JPH0348106Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a paper feeding device used in an electrophotographic copying machine or the like.

[Prior art]

Copying machines usually have an automatic paper feed mechanism that automatically feeds paper (transfer paper) from a stacked cassette according to the copying operation, and a manual paper feed mechanism that manually feeds paper into the machine one sheet at a time. It is equipped with. Particularly when using manual paper feed, it is important to feed the paper straight into the machine because if the paper is inserted diagonally into the machine, problems such as paper jams and poor copying will occur. be. However, it is extremely troublesome and difficult to manually feed paper sheets one by one into a machine while being constantly careful.

Therefore, in order to solve this inconvenience, the conventional third
A manual paper feeding mechanism as shown in the figure is implemented.
This is a normal paper feed direction (hereinafter referred to as normal paper feed direction) shown by arrow F, in which a pair of rolls 1 consisting of a drive roll 1a and a driven roll 1b driven by the drive roll 1a are placed in the paper transport path near the manual paper feed port of the machine. (indicated by direction) at a predetermined angle.

The paper 2 inserted from the manual paper feed port is subjected to a force by the roll 1 in the F ₀ direction obliquely at a predetermined angle with respect to the normal feeding direction F, and this force transports the paper 2 toward the reference wall 3 side. When the leading corner of the paper 2 hits the reference wall 3, the conveyance direction _F0 of the paper 2 is the normal feeding direction _F1 and the direction F2 perpendicular to the reference wall ₃ .
It is decomposed into. As a result, the paper 2 has its side surface aligned with the edge of the reference wall 3 in the _F1 direction (normal feeding direction F).
transported to. Therefore, even if the paper 2 is inserted diagonally, it will always be corrected in the direction along the reference line 3a formed by the reference wall 3, and will be straight to the machine (in the normal feeding direction F). sent.

[Problems with conventional technology]

However, in the conventional paper feeding device configured as described above, the pair of rolls 1 must be arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the reference line 3a. Therefore, when installing the shaft 1c, on which the driving roll 1a and the driven roll 1b are attached, to the machine, it is necessary to use special mounting brackets, arms, etc. since the shaft 1c is tilted at a certain angle with respect to the machine. No. Further, a transmission mechanism such as a special gear must be used to apply rotational driving force to the shaft 1c. This makes the device complicated and increases the cost of the device.

In addition, in conventional paper feeding devices, the paper 3 is brought into contact with the reference wall 3 to correct the paper conveyance direction to the normal feeding direction F. Therefore, when the paper 2 is thin and has low rigidity, The part is bent. This will impede subsequent normal transportation.

[Purpose of invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional paper, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device that has a simple mechanism, does not increase the cost of the device, and does not cause bending of the leading edge of the paper.

[Key points of the idea]

According to the present invention, the present invention provides a brush member that conveys the paper by rubbing the paper, a guide member that sets the moving direction of the brush member at a sliding portion between the brush member and the paper, and This is achieved by providing a paper feeding device characterized by having a regulating member that regulates the position of the side edge of the paper that is conveyed in the moving direction set by the guide member.

[Example of idea]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the paper feeding device of the present invention. In the figure, the paper feeding device includes a brush unit 4 to which two brushes 4a and 4b are attached,
An upper guide plate 5 provided with two guide holes 5a and 5b that serve as guides when the brushes 4a and 4b are driven to rotate, and a lower guide plate 6 that forms a paper inlet with the upper guide plate 5 when paper is carried in. It is made up of. When the brush unit 4, upper guide plate 5, and lower guide plate 6 function as a paper feeding device,
As shown in FIG. 2, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. It is shown as follows.

To explain each member in detail, the brush unit 4
The brushes 4a and 4b are attached to a shaft 4c with a predetermined distance between them, and each brush 4a and 4b is made of polyamide resin such as nylon. The shaft 4c is arranged parallel to other rolls (not shown) in the copying machine, such as a standby roll and a developing roll. Therefore, the brush unit 4 is attached to the housing using a commonly used general-purpose attachment fitting. Further, although the shaft 4c is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow C, no special gears or the like are used in the rotational drive transmission mechanism (not shown).

Guide holes 5a and 5b provided in the upper guide plate 5
is provided so as to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the shaft 4c. A cut-out portion 5 is formed on one side of the guide holes 5a and 5b in the longitudinal direction.
brushes 4a and 4b are arranged in guide holes 5a and 5b as shown in FIG. 2, and when the brush unit 4 rotates, the brushes 4a and 4b
Guide holes 5a, 5b and cut-and-raised portions 5c, 5d are configured to guide the side surfaces of a, 4b. Furthermore, the end portion 5e of the upper guide plate 5 is bent upward at a predetermined angle so that the paper can be easily carried in between the upper guide plate 5 and the lower guide plate 6 from the direction of arrow E. The configuration is as follows.

At the end of the lower guide plate 6, a side reference wall 6a is provided perpendicularly to the bottom surface of the lower guide plate 6.
This side end reference wall 6a is integrally formed with the lower guide plate 6. Lower guide plate 6 and brush 4
As shown in FIG. 2, the tips of the brushes 4a and 4b are in contact with the bottom surface of the lower guide plate 6.

The paper feeding operation of the paper feeding device of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

First, when a copying machine including the paper feeding device of the present invention starts a copying operation, the shaft 4c of the brush unit 4 is rotated to rotationally drive the brushes 4a and 4b. (At this time, in a copying machine equipped with an automatic paper feed mechanism, a changeover switch may be provided to operate only the manual paper feed mechanism, and the changeover switch may be turned on to rotate the shaft 4c.) Next, Manually feed the paper into the paper transport port between the upper guide plate 5 and the lower guide plate 6. When the manually fed paper reaches the rubbing portion 7 between the brushes 4a, 4b and the lower guide plate 6, the paper is conveyed into the copying machine by the rotational force of the brushes 4a, 4b. At this time, the brushes 4a, 4
B rotates with its side surfaces abutting the cut-out portions 5c and 5d of the guide holes 5a and 5b, respectively, so that the tips of the brushes 4a and 4b are aligned with the guide holes 5a and 5.
The paper is rubbed in the same direction as the direction in which b is formed (direction tilted at an angle θ with respect to direction D). Therefore, after the manually fed paper is rubbed by the brushes 4a and 4b, it is conveyed in a direction D' inclined by θ from the direction D.
Therefore, as the paper is further conveyed, the leading corner of the paper comes into contact with the side reference wall 6a of the lower guide plate 6, and from then on, the paper is transported so that the side surface of the paper matches the side reference wall 6a. The direction is corrected. This straightening force in the conveying direction of the paper is the same as in the conventional roll 1 (roll 3)
This is not done by holding the paper between the paper sheets (see Fig.), but by the sliding force between the brushes 4a, 4b and the paper. Therefore, when the direction of conveyance is corrected using a force that is weaker than in the past, the leading edge corner of the sheet is not bent, and the sheet is conveyed into the copying machine in a normal state.

Furthermore, even when the paper is manually fed at an angle or when the side edge of the paper is not aligned with the side edge reference wall 6a, the paper is always rubbed against the side edge reference wall 6a due to the friction between the paper and the brushes 4a and 4b. The leading edge of the paper comes into contact with the paper, and the paper is corrected in the normal feeding direction and carried in.

[Effect of idea]

As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, the paper can be conveyed by shifting the brush by a predetermined angle using a guide plate or the like, which is shifted by a predetermined angle, so that the brush is rotatably driven by a rotating shaft provided parallel to the other rolls of the copying machine. The rotation shaft can be provided in the same direction as other rotation rolls provided in the housing, and there is no need to use a special rotation shaft attachment mechanism or rotation transmission mechanism as in the past, resulting in a simple mechanical configuration. Therefore, the device does not become complicated and the cost of the device does not increase.

Furthermore, since the paper conveyance force is the sliding force between the brush and the paper, it is possible to prevent the leading edge corner of the paper from bending when correcting the direction of the paper to the normal feeding direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent paper jams and defective copies from occurring when the paper is carried into a copying apparatus with its leading corner bent.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the paper feeding device of the present invention;
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line A-A' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of a conventional paper feeding device. 4...Brush unit, 4a, 4b...Brush, 4c...Shaft, 5...Upper guide plate, 5a, 5b
...Guide hole, 5c, 5d...Cut-out portion, 6...
...Lower guide plate, 6a... Side end reference wall, 7... Sliding portion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A brush member that conveys the paper by rubbing the paper, a guide member that sets the moving direction of the brush member at a sliding portion between the brush member and the paper, and a moving direction set by the guide member. and a regulating member that regulates the position of a side edge of the paper being conveyed.