JPH01271332A - Paper sheet feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable various capacities of sheet material cassettes, whose sheet material housing capacities or dimensions are different, to be freely fitted for use by providing a plurality of paper sheet feed means to one cassette inserting part. CONSTITUTION:One cassette inserting part 2, in which the longitudinal dimension is set larger, is provided to a device body 1, and on the far side in the inside of this inserting part 2 two, upper and lower, paper sheet feed means 21, 22 are provided. And the cassette 31 on one side is sufficiently pushed and fitted into the cassette inserting part 2 while correspondently engaging the projected peripheries 3a thereof with the guide recessed grooves 2a on the upper chamber side of the cassette inserting part 2. And the cassette 32 on the other side is sufficiently pushed and fitted into the cassette inserting part 2 while correspondently engaging the projected peripheries 3a thereof with the guide recessed grooves 2b on the lower chamber side of the cassette inserting part 2. Thereby, two cassettes 31, 32 are housed into the upper and lower chambers of the cassette inserting part 2 respectively, so as to be brought into a fitted condition.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a paper feeding device.

More specifically, a large number of sheet materials (cut sheets and sheets of paper) are loaded and stored in a sheet material cassette in advance, the cassette is inserted into the cassette insertion part on the device main body side, and the sheet materials in the cassette are inserted into the device. The present invention relates to a sheet material cassette insertion type sheet feeding device in which a sheet material cassette is fed to a predetermined processing section by feeding one sheet to another at a required timing by a sheet feeding means on the main body side.

(Prior Art) The above-mentioned sheet material cassette insertion type paper feeding device is used, for example, in electronic copying devices, electrostatic recording devices, laser beam printers, simple printing machines, etc.
It is widely used as a paper feeding mechanism structure that automatically feeds photosensitive paper, recording paper, printing paper, etc. to an image forming mechanism section one by one.

In the sheet material cassette insertion type, cassettes containing various types of sheet materials of different sizes and paper qualities are prepared, and the cassette containing the desired type of sheet material is inserted into the cassette on the device main body side. It is convenient because the type of sheet material used can be changed with a simple operation of inserting and removing it from the insertion part, and the sheet material is easy to handle and store.

Alternatively, as a multi-stage cassette type, the main body of the device is equipped with a plurality of cassette insertion sections, and cassettes containing different types of sheet materials are installed and set in each insertion section in advance, and the type of sheet material to be used is selected by the selection specifying means. There is a device that selectively activates the sheet feeding means at the insertion stage of the cassette containing the specified type of sheet material by specifying the sheet material to be fed into the main body of the apparatus simply by operating the selection button of the selection designating means. The type can be changed and the workability is even better.

FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show a vertical side view and a rear view of the multi-stage cassette type sheet feeding device. This example is a three-stage cassette type.

1 is a device body such as an electronic copying device, 201 ・202 ・2
03 is the three cassette insertion sections of the +, middle, and lower tiers provided in the main body of the device; 30a, 30b, and 30c are sheet material cassettes that can be freely inserted into and removed from these insertion sections; 211 and 21
□ ・21. Reference numeral 23 indicates a paper feeding means disposed corresponding to each side of each cassette insertion section; 23 indicates a registration roller (or relay conveyance roller) for feeding sheet material; 22.・222
・223 is the paper feeding means 21.・21□ ・213
A sheet material bus (sheet material guide path) that communicates between each of the registration rollers 23 and the registration rollers 23.

Each sheet material cassette 30a, 30b, 30c has a different type of sheet material, for example, A4 size, B4 size,
Sheet materials of different sizes such as B5 size are stored, and these cassettes 30a, 30b, and 30c are
Two cassette insertion sections 20.・20□ ・When the sheet material is fully inserted into any of the cassettes 203, a detection means (not shown) detects the type of the sheet material stored in the cassette inserted into each insertion portion, and each detection The type is displayed on the display of the selection means provided on the console panel (not shown) of the main body 1 of the apparatus.

Therefore, the operator selects and specifies a desired type of sheet material from among the types of sheet materials displayed on the display, and the operator selects and specifies the desired type of sheet material from among the types of sheet materials displayed on the display.
-c) is attached to the cassette insertion section 20 tr-z
-3+ Paper feeding means 21 (only r-2-*+ becomes operational, and the operation of this paper feeding means is controlled at a predetermined timing so that one sheet of sheet material in the cassette reaches the edge.) The sheet material is then fed to an image transfer section (not shown) and other sheet material processing sections in the apparatus main body 1 along a path of sheet material path 22.degree.-2-31.fwdarw.registration roller 23.fwdarw.sheet path 24.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional multi-stage force cellar 1-type paper feeding device as described above, each cassette insertion section 20.・20□ ・2
The opening of 03 is designed to allow the use of cassettes with the same capacity for each type of sheet material (cassettes with approximately the same maximum capacity for each type of sheet material). The insertion portions are divided by partition plates 25, 25 so as to be individually and independently partitioned into the same shape. However, with this configuration, (1) For users who use a large amount of sheet materials of a certain size among various sheet materials, it is necessary to In order to reduce the frequency of sheet material replenishment work and the frequency of interruptions in the movement of the main body of the apparatus each time sheet material replenishment work is performed, it is convenient to use a large capacity cassette for sheet material of the specific size. However, at what stage of the cassette insertion section 20 should such a large-capacity cassette be placed?
．．・20□ ・It is also not compatible with 203 and cannot be used.

(2) On the other hand, if a cassette insertion section compatible with large-capacity cassettes is provided, the opening shape of the insertion section becomes large, making it impossible to provide multiple paper feeding means, and users who wish to use various types of sheet materials cannot be satisfied.

In view of the above, the present invention satisfies both the users (1) and (2) by making it possible to freely install and use sheet material cassettes with different sheet material storage capacities. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet material cassette insertion type paper feeding device that can be loaded with a sheet material cassette.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The configuration of the paper feeding device of the present invention that achieves the above object is as follows.

(1) A plurality of sheet material cassettes containing sheet materials are installed in the cassette insertion portion of the device main body, and the sheet materials stored in the cassette are separated one by one from any one of these installed cassettes. In a paper feeding device in which a sheet material cassette is inserted for feeding, one cassette insertion part is provided with a plurality of paper feeding means, and the same number of cassettes as the plurality of paper feeding means can be installed in the cassette insertion part. In addition, the cassette insertion section is configured to allow other cassettes with different sheet material storage capacities to be installed across a plurality of paper feeding means.
This paper feeding device is characterized by the following.

(2) In the paper feeding device configured as described in (1) above, a guide portion is inserted into the cassette insertion portion on both inner side surfaces of the cassette insertion portion to guide the insertion and removal of the cassette by receiving engaging portions provided on both sides of the cassette. This paper feeding device is characterized in that it is provided with at least the same number of pairs as the number of paper feeding means provided in the section.

(3) In the paper feeding device configured as described in (1) above, when the cassette is inserted into the cassette insertion portion to a predetermined position, the locking means for positioning and locking the cassette at that position is provided in the cassette insertion portion. This paper feeding device is characterized in that it is equipped with the same number or the same number of sets as the plurality of paper feeding means provided in the paper feeding device.

(4) In the paper feeding device configured as described in (3) above, when a large-capacity cassette spanning multiple paper feeding means is inserted into the cassette insertion portion to a predetermined position, the plurality or plurality of The paper feeding device is characterized in that the insertion mounting cassette is locked by one or one set of locking means.

(5) In a paper feeding device that has a single paper feeding means and has a plurality of sheet material cassette insertion sections, it is possible to freely attach and detach a partition plate that allows the plurality of cassette insertion sections to be vertically separated and whose upper surface serves as a support for the cassette bottom. In this paper feeding device, a cassette insertion portion that is continuous vertically after removing at least one partition plate is provided as one cassette insertion portion, and a new large-capacity cassette can be attached to the cassette insertion portion.

(Function) With the configuration (1) above, the same number of sheet material cassettes as the plurality of paper feeding means are installed in the cassette insertion section equipped with a plurality of paper feeding means, thereby making it possible to As in the case of the multi-stage cassette type, the type of sheet material to be used is specified by the selection specifying means, and the paper feeding means corresponding to the cassette containing the specified type of sheet material is selectively activated. It is possible to automatically feed the sheet materials in the cassette one by one.

In other words, multiple sheet material cassettes each containing a different type of sheet material, each with a small capacity, are installed in advance, and the type of sheet material used can be easily changed by simply operating the selection button of the selection specifying means. Can be done.

In addition, by removing all the sheet material cassettes from the above-mentioned cassette insertion section and then installing a single large-capacity sheet material cassette corresponding to the entire space of the said cassette insertion section, or by removing all the above-mentioned sheet material cassettes. By removing two or more vertically adjacent sheet material cassettes, and removing those cassettes, a single medium-capacity sheet material cassette corresponding to the entire space is installed. Alternatively, the sheet material contained in the large-capacity or medium-capacity cassette is automatically fed to the next destination using the highest paper feeding device among the plurality of paper feeding devices supported by the medium-capacity cassette. can be sent.

In other words, for users who use a large amount of sheet material of a certain size or paper quality among various sheet materials, it is possible to use the cassette by using the device with this large-capacity or medium-capacity sheet material cassette installed. It is possible to significantly reduce the frequency of sheet material replenishment work and the frequency of interruptions in the operation of the apparatus main body due to sheet material replenishment work.

As described in (2) above, by providing a guide part for guiding cassette insertion and removal and an engaging part for the guide part on the cassette insertion part side and the cassette side, it is possible to use cassettes with different capacities. In either case, the cassette can be smoothly attached to and removed from a predetermined position within the cassette insertion section.

As described in (3) and (4) above, by providing a locking means, a predetermined mounting method allows the corresponding paper feeding means to function properly for any of the various cassettes of different capacities loaded into the cassette insertion section. It is stably held in position, ensuring stable and smooth paper feeding operation at all times.

If the above configuration (5) is adopted, the sheet material cassette insertion portions of each stage are partitioned with l-cut plates, and the cassette insertion portions of each stage are made into independent cassette insertion portions, and each cassette insertion portion is By installing a sheet material cassette, you can specify the type of sheet material to be used using the selection specifying means and select the level of the cassette containing the specified type of sheet material, similar to the conventional multi-stage cassette type. It is possible to selectively operate the sheet feeding means corresponding to the cassette to automatically feed the sheet material in the cassette one by one to the next destination.

In addition, all the cassettes are removed from the sheet material cassette insertion portion of each stage, and all the partition plates are removed, and as a result, the sheet material cassette insertion portion of each stage is made into a single unit corresponding to the entire space of the continuous insertion portion. By installing a large-capacity sheet material cassette, or by removing two or more adjacent cassettes from among all the above sheet material cassettes, or by removing two or more adjacent cassettes from among all the above sheet material cassettes, By removing the partition plate, the sheet material cassette insertion section at each stage is made continuous. The sheet material stored in the large capacity or medium capacity cassette can be automatically fed to the next destination by the highest paper feeding means among the plurality of paper feeding means that are supported across the large capacity cassettes. can.

That is, the configuration (5) can also provide the same effect as the configuration (1).

(Example) Example-1 (Figures 1 and 2) In this example, as shown in Figure 1(a), one cassette insertion section 2 with a large vertical dimension is provided in the main body 1 of the device. There are two paper feeding means (paper feeding rollers) located above and below on the back side of the insertion section 2.・It is equipped with 2□. This cassette insertion part 2
Cassettes are inserted into both inner sides of the paper feed means 21 and 2□ at a height position corresponding to the upper stage paper feed means 21 and at a height position corresponding to the lower stage paper feed stage 1 2□. Guide concave grooves 2a and 2b are provided running approximately horizontally from the cassette insertion opening side of the section 2 to the sheet feeding means side. Also 3.・３□
These are small-capacity sheet material cassettes having approximately the same capacity that are inserted into the cassette insertion section 2 above and below. On both sides of each of these sheet material cassettes 31.
It is provided with a projecting edge (outward projecting edge) 3a that engages with a guide groove 2a or 2b provided on both inner side surfaces of the cassette insertion portion 2.

Then, attach one cassette 31 (or 3□) to its protrusion 3.
a correspondingly engages with the guide concave groove 2a on the lower stage side of the cassette insertion section 2, and fully pushes it into the cassette insertion section 2 to install it, and then insert the other cassette 32 (or 3.) into its protrusion 3a. the guide groove strip 2 on the lower stage side of the cassette insertion section 2
By fully pushing the cassettes 3.b into the cassette insertion section 2 and attaching them, the two cassettes 3.・
32 (or 3°/3.) are housed in two stages, upper and lower, and are in the installed state.

Each of the cassettes 31 and 32 is sufficiently pushed into the cassette insertion portion 2 in the manner described above, and when the cassette reaches a predetermined mounting position, the locking means acts to position and lock the cassette at that position.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the locking means.

That is, the locking means of the present example has a spring 6 centered around the support shaft 5 on the outer upper surface of the channel member 4 constituting the guide groove 2a (2b) that engages the protrusion 3a on the side of the cassette 31 (32).
A lock arm 7 is provided so as to be constantly urged to rotate clockwise, and a downward protrusion 7a on the distal end side of the lock arm 7 is positioned corresponding to a through hole 4a formed in one surface of the channel member 4. The lock arm 7 is a cassette 3° (3□)
When the receiver is not attached, the stopper step 7b is rotated by the tensile force of the spring 6 until it hits one surface of the channel member 4 and the receiver is stopped, as shown in FIG. 2(a), and the downward protrusion 7a becomes transparent. The tip of the protrusion 7a enters the hole 4a and the guide concave groove 2
a (2b).

Then, as described above, the cassette 31 (3□) is pushed into the cassette insertion portion 2 with its protruding edge 3a correspondingly engaged with the guide groove 2a (2b), and the cassette is pushed into the predetermined mounting position until the cassette is pushed in. The cam slope 3b formed at the tip of the protrusion 3a on the cassette side at the previous time comes into contact with the tip of the downward projection 7a of the lock arm 7. The cassette 3. resists the contact resistance. When (3□) is continued to be pushed and moved, the lock arm 7 is moved by the cam slope 3b.
resists the spring 6 and swings counterclockwise around the support @5, and the protrusion 7a climbs onto the upper surface of the ridge 3a of the cassette 31 (32), and then as shown in FIG. 2(b). The downward tip of the protrusion 7a falls into and engages in the four portions 3C formed on the upper surface of the projecting edge 3a. At this point, cassette 3□ (3
□) reaches a predetermined mounting position, and the predetermined mounting position state is stably maintained by the engagement between the projection 7a and the recess 3c.

To remove the mounted cassette 31 (32), pull the cassette a little strongly in the pulling direction against the mutual engagement force between the protrusion 7a and the recess 3C, and the lock arm will move counterclockwise against the spring 6. The projection 7a and the recess 3C are disengaged by the escape swing, and the cassette can then be pulled out with little resistance and removed from the cassette insertion section.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c), two cassettes 3. 32 are stored and installed in two tiers, upper and lower, the type of sheet material stored in each of the two cassettes is detected by a detection means (not shown), and each detected type is detected. It is displayed on the display of the selection means provided on the console panel (not shown) of the main body 1 of the apparatus.

By selecting and specifying a desired type of sheet material from among the displayed sheet material types, the operator selects and specifies the cassette 3. Only the paper feeding means 21 or 22 corresponding to the paper feeding means 2. or 32 becomes operational, and the paper feeding means 2. Alternatively, the operation of the sheet material bus 22. Or, it is fed into the apparatus main body 1 along the route 22□→registration roller 23→sheet bus 24.

Figures 1(d) and 1(e) show the state in which a large capacity cassette is installed. That is, 33 is the small capacity cassette 31 mentioned above.
Or 3. It is a large-capacity cassette with approximately twice the capacity of the small-capacity cassette 3. Or, similarly to 3□, its both sides are provided with protruding edges 3a that engage with guide grooves 2a on the lower stage side provided on both inner side surfaces of the cassette insertion section 2.

Thus, two small capacity cassettes 3.
and 32 are removed and removed, and a large-capacity car (det 33
is positioned and locked into the cassette insertion portion 2 by the aforementioned locking means 7 and 3c (FIG. 2) by engaging its protrusion 3a with the guide groove 2a on the disposed side of the cassette insertion portion 2. to attach it. This large capacity cassette 3
Reference numeral 3 denotes two paper feeding means 2 in the upper stage and lower stage in the cassette insertion section 2. - The paper feed means 21 in the upper stage corresponds to the large capacity cassette 33. As a result, only the paper feeding means 2I in the upper stage becomes operable exclusively, and the sheets in the large capacity cassette 33 are automatically fed one by one into the next destination.

In addition, small capacity cassette 3.・32 and large capacity cassette 33
In both cases, the sheet material P is placed on top of the vertically movable plate 3c (Fig. 1(b)) which is constantly pressed with an elastic member inside the container.
are stacked and stored, and the top surface portion of the topmost sheet of the stacked sheet material P on the leading edge side is pushed up to a paper feeding position opposite to the paper feeding means 21 and 2□. Further, a separation claw member is engaged with the leading edge portion of the uppermost sheet or its both ends. The structure of this sheet material cassette itself is well known, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Example 2 (Figure 3) In this example, one cassette insertion section 2 has three paper feeding means 2, upper, middle, and lower.・2・23 are equipped. In this example, three small-capacity cassettes 31, 3
It can be attached to the middle and lower three cassettes to selectively feed sheet materials from within the three cassettes. Or Figure 3(d)
, As shown in (e), for example, the two small capacity cassettes 32 and 33 in the middle and lower tiers are removed, and the medium capacity cassette 34, which has approximately twice the capacity of the small capacity cassette, is placed in the removed space.
It is possible to selectively feed sheet materials from the medium-capacity cassette 34 or the upper small-capacity cassette 31. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3(f) and (g), three small capacity cassettes 31, 3□, and 3 are inserted from inside the cassette insertion section 2.
A large-capacity cassette with approximately three times the capacity of a small-capacity cassette by removing all of 3. It can be used by attaching it.

The medium-capacity cassette 34 shown in FIGS. 3(d) and 3(e) has a locking means (second
The large-capacity cartridges shown in FIGS. 3(f) and 3(g) are respectively positioned and locked at the mounting position by locking means provided in the upper guide groove 2a.

Example 3 (FIG. 4) In this example, three cassette insertion sections 26, 26, 23, 23 and 30 are each provided with one paper feeding means 21, 2□, and 23.・
A partition plate 27. having a cassette insertion portion of 26□ and 263, which separates the cassette insertion portion from above and below, and whose upper surface serves as a support for the cassette bottom.・272 is detachably provided. The left and right side edges of the partition plates 271 and 27□ engage with insertion/extraction guide grooves 28a provided on the left and right side plate surfaces of the cassette insertion section, and are usually inserted and engaged with screws or other fixing locking means (not shown). The extraction is stopped and held in the upper, middle, and lower three positions.
Tier cassette insertion section 26.・26□ ・263 are divided into sections.

As shown in FIG. 4(C), small-capacity cassettes 3I are inserted into the three cassette insertion sections 261, 262, and 263, respectively.
・3□ ・33 can be installed to selectively feed sheet materials from within the three cassettes.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4(d), by removing the upper partition plate 27, the upper and middle cassette insertion sections 261 can be removed.
- The 26□ can be made vertically continuous, and the medium capacity cassette 34 can be attached to the continuous cassette insertion section. Alternatively, the lower partition plate 27□ can be removed to make the middle and lower stage cassette insertion sections continuous, and a medium capacity cassette can be inserted therein for use.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(e), there are upper and lower partition plates 27.
．． - It is also possible to remove any of the cassettes 27□ and connect the upper, middle, and lower three cassette insertion sections 26□, 26□, and 263 in series, and use the large-capacity cassette 35 installed therein.

Example 4 (Fig. 5) In each of Examples 1 to 3, the paper feed means 21 to 23 of each cassette insertion section are arranged in a stairway manner. ) to (C), by changing the mounting angle of each cassette 31 to 35 with respect to the cassette insertion section 2, the paper feeding means 21 to 23 can be arranged vertically aligned on a common substantially vertical axis.

In addition, by changing the mounting angle of the force set, the arrangement form of the sheet feeding means can be arbitrarily set.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, sheet material cassettes of various capacities with different sheet material storage capacities can be used in a sheet material cassette insertion type paper feeding device with a simple configuration according to the user's wishes. Since it can be installed and used freely, the intended purpose is well achieved, and it is an effective and suitable improvement for this type of paper feeding device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment, (a) is a longitudinal sectional view before the cassette is installed or removed, (b) is the same view in the installed state, (C) is the rear view, ( Figure d) is a longitudinal sectional view of the device with a large capacity cassette attached, and Figure d) is its rear view. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the locking means, in which (a) is a non-engaged state, and (b) is an engaged (locked) state. Figure 3 shows the second embodiment; (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cassette before it is installed or taken out, (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cassette in the installed state, and (C) is the back side of the cassette. , (d) is a vertical cross-sectional view with a medium-capacity cassette installed, (e) is a rear view, (f) is a vertical cross-sectional view with a large-capacity cassette installed, and (g) is a vertical cross-sectional view with a large-capacity cassette installed. FIG. Figure 4 is the third
Figure (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view before loading or after removal, Figure (b) is a front view of the cassette insertion/ejection port side, Figure (C) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cassette in the installed state. Figure d) is the same figure as above with a medium capacity cassette attached, and figure (e) is the same figure as above with a large capacity cassette attached. Figure 5 shows the fourth embodiment; (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view with a cassette installed, (b) is the same view with a medium capacity cassette installed, and (C) is a large capacity cassette. It is the same figure as the above in the state where the cassette is attached. Figure 6 shows a conventional example, (a
) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cassette installed, and FIG. 2(b) is a rear view thereof. 1 is the device body, 2.26.・262 ・263 is a cassette insertion part, 27.・27□ is a partition plate with free film deposition, 2.
・2□・23 is paper feeding means (paper feeding roller), 3□ ・3□
・３３ ・３４ ・３． is a sheet material cassette. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of sheet material cassettes containing sheet materials are installed in the cassette insertion portion of the device main body, and the sheet materials stored in the cassette are separated one by one from any one of these installed cassettes. In a paper feeding device in which a sheet material cassette is inserted for feeding, one cassette insertion part is provided with a plurality of paper feeding means, and the same number of cassettes as the plurality of paper feeding means can be installed in the cassette insertion part. In addition, the cassette insertion section is configured to allow other cassettes with different sheet material storage capacities to be installed across a plurality of paper feeding means.
A paper feeding device characterized by the following. (2) At least the same number of guide parts as the number of paper feeding means provided in the cassette insertion part are provided on both inner side surfaces of the cassette insertion part for guiding the insertion and removal of the cassette by receiving engaging parts provided on both sides of the cassette. 2. A paper feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a paper feeding device. (3) Locking means for positioning and locking the cassette at a predetermined position when the cassette is inserted into the cassette insertion part are provided in the same number or in the same number of sets as the plurality of paper feeding means provided in the cassette insertion part. 2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising the following. (4) When a large-capacity cassette that spans multiple paper feeding means is inserted into the cassette insertion portion to a predetermined position, the insertion is performed by one or one set of the plurality of locking means or sets of locking means. 4. The paper feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the installed cassette is locked. (5) In a paper feeding device having multiple stages of sheet material cassette insertion sections each having a single paper feeding means, a partition plate is provided which allows the plurality of cassette insertion sections to be vertically arranged and whose upper surface serves as a support for the bottom of the cassette. A paper feeding device in which a vertically continuous cassette insertion section is provided after removing at least one partition plate, and a new large-capacity cassette can be attached to the cassette insertion section.