JPH0418985Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a paper feeding device that feeds and conveys stacked sheets along a predetermined path, and is applied to an image forming device.

[Prior art and its problems]

Conventionally, in printers using PPC (Plain Paper Copier), the paper size is detected by protruding from the side of the cassette C in accordance with the paper size, either using a size-specific method or a universal method, as shown in Figure 6. As shown in FIG. There is a method in which a photo sensor f detects a sticker s pasted on the outer surface of the cassette c depending on the size.

In the former case, since the switch w is inserted between the cassette c and a turn guide (not shown), there is a problem that an extra space must be provided for the switch w.

In the latter case, there was a problem that if the distance between the seal s and the photo sensor f was too large, the photo sensor f would malfunction.

In addition, normally, a guide plate (not shown) for transporting paper is formed to be able to be opened and closed in order to remove jammed paper, etc. However, if the guide plate is forgotten to be reset after removing jammed paper, paper feeding will start. If this occurs, it is unlikely that the problem will occur, and it will cause new jams to occur.

[Purpose of invention]

In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device that has a simple structure, promotes space saving of the paper feeding section, and can prevent jams due to forgetting to reset.

[Key points of the idea]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper feeding device that feeds and conveys stacked and stored sheets along a predetermined path. a paper size detection protrusion corresponding to the paper size to be stored; a conveying means, at least a portion of which is freely rotatable, for conveying the fed paper along a predetermined path; The present invention is characterized in that it has a sheet size detecting and conveying means rotation detecting means that is provided on a rotating portion of the conveying means and can come into contact with the sheet size detecting protrusion.

[Example of idea]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking a printer as an example.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a printer to which the present invention is applied.

The printer 1 includes a photoreceptor drum 2 arranged approximately in the center and rotating in the direction shown by arrow A, a charger 3 arranged around the photoreceptor drum 2 in the vicinity of the photoreceptor drum 2,
It is equipped with an optical recording head 4, a developing device 5, a transfer charger 6, a separating roller 7, a cleaner 8, an eraser 9, and the like. The printer 1 also includes a cassette 10 disposed at the bottom, a paper feed roller 12 disposed close to the top of the cassette 10 for feeding the paper 11 stored in the cassette 10, and a paper feed roller. Conveyance rolls 13 and 14 arranged at a position slightly higher than 12;
A registration roll 15, a turn guide 16 for guiding and reversing the paper fed by the paper feed roller 12, a guide plate 17 for regulating and guiding the paper 11 transported by the transport rolls 13 and 14, and the like. It is equipped with Furthermore, printer 1
A fixing roll 18 and a paper ejection roll 19 are provided on the front side (left side in the figure).

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the main parts of a paper feeding device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts thereof.

Cassettes 10 are provided for different paper sizes, and are loaded with paper 11 and inserted into a predetermined position within the printer 1 so as to be freely insertable and removable in the direction shown by arrow B.

A switch pushing member 20 serving as a display member for displaying the size of the sheets 11 is provided on the side surface of the cassette 10 at a position facing the lower end of the turn guide 16. The switch pushing member 20 has a claw shape with a rectangular cross section, and has a curved surface 2 on the outside of its upper part.
0a is formed and fixed at a predetermined position for each of the cassettes 10 according to paper size. The bottom plate 21 is elastically supported by a spring (not shown) provided on the lower side, and the feeding end side of the paper 11 stored in the cassette 10 is loaded thereon.

The paper feed roller 12 has a flat surface 12a on a part of its outer periphery, and is pivoted near the upper side of the paper feeding side of the cassette 10, and when stopped, the flat surface 12a is attached to the paper 11
is facing.

The turn guide 16 has a concave curved surface 16a formed facing the paper feeding side of the cassette 10, and the concave curved surface 16a
In this example of 6a, conveyor rolls 13 and 14 are provided approximately in the middle part.
is provided with a shaft 2 at the lower end facing the cassette 10.
It is rotatably supported by 2. Further, the turn guide 16 has a recess 16b formed from below near the lower edge of the concave curved surface 16a on the lower end surface facing the cassette 10, and a switch 23 is provided at one end of the recess 16b.

The switch 23 includes a switch body 23a and three actuators 23 assigned to each paper size.
b, the surface of the switch body 23a is substantially flush with the lower edge of the concave curved surface 16a, and the actuator 2
Only the portion 3b protrudes toward the cassette 10 and is fixed by a screw 23d. As shown in FIG. 4, the three actuators 23b all have downwardly curved surfaces 23c formed at their tips, and are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance from each other. Incidentally, the tip of the actuator 23b may be formed into a round hemispherical shape. The position of the switch pushing member 20 of the cassette 10 prepared for each paper size is determined corresponding to the position of each actuator 23b, and when the cassette 10 of each paper size is inserted into a predetermined position, the switch pushing member 20 flat surface 20 of
In b, the corresponding actuator 23b is in a position where it can be freely retracted back and forth only when the tip is pressed. When the actuator 23b rotates around the shaft 22 and tilts as shown in FIG. 3, the tip of the actuator 23b moves away from the position facing the switch pushing member 20 of the cassette 10 and points diagonally upward. becomes.

When the turn guide 16 is in the fixed position as shown in FIG.
It is pivotally supported at a fixed position forming a pair with the transport roll 13 of.

The guide plate 17 forms a curved surface, and the conveyor roll 14
The concave curved surface 16 of the turn guide 16 extends above and below the
They are arranged so that the distance from a becomes tapered.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 with the above configuration will be explained.

In FIG. 5, the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is uniformly charged by a charger 3 in advance. The optical recording head 4 is driven by a recording control section (not shown) that receives recording information and controls timing, etc., and converts light emitted from a light source (not shown) into writing exposure signaled according to the information, and records information on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2. Perform optical writing to. The electrostatic latent image thus formed is developed with toner in the developing device 5 and made visible.

On the other hand, when the cassette 10 is inserted into a predetermined position and the turn guide 16 is in a closed state, the actuator 23b of the switch 23 is pushed by the switch pushing member 20 as shown in FIG. , normal loading of the cassette 10 and detection of paper size are performed. Then, in response to a print start instruction, the paper 11 is fed by the paper feed roller 12, then changes its direction along the path formed by the turn guide 16 and the guide plate 17, and then moves to the transport roll 1.
3 and 14, and is conveyed by the resist rolls 15.
reach. Here, the paper 11 is the registration roll 15
As a result, the leading edge is synchronized to match the leading edge of the visualized image on the photosensitive drum 2, and the image is transferred by the transfer charger 6. Furthermore, the paper 11 is separated from the photosensitive drum 2 by a separation roller 7, fixed by a fixing roll 18, and then discharged from the machine by a paper discharge roll 19. On the other hand, after residual toner and residual charges on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2 that were not completely transferred to the transfer paper by the transfer charger 6 are removed by a cleaner 8 and an eraser 9, respectively, the photoreceptor drum 2 is removed by the charger 3. A uniform charge is applied to the surface in preparation for the next image formation.

As shown in FIG. 3, even if the cassette 10 is in a predetermined position, when the turn guide 16 is in the open state, the actuator 23b tilts upward and comes off the switch pushing member 20 of the cassette 10.
Since neither actuator 23b is pressed by the switch pushing member 20, the state is the same as when the cassette 10 is not inserted, and a signal (not shown) indicating that printing is not possible is displayed. That is, printing is possible only when the cassette 10 is inserted in a predetermined position and the turn guide 16 is in a closed predetermined position. Therefore, the inconvenience of forgetting to reset the turn guide 16 after opening it and feeding the paper as it is, resulting in a jam, can be reliably prevented. Further, curved surfaces 20 are provided on the mutual contact surfaces of the switch pushing member 20 and the actuator 23b.
a, 23c are formed, so the turn guide 1
If a jam occurs in the section 6, the turn guide 1 can be removed without having to take out the cassette 10 each time.
6 to open it as shown in Fig. 3, the jammed paper 11 can be removed and the turn guide 16 can be reset, making it possible to efficiently check and handle troubles such as jams. be able to.

It should be noted that the present invention is applicable not only to PPC printers but also to copying machines and the like, and is also applicable not only to cases where the turn guide 16 is provided but also to cases where a normal forward direction guide is provided.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, there is provided a display member provided on the outer wall surface of the paper feed side of the cassette to display the size of the stored paper, an actuator section that can come into contact with the display member and that can move forward and backward, and the actuator section. and a paper size detecting means consisting of a switch main body to house the paper, and substantially only the actuator protrudes from the rotating part of the conveyance means that conveys the paper along a predetermined path. , the space of the paper feeding section can be saved, which is advantageous for miniaturization, and if the rotatable portion of the conveying means is rotated so that the actuator section does not come into contact with the display member, the paper size The detection means can not only detect the paper size but also detect whether the rotatable portion of the conveyance means is at a predetermined position after rotation, and there is no malfunction in paper size detection. The structure is also simple.
Furthermore, if a curved surface is formed at the mutually abutting portion of the display member and the actuator section, the rotatable portion of the conveying means can be easily rotated, and troubles such as jams can be checked without having to pull out the cassette each time. Processing work can be done efficiently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing the main parts of a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, and Fig. 3 shows a state in which the cassette is in a predetermined position and the turn guide is open. 4 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the cassette and switch, and FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the entire printer to which the present invention is applied.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing separate conventional examples. 1...Printer, 2...Photosensitive drum, 3...
Charger, 4... Optical recording head, 5... Developer, 6
...Transfer charger, 7...Separation roller, 8...Cleaner, 9...Eraser, 10...Cassette, 11...
... Paper, 12 ... Paper feed roller, 13, 14 ... Conveyance roll, 15 ... Registration roll, 16 ... Turn guide, 16a ... Concave curved surface, 16b ... Concave part,
17... Guide plate, 18... Fixing roll, 19...
... Paper discharge roll, 20 ... Switch push member, 20
a...Curved surface, 21...Bottom plate, 22...Axis, 23...
...Switch, 23a...Switch body, 23b...
...actuator, 23c...curved surface, 23...screw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) In a paper feeding device that feeds and conveys stacked paper along a predetermined path, a cassette for stacking and storing paper and an outer wall surface of the paper feeding side of the cassette a paper size detection protrusion corresponding to the paper size to be stored, and a conveyance means, at least a portion of which is rotatably provided, for conveying the fed paper along a predetermined path; A paper feeding device comprising: a paper size detecting/transporting means rotation detecting means that is provided at a rotating portion of the transporting means and can come into contact with the paper size detection protrusion. (2) The paper feeder according to claim 1, wherein a curved surface is formed in a mutually abutting part of the paper size detection protrusion and the paper size detection/conveying means rotation detection means. sending device.