JPH0352739Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a paper feeding device capable of detecting paper size and storage orientation, and in particular to a paper feeding device that detects paper in a universal cassette, which is suitable for feeding paper into electrophotographic copying machines, etc. It's about.

[Prior art]

In general, the types of paper sizes commonly used in office machines such as electrophotographic copiers are A3, A4, and B4.
There are 4 types including B5, and in addition, there are cases where it is necessary to change the paper feeding posture when making variable size copies, etc.
It is normally required to provide about six types of paper feeding modes that combine paper size and paper feeding orientation.
Therefore, in order to perform efficient copying without making mistakes in selecting the paper size or paper feeding position, it is necessary for the operator to be able to accurately identify these various paper feeding modes. For this reason, in paper feeding systems in which separate cassettes are prepared for each paper feeding mode and the paper feeding mode is changed by changing the cassettes, the cassettes are equipped with identification members such as irregularities or magnets, and these can be used to properly identify the cassettes. Conventionally, a method has been adopted in which the paper feeding mode is identified for each cassette by detection using a detection means. However, when using a universal cassette that can support multiple paper feeding modes with a single cassette,
Since the methods described above are not available, the following methods are usually employed.

One method is to provide a detection means for each paper feeding mode to detect a paper position regulating plate that moves according to the paper feeding mode, and to identify the paper feeding mode based on the position of the paper position regulating plate. There is. Another known method is to detect the amount of movement of the paper position regulating plate and convert it into an electrical signal to identify the paper feeding mode.

[Problems with conventional technology]

In the above-described method, it is necessary to detect at least the positions of two adjacent end surfaces of the paper in order to identify not only the size of the paper but also the feeding orientation. In other words, as shown in Fig. 5, "B4 vertical feeding" is a process in which B4 size paper is fed with its longitudinal direction aligned with paper feeding direction A.
mode and the "B5 horizontal feed" mode in which B5 size paper is fed with its width direction along the paper feeding direction A, the side position regulating plate 51 is located at the same location, so the side position The above two modes cannot be distinguished only by the position of the regulating plate 51.
Therefore, it is necessary to identify the paper feeding mode by also considering the position of the end position regulating plate 52, which complicates the detection and identification mechanism, increases costs, and increases the frequency of failures. In particular, the paper feed cassette is a part that the operator owns and operates frequently, so it is required to be robust enough to not break down even if handled somewhat roughly by an inexperienced operator.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and aims to provide an inexpensive paper feeding device that is capable of accurately detecting paper size and paper feeding orientation with a simple mechanism, and has excellent durability. purpose.

[Key points of the idea]

In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention has developed a universal cassette that can store and hold multiple types of paper of different sizes in multiple positions and that can be attached to and removed from the cassette mounting section, and a system that detects the paper stored in the universal cassette. In the paper feeding device, the cassette mounting section is arranged to face a front end in the paper feeding direction of the main body of the universal cassette when the universal cassette is mounted, and the paper feeding unit an inspection means equipped with a plurality of detection pins that are activated or deactivated by moving along the feeding direction; and a side edge that is movable in the width direction of the universal cassette and that regulates the position of the side edge surface of the paper. a regulating means, a trailing edge regulating means provided movably in the longitudinal direction of the universal cassette and regulating the position of the rear end surface of the paper, and a trailing edge regulating means provided at the front end and operatively connected to the side edge regulating means. a first detection pin that moves a predetermined detection pin by moving in the width direction in accordance with the width direction size of the storage paper, thereby selectively coming into contact with or not contacting the plurality of detection pins when the cassette is attached;
The instruction member is provided at the front end portion, is operably connected to the rear end regulating means, and has a movement range in the width direction that at least overlaps with a movement range of the first instruction member, which is the longitudinal size of the storage paper. a second detection pin that moves a predetermined detection pin by selectively making contact or non-contact with a detection pin that is not in contact with the first indicating member among the plurality of detection pins when the cassette is attached; and an instruction member;
The type of paper stored in the universal cassette is determined by detecting the operating or non-operating state based on movement of the detection pin due to contact or non-contact between the first and second indicating members and the plurality of detection pins. It is characterized by detecting the posture and posture.

[Example of idea]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a paper feed universal cassette for an electrophotographic copying machine as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same as seen from the back. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 is shown assuming that the top cover of the universal cassette C is removed and sheets P (indicated by the two-dot chain line) are loaded. Universal cassette C in this example has paper sizes A3, A4, B4, and B5, and has 4 modes of vertical feed and 2 modes of horizontal feed for A4 and B5, for a total of 6 sheets.
It is configured to be compatible with standard paper feeding modes.

Peripheral walls 1b are erected at three ends of a rectangular bottom plate 1a, forming a cassette body 1. The direction of the end where the peripheral wall 1b is not erected is set to the feeding direction of the paper P stored inside the main body 1, and therefore, the leading edge position of the paper P is located in the center of the end. A tip position regulating wall 1c is erected to regulate the position. In this example, this tip position regulating wall 1c is
It is erected at a position slightly inward from the end surface _1a1 of the bottom plate 1a.

A pair of vertical guide grooves 2a and 2b are bored in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the cassette body 1, that is, along the paper feeding direction A, on the rear end side of the bottom plate 1a. An end position regulating plate 3 that extends between the pair of vertical guide grooves 2a and 2b and regulates the rear end of the paper P.
are disposed so as to be movable in the extending direction of the vertical guide grooves 2a, 2b, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the cassette body 1. The end position regulating plate 3 of this example is formed into an angular shape consisting of a regulating part 3a with an L-shaped cross section and a base part 3b, and as shown in FIG. It is coupled so as to be integrally movable with a pressing rod 5 provided on the back surface of the bottom plate 1a. Therefore, by loosening the bolts 4a to 4d by appropriate amounts and pressing the end regulating plate 3 in the longitudinal direction, it can be easily moved along the vertical guide grooves 2a, 2b together with the pressing rod 5 to a desired position.

At the front end of the cassette body 1, a push-up plate 6 for pushing up the front end of the sheets P is rotatably provided around shafts 7a and 7b installed approximately at the center of both sides of the peripheral wall 1b. Although not shown, a biasing member such as a spring is interposed between the push-up plate 6 and the bottom plate 1a. Therefore, as the sheets P stored in the cassette main body 1 are fed, the push-up plate 6 gradually rotates to push up the stack of sheets P, so that the topmost sheet is always pushed up, for example, by the sheet feeding roller. (not shown). A pair of slits 6a and 6b are bored in one side of the push-up plate 6 so as to extend along the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

A pair of lateral guide grooves 8a, 8b are bored in the bottom plate 1a corresponding to the slits 6a, 6b. Between these horizontal guide grooves 8a and 8b,
A side position regulating member 9 for regulating the position of one side end surface of the paper sheets P to be stored is provided so as to be movable in the width direction of the cassette body 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the side position regulating member 9 of this example includes a regulating plate portion 9a forming a substantially U-shape, and a mode display plate portion that displays the storage mode of the paper P based on the position of the regulating plate portion 9a, etc. 9b are connected by an arm portion 9c. Each vertical end surface 9a ₁ , 9 of the regulating plate portion 9a
a ₂ , 9a ₃ are formed into circular arcs, thereby avoiding the inconvenience that when the push-up plate 6 is rotated upward by the elastic force of a spring (not shown), the push-up plate 6 comes into contact with the plate and is prevented from rotating. Ru. Bottom plate 1a of scale plate part 9a of this example
As with the end position regulating plate 3, an appropriate number of bolts 10a, 10b are inserted into the rear surface of the bottom plate 1a through the horizontal guide grooves 8a, 8b through the holes 9a ₄ , 9a ₅ provided in the pair of legs. As shown in FIG. 2, it is fixed with nuts 12a, 12b via washers 11a, 11b. Further, a separating claw 13a that presses one corner of the leading end of the sheet P by its own weight is rotatably attached to the regulating plate portion 9a via a shaft 14. Note that the separation claw 13b that presses the other end corner of the paper P is rotatably attached to the peripheral wall 1b on the opposite side to the side where the side position regulating member 9 is provided via a shaft 14. .

The mode display plate portion 9b of the side position regulating member 9 has four through holes 15a, 15 in this example at predetermined positions.
b, 15c, and 15d are drilled. The positions of the through holes 15a to 15d are determined by the size of the paper P corresponding to the width direction of the cassette body 1 in each paper feeding mode to be identified, and this will be described later. The mode display plate part 9b is formed to extend at right angles to the arm part 9c, and therefore the regulation plate part 9a is formed in the horizontal guide grooves 8a, 8b.
When the mode display plate section 9b is moved along the width direction b, the mode display board section 9b is moved in parallel along the width direction b. In this example, the length of the arm portion 9c is set so that the mode display plate portion 9b slides along the distal end surface _1a1 of the bottom plate 1a.

On the other hand, on the back surface of the bottom plate 1a, as shown in FIG. It is set up so that it can be moved. A mover 16 is provided at a position where it can come into contact with the semicircular tip 5a of the pressing rod 5, and is movable along the cassette width direction b. The mover 16 has a substantially triangular base portion 16a.
and a shielding plate portion 16b that is bent into an L shape and protrudes toward the surface side of the bottom plate 1a.
A locking member (not shown) is fixed to the upper surface of 6a. This locking member is passed through a slider guide groove 17 bored along the width direction b and is slidably locked to the bottom plate 1a. Further, one end of a coil spring 18 is locked to the slider 16, and the other end is locked to an appropriate position on the bottom plate 1a so that the coil spring 18 can expand and contract in parallel to the slider guide groove 17. Therefore, when the end position regulating member 3 is not moved much toward the front end side and the tip 5a of the pressing rod 5 does not come into contact with the slider 16, that is, when the paper feeding mode is "vertical feed", the slider 16 is located at the home position where the coil spring 18 is not substantially extended, but when the end position regulating member 3 is moved a considerable distance toward the tip side in the "transverse feed mode", the tip 5a of the pressing rod is located at the base of the slider. 16a hypotenuse end face 1
_6a1 , and the slider 16 moves along the slider guide groove 17 due to its slope effect to the side where the side position regulating plate 9 is disposed in this example (indicated by the arrow _b1 in FIG. 1). direction) coil spring 18
move against the repulsive force of In this case, “horizontal feed”
The mover 16 moves to a predetermined position according to the width dimension of the paper to be processed, and the shielding plate portion 16b passes through the four through holes 15a provided in the mode display plate portion 9b of the side position regulating member 9 described above. The shape of the mover base portion 16a is set so that a mode display corresponding to the paper feeding mode to be executed can be formed by shielding a predetermined one of the paper feed modes 15d to 15d.

On the other hand, in the paper feeding section of the main body of the copying machine (not shown) into which the universal cassette C of this example is loaded, as shown in FIG. A mode detection switch 19 is mounted on the plate portion 9b so as to correspond to the mode detection switch 19. In this example, three switches 19a to 19c are provided so as to be able to face the opposing mode display board section 9b, and when the universal cassette C is loaded, the switches 19a, 19b, and 19c are connected to the through holes 15a to 15c. If it penetrates any one of the boxes 15d, the switch will remain off, and will be turned on in a state where it does not penetrate but comes into contact with the mode display plate section 9b or the shielding plate section 16b and is pushed inside the box 19d. In this way, by the on/off combination of the three switches 19a to 19c, the paper feeding mode displayed by the cooperative effect of the mode display plate section 9b and the shielding plate section 16b is detected, and the paper feeding mode is copied as a paper feeding mode detection signal. This is output to a predetermined control section of the machine main body, and the paper feeding mode prepared in the universal cassette C is displayed by lighting on the operation section, etc. Therefore, the operator can accurately determine the paper feeding mode by looking at the display, and can accurately and efficiently obtain the desired copy.

Next, based on FIG.
15b, 15c, 15d positions and shielding plate part 16b
The correspondence relationship between the detection signals obtained from the combination of positions and the on/off combinations of the detection switches 19a, 19b, and 19c, which are the detection means, will be explained. In addition, in Fig. 4, each switch 19
The cases where a to 19c are on are indicated by "o", and the cases where a to 19c are off are indicated by "x".

By the way, the interval between each switch 19a to 19c
Ds ₁ and Ds ₂ are set so that when each paper width dimension is expressed as A3w to B5w, Ds ₁ = Ds ₂ = A3w - B4w. Also, each through hole 15a~
The intervals Dh ₁ , Dh ₂ and Dh ₃ between 15d are set so that Dh ₁ =Dh ₂ =A3w-B4w _Dh3 =A3w-B4w.

First, in the case of "A3 vertical feed", if the side position regulating plate 9a is brought into contact with the side edge surface of the A3 paper, the mode display board section 9b will be moved so that the through holes 15a, 15b, 15c are connected to the respective detection switches 19a, 19b, 19c. They are supported in positions where they can face each other. Therefore, when the universal cassette C is set in the copying machine main body, each detection switch 19a, 19b, 19c passes through the opposing through hole 15a, 15b, 15c, so they are all turned off, and the "XXX" A signal is output and "A3 vertical feed" is displayed. In this case, the end position regulating plate 3 is brought into contact with the rear end surface of the A3 paper to hold the paper at a predetermined position within the cassette body 1, but at this time, the press rod 5 is still in contact with the slider base 16a. Therefore, the shielding plate portion 16b remains stopped at the home position HP. Similarly, in the case of "vertical feeding" of B4, A4, and B5 sheets, the side position regulating plate section 9a is brought into contact with the side edge surface of each sheet, and the mode display plate section 9b is adjusted according to the position of the side edge surface of each sheet. All you have to do is move it to the correct position. In this case, the slider pressing rod 5 also moves together with the end position regulating plate 3 (see Figure 2).
However, the tip 5a is only close to the slider base portion 16a but does not come into contact with it, and therefore the shielding plate portion 16b is
It remains located at HP. Therefore, “B4 vertical feed”
The paper feed mode signals are output as follows: "××○" for "A4 vertical feed", "○○×" for "B5 vertical feed", and "○○○" for "B5 vertical feed".

On the other hand, in the case of "A4 horizontal feed" and "B5 horizontal feed" (represented as A4R and B5R, respectively), the position of the side position regulating plate part 9a is the same as in the case of "A3 vertical feed" and "B4 vertical feed", respectively. It is. However, the end position regulating plate 3 moves further to the front end side than in the case of "B5 vertical feed", and the pressing rod tip 5a abuts the base part 16a of the slider 16, and the shielding plate part 16b is in a predetermined position. It is possible to output an identification signal unique to each traversal mode. That is, in the case of "A4 horizontal feed", when the end position regulating plate 3 is moved from the "B5 vertical feed" position until it comes into contact with the side edge surface of the A4 paper placed horizontally, the presser rod tip 5a is moved by the slider. The shielding plate portion 16b is in contact with the base portion 16a, and the shielding plate portion 16b is in contact with the through hole 15a.
Move to a position where it is covered. Therefore, the signal output when loaded is “○××”, which can be clearly distinguished from the “A3 vertical feed” mode in which the output signal is “×××”. In addition, in the case of "B5 horizontal feed" mode, move the end position regulating plate 3 further a distance l.
If you move it toward the front end by (l = A4 _w − B5.),
In response to this, the shielding plate portion 16b moves by the aforementioned Ds ₁ to shield the through hole 15c, and the signal "×○○" is output. Therefore, it is clearly distinguished from the "B4 vertical feed" mode in which the position of the mode display plate portion 9b is the same.

As described above, in this example, one universal cassette can support a total of six paper feeding modes, including vertical feeding for A3 to B5 and horizontal feeding for A4 and B5, and the paper feed mode can be clearly defined mainly by a simple mechanical mechanism. Can be identified. Therefore, it is possible to provide at a low cost a useful and robust universal cassette that can accommodate a variety of paper feeding modes and will not break down even if handled roughly by an inexperienced operator.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, it is also possible to install a storage paper mode detection means corresponding to the detection switch 19 in the universal cassette, and to connect it electrically to the main body control section at the same time as the universal cassette is loaded into the main body. Further, the combination of the paper mode display member and its detection means is not limited to one using mechanical contact as in the above embodiment, but also a combination of means using light or magnetism as a medium.
Furthermore, by changing the number of detection switches and the number of through holes, the number of paper storage modes that can be supported can be varied depending on the application.

[Effect of idea]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a pair of regulating means for regulating the positions of adjacent end faces of paper and a display member for displaying the storage mode of the paper are connected by a simple mechanical mechanism, and the display member By associating a single detection means with a single detection means to obtain a single system of output signals for identifying storage modes, it is possible to accurately identify many types of paper storage modes, and the system is useful and resistant to failure even when handled roughly. A robust universal cassette can be provided at low cost. Therefore, if the universal cassette of the present invention is applied to a copying machine, it is possible to efficiently and stably obtain many types of copies, including those with variable magnification, without making mistakes in paper feed mode selection. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are an overall perspective view as seen from the front and an overall perspective view as seen from the back, respectively, showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a side position regulating member 9 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a paper feeding mode identification system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing problems in the prior art. 1... Cassette body, 3, 52... End position regulating plate, 9... Side position regulating member, 9b... Mode display board section, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d
...Through hole, 16...Mover, 16b...Shielding plate part, 19...Detection switch, 19a, 19b, 1
9c...Switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A universal cassette C that can store and hold multiple types of paper P of different sizes in multiple positions and that can be attached to and removed from a cassette mounting section, and a universal cassette C that can store and hold multiple types of paper P of different sizes in multiple positions, and In the paper feeding device having a detecting means 19 for detecting, when the universal cassette C is mounted in the cassette mounting section, the paper feeding device has a detecting means 19 for detecting the paper feeding unit. a detection means 19 provided with a plurality of detection pins 19a, 19b, and 19c which are arranged as shown in FIG.
and a side edge regulating means 9 that is movable in the width direction of the universal cassette C and that regulates the position of the side edge surface of the paper P; trailing edge regulating means 3 and 5 for regulating the position of the rear end surface of the sheet P; and rear edge regulating means 3 and 5 provided at the front end and operatively connected to the side edge regulating means 9 to adjust the width in accordance with the widthwise size of the storage paper P. By moving in the direction, the plurality of detection pins 19a, 19b,
19c, a first indicating member 9b that moves a predetermined detection pin by selectively coming into contact with or not coming into contact with the first indicating member 9b;
When the cassette is installed, the first indicating member 9b is operatively connected to the first indicating member 9b and moved in the width direction and at least overlaps with the moving range of the first indicating member 9b in accordance with the lengthwise size of the storage paper P. Of the plurality of detection pins 19a, 19b, and 19c, the second indicator member 16 selectively contacts or non-contacts with the first indicator member 9b and the detection pins that are not in contact with each other to move a predetermined detection pin. , by detecting an activated or non-activated state based on the movement of the sensing pins due to contact or non-contact between the first and second indicating members 9b, 16 and the plurality of sensing pins 19a, 19b, 19c. A paper feeding device characterized in that the type and orientation of paper P stored in a cassette C are detected.