JPH02300024A - Support guide mechanism of rotary plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent rotation about a horizontal axis of a rotary plate, diagonal feed of a paper, and reduce supply defective by providing a guide means consisting of a guide rod laterally provided on one non-supply side of the rotary plate engaged with a vertically long slit formed in a holding member. CONSTITUTION:Universal joints 36b, 36c are provided at a support structure 36 for supporting a rotary plate 34 to be freely rotatable at least in two directions at one point of an angular position between non-supply sides in such a way that the supply parts of the rotary plate 34 having a vertical feed supply part and a lateral feed supply part are carried up about a rotation support point on each non-supply side. In addition, a guide means 37 consisting of a guide rod 37a laterally provided on one non-supply side of the rotary plate 34 engaged with a vertically long slit 37c formed in a holding member 37b is provided to guide the rotary plate when one supply part of the rotary plate 34 is carried up and to be the rotation support point of the rotary plate when the other supply part of the rotary plate is carried up. Supply defectives can thus be reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a rotating cassette for freely feeding paper vertically and horizontally, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a rotating cassette for freely feeding paper vertically and horizontally. The present invention relates to a support guide mechanism for a rotary plate that rotatably supports the rotary plate in at least two directions to perform a paper lifting operation.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a copying machine has been provided with a paper feeding device that supplies paper into the main body of the copying machine, and this paper feeding device is provided with a plurality of paper feeding cassettes for each paper size. When transporting paper from a paper feeder, it is preferable to transport the paper horizontally with the short side of the paper as the transport direction, rather than vertically with the long side of the paper as the transport direction, because the transport time required is shorter. Some copying machines are designed to feed B4 and even A3 sheets horizontally.

On the other hand, if even large-sized sheets are fed horizontally, the photoreceptor drum, conveyance rollers, paper conveyance path, etc. within the copying machine become larger, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus itself and an accompanying cost increase. Therefore, in general, large sheets of paper size such as B4 and A3 are fed vertically, and small sheets of size A4 or smaller are fed horizontally.

However, with such a configuration, in a copying machine that has a reduction and enlargement function such as a variable magnification function, for example, for reduction copying, it is necessary to cut paper such as B5R and A4R for vertical feeding, while reducing the conveyance speed. Considering this, 85 and A4 paper cassettes for horizontal feeding are required. Therefore, if such a variety of paper cassettes are provided, the paper feeding device must be made larger, or multiple paper cassettes must be replaced depending on the purpose, which increases the size of the device and increases costs. Otherwise, the operation becomes complicated.

Therefore, to avoid such problems, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-59245 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-592 have been proposed.
As disclosed in Publication No. 51, for example, B5 and B
A configuration has previously been proposed in which a common paper cassette is used for 5R, A4, and A4R, and the paper cassette is rotated for horizontal feeding and interfeeding of paper.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in order to send out the paper stacked in the paper cassette with a pickup roller (feed-in roller), it is necessary to lift the topmost paper to a position where it can come into contact with the pickup roller. As means for realizing this, in addition to those disclosed in the above-mentioned publications, for example,
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 92836. This support structure simply places a rotary plate on which paper is loaded in a paper cassette, and the rotary plate has a vertical paper feed section and a horizontal paper feed section, and each of the above paper feed sections is connected to the rotary plate. When lifting the paper cassette, the side of each non-sheet feeding section inevitably serves as a rotational fulcrum, and the rotational movement at this time is guided by the side wall of the paper cassette.

However, with this structure, the rotary plate tends to be misaligned (horizontal movement). For example, if the paper is misaligned in the feeding direction, the leading edge of the paper will be misaligned, so the distance from the pickup roller If the paper is misaligned, or if the paper is misaligned in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, the center of the paper will be misaligned. Furthermore, when the rotary plate rotates horizontally, the paper may be fed diagonally, which may impede the paper feeding operation.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the rotary plate support guide mechanism according to the present invention has a rotary plate having a vertical paper feeding section and a horizontal paper feeding section. A support structure including a universal joint that supports a rotary plate rotatably in two directions at one point of the corner portion between the non-sheet feeding sides so that the side is lifted up as a rotational fulcrum; When lifting one paper feed section on the rotary plate, it guides the rotary plate, and when lifting the other paper feed section on the rotary plate, one side of the rotary plate serves as the rotational fulcrum of the rotary plate. It is characterized by comprising a guide means formed by engaging a guide rod horizontally suspended on the non-sheet feeding side of the holding member into a vertically long elongated hole formed in the holding member.

[For production]

According to the above configuration, the support structure that supports the rotary plate at one point prevents the rotary plate from shifting (horizontal movement),
In the paper feeding operation performed after lifting and rotating the rotary plate, it is possible to avoid feeding the paper accompanied by positional deviation. Further, the guide means prevents horizontal rotation of the rotary plate, thereby preventing diagonal feeding of paper and reducing paper feeding errors. Moreover, such a guide means allows the rotary plate to rotate smoothly and reliably.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, an automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 3 is installed on the document table glass 2 of the copying machine 1. As shown in FIG. The ADF 3 transports a document (not shown) placed on the document table 3a to a predetermined position on the document table glass 2 according to its size and feeding direction (horizontal feed or vertical feed). In addition to having a function to eject the original to the outside of the ADF 3 after copying is completed, for example, if double-sided copying is to be performed, the original is reversed and conveyed again to a predetermined position on document platen glass 2, and after double-sided copying is completed, It also has a function that allows the document to be ejected to the outside of the ADF 2.

Note that switches 4 and 5 are provided on the document placing table 3a to determine the size of the document placed thereon.

An optical system 6 consisting of reflective mirrors 6a, lenses 6b, etc. is provided below the document table glass 2. In addition to the basic function of guiding light reflected by the original to the photosensitive drum 7, this optical system 6 also has a variable magnification function, and is configured to be capable of not only full-size copying but also enlarged copying and reduced-size copying. It has become.

A cleaner 8, a static elimination charger 9, a charging charger 10, a developing means 11 having toner for color copying, and a developing means 12 having black toner are arranged around the photosensitive drum 7, and each of these means As a result, a series of operations are performed on the photosensitive drum 7: removal of residual j.ner → neutralization → charging → exposure (performed by the optical system 6) → development.

A transfer charger 13 and a peeling charger 14 are disposed below the photoreceptor drum 7, and when a copy sheet (not shown) passes between the photoreceptor drum 7 and the transfer charger 13, the transfer charger 13 The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred onto the copy paper. Further, the copy paper is separated from the photosensitive drum 7 by the peeling charger 14, and the separated copy paper is transferred to the fixing device I8 by the conveyor belt 17.
It is now being transported to. The fixing device 18 is for fixing the toner transferred to the copy paper by heating or applying pressure.

The copy paper that has passed through the fixing device 18 is basically placed outside the copying machine 1, that is, after passing through the sorter 19, the paper is placed on a tray 19a...
For example, when double-sided copying or composite copying is performed, the paper is guided through a paper return path 20 to a double-sided composite unit 21. In the case of double-sided copying, the paper is reversely placed on the intermediate tray 21c via the first conveyance path 21a in the duplex composition unit 21, and then sent out to the paper supply path 22 by the sending roller 21d. When performing composite copying, the copy paper is sent to the second conveyance path 21b in the double-sided composite unit The paper is sent out with the leading edge in the direction, passed through the first conveyance path 21a, and then reversed and placed on the intermediate tray 2Ic.
It is designed to be sent to

The above-mentioned paper supply path 22 is a path for guiding the copy paper to the above-mentioned photosensitive drum 7, and at its terminal end, the paper supply path 22 is a path for guiding the copy paper to the above-mentioned photosensitive drum 7. A stop roller 15 is provided. Further, a plurality of paper supply means are connected to the paper supply path 22, and copy paper is appropriately supplied from each of these means. Specifically, in order from the bottom side of the copying machine 1, the first fixed cassette 25, the first rotating cassette unit 26, the second rotating cassette unit 27, the above-mentioned double-sided combining unit 21, the second fixed cassette 28, and the third fixed cassette A cassette 29 and a manual feeding section 30 are provided. The first fixed cassette 25, the second fixed cassette 28, and the third fixed cassette 29 are detachably installed in the copying machine 1, and the first rotating cassette unit 26 and the second rotating cassette unit 27 are detachable from the copying machine 1. is provided so that the entire base plate 31 can be pulled out from the copying machine l.

In the first and second rotating cassette units 26 and 27, as shown in FIG.
A pedestal 31a is fixed on top of the pedestal 31a.
One end side of the arm 32 is pivotally supported on a support shaft 31b erected above, so that the arm 32 is supported so as to be rotatable horizontally. A support shaft 32 is provided at the other end of the arm 32.
A is erected, and a rotary cassette 35 is rotatably supported by this support shaft 32a. The rotating cassette 35 has a two-plate structure consisting of a paper feed base 33 and a rotating plate 34 placed on the paper feeding base 33. By rotating 90 degrees, the copy sheets stacked on the rotating plate 34 are rotated. The feed can be freely switched between vertical feed and horizontal feed. Note that in each of the vertical and horizontal feeding positions described above, the position at which the rotating cassette 35 is supported by the support shaft 32a is set so that the center of feeding the copy paper passes over the support shaft 32a.

The vertical paper feed section and the horizontal paper feed section of the paper feed base 33 are provided with wall sections 33 for preventing stacking of copy sheets from shifting.
a and 33b are formed in a bent state. These wall parts 3
A notch 33c is formed approximately at the center of each of the paper feed bases 33a and 33b, and each cutout 33c extends to the bottom plate of the paper feed base 33 and extends a predetermined length toward the center of the paper feed base 33. A lift plate 40 disposed below the heath 33 can come into contact with the back surface of the bottom plate of the rotary plate 34. The specific configuration of the lift plate 40 will be described later.

Further, on the paper feed base 33, the above-mentioned wall portions 33a and 33
Wall portions 33e and 33f are arranged to face each of b. These wall portions 33e and 33f are provided through notches 34a and 34b formed in the rotary plate 34, and the lifting operation of the vertical sheet feeding section and the horizontal sheet feeding section on the rotary plate 34 is carried out by the wall portions 33e and 33f. It is designed so that it will not be interfered with. In addition, rotating plate 3
4, the vertical paper feeding section and the horizontal paper feeding section include an inclined section 34f that is inclined downward with respect to the main body of the rotary plate 34.
・34g each is formed.

At the corner of the rotary plate 34 between the non-sheet feeding side relative to the vertical feeding section and the non-sheet feeding side relative to the horizontal feeding section, there is a groove extending outward from the upper end of the wall 34d of the rotating plate 34. The support piece portion 34c is formed in a bent state, and a support structure 36 supports the rotary plate 34 at one point at this support piece portion 34c.
is configured. In this support structure 36, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 36b is fixedly installed. A hemispherical recess is formed in the upper part of the female joint 36b, and a male joint 36C having a hemispherical protrusion is engaged with this recess. Above female joint 3
6b and the male joint 36c constitute a universal joint that rotatably supports the rotating plate 34 in at least two directions. An engaging portion is formed at the upper portion of the male joint 36c, and the support piece portion 34c is engaged with this retaining portion, thereby connecting the rotary plate 34 and the support structure 36. On the a joint 36c is a washer 36d and a coil spring 3.
A bolt 36g is provided passing through the washer 36f, the coil spring 36e, the washer 36d, the male joint 36c, and the female joint 3-6b. The cylindrical support member 36g is screwed into a screw hole formed in the cylindrical support member 36a.The coil spring 36e maintains the contact between the male joint 36c and the female joint 36b. ) Said bolt 36g in 36c
The through hole is formed in a substantially conical shape with a lower bottom, so that the joint movement of the male joint 36c is controlled by the
This is done without interference from 6g.

A guide means 37 is provided on the non-paper feeding side of the rotating cassette 35 at a position that is some distance away from the support structure 36 on the vertical feeding side.

This guide means 37 guides the rotary plate 34 when lifting the vertical paper feed section on the rotary plate 34, and serves as a rotation fulcrum for the rotary plate 34 when lifting the horizontal paper feed section on the rotary plate 34. This is a part of the project. In this guide means 37, the wall portion 34 of the rotating plate 34
At a predetermined position of d, a pair of holding pieces 34e, 34e facing each other is formed in a bent state by dividing the holding pieces 34e, and a guide rod 37a is inserted between these holding pieces 34e, 34e.
is set in a fixed state. On the other hand, a holding member 37b having a U-shaped cross section is erected on the paper feed base 33 with its pair of opposing upright surfaces facing each of the pair of holding pieces 34e. Member 37b
The guide rod 37a is provided in a penetrating state in guide elongated holes 37c, 37c formed long in the vertical direction on each of the above-mentioned upright surfaces. In addition, when the guide rod 3 is located at the lower end of the guide elongated holes 37c and 37c,
The center of rotation of 7a coincides with the center of rotation of the universal joint. That is, the universal joint is positioned on the axis of the guide rod 37a.

The paper feeding section of the rotating cassette unit 26 (27) includes a lift plate 40 for driving the rotating cassette 35 to rotate 90 degrees and lifting the paper on the rotating plate 34.
In this drive mechanism 42, a gear 41a is fixed to the output shaft of the drive motor 41. The driving force of the drive motor 41 is transmitted to the first clutch 44 and the second clutch 45 through the meshed gear group 43.

The first clutch 44 is used to connect and disconnect the transmission of driving force for rotating the rotary cassette 35 by 90', and is disposed on the side of the paper feed section of the rotary cassette 35. 1st
A boot +J 46 is fixed to the output shaft 44a of the clutch 44, while a pulley 47 is disposed on the other side of the paper feeding section of the rotating cassette 35, and both pulleys 4
An endless belt was passed between June and 47th.

A moving block 50 as a moving member is fixed to a predetermined portion of the belt 48 that passes under the pulleys 46 and 47, and as the belt 48 moves, the moving block 5o moves back and forth. ing. A guide shaft 51, which is suspended horizontally between the pulleys 46 and 47 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, is inserted into a through hole formed in the approximate center of the moving block 5o. 51, the moving block 5o is guided linearly. moving block 5
A support shaft 50a is formed in the upper part of 0, and a holding member 52 is rotatably supported on this support shaft 50a. An abbreviated angle portion 52a is formed in the holding member 52, and this angle portion 52a is attached to a corner of the paper feed base 33 between the vertical paper feed section and the horizontal paper feed section. . In addition, position detection switches 100 and 10 are provided near one end and the other end of the guide shaft 51.
1 (shown in FIG. 7), and when the position detection switch 100 is pressed by the switch operating piece 52b fixed to the angle portion 52a, the position detection switch 101 is moved to the moving block 50. The actuating pieces 50b actuate each of them.

-4. The second clutch 45 is for intermittent transmission of driving force for paper lifting operation on the rotary plate 34, and the output of the second clutch 45 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 54 via the gear group 53. It has become so. That is, the output of the second clutch 45 is transmitted from each gear in the gear group 53 to the worm gear 53a, and further passes through the wheel gear 53b meshed with the worm gear 53a, so that the output of the second clutch 45 is three-dimensionally connected to the output shaft of the second clutch 45. The signal is transmitted to rotating shafts 54 arranged in an intersecting manner.

A first coupling ring 55 is attached to the other end of the rotating shaft 54.
While the joint portion 55a forming one side of the copying machine 1 is fixed,
A joint portion 55b, which forms the other side of the first coupling ring 55, is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 56 rotatably supported on the main body side. A gear 56b fixed to the rotating shaft 56 has a gear 57a fixed to the rotating shaft 57.
are interlocked. The rotating shaft 57 is parallel to the above-mentioned rotating shaft 56, and similarly to the rotating shaft 56, is rotatably supported on the copy a1 main body side. A joint portion 58b, which forms one side of the second coupling ring 58, is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 57. Joint portion 58a forming the other side of the second coupling ring 58
is fixed to one end side of a lift-up shaft 60 that is provided parallel to the rotating shaft 54. Note that the engagement and separation of the joint parts 55a and 55b in the first coupling ring 55 and the engagement and separation of the joint parts 58a and 58b in the second coupling ring 58 are performed by the rotation cassette unit 26 (27) relative to the main body of the copying machine 1. This is done by pushing in and pulling out.

A lift plate 40 is fixed to approximately the center of the lift-up shaft 60, and the rotation of the lift-up shaft 60 causes the lift plate 40 to rotate and lift the paper feeding portion of the rotary plate 34. . Further, the other end of the lift-up shaft 60 is simply supported rotatably, and no member is connected to this end. Therefore, the joint portion 58a is connected to the joint portion 58b. When the lift plate 40 is separated from the lift plate 40, it becomes completely free, and the lifted lift plate 40 naturally rotates downward under its own weight.

As shown in FIG. 5, above the paper feed section of the rotating cassette 35, a support stand 63 is fixedly installed on the main body side of the copying machine 1. A paper feed mechanism 62 is provided to feed the paper to the supply path 22. Note that the support stand 63 has a paper feed mechanism 62.
A notch 63a for part of the feed roller 65 and paper feed roller 66 to protrude from below the support base 63, a notch 63b for a part of the paper return plate 81 to protrude from below the support base 63, and A cutout portion 63c is formed for a portion of the pressure release lever 76 to protrude from below the support base 63, respectively.

In the paper feeding mechanism 62, the drawing roller 65 is provided above the paper feeding section of the rotating cassette 35, while the paper feeding roller 66 is parallel to the drawing roller 65 and is located above the paper feeding section of the rotating cassette 35. These rollers 65 and 66 are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance in the feeding direction, and both rollers 65 and 66 are rotated in the same direction by an endless belt 67 that extends over the frame at one end thereof. . A pair of roller arms 68 and 68 are provided between a support shaft 65a that rotatably supports the drawing roller 65 and a rotating shaft 66a that transmits rotational force to the paper feed roller 66 so as to sandwich both the rollers 65 and 66. are suspended horizontally, and these roller arms 68, 68 are connected to the rotation shaft 66a.
By rotating about the fulcrum, the drawing roller 65 is raised and lowered, and the drawing roller 65 comes into contact with and leaves the copy sheet.

Protrusions 68a, 68a are formed at the ends of the roller arms 68, 68 on the paper feed roller 66 side, respectively.
When the protrusions 68a, 68a are pressed downward by the paper feeding operating angle 70, the roller arms 68, 68 are rotated upward. The paper feed operating angle 70 is fixed to one end of the paper feed operating shaft 71, and rotates as the paper feed operating shaft 71 rotates.

A solenoid connecting plate 72 is fixed to the other end of the paper feed operating shaft 71. An operating shaft 73a of a paper feed solenoid 73 is connected to an elongated hole formed at the tip of the solenoid connecting plate 72, and the forward and backward movement of this operating shaft 73a is performed via the solenoid connecting plate 72 to operate the paper feed. This is converted into a rotational movement around the axis 7I.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the paper feed roller 6
A mounting plate 75 is arranged below the mounting plate 7.
5 is attached with a reversing roller 74 that returns and conveys the copy paper by rotating in the same direction as the paper feed roller 66. The mounting plate 75 is provided to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and this rotation causes the reversing roller 74 to approach and separate from the paper feed roller 66. The rotating shaft 74a for transmitting rotational force to the reversing roller 74 is the rotating shaft 66 of the paper feed roller 66.
An operating piece 76a of a pressure release lever 76 having an oval shape is interposed between the rotating shaft 66a and the rotating shaft 74a. The pressure release lever 76 is provided to be vertically rotatable about a shaft 76c, and when rotated downward, it presses the reversing roller 74 and separates it from the paper feed roller 66. It has become.

The connection piece 76b of the pressure release lever 76 is connected to one end 77a of the pressure release connection member 77, and the pressure release connection member 77 rotates horizontally around a shaft 77C (shown in FIG. 5). By moving, the pressure release lever 76 is rotated. The other end 77b of the pressure release connecting member 77 is connected to a pin of an operating shaft 80a of a paper return solenoid 80.
The pressing release connecting member 77 is rotated by moving forward and backward a.

Further, the operating shaft 80a of the paper return solenoid 80 is provided with a paper return plate 8 for returning the copy paper to the rotating cassette 35 side.
1 are connected. The paper return plate 81 is connected to the drawing roller 6
5 and the paper feed roller 66, the operating shaft 80 is
It is provided so as to be rotatable vertically around a shaft 81a provided above the bin position a, and when the operating shaft 80a is retracted, copy sheets (not shown) are transferred to the rotating cassette 35 side. It is designed to be rotated in the direction of return.

On the support stand 63 and on both sides of the drawing roller 65,
Paper detection switch 82 and paper out detection switch 83
The actuating pieces 82a and 83a of the switches 82 and 83 are arranged so as to face below the support base 63 through the notch 63a of the support base 63. The actuating pieces 82a and 83a of each switch 82 and 83 are pressed by the sheet feeding section of the rotary plate 34 in the lifted state to operate. Note that a notch (not shown) is formed in each of the vertical paper feeding section and the horizontal paper feeding section on the rotary plate 34 in correspondence with the operating piece 83a of the paper out detection switch 83. When there is no copy paper, the actuating piece 83a passes through the notch, so only the paper detection switch 82 is turned on without being turned on. On the other hand, when copy paper is loaded, the detection switches 82 and 83 are activated by the copy paper. Both are turned on.

Based on FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), the operation when the rotating cassette 35 shifts from the horizontal paper feeding state to the vertical paper feeding state will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in the horizontal feed position, the horizontal feed section of the rotating cassette 35 is located on the paper feeding section side of the rotating cassette unit 26 (27).
In this state, the moving block 50 and the holding member 52 constituting the moving means are located at one end of the guide shaft 51.

When the driving force of the drive motor 41 is transmitted to the pulley 46 via the first clutch 44, the pulley 46 rotates and the belt 48 starts to rotate, and as shown in FIG. The moving block 50 that is being moved is guided by the guide shaft 51 and moves to the other end.

The linear movement of the moving block 50 rotates the rotary cassette 35 in the inward direction. Here, the rotating cassette 35 and the moving block 50 are connected, and the moving block 5
0 moves in a straight line, the rotation center of the rotating cassette 35 moves, but this movement is ensured by the arm 32 that pivotally supports the rotating cassette 35 rotating in the D direction using the shaft 31b as a fulcrum. will be done.

Note that the arm 32 is rotated in the D direction until the angle formed by the guide shaft 51 and the line X connecting the support shaft 50a and the support shaft 32a of the moving block 50 becomes 90°.

Next, as shown in the same figure (C), when the angle formed by the above line χ and the guide shaft 51 exceeds 90°,
Although the rotating direction of the rotating cassette 350 remains in the A direction, the arm 32 begins to rotate in the C direction. And the same figure (
As shown in d), when the moving block 50 reaches the end of the guide shaft 51, the actuating piece 50b of the moving block 50
The position detection switch 101 is activated. The control section of the copying machine 1 detects the operation of this position detection switch 101,
When this control section interrupts the transmission of driving force by the first clutch 44, the movement of the moving block 50 is stopped. In this state, the vertical paper feeding section of the rotating cassette 35 is directed toward the paper feeding side of the rotating cassette unit 26 (27).

On the other hand, the transition from the vertical feeding state to the horizontal feeding state in the rotating cassette 35 can be executed by reversing the drive motor 4I and performing an operation opposite to the above operation. At this time, at the same time that the rotating cassette 35 takes on the horizontal feeding state, the switch actuating piece 52b of the holding member 52 moves to the position detection switch 1.
00 will be activated. Then, the control section of the copying machine 1 detects the operation of the position detection switch 100, and this control section interrupts the transmission of the driving force by the first clutch 44, thereby stopping the movement of the moving block 50. .

Next, the operation of lifting the paper feeding section of the rotary plate 34 will be explained. By the operation of the second clutch 45, the driving force of the drive motor 41 is transferred from the gear group 53 to the rotating shaft 54 to the first coupling 55 to the rotating shaft 56 to the rotating shaft 57 to the second coupling 58 to the lift-up shaft 60. communicated. As the lift amplifier shaft 60 rotates, the lift plate 40 rotates. When the lift plate 40 is rotated upward, the lift plate 40 passes through the notch 33c of the paper feed base 33 and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the rotary plate 34, thereby lifting the paper feed portion of the rotary plate 34.

When lifting the vertical feed section on the rotary plate 34, the guide rod 37a is restricted by the elongated holes 37C and 37c and moves only in the vertical direction, so the rotary plate 34 is guided in the vertical direction, while the rotation When lifting the horizontal paper feed section on the plate 34, the guide rod 37a is inserted into the elongated hole 3.
Since it rotates at the lower end portions of 7c and 37c, it forms a rotational fulcrum portion of the rotary plate 34 together with the aforementioned universal joint.

Here, the support structure 36 that supports the rotary plate 34 at one point prevents the positional shift (horizontal movement) of the rotary plate 34,
In the paper feeding operation performed after lifting and rotating the rotary plate 34, it is possible to avoid feeding the paper accompanied by positional deviation. Further, the rotating plate 3
4 is prevented from rotating horizontally, it is possible to prevent paper from being fed diagonally, thereby reducing paper feeding errors. Furthermore, the guide means 37 allows the rotary plate 34 to rotate smoothly and reliably.

In this embodiment, since the hemispherical convex portion of the male joint 36c is engaged with the hemispherical concave portion of the female joint 36b, the universal joint is rotated by joint motion. Become.

Furthermore, it is also possible to use, for example, a ball joint as such a universal joint.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the rotary plate support guide mechanism according to the present invention, each of the paper feed sections of the rotary plate having a vertical paper feed section and a horizontal paper feed section has its own non-contact structure. a support structure comprising a universal joint that supports a rotary plate rotatably in at least two directions at one point of a corner portion between the non-sheet feeding sides so as to be lifted up using the sheet feeding side as a rotational fulcrum; When lifting one paper feed section on the rotary plate, it guides the rotary plate, and when lifting the other paper feed section on the rotary plate, one side of the rotary plate serves as the rotational fulcrum of the rotary plate. This configuration includes guide means formed by engaging a guide rod horizontally suspended on the non-sheet feeding side of the holding member into a vertically elongated hole formed in the holding member.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent positional deviation (horizontal movement) of the rotary plate, and to avoid feeding the paper accompanied by positional deviation in the sheet feeding operation performed after lifting and rotating the rotary plate. Further, the guide means prevents horizontal rotation of the rotary plate, thereby preventing diagonal feeding of paper and reducing paper feeding errors. Moreover, such a guide means also has the effect that the rotating operation of the rotary plate is performed smoothly and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view showing the support structure of the rotating plate. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating plate support structure. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the internal mechanism of the copying machine. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the drive mechanism of the rotating cassette unit. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the paper feeding mechanism. FIG. 6(a) is a side view of the paper feeding mechanism, and FIG. 6(b) is a side view of the paper feeding mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the paper return plate and the like are activated in FIG. FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d) are plan views showing the rotating operation of the rotating cassette, respectively. 26 and 27 are rotating cassette units, 33 is a paper feed base, 34 is a rotating plate, 35 is a rotating cassette, 36 is a support structure (support guide mechanism), 36b is a female joint (universal joint), and 36c is a male joint (universal joint). ), 37 is a guide means (support guide mechanism), 37a is a guide rod, 37b is a holding member, and 37c is an elongated hole.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The above-mentioned non-feeding section is arranged so that each of the above-mentioned paper feeding sections of the rotary plate having a vertical paper feeding section and a horizontal paper feeding section is lifted up with each non-paper feeding side as a rotational fulcrum. A support structure comprising a universal joint that supports a rotary plate rotatably in at least two directions at one point on a corner between the paper sides; At the same time, when lifting the other paper feed section on the rotary plate, a holding member is attached to a guide rod that is suspended horizontally on one non-paper feeding side of the rotary plate so that it becomes a rotational fulcrum for the rotary plate. A support guide mechanism for a rotary plate, comprising: a guide means that engages with a vertically long elongated hole formed in the rotary plate.