JPH0449140A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve set up efficiency without increasing a size of a device total unit by providing a hand insertion tray, intermediate tray, conveying means and a laterally moving means in a front surface of an image forming device main unit having a front loading type cassette, in a copying machine or the like. CONSTITUTION:A hand insertion paper feed port, hand insertion tray 3 and a cassette 5 are provided in a front surface of a main unit 1a of a copying machine 1, and an intermediate tray 31 is arranged above the cassette 5. The hand insertion tray 3, which is closed, is opened, and from here, a sheet P1 is inserted till it hits a shutter 31a. When an end of the sheet P1 is detected by a detecting sensor 43, paired rollers 33a, 33b are brought into contact with the sheet by turning the intermediate tray 31 to convey the sheet P1. The arrival sheet P1 on the intermediate tray 31 is moved laterally, and when the rear end hits the shutter 31a to stop, the drive roller 33a and a roll 36 are stopped. A pickup roller 7 is started to rotate by receiving a stop signal of the roller, and an image is formed by conveying the sheet P from the cassette 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, etc.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which sheets are manually fed from the front of the image forming apparatus.

(B) Prior Art A conventional electronic copying machine 100 is shown in FIG. The sheet 102 fed from the manual paper feed tray 101 by laying it sideways is conveyed by paper feed rollers 103, 105 and registration rollers 106, and transferred to transfer guides 107, 10.
9 and the image on the drum 110 is transferred to the transfer separation charger 1.
11 and 112, the toner image is transferred and separated by a conveyance section 113, the toner image is fixed by a fixing roller section 115, and finally the toner image is conveyed in a fixed direction until it is discharged to a paper discharge tray 116.

In addition, in the case of multiple image formation, after the fixing is completed, the fixing unit 11
5, the sheet 102 is directed to a double-sided multiplexing sheet conveyance path 119 by a paper flaw direction plate 117, passes through this, and is fed again to the drum 110 and the fixing roller section 115. In the case of double-sided image formation, , while the transfer material 102 is being ejected by the ejection roller 120, the ejection roller 120 is reversed, and the paper is guided by the paper damage prevention plate 117 to the conveying path 119.
It passes through and is fed into the drum 110.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, as mentioned above, the manual paper feed tray 10
1 is located on the right side of the electronic copying machine 100, and the tray 101
In order to tilt the copying machine to the right side and set the transfer material 102 thereon, it is necessary to provide sufficient space on the right side of the copying machine 100, which poses a problem that the space efficiency for installing the copying machine becomes poor.

In addition, when paper is fed from the front of the electronic copying machine 100 perpendicularly to the sheet conveyance path 119 for double-sided multiplexing using a conventional manual paper feed tray 101, the orthogonal conveyance means and the transfer material 102 are This method requires a positioning means, a means for switching the conveyance mechanism of the duplex sheet conveyance path 119, etc., and has the disadvantage that the height dimension becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet conveyance device that can significantly improve installation efficiency without increasing the size of the entire device including the conveyance path.

(d) Means for solving the problem The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes:
For example, with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, in an image forming apparatus (1) having a front-loading cassette (5), located at the front of the image forming apparatus main body (1a), a manual feed tray (3) that feeds manual sheets (PI) in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction of the cassette (5); and a manual feed tray (3) that is located above the cassette (5) and feeds sheets from the manual feed tray (3). The manual feed sheet (Pl
) - (P
, ) to a position where paper is fed via the paper feed path (7, 9) of the cassette (5), and an intermediate tray (31) that is movable
and the manual feed sheet (P,) into the manual feed tray (3).
) for transporting the received manual sheet (Pl) on the intermediate tray (31) in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction of the cassette (5).
The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with width adjusting means (36) for width adjusting.

Further, when the intermediate tray (31) is in the paper feeding position, the manual feed sheet (Pl) is loaded into the cassette (5).
to the pickup roller (7) for the previous J self cassette (5).
) The lifter (44) is used to pressurize or release the pressurization.

(f) Function Based on the above configuration, when the operator manually feeds the manual feed sheet (Pl) onto the manual feed tray (3), the transport means (33
a, 33b) in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction of the cassette (5), and then the manual feed sheet)-(P,)
At the receiving position, the intermediate tray (31) receives the manual sheet (P,), and the received manual sheet (P,) is transferred to the cassette (5) on the intermediate tray (31) by the width adjusting means (36). Align the width in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction. Then, the intermediate tray (31) moves the manual feed sheet (Pl) to a position where it is fed through the paper feed path (7, 9) of the cassette (5), and then feeds the manual feed sheet (Pl). do.

Further, when the intermediate tray (31) is in the paper feeding position, the manual feed sheet (Pl) is pressed against the pickup roller (7) for the cassette (5) by the lifter (44) for the cassette (5). and the paper feed path (
7, 9).

Note that the symbols in parentheses are just examples and do not limit the answer structure.

(f) Example Embodiments of the present invention will be shown below along with the drawings.

1 and 4 show a copying machine 1 embodying the present invention.

A manual paper feed port 2, a manual paper tray 3, and a cassette 5 are provided on the front of the main body 1a. That is, it is formed as a front loading type. Then, when the sheet material 6 stored in the cassette 5 is separated by the pickup roller 7 and fed, the sheet material 6 is transported to the registration rollers 10 by the transport roller 9. The registration roller 10 positions the image formed on the drum 11 in synchronization with the image formed on the drum 11.
The sheet P is conveyed at a predetermined timing. and,
The image on the drum 11 is transferred to the sheet P by the transfer charger 12. Further, the sheet material 6 is separated from the drum 11 by the separation charger 13, and is transported to the fixing part 16 by the conveyance part 15. It will be established. and,
The sheet P on which a single image is to be copied on one side is handled by the paper ejection roller 17.
The paper is ejected by

Furthermore, when most of the sheet P on which a double-sided image is to be copied is discharged by the paper discharge roller 17, the paper discharge roller 17 is reversed, guided downward by the flapper 19, and fed into the double-sided/multiple path 20. It will be done.

Also, the sheet P on which a single-sided multiple image is to be copied has a flapper 1.
9, it is sent to the double-sided/multiplex bus 20.

Then, the sheet material 6 on which double-sided double and single-sided multiple images are to be copied passes through a pair of guide plates 21 and 22, and is again sent to the registration roller 10 by a refeed roller 23, where a predetermined copying operation is performed. .

Next, a configuration in which paper is manually fed from the front of the main body 1a, which is a main part of the present invention, will be explained.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, an intermediate tray 31 is disposed above the cassette 5, and is pivotally supported by left and right pins 32 fixed to the main body 1a. A shutter 31a made of a vertical wall is provided, and an L-shaped bracket 31b facing toward the front is provided on the vertical wall 31a.
A driven roller 33b is pivotally supported at the front end of this bracket 31b. This bracket 31b has a tension spring 34 whose one end is locked to the main body 1a.
is urged upward by.

Further, a driving roller 33 is provided opposite to this driven roller 33b.
A is pivotally supported on the back side of the manual feed tray 3 in close proximity to the back side of a manual feed tray 35 fixed on the same horizontal plane as the tray 3.

In addition, in the middle of the intermediate tray 31, parallel to the shutter 31a, a roller 36 or a gear 37 which is pivotally supported by the intermediate tray 31 so as to protrude from the upper surface of the intermediate tray 31 and faces the roller 36 is mounted on a vertical wall. The roller 36 and the gear 37 are respectively provided with concentric and integral pulleys 36a and 37a, which are pivotally supported by the intermediate tray 31 near the base end of the roller 31a.
A belt 38 is stretched around these pulleys 36a and 37a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a gear 39 is provided below the gear 37.
A gear 40 is provided concentrically and integrally with the drive roller 33a, and an intermediate gear 41 that meshes with the gear 39 and the gear 40 is provided. When the intermediate tray 31 rotates counterclockwise and the driven roller 33b comes into contact with the driving roller 33a, the gear 37 meshes with the gear 39, and the driving roller 33a rotates in the direction of arrow C. At times, the roller 36 rotates in the direction of the arrow. In addition, gear 39. ．． 40 and 41 are each pivotally supported by the main body 1a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a solenoid 42 is attached to the front end of the intermediate tray 31 facing downward, and when the intermediate tray 31 is pulled upward by a tension spring 34, a stopper (not shown) etc., so that the upper surface of the intermediate tray 31 and the upper surface of the manual feed tray 35 are located on almost the same plane, and when the solenoid 42 is turned on, the intermediate tray 31 is placed under the tension of the tension spring 34 The driven roller 33b is urged downward against the force, and as described above, the driven roller 33b comes into pressure contact with the driving roller 33a, and the gear 37 meshes with the gear 39.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(e), the cassette 5 is provided with an intermediate plate 45 supported by a shaft 45a at an intermediate portion between the left and right sides, and is pressurized upward by a lifter 44. As shown in FIG. 2(b), a detection sensor 43 is disposed just before the shutter 31a to detect the manually fed sheet P□.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Open the closed manual feed tray 3 and make it horizontal. Next, place the manual feed sheet P on this tray 3, and
Align the right edge of the sheet P1 with the right side guide 4 of 5 and follow the arrow A.
Insert it in the direction shown in Figure 2(b).

At this time, the intermediate tray 31 is in the upper position, and the roller pair 33a
, 33b are pressure released, and the shutter 31a is in a closed state. In this state, when the sheet P1 is inserted until it hits the shutter 31a, the detection sensor 43 disposed just before the shutter detects the leading edge of the sheet P1. Based on this information, the solenoid 42 is turned on and the intermediate tray 31 is connected to the pin 32.
The drive roller 33a rotates around the center and comes to be located at a lower position as shown in FIG. . At the same time, the lifter 44 is turned off, the sheet P is lowered, and the space between it and the intermediate tray 31 is expanded.

In this state, a stepping motor (not shown) that drives the driving roller 33a starts rotating, and the pair of rollers 33a, 33b
transports the sheet P in the direction of arrow A.

Then, when the sheet P1 leaves the roller pair 33a, 33b, the sheet P is thrown into the intermediate tray 31 and lands on the intermediate tray 31. At this time, Koro 36
is rotating, and the sheet P1 is width-aligned in the direction of arrow E, as shown in FIG. 3(b), and the rear end of the sheet P1 hits the shutter 31a and stops. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the rear end of the sheet P1 was detected by the detection sensor 43, the roller 36 also stops together with the drive roller 33a. In this way, the right side edge of the manually fed sheet P8 is aligned with the right edge (leading edge) of the sheet P in the cassette 5 by the right side guide 4, and the front edge of the sheet P1 is aligned with the right edge (leading edge) of the sheet P in the cassette 5 by the shutter 31a. It is aligned with the front edge.

Then, a control unit (not shown) receives a stop signal from a motor (not shown) that drives the drive roller 33a, turns off the solenoid 42, turns on the lifter 44 in the cassette 5, and moves the middle plate 45 and the sheet P. Pressure is applied to the pick-up roller 7 through the manually inserted sheet P+. At the same time, the pick-up roller 7 starts rotating, and an image is formed on the manually fed sheet P1 through the path in which the sheet P is conveyed from the cassette 5 in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIG. 2(e).

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Members having the same functions and configurations as those of the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, a pulley 4 corresponding to a pulley 37a that is concentrically and integrally attached to a gear 37 meshing with a gear 39 is shown.
6 is attached to the middle of the intermediate tray 31, and a belt 47 is stretched between these pulleys 37a and 46. This belt 47 protrudes slightly from the upper surface of the intermediate tray 31.

By doing this, the manual feed tray P that was thrown out by the roller pair 33a and 33b and landed on the intermediate tray 31
1 in the direction of arrow E is significantly increased by replacing the roller 36 with a belt 47 with a large contact area.

Note that a sheet abutment sensor 48 may be provided on the shutter 31a to detect whether the end of the sheet P1 has reliably abutted against the shutter 31a. Furthermore, this sensor 48 can improve the reliability of detection by detecting two positions on the left and right sides of the sheet P2.

(G) Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the present invention, the intermediate tray receives a manual sheet from the front of the apparatus, the received manual sheet is width-aligned on the intermediate tray by the width adjusting means, and then the intermediate tray Since the paper is moved to the paper feeding position and the manual feed sheet is fed through the paper feed path of the cassette, the paper feed path of the manual feed sheet or the paper feed path of the cassette can be shared, so there is no need to increase the overall size of the device. , and the installation space can be significantly reduced.

Further, by using the cassette lifter for pressurizing the pickup roller, the cost of the entire apparatus can be further reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of a copying machine embodying the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a sectional front view showing a cassette paper feeding state, and FIG.
b) is a cross-sectional side view, FIG. 2(c) is a cross-sectional front view showing the manual paper feed preparation state, FIG. 2(d) is a cross-sectional side view, and FIG. 2(e) is the manual paper feed state. 3(a) is an enlarged sectional side view mainly showing the intermediate tray in FIG. 2(b), and FIG. 3(b) is an enlarged sectional side view mainly showing the intermediate tray in FIG. 2(d). A side view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment, FIG. 5(a) corresponds to FIG. 3(a), and FIG. 5(b) corresponds to FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side view showing a state corresponding to FIG. 3(b), and FIG. 6 is a sectional front view of a conventional copying machine. 1... Image forming device (copying machine) 3... Manual feed tray 5... Cassette 7.9... Paper feed path (pickup roller, conveyance roller) 31... Intermediate tray 33a, 33b... Conveying means (driving roller, driven roller) 36... Width shifting means (roller), 44... Lifter Pl... Manual feed sheet

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having a front-loading cassette, comprising: a manual feed tray located at the front of the main body of the image forming apparatus and feeding manual sheets in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction of the cassette; , located above the cassette and movable between a position for receiving the manual sheet fed from the manual tray and a position for feeding the received manual sheet through the paper feeding path of the cassette. an intermediate tray for transporting the manual feed sheet on the manual feed tray in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction of the cassette; An image forming apparatus comprising: width adjustment means for width adjustment in a direction in which the image is formed; 2. The image according to claim 1, wherein when the intermediate tray is in the paper feeding position, the manual feed sheet is pressed onto or released from the pickup roller for the cassette by the lifter for the cassette. Forming device.