JPH019791Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a paper feed actuating device, and more specifically to this type of device that can set a large number of sheets of paper on a paper feed table at one time.

[Prior Art] Conventional paper feed actuators can be divided into several types based on the differences in the mechanism for moving the paper feed table up and down in accordance with the progress of paper feed. The most common type includes a member that detects the level of the top surface of the stack of sheets set on the paper feed tray, and a drive source that drives the paper feed tray up and down in accordance with the signal from this level detection member. This driving force is used to move the paper feed table up and down. This type of mechanism has the advantage of being able to set a large number of sheets of paper on the paper feed tray at once because the power of the paper feed tray is strong, but on the other hand, the structure is unavoidably complicated, and Therefore, the product cost is high, the work of setting the paper stack is troublesome, and malfunctions easily occur due to the slightest cause, resulting in a lack of reliability.

In order to solve this problem, the inventors of the present invention have already used a spring to urge the paper feed tray toward the paper feed ring, and use the restoring force of the spring to move the paper feed tray. We are proposing a model that allows the robot to move upward.
The outline thereof is shown in FIG. 1, and the paper feed tray 5 is fixed to the shaft 6 at its center, and is biased toward the paper feed ring 7 by a spring (not shown) connected to the shaft 6. The position of the paper feed tray 5 shown by the solid line in FIG. At the same time, the paper feed side end t is supported by the lower plate of the paper feed port case 8 in an aligned state. After setting the paper stack A, when the paper feed tray 5 is released,
The upper surface of the paper stack A is urged into contact with the paper feed ring 7 by the lifting force of the paper feed table 5, and the paper feed ring 7 rotates intermittently until the paper feed table 5 reaches the position indicated by the chain line. In contrast, the paper is fed one by one by the paper handling tool 9 which comes into contact with the paper in a spring-biased state.

This type of mechanism has a simple structure, which not only lowers the product cost, but also makes it easy to set the paper stack A, ensures reliable paper handling, prevents malfunctions, and provides highly reliable paper feeding. Wide range of paper qualities,
It has many advantages such as

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, on the other hand, the above mechanism uses the restoring force of the spring to move the paper feed tray 5 up and down to follow the progress of paper feed, so it cannot handle a large number of sheets at once. There was a drawback that paper could not be set on the paper feed table 5. This is because the paper stack A becomes thicker and the bottom of the paper stack A and the paper feed slot case 8
When the angle θ with the lower plate becomes 90° or less, when the paper feed tray 5 moves upward and lifts the stack of sheets A, the upward force causes the bottom of the stack of sheets A to
One of the reasons for this is that a component force is generated that presses the paper feed port case 8 against the lower side plate of the paper feed port case 8 facing the paper feed port case 8. In addition, unless the bottom of the paper stack A moves sequentially rearward substantially along the paper feed tray 5, the paper feed tray 5 cannot move up and down, and at the same time, the end t of the paper stack A and the paper feed port case 8 The frictional force with the lower plate also increases, and as a result, it becomes impossible to reliably lift the stack of sheets A, that is, to move the sheet feed tray 5 up and down using the restoring force of the spring connected to the sheet feed tray. Furthermore, as the paper stack A becomes thicker and the inclination angle of the paper feed table 5 increases, the leading edge of the topmost paper of the paper stack A hits the corner R of the paper handler 9, and the paper is transferred to the paper feed ring 7.
There also occurred a problem that the paper could no longer be fed between the paper handler 9 and the paper handler 9. These phenomena will become clearer as the invention is explained later.

Due to the above-mentioned drawbacks, the maximum number of sheets of paper of normal thickness that can be set on the paper feed table is limited to about 300 sheets in the above-mentioned mechanism already proposed by the inventors of the present invention. However, even if it is a large paper,
It is possible to easily stack up to about 600 sheets manually, and considering the time and effort required to replenish paper, it is desirable from the viewpoint of work efficiency to be able to set up to this number of sheets on the paper feed stand at one time.

The present invention was developed based on this viewpoint, and maintains the advantages of the above-mentioned mechanism that the present inventors had already proposed, and also feeds more than twice the number of sheets of paper at one time compared to the previous mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel paper feed actuating device that can be set on a paper tray.

[Means for solving the problem] In order to achieve this, in the present invention, the front support member that supports the paper feed side end of the paper stack during paper feeding operation is aligned in the axial direction of the paper feed table. A plurality of ribs are arranged parallel to each other at intervals and extend along the swinging direction of the paper feed tray, and the supporting surface formed on a part of the ribs facing the swinging end of the paper feed tray is connected to the paper feed tray and the ribs. The plate is formed into an arcuate concave surface so that the angle between the plate and the support surface is always 90° or more within the swing range of the paper feed table.

[Function] With the paper feed actuating device according to the present invention having the above configuration, the angle between the paper feed table and the supporting surface of the rib is always 90° or more within the swing range of the paper feed table. The vertical force of the paper feed table does not generate a component force that presses the paper feed side end of the paper stack against the supporting surface of the opposing rib.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 2 and 3 are partially cutaway perspective views showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a paper feed ring, 20 is a paper feed port case, 30 is a paper sorter, 40 is a paper feed stand, 50 is a left and right frame, and 60 is a spring mechanism.

Three paper feed rings 10 are installed at equal intervals in the center of the shaft 11 to prevent feeding wrinkles even in thin paper, and the center ring 10a collides with the paper handling tool 30 in a state described later. Further, the rings 10b and 10c on both sides are in contact with the upper part of the paper feed port case 20. These paper feed rings 10 are connected to a bush 12.
It consists of a spur gear-shaped molded rubber ring that is fitted and crimped onto the shaft 11 by a set screw 13 of the bush 12. The shaft 11 is pivotally supported by bearings 14 (the right frame side is not shown) attached to the left and right frames 50, and is intermittently applied with a rotational force in one direction by an appropriate method not shown.

The paper feed port case 20 is located below the paper feed ring 10, and its upper part serves as a guide plate 21 that guides the sorted paper, and its lower part serves as a lower plate 22 that faces the paper feed tray 40. There is. The guide plate 21 is provided with an opening 23 directly below the paper feed ring 10a in the center, through which the paper sorting tool 30 protrudes, and the lower plate 2
2 is provided with a guide groove 24 for a paper handling lever 33 which will be described later and which supports the paper handling tool 30. Above opening hole 2
A shoulder portion 23a is formed on the edge of the paper handler 3 on the lower plate 22 side so as to guide the leading edge of the paper toward the paper handler 30 side.

A paper feed port upper plate 25 is provided in front of the guide plate 21 in the paper feed direction to form a paper guide path. The end of the upper plate 25 on the side of the paper feed ring 10 is curved and curved upward, and cooperates with the guide plate 21 to smoothly grow slack in the paper upward. In addition, at the back of the above-mentioned guide passage, there are two upper plates.
Two timing rollers 26 and 27 are installed, which protrude from the slots of the guide plate 5 and the guide plate 21 and press against each other, and are driven intermittently to rotate in one direction, gripping the paper and sending it forward. On the other hand, on the lower side plate 22, a support member, that is, a rib 28 that supports the paper feed side end t (see FIG. 4) of the paper bundle A placed on the paper feed tray 40 is attached with a screw 29. Fixed. The ribs 28 extend along the swinging direction of the paper feed table 40, which will be described later, and are installed at a plurality of locations at intervals in the axial direction of the paper feed ring 10, that is, in the direction parallel to the swing axis direction of the paper feed table 40. Ru. The rib 28 has a supporting surface 28a on a part thereof, and the supporting surface 28a always has an angle θ' formed between the paper feed tray 40 and the supporting surface 28a.
It is formed into an arcuate concave surface with an angle of 90° or more.

The paper handling tool 30 is inserted into the opening 23 of the guide plate 21 as described above.
The paper handling lever 33 is supported and fixed to the end of the paper handling lever 33 which is biased by a spring. That is, the lever 33 is swingably supported about a shaft 35 by a bracket 34 fixed on a reinforcing plate 51 connecting the left and right frames below the paper feed table 40, and the lever 33 The end opposite to the mounting end of is connected to the opposite spring hook 3 by a spring 36.
7, and as a result, the paper handling tool 30 comes into contact with the paper feed ring 10 with a biasing force.
A friction plate, ie, a paper handling plate 31, is fixed to the contact portion of the paper handling tool 30 with the paper feeding ring 10 to ensure a reliable paper handling operation. Further, a sloped portion 32 is provided on the paper feed tray 40 side of the paper handling device 30 that is continuous with the paper handling plate 31, and the end portion 32a thereof is located inside the shoulder portion 23a of the opening 23 of the opposing guide plate 21. (see Figure 4).

The paper feed tray 40 is fixed at its center to a shaft 41 that is pivotally supported by the left and right frames 50, and swings integrally with the shaft 41 as a center. One end of the shaft 41 passes through a hole 52 in the frame and is connected to a spring mechanism 60, and the spring mechanism 60 allows the paper feed tray 40 to face the paper feed ring 10 side as shown in the figure and to be tilted downward. will be granted. An auxiliary paper feed tray 42 is provided on the shaft side of the paper feed tray 40, which is rotatable and whose position can be changed between a use state and a folded state by engaging with a stopper 55 or 56. . Also, on the top of the paper feed tray 40 is a paper feed guide 4 that aligns the sides of the stack of paper.
3 is provided, which can be width-adjustable along the groove 44. Further, an escape groove 45 is formed at the swinging end of the paper feed tray 40 in alignment with the installation position of the rib 28 described above.
This prevents accidents such as paper curling.

Spring mechanism 60 connects to one end of shaft 41 which passes through hole 52 in the frame as described above. A lever 61 is integrally fixed to the end of the shaft 41, and spring hook holes 62a, 6 on the front end side of the lever 61 are fixed to the end of the shaft 41.
2b are engaged with the hook portions of upwardly suspended springs 63 and 64, respectively, for applying an upward force to the paper feed platform 40 toward the above-mentioned paper feed ring 10. The tip of the spring 63 engages with a rod 65, and this rod 65 can be switched between its seating ends 54a and 54b in two positions in a long hole 53 bored in the frame. The above-mentioned lifting force of the table 40 can be adjusted. Further, at the end of the shaft 41, adjacent to the lever 61, a paper feed tray up/down switching lever 66 is pivotally supported. One end 6 of the switching lever 66
7a extends outside the cover (not shown) and serves as an operating section, and a roller 68 is fixed to the other end 67b. This roller 68 engages with a notch 70 of a control plate 69 that is biased by a spring 72, and is controlled to two positions, upper and lower seating ends 71a and 71b, by operating the end 67a of the switching lever 66. It is locked. The two positions are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and are the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 and the broken line in FIG. The position shown by the solid line, that is, the paper feed table 40 is the spring 6.
This is the position where an upward force directed toward the paper feed ring 10 is applied due to the restoring force of Nos. 3 and 64. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, when the end 67a of the switching lever 66 is pushed up using the shaft 41 as a support shaft, the roller 68 is pushed down together with the lever 73 which is coaxially fixed.
Therefore, the lever 73 further pushes down the pin 74 connected to the lever 61 together with the lever 61, and as a result, the paper feed table 40 is locked at the lowest position where no upward force is applied.

The operating mode of the device of the present invention having the above configuration will be described below. As described above, the paper stack is transferred to the paper feed tray 40 (second
(as shown in the figure). That aspect is the fourth
As shown in the figure, a stack of sheets A is placed on a paper feed table 40 and an auxiliary paper feed table 42 shown by solid lines in the figure,
Its both sides are held in an aligned state by the paper feed guide 43, and its paper feed side end t is held by the rib 28.
are supported in an aligned state on the support surface 28a of. After setting the paper stack A on the paper feed table 40, press the switching lever 6.
6 to release the locked state of the paper feed tray 40, the paper feed tray 40 is given an upward force toward the paper feed ring 10 by the restoring force of the springs 63 and 64, and the upper surface of the paper stack A is lifted. It is brought into contact with the paper feed ring 10 in a biased state. That is, in this state, the device has already operated or has started operating, and the paper feed ring 10
rotates intermittently, the paper stack A is sent in order from the top paper to the contact area between the paper feed ring 10 and the paper separation plate 31, where a person would pick up two sheets of paper between the thumb and forefinger. The guide plate of the paper feed port case 20 is moved until each sheet reaches the position shown by the chain line in FIG. The paper is fed toward the upper plate 25 along the line 21.

As the sheet feeding progresses, the sheet feeding table 40 always presses the upper surface of the sheet bundle A to the sheet feeding ring 10.
However, as mentioned above, the ribs 28 are installed at intervals, and the angle θ' between the support surface 28a and the paper feed tray 40 is always
Because it is formed at an angle of 90° or more,
The paper feed table 40 operates smoothly regardless of the thickness of the paper bundle A. That is, since the ribs 28 are installed at intervals, the contact area between the paper feed side end of the paper stack A and the supporting surface 28a of the rib 28 is small, and the frictional force generated therebetween is also small. 28
Since the angle θ' between A and the paper feed table 40 is always 90 degrees or more, the lifting force of the paper feed table 40 is directly applied to the paper stack A.
There is no force generated that would hinder the operation of the paper feed table 40, such as a lifting force that would press the paper feed side end t of the paper stack A against the rib 28. Furthermore, since a relief groove 45 is formed at the swinging end of the paper feed table 40 in alignment with the installation position of the rib 28, accidents such as paper being rolled in will not occur. Also, the shoulder portion 2 of the opening 23 that the end portion 32a of the inclined portion 32 of the paper handling tool 30 faces
3a, the leading edge of the topmost sheet of the sheet bundle A does not hit the corner of the paper handling device 30 and get stuck, and is smoothly fed to the paper handling plate 31 side. Further, since a plurality of paper feed rings 10 are arranged in parallel, feeding wrinkles do not occur even in thin paper.

[Effect of the invention] According to the paper feed actuating device according to the invention, the paper bundle A
Since the member supporting the paper feed side end t is the rib 28 having the support surface 28a formed in the arcuate concave surface as described above, the gap between the end t and the support surface 28a of the rib 28 is The frictional force generated in the Moreover, the vertical movement of the paper feed tray 40 does not generate any component force that would impede the operation of the paper feed tray 40, and the paper feed tray 40 operates reliably following the progress of paper feeding. Therefore, even if the spring force of the paper feed tray is the same, a larger number of sheets can be set on the paper feed tray at one time compared to the conventional structure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional paper feed actuation mechanism, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the paper feed actuation device of the present invention with its paper feed tray locked at the lowest position, and FIG. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device according to the embodiment, with its paper feed tray in contact with the paper feed ring, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the device according to the embodiment, with a stack of paper set on the paper feed tray. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Paper feed ring, 11... Shaft, 20... Paper feed port case, 21... Guide plate, 22... Lower side plate, 23
... Opening hole, 23a... Shoulder, 28... Rib, 28a... Support surface, 30... Paper sorting tool, 31... Paper sorting plate, 32... Inclined part, 32a... End, 33... Lever, 40... Paper feed table, 41...Shaft, 45...Escape groove, 50...Right and left frames, 60...Spring mechanism, A...Sheet of paper, t...End of paper sheaf on the paper feed side, θ'...Angle between the paper feed stand and the rib.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A paper feed ring that rotates intermittently, and a paper feed ring that is provided to be able to swing up and down about an axis with respect to the paper feed ring, and that is placed on the paper by the restoring force of a spring. A paper feed tray that tilts downward toward the paper feed ring side, which brings the top surface of the stack of paper sheets into contact with the paper feed ring in a biased state, and a swinging of the paper feed tray below the paper feed ring. a front support member positioned opposite to the end and supporting the paper feed side end of the paper stack placed on the paper feed tray during paper feeding operation; The member is composed of a plurality of ribs spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of the paper feed table and extending along the swinging direction of the paper feed table, and
The support surface formed on a part of the rib facing the swing end of the paper feed table is such that the angle formed between the paper feed table and the support surface of the rib is always 90° or more within the swing range of the paper feed table. A paper feed actuating device characterized in that it is formed into an arcuate concave surface. (2) The paper feed actuating device according to claim (1), wherein the paper feed table has a relief groove at its swinging end that corresponds to the installation position of the rib.