper from a manual paper feed tray to the transport path.

JP 2003-54778 A JP 2002-356245 A

Consider a configuration in which a paper feed section (paper feed mechanism section) such as the manual paper feed section described above is fixed to the transport stand, while a paper placement section of the paper feed source such as the manual feed tray described above is fixed to the device body.
In order to maintain good paper feeding performance (good handling, prevention of picking errors, etc.) when the paper feeding unit feeds paper from the paper loading unit to the transport path of the transport stand, the positional relationship between the paper loading unit and the paper feeding unit is important. In the above configuration, the positional error between the paper loading unit and the paper feeding unit may become large due to component accuracy and assembly accuracy, which may result in a decrease in the paper feeding performance.
In addition, because the transport stand is heavy, when the transport stand is removed, the slide rails supporting the transport stand bend and drop, which can cause interference between the connection between the paper feed unit and the paper loading unit, and can cause the paper feed unit to interfere with components on the main body of the device.

The objective of the present invention is to improve the positional accuracy of the paper feed unit supported on a transport stand that is inserted and removed from the device body, and the paper loading unit supported on the device body, and to make it possible to avoid interference between the paper feed unit and the paper loading unit or other components on the device body when the paper feed unit is inserted and removed.

An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a transport stand that can be inserted and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein, a paper loading section on which paper is placed, and a paper feeding section that is provided on the transport stand and feeds paper from the paper loading section to the transport path, and has a support mechanism that displaces the paper feeding section relative to the transport stand in conjunction with the action of the paper feeding section being inserted and removed together with the transport stand, the paper loading section being provided on the main body of the apparatus, and when the transport stand is removed from the main body of the apparatus, the paper loading section moves away from the paper feeding section in the direction of removal, and in the direction of displacement of the paper feeding section by the support mechanism, the relative displacement between the paper feeding section and the transport stand is smaller than the relative displacement between the paper feeding section and the transport stand.

This invention makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the paper feed unit supported on the transport stand that is inserted and removed from the device body, and the paper loading unit supported on the device body, and to avoid interference between the paper feed unit and the paper loading unit and other components on the device body when inserting and removing the paper feed unit.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a transport stand is inserted. FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the transport stand has been removed. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view from a manual feed tray to a transport stand according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. This shows the state in which the manual paper feed unit has been rotated up from the state shown in FIG. This shows a state in which the guide member has been rotated upward from the state shown in FIG. 6. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view from the manual feed tray to the transport stand according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the manual feed unit is lifted obliquely upward by a linear movement. FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view from the manual feed tray to the transport stand according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the manual feed unit is lifted straight up by a linear movement. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a damper device of a manual paper feed unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view from the manual feed tray to the transport stand according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a link mechanism between a manual feed unit and a guide member. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the device body, the transport stand, the manual paper feed section, and the manual feed unit (manual feed tray), showing the inserted state. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the transport stand and the manual paper feed unit have been removed. FIG. 12 shows a case where the manual paper feed section is supported by a rotating floating support. FIG. 12 shows a case where the manual paper feed section is supported by a linear type floating support. FIG. 13 is a detailed view of an example floating support mechanism, showing an inserted state. FIG. 13 is a detailed view of an example floating support mechanism in an extracted state. 1 illustrates a detachable unit of an example floating support mechanism.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[Overview of the image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment shown in Fig. 1 forms a color image by electrophotography based on image data obtained by reading an image from an original or image data received from an external device. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to include an operation section 11, a display section 12, an original reading unit 13, an image forming section 14, and a paper feed section 15. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes an image formation control section, a storage section, a controller IF (Interface), an image processing section, etc.

The operation unit 11 includes a touch panel formed to cover the display screen of the display unit 12, as well as various operation buttons such as numeric buttons and a start button, and outputs operation signals based on user operations to the image formation control unit.

The display unit 12 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays various screens according to the instructions of the display signal input from the image formation control unit.

The document reading unit 13 includes an ADF (automatic document feeder), a scanner, etc., and outputs image data obtained by reading the image of the document to the image formation control unit.

The image forming unit 14 forms an image on a sheet of paper supplied from the paper feed unit 15 based on the image data that has been image-processed by the image processing unit.
The image forming unit 14 is configured to include photosensitive drums 141Y, 141M, 141C, and 141K corresponding to each of the colors yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), an intermediate transfer belt 142, a secondary transfer roller 143, and a fixing unit 144.

After being uniformly charged, the photoconductor drum 141Y is scanned and exposed by a laser beam based on yellow image data to form an electrostatic latent image, and then yellow toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 141Y to develop it.
The photoconductor drums 141M, 141C, and 141K are similar to the photoconductor drum 141Y except for the colors they handle, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The toner images of each color formed on the photoconductor drums 141Y, 141M, 141C, and 141K are successively transferred (primary transfer) onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 142. That is, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 142 in which the toner images of the four colors are superimposed.
The color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 142 are transferred all at once onto a sheet of paper by a secondary transfer roller 143 (secondary transfer).

The fixing unit 144 includes a heating roller that heats the paper onto which the color toner image has been transferred, and a pressure roller that pressurizes the paper, fixing the color toner image to the paper by applying heat and pressure.

The paper feed unit 15 includes paper feed trays T11 to T13, and supplies paper to the image forming unit 14. Each of the paper feed trays T11 to T13 stores paper of a paper type and size that is predetermined for that paper feed tray.

The image forming control unit includes a CPU, a ROM, and a memory.
The CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, and performs centralized control of the operations of each unit in accordance with the programs.
The ROM is configured from a non-volatile semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various processing programs, parameters and files required for executing the programs, and the like.
The memory is configured with a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and temporarily stores various data such as programs and image data related to various image processes.

The storage unit is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a semiconductor memory that stores various data such as programs and image data. The storage unit stores data such as program data and various setting data in a manner that allows the image forming control unit to read and write the data.
The controller IF receives image data input from an external device.

The image processing unit performs the necessary image processing on the image data stored in the storage unit, the image data obtained by reading an image from a document using the document reading unit 13, and the image data input from an external device, and transmits the image data after image processing to the image forming unit 14. Image processing includes gradation processing, halftone processing, color conversion processing, etc. Gradation processing is a process that converts the gradation value of each pixel of the image data into a corrected gradation value so that the density characteristics of the image formed on the paper match the target density characteristics. Halftone processing is an error diffusion process, a screen process using an ordered dither method, etc. Color conversion processing is a process that converts each RGB gradation value into each CMYK gradation value.

[Transportation platform details 1]
The transport platform and associated mechanisms will now be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a transport path R11 from the paper supply unit 15, a reverse transport path R12, and a manual transport path R13 from the manual feed tray T2 merge into a transport path R10 to a transfer nip, which is a contact point between the intermediate transfer belt 142 and the secondary transfer roller 143.
2 to 10 is removable from the device main body 100, and forms a paper transport path R10, etc. The paper feed trays T11 to T13 and the manual feed tray T2 correspond to a paper loading section on which paper is placed.

As shown in Figure 4, the manual paper feed section 30 has transport rollers such as a manual paper feed roller 31 and a separating roller 32, and constitutes a manual paper transport path R13, and feeds paper from the manual paper feed tray T2 to a transport path R10 provided on the transport stand 20.
2 to 5, the manual paper feed unit 30 is provided on the transport stand 20. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a movable support part 33 that movably supports the manual paper feed unit 30 on the transport stand 20 when the transport stand 20 is removed from the apparatus body (FIG. 3).

The movable support portion 33 in this embodiment is a hinge mechanism that enables the manual paper feed portion 30 to rotate.
5, the manual paper feed unit 30 rotates around the Y axis. The manual paper feed unit 30 becomes rotatable when the transport platform 20 is removed from the main body of the apparatus (FIG. 3).
When manual feed unit 30 is in the lowered position shown in Fig. 4, it can be inserted into device body 100 together with transport stand 20. When it is actually inserted as shown in Fig. 2, manual feed unit 30 is fixed in a predetermined position and there is no space inside device body 100, so it cannot be rotated as shown in Fig. 5.

The manual feed unit 40 integrally includes a manual feed tray T2 and a lifting mechanism 41 including a motor M for lifting the manual feed tray T2, and is fixed to the right side surface of the apparatus main body 100.
2, the manual feed section 30 is connected to the manual feed unit 40 at a predetermined position. The manual feed unit 40 is provided in the apparatus main body 100, and is separated from the manual feed section 30 when the transport stand 40 is removed from the apparatus main body 100.

4, the manual paper feed unit 30 covers a predetermined transport path portion R11a of the transport path formed in the transport stand 20. In this embodiment, the transport path portion R11a is a part of the transport path R11 from the paper feed unit 15.
The movable support portion 33 enables the manual paper feed portion 30 to move away from the transport path portion R11a as shown in FIG.
Therefore, the worker can easily remove jammed paper that is stuck in the transport path section R11a by removing the transport stand 20 and raising the manual paper feed section 30 as shown in Figure 5 and moving it away from the transport path section R11a.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide member 21 on the side of the transport path section R11a that is covered by the manual paper feed section 30 is movably supported so as to expose the transport path section R11a. Therefore, by opening the guide member 21 so as to retreat from the transport path section R11a as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to make the task of removing jammed paper that is stuck in the transport path section R11a even easier.

The wide space S1 between the manual paper feed unit 30 and the transport path R11a shown in Figure 5 almost disappears in the state shown in Figure 4, and in this state the transport stand 20 and manual paper feed unit 30 are inserted into the device main body 100.
Therefore, without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus 1 during operation (FIGS. 2 and 4), space S1 can be secured for removing jammed paper when the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped for jamming processing, thereby improving the jamming processing ability of the image forming apparatus 1.

The movable support part 33 may be capable of linear movement of the manual paper feed part 30 at an angle as shown in FIG. 7 or directly upward as shown in FIG. 8, so long as the space S1 can be secured. In this case, a linear guide such as a slide rail can be used as the movable support part, but the mechanism is not limited thereto.

Further details will be explained.
The movable support section 33 enables a return operation under its own weight, in which the manual feed section 30 returns to a state (FIG. 4) in which it can be inserted into the apparatus body together with the transport stand 20 by its own weight. When an operator lifts the manual feed section 30 to the open state as shown in FIG. 5 and releases it, the manual feed section 30 falls and closes under its own weight as shown in FIG. 4.
2 while the manual paper feed unit 30 shown in Fig. 5 is open, there is a risk of an accident in which the manual paper feed unit 30 and the device body 100 collide with each other. By having the manual paper feed unit 30 fall and close under its own weight, such an accident that may occur if an operator forgets to close the manual paper feed unit 30 can be prevented. Moreover, such an accident prevention function can be realized simply and without power.

The range of movement of the manual paper feed unit 30 by the movable support unit 33 is set to a range in which the above-mentioned return movement by its own weight occurs from any position.
5, if the center of gravity of manual feeder 30 goes beyond the center of rotation of movable support 33 to the left, manual feeder 30 will fall under its own weight and will not return to the closed state shown in FIG 4. If this happens, the above-mentioned accident prevention function will not work.
Therefore, the range of movement of the manual feed unit 30 by the movable support part 33 is restricted to a range in which the center of gravity of the manual feed unit 30 does not exceed the center of rotation of the movable support part 33 as shown in FIG.
4 and 5, and the center of gravity of the manual feeder 30 is always on the closing side. Therefore, the self-weight return action occurs from any position, and the accident prevention function does not fail, ensuring safety.
Furthermore, if the support mechanism is such that the manual paper feed unit 30 is raised and opened by a linear motion as shown in Figures 7 and 8, it is easy to set the operating range of the manual paper feed unit 30 to a range where it can return to the closed state under its own weight from any position.

The manual paper feed unit 30 has a protective cover 34 for preventing damage on the surface facing the transport stand 20 when the transport stand 20 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100 (FIGS. 2 and 4). The protective cover 34 may be made of resin.
When the manual paper feed unit 30 is open as shown in FIG. 5, if an operator places his/her hand in the space S1 between the manual paper feed unit 30 and the transport stand 20, there is a risk that the manual paper feed unit 30 will drop.
Structural parts and mechanical parts made of metal materials and the like are arranged in the manual feed unit 30. These are covered with a protective cover 34 to prevent damage to the manual feed unit 30 and to protect the hands of the operator.

Furthermore, a damper device 50 for suppressing the speed of the self-weight return operation may be provided as shown in Fig. 9. As the damper device 50, a gas spring may be used.
This reduces the speed of the return operation under its own weight, and further prevents damage to the transport platform 20 and the manual paper feed section 30, while protecting the hands of the operator.

10, the above-mentioned guide member 21 can be configured to operate in conjunction with the operation of the manual paper feed unit 30 by the movable support part 33. This eliminates the need for the operator to open the guide member 21 separately in addition to opening the manual paper feed unit 30, thereby enabling efficient jam processing.
Such interlocking may be achieved by providing a link 22 as shown in FIG. 10, or may be achieved by other mechanisms.

As shown in FIG. 3, the manual feed unit 30 has a handle 35, which an operator can grasp when lifting the manual feed unit 30. The handle 35 is made of a resin material or the like, and has a shape and position that makes it easy to grasp and raise and lower the manual feed unit 30. Providing the handle 35 helps to guide the hand lifting the manual feed unit 30 so that it does not get under the manual feed unit 30. The easy-to-grab handle 35 also prevents the manual feed unit 30 from being lowered accidentally.

As described above, the manual feed unit 40 including the manual feed tray T2 is provided in the device main body 100, and is therefore separated from the manual feed section 30 when the transport stand 20 is removed from the device main body 100. In other words, the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 are separated when the transport stand 20 is removed, and are connected when the transport stand 20 is inserted.
In such a structure for connection and disconnection, positional accuracy during connection is important in order to ensure smooth and stable feeding of paper from the manual feed tray T2. Next, the positioning portion for this purpose will be described.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a positioning section that determines the positions of the manual paper feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 when the transport stand 20 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100. The positioning section has positioning pins P1 and P2 whose axial direction is the insertion/removal direction Y of the transport stand 20, and positioning holes F1 and F2 that fit into the positioning pins P1 and P2, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 .
The positioning pins P1 and P2 are fixed to the manual paper feed unit 30, and have a circular cross section parallel to the XZ plane and a tapered portion for guiding purposes at their tips.
The positioning holes F1 and F2 are fixed to the manual feed unit 40, have a circular cross section parallel to the XZ plane, and have an inner diameter that fits with the outer diameter portions of the positioning pins P1 and P2.
The positioning pin P1 fits into the positioning hole F1, and the positioning pin P2 fits into the positioning hole F2.
The positioning pin P1 (P2) is fitted into the positioning hole F1 (F2), so that the X-direction position and the Z-direction position are determined. However, the fitting may be made to only regulate the Z-direction position. This is because the X-direction position is regulated by the movable support part 33. To release the restriction of the X-direction position of the positioning pin P1 (P2) in the positioning hole F1 (F2), the positioning hole F1 (F2) may be made a long hole long in the X-direction to provide a play in the X-direction between the positioning pin P1 (P2) and the positioning pin P1 (P2). Conversely, when the movable support part 33 is provided with a degree of freedom in the X-direction position, the positioning pin P1 (P2) is fitted into the positioning hole F1 (F2) as in this embodiment, so that the X-direction position and the Z-direction position are determined. Note that the pin shape and the hole shape may be selected arbitrarily as long as the positioning function can be realized.
The Y direction position is determined by pressing in the Y direction. The pressing in the Y direction may be performed on a surface parallel to the XZ plane, such as the peripheral surface of the base end of the positioning pin P1 (P2) or the peripheral surface of the positioning hole F1 (F2).
The positioning pin P1 and the positioning hole F1 are provided on the front side, and the positioning pin P2 and the positioning hole F2 are provided on the back side, and positioning is performed at both ends in the Y direction, further improving the positional accuracy.
When the transport stand 20 is inserted into the device main body 100, the positions of the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 are determined by the above positioning parts (P1, P2, F1, F2). Therefore, the positional accuracy when the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 are connected is improved, and paper feeding from the manual feed tray T2 can be made smooth and stable.

2 to 5, the image forming apparatus 1 further includes a positioning pin P3 and a positioning hole F3 that fit therewith, which serve as positioning parts for determining the positions of the transport stand 20 and the manual paper feed unit 30 in the insertion/removal direction Y of the transport stand 20 when the image forming apparatus 1 is in a state in which the image forming apparatus 1 can be inserted into the apparatus main body 100. The positioning pin P3 is fixed to the manual paper feed unit 30. The positioning hole F3 is fixed to the transport stand 20.
2 and 3, the positioning hole F3 is formed in an elongated shape that is long in the X direction in order to allow the positioning pin P3, which moves with the rotation of the manual paper feed unit 30, to escape.
The edge of the positioning hole F3 at the Y direction end (=the edge parallel to the X direction) regulates the Y direction position of the positioning pin P3.
This improves the positional accuracy in the Y direction between the transport platform 20 and the manual paper feed unit 30.
As a result, the accuracy of controlling the paper position in the Y direction from the manual feed tray T2 to the transport stand 20 is improved, and as a result, the accuracy of the image forming position on the paper is improved.

[Transportation platform details 2]
Further, the transport platform and associated mechanisms will be described.
The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a support mechanism that displaces the manual feed unit 30 relative to the transport stand 20 in conjunction with the operation of inserting and removing the manual feed unit 30 together with the transport stand 20. This will be described below.

11 to 14 are diagrams showing the apparatus main body 100, the transport stand 20, the manual paper feed section 30, and the manual feed unit 40 (including the manual feed tray T2).
Fig. 11 shows a state in which the transport stand 20 and the manual paper feed unit 30 are inserted into the device main body 100. Figs. 12 to 14 show a state in which the transport stand 20 and the manual paper feed unit 30 are removed from the device main body 100.

Since the transport platform 20 is heavy, when the transport platform 20 is removed from the device main body 100, the slide rails supporting the transport platform 20 bend, causing it to drop as shown in Figures 12 to 14. This descent of the transport platform 20 during removal occurs before the transport platform 20 is completely removed during the removal process, so there is a risk of interference between the connection between the manual paper feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40.

FIG. 12 shows a case where the manual paper feed unit 30 is fixed to the transport stand 20. In FIG.
12, the manual feed section 30 is lowered integrally with the transport stand 20. Therefore, when the transport stand 20 is inserted or removed, there is a risk that the connection between the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 may interfere with each other.

In the configuration shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the manual feed unit 30 is supported in a floating manner on the transport platform 20, and Fig. 13 shows it floating up relative to the transport platform 20 by a rotational movement, and Fig. 14 shows it floating up relative to the transport platform 20 by a linear movement. For the rotational movement in Fig. 13, a specific example of a floating support mechanism FS using a spring cylinder 36 is shown in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16. In Fig. 15, the transport platform 20 is in an inserted state, and the positioning pin P1 (P2) is fitted into the positioning hole F1 (F2) (corresponding to Fig. 2). In Fig. 16, the transport platform 20 is in an extracted state, and the small diameter tip of the tapered guide portion of the positioning pin P1 (P2) is maintained in a position where it does not come out of the positioning hole F1 (F2) (corresponding to Fig. 3).

13 or 14 , the manual feed unit 30 is displaced relative to the transport stand 20 in conjunction with the operation of inserting and removing the manual feed unit 30 together with the transport stand 20. The displacement is a displacement in which the distance between the manual feed unit 30 and the transport stand 20 increases in conjunction with the operation of removing the transport stand 20 from the device main body 100. This displacement cancels out part or all of the displacement of the transport stand 20 relative to the device main body 100 when observed in the insertion/removal direction Y associated with insertion and removal.
As described above, the manual feed unit 40 is provided in the device main body 100, and when the transport stand 20 is removed from the device main body 100, it moves away from the manual paper feed section 30 in the removal direction Y. At the same time, the manual feed unit 40 is displaced less relative to the manual paper feed section 30 than relative to the transport stand 20 in the displacement direction Z of the manual paper feed section 30 by the floating support mechanism FS.
Therefore, even when the transport stand 20 is inserted or removed, the Z and X displacements of the manual feed section 30 are smaller than in the fixed support configuration of Fig. 12, and interference between the connection section of the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 is prevented. In other words, the transport stand 20 can be inserted or removed without interference between the manual feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40.

Furthermore, in the configuration of the floating support mechanism shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14, all of the configurations described in [Details of the Transport Stand 1] above can be implemented. Therefore, when the transport stand 20 is inserted into the device main body 100 and the manual paper feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 are connected, the above-mentioned positioning sections (P1, P2, F1, F2, hereinafter referred to as the "paper feed positioning section") function. This improves the positional accuracy of the manual paper feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40, and the manual paper feed section 30 can maintain high paper feed performance when feeding paper from the manual feed unit 40 to the transport path of the transport stand 20.

13 or 14, the transport platform 20 and the manual paper feed section 30 are independent of each other in the position in the XZ plane, so that while positioning sections (P1, P2, F1, F2) for the manual paper feed section 30 and the manual feed unit 40 are provided, a platform positioning section can also be provided that determines the positions of the transport platform 20 and the device main body 100 when the transport platform 20 is inserted into the device main body 100. A specific configuration can similarly be a positioning pin and a positioning hole with the Y direction as the axial direction.
In this case, the timing of the position restraint and release of the manual paper feed unit 30 by the paper feed positioning units (P1, P2, F1, F2) when the transport platform 20 is inserted or removed is simultaneous with the timing of the position restraint and release of the transport platform 20 by the platform positioning unit. To achieve this, the transport platform 20 can be designed so that the insertion and removal positions (Y coordinates) at which the engagement and separation of the positioning pins and positioning holes occur are the same.
In this manner, when the transport stand 20 is removed, the transport stand 20 is lowered and the manual paper feed unit 30 simultaneously rises relative to the transport stand 20, and when the transport stand 20 is inserted, the transport stand 20 is raised and the manual paper feed unit 30 simultaneously sinks relative to the transport stand 20. Therefore, the Z displacement of the manual paper feed unit 30 relative to the device main body 100 and the manual feed unit 40 is always kept small.

It is preferable that the floating support mechanism FS be capable of adjusting the amount of displacement by which the manual sheet feed unit 30 is displaced relative to the transport platform 20 .
This makes it possible to adjust the Z displacement of the manual paper feed unit 30 to be small in accordance with the amount of change in the Z displacement of the transport stand 20 that accompanies the insertion and removal.
This adjustment can be performed by changing the amount of protrusion of the protruding portion 36a of the spring cylinder 36 by adjusting the amount of spacers and the position of the nuts provided on the spring cylinder 36. In addition, the amount of protrusion of the protruding portion 36a of the spring cylinder 36 may be changed by making the Z-direction mounting position of the spring cylinder 36 adjustable.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the floating support mechanism FS (spring cylinder 36) is provided at both ends of the manual paper feed unit 30, which are the front and rear ends in the insertion/removal direction Y of the transport platform 20.
This allows the support forces to be set independently at the front and back, making it easier to keep the manual feed unit 30 horizontal and parallel to the Y axis. For example, if the center of gravity of the manual feed unit 30 is biased toward the back rather than the front, the support force of the spring cylinder 36 at the back is set higher than that at the front. In other words, of the support mechanisms at the front and back, the one closer to the center of gravity of the manual feed unit 30 in the insertion/removal direction Y has a relatively higher support force.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, a buffer member 37 is provided to buffer the collision between the manual paper feed unit 30 and the transport stand 20. The buffer member 37 is a rubber pad or the like that is fixed to the underside of the frame of the manual paper feed unit 30. This makes it possible to buffer the collision between the manual paper feed unit 30 and the transport stand 20 when the manual paper feed unit 30 descends forcefully.

In order to facilitate adjustment and replacement of the spring cylinder 36, it is preferable that the floating support mechanism FS is a unit FSU (see FIG. 17) that is detachable from the frame of the manual paper feed section 30. This facilitates inspection, adjustment, and replacement of the spring cylinder 36. The buffer member 37 may also be included in the unit FSU. This facilitates inspection and replacement of the buffer member 37.
The above-mentioned adjustment function can also be realized by making the Z-direction mounting position of unit FSU relative to the frame of manual sheet feed section 30 adjustable.

The above floating support mechanism FS may be driven by an actuator instead of the spring of the spring cylinder 36 to achieve its operation. In other words, it has an actuator that moves the support part of the manual feed unit 30 on the transport platform 20 in the Z-axis direction, and the actuator is controlled to detect and cancel the Z displacement of the transport platform 20 relative to the device main body 100, thereby minimizing the Z displacement of the manual feed unit 30 relative to the device main body 100.

Regardless of the above embodiment, the detailed configuration and operation of each device constituting the image forming apparatus can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the manual paper feed unit, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to other paper feed units. In other words, it does not matter whether the paper loading unit of the paper feed source is a manual feed tray or another paper feed tray located inside or outside the device.
In the above embodiment, it has been described how to avoid interference between the paper feed unit being inserted or removed and the paper loading section, but it is of course possible to similarly avoid interference with the paper loading section and other components on the device main body (which move relative to the paper feed unit as the paper feed unit is inserted or removed), such as guides, other mechanical parts, skeletal parts, and the interior and exterior of the machine.

1 Image forming apparatus 12 Display unit 13 Document reading unit 14 Image forming unit 15 Paper feed unit 20 Transport stand 21 Guide member 30 Manual feed unit 33 Movable support unit 36 Spring cylinder 37 Cushioning member 40 Manual feed unit 100 Device main body 141Y, 141M, 141C, 141K Photoconductor drum 142 Intermediate transfer belt 143 Secondary transfer roller 144 Fixing unit F1, F2 Positioning hole F3 Positioning hole FS Floating support mechanism FSU Floating support mechanism unit P1, P2 Positioning pin P3 Positioning pins T11 to T13 Paper feed tray T2 Manual feed tray Y Insertion/removal direction

Claims (19)

a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
The paper loading section is provided in the device main body, and when the transport stand is removed from the device main body, it moves away from the paper supply section in the direction of removal, and in terms of the displacement direction of the paper supply section caused by the support mechanism, the relative displacement between the paper supply section and the transport stand is smaller than the relative displacement between the paper supply section and the transport stand . 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a paper feed positioning section that determines positions of the paper feed section and the paper placement section when the transport platform is inserted into the apparatus body. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the paper feed positioning portion comprises a positioning pin having an axial direction that corresponds to a direction in which the transport stand is inserted and removed, and a positioning hole that fits into the positioning pin. a platform positioning unit that determines the positions of the transport platform and the device body when the transport platform is inserted into the device body;
4. An image forming apparatus as described in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the timing of the paper feed positioning unit restraining and releasing the position of the paper feed unit by the paper feed positioning unit in response to the insertion or removal of the transport stand and the timing of the transport stand restraining and releasing the position of the transport stand by the stand positioning unit are simultaneous. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism is capable of adjusting an amount of displacement of the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand. a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
The support mechanism is an image forming apparatus in which an amount of displacement by which the paper feed unit is displaced relative to the transport stand is adjustable . 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism is provided at both ends of the paper feed unit, the both ends being located at the front and the back in the insertion/removal direction of the transport platform . a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
The support mechanism is provided at both ends of the paper feed unit, which are located at the front and rear in the insertion/removal direction of the transport stand, respectively . 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the support mechanism at the front and the support mechanism at the back have a relatively higher support force than the support mechanism at the rear, the support mechanism being closer to a center of gravity of the paper feed unit in the insertion/removal direction. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer member for buffering a collision between the paper feed unit and the transport platform . a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
an image forming apparatus provided with a buffer member for buffering a collision between the paper feed unit and the transport platform ; 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism is a unit that is detachable from the paper feed section. a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
The support mechanism is a unit that is detachably attached to the paper feed unit of the image forming apparatus. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning unit that determines positions of the transport stand and the paper feed unit in a direction in which the transport stand is inserted and removed. a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
an image forming apparatus having a positioning unit that determines positions of the transport stand and the paper feed unit in a direction in which the transport stand is inserted and removed ; 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator for driving the support mechanism . a transport stand that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus and has a paper transport path formed therein;
a paper placement section on which paper is placed;
a paper feed unit provided on the transport stand and configured to feed paper from the paper placement unit to the transport path;
Equipped with
a support mechanism for displacing the paper feed unit relative to the transport stand in association with an operation of inserting or removing the paper feed unit together with the transport stand;
An image forming apparatus having an actuator for driving the support mechanism . 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism displaces the transport stand so that the distance between the paper feed unit and the transport stand increases in response to an operation of removing the transport stand from the main body of the apparatus. 19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism is a mechanism using a spring.

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