JPH0466775B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a feeding device equipped with a sheet material mounting table, and more particularly to a feeding device equipped with a sheet material mounting table in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a feeding device including a sheet material mounting table that brings the sheet material into contact with a feeding means such as a feeding roller in order to sequentially feed the sheet material such as a transfer material.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, methods for applying contact pressure between the feed roller and the transfer material include (1) pressing the transfer material against the feed roller whose axis position is fixed using a biasing means such as a spring, and (2) There is a method in which the upper surface (feeding surface) of a group of transfer materials is held at a fixed position by a lifter that lifts the materials, and a feeding roller whose axial position is movable is placed on the transfer materials.

In either case, when replenishing or replacing the transfer material, the pressure means for applying contact pressure must be released or
Alternatively, it is necessary to release the contact between the feed roller and the transfer material, which is inconvenient if the operator manually performs these operations, and the device does not have a signal system or drive for such release. Having a system and control system complicates the configuration of the device and makes it expensive.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional example, and when placing a sheet material on a feeding section, there is no need for an operator to release the feeding contact pressure, and the process can be carried out automatically. It is an object of the present invention to provide a feeding device having a simple pressurizing mechanism that does not require a signal system for release.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the feeding device according to the present invention includes: a feeding device that feeds the sheet material at a feeding position; a first position facing the feeding device; and a first position retracted from the feeding device. a feeding stand that is displaceable between a first position facing the feeding means and a second position disposed on the feeding stand and facing away from the feeding means;
a sheet material mounting table that can be displaced to a position; a driving means for displacing the sheet material mounting table toward the feeding means; and a drive system of the driving means,
an intermittent means for controlling intermittent operation of the driving means; and an intermittent means that is movable between a feeding position where sheets are placed and a non-feeding position, and the feeding table is moved to the second position when in the non-feeding position. and displaces the feeding table to the first position when the feeding table is in the feeding position so that a sheet can be placed together with the feeding table, and turning off the intermittent means when the feeding table is in the non-feeding position. , a manual feed tray that connects the intermittent means when in the feeding position;

〔Example〕

The details of the present invention will be explained below with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a copying apparatus in which a left feeding contact adding mechanism according to the present invention is applied to a manual feeding mechanism.

In the figure, an original 2 placed on an original placing glass 1 is illuminated by a lamp 3, and its light image is exposed to light by an optical system consisting of reflecting mirrors 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and a lens 10. It is guided onto the drum 11. The lamp 3 and mirrors 4, 5, and 6 scan the original 2 at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. On the other hand, since the photosensitive drum 11 is also rotated in the direction of the arrow after its surface is uniformly charged by the charger 12, electrostatic images corresponding to the original image are sequentially formed on the drum surface. Around the photosensitive drum 11, there is a color developer 13 containing color toner (for example, red, blue, etc.);
A black developing device 14 containing black toner is provided. Each of these developing devices is movable in the direction of the arrow, and approaches the photosensitive drum 11 to visualize the electrostatic image on the drum depending on a desired color image. In the case of this figure, the color developer 13 is far away and the black spot imager 14 is close, so a black image is formed on the drum. This image is transferred to transfer paper by a transfer charger 15. Thereafter, the photosensitive drum 11 reaches a cleaner 16, where residual toner on the drum surface is removed, and the process returns to the next step.

The transfer paper 17 performs the following operations to copy the original image. There are the following three means for feeding the transfer paper 17 into the copying apparatus.

One is stacked in the cassette 18 and fed to the paper feed roller 1.
9 and sent to a pair of rollers 20. The roller pair 20 is designed to separate and feed only the top paper into the apparatus when a plurality of overlapping sheets of transfer paper 17 are fed into the apparatus.After passing through the roller pair 20,
The transfer paper 17 reaches a register roller 23 via guide plates 21 and 22.

The second means is also loaded in a cassette 24 and fed by a feed roller 25 to a pair of rollers 26. The roller pair 26 has the same function as the previous roller pair 20, and after passing through the roller pair 26, the transfer paper 17 passes through the guide plates 27 and 28 to the register roller 2.
3.

The third method is so-called manual paper feeding, in which when the manual feed tray 29 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the manual feed table 30 enters the lower part of the paper feed roller 25 in conjunction with this movement. At this time, the transfer paper in the cassette 24 is lowered so as not to interfere with the manual feed table 30. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the manual paper feed section when the manual paper feed tray is set in the manual paper feed state. In FIG. 2, the manual feed tray 29 and the manual feed stand 30 are supported between side plates (not shown) so as to be rotatable around shafts 291 and 301, respectively. The manual feed intermediate plate 302 is provided with a separation sheet (frictional portion) 303 at a portion that contacts the paper feed roller 25, and is supported rotatably around an axis 304 with respect to both side walls of the manual feed table 30.

FIG. 3 is a view of the back side of the side wall of the manual feed stand 30 as seen from the back side of the page of FIG. A shaft 304 fixed integrally with the manual feed middle plate 302 passes through the side wall of the manual feed base 30 and has a manual feed middle plate drive gear 30 at one end thereof.
5 is fixed. Manual feeding middle plate drive gear 305
3 is a partial gear portion 305a that receives a driving force and a spring utilizing portion 305b that contacts a part of the side wall of the manual feed base 30 and urges the manual feed intermediate plate in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 3.
It consists of Further, the side wall of the manual feed base 30 is provided with a relay gear 308 that is rotatable around a shaft 306 fixed to the side wall and connected to the manual feed middle plate drive gear, and is rotatable around the rotation center axis 301 of the manual feed base 30. It meshes with a relay gear 307 that is rotatably supported. Drive gear 220 engages with relay gear 307 . Note that the paper feed roller 25 is linked to the movement of the manual feed tray 29 and the manual feed stand 30 by an interlocking mechanism to be described later, and when the manual feed tray is set (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2), the paper feed roller 25 moves the center of the upper roller 26a of the roller pair 26. Rotate upward using the center of rotation. Further, there is a stopper located above that also operates in conjunction with the rotation of the manual feed table 30 to determine the position of the paper feed roller.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the paper feeding pressure biasing mechanism that rotates the manual feed intermediate plate 302 (FIG. 2). First, the driving force transmitted from the input shaft 201 and the input gear 202 fixed thereto rotates simultaneously with the photoreceptor drum 11 and the like by a driving force from a driving source (not shown).
It enters the input gear 203 of the clutch. The gear 203 is rotatable about a shaft 204 fixed to the side plate 200, and has a cylindrical portion at one end for the winding drum of the spring clutch. Opposed to the gear 203 is an output gear 205 which also has a cylindrical surface for a spring clutch winding drum at one end and is also rotatably supported around a shaft 204 . A clutch spring 20 is installed between gears 203 and 205.
6. The control ring 207 is across. Clutch spring 2
The inner diameter of the gear 06 is formed to be slightly larger than the winding trunk system of the gears 203 and 205. Also, one end of the clutch spring is attached to a part of the input gear 203 in the rotational direction (shaft 2
04 axis direction), and the other end is fixed to the control ring 2.
It is engaged with the groove portion of 07. The outer cylinder of the control ring 207 includes a friction pad 208, a pressure ring 209, and a stop plate 2.
10 are fitted, and the stop plate 210 is stopped so as not to come off in the axial direction of the control ring. A pressure spring 211 is installed between the stop plate 210 and the pressure ring 209, and presses the pressure ring 209 against the wall surface of the control ring 207 via the friction pad 208. or,
The outer periphery of the pressure ring 209 is provided with ratchet teeth so that a control pawl 296 provided on the manual feed tray 29 can engage with it, as shown in FIG.
As a result, when the control pawl 296 is engaged with the ratchet teeth, when the input gear 202 rotates, the input gear 203 rotates, and the control ring 20 whose rotation is regulated by the pressure ring 209 and the friction pad 208
The clutch spring 206, which has one end engaged with the clutch spring 7, is wound and the driving force is transmitted to the output gear 205.
After the clutch spring 206 is wound a predetermined amount, slippage occurs between the friction pad 208 and the control ring 207.
The input gear 202 transmits the rotational driving force.

An input gear 213 of the torque limiter section meshes with an output gear 205 of the clutch section. The input gear 213 is rotatably supported around a stepped shaft 214 that is rotatably supported by the side plate 200 and an auxiliary side plate 212 fixed to the side plate 200. Axis 2
A friction pad 215 is rotatably mounted on 14, and
A pressure ring 216 is supported by parallel pins so that rotational driving force can be transmitted thereto and the pressure ring 216 can be slid in the axial direction. Further, a stop shaft 217 is fixed to the end of the stepped shaft 214, and stops a spring 218 that presses the input gear 213 and the pressure ring 216 via a friction pad 215. The retaining ring 217 has a retaining screw and can be adjusted and positioned in the thrust direction of the input gear 213. This torque limiter prevents a driving force exceeding a certain level from being transmitted due to slippage between the input gear 213 or the pressure ring 216 and the friction pad 215. Furthermore, the stepped shaft 214
A drive gear 220 is fixed to the other end, and a drive gear 220 is fixed to the shaft 3 on the inside of the side plate 200 (the side where the manual feed tray 39 is located).
It meshes with a relay gear 307 rotatably supported by 01.

7 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken in the opposite direction to FIG. 2, and show an interlocking mechanism between the paper feed tray 29 and the paper feed stand 30. A gear portion 29a formed in a portion of the paper feed tray meshes with a partial gear 182 rotatable around a shaft 181 fixed to the side plate 180. An output partial gear 183 is fitted onto the boss of the input partial gear 182 and is rotatable, and on this gear 183 there are two inclined parts 183a,
183b is integrally formed. Further, the output partial gear 183 meshes with a partial gear portion 30a formed on a part of the side wall of the paper feed tray 30. The toggle mechanism is a shaft 18 fixed to the side plate 180 (see Fig. 9).
an arm 160 rotatably supported in four rotations;
It is constituted by a roller 162 rotatable around a shaft 161 provided therein, and a compression coil pressure spring 163 passed between the arm 160 and a bent portion 180a of a side plate 180 that is partially bent. Then, the rollers 162 are connected to the slope 183a or 1 of the partial gear 183.
By pressing 83b (as shown in FIG. 8 or 7), a toggle force is applied to bias the paper feed tray 30 toward the stopper 321 or 322 at the end of the movable range. A gap is provided between the input and output partial gears 182 and 183 in the rotational direction.

FIG. 10 is a view of the side plate 200 viewed from the outside (the side without the paper feed table 30). The paper feed tray 29 is provided with a control claw 296 rotatable around a boss 29b that forms a rotation center 291 of the paper feed tray, and a control claw 296 is provided between a fixed point on the paper feed tray and a fixed point on the control claw 296. It is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 10 by a tensioned spring 297. Further, the control claw 296 has a slot 296b that engages with a boss 29c provided on the paper feed tray 29, thereby regulating the rotational position.

Now, as shown in FIG. 7, when the paper feed tray is released, the control pawl 296 is attached to the ratchet teeth provided on the pressure ring 209 of the clutch, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. Not engaged. Therefore, the driving force (gear 202) that drives the intermediate plate 302 is not transmitted.

When the paper feed tray is rotated to the set state (FIG. 8), one end 18 of the input partial gear 182
2d presses one end 183f of the output partial gear 183 to rotate the gear 183 clockwise against the spring 163, and this rotation is transmitted to the paper feed table 30 (gear 3
0a) and the paper feed tray 30 rotates in conjunction (FIG. 8). On the other hand, when the paper feed tray is set, the control pawl 296 abuts against and engages the pressure ring 209 (FIG. 10). Therefore, if the drive source is energized in this state, the driving force is transmitted as described above.

With the above configuration, when the operator of the copying machine selects manual feed and rotates the manual feed tray 29 in the direction of arrow A, the manual feed tray 30 enters the set state (second
figure). The manual feed stand 30 is always biased toward either the solid line position or the two-dot chain line position in FIG. 3 by the toggle mechanism.

Further, the manual feed table 30 is positioned by stoppers 321 and 322 in both the set position shown by the solid line and the released position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

A micro switch 350 is provided near the set position stopper to detect that the manual feed table 30 is in the set state. In this way, manual feed stand 3
When 0 is set, manual feed middle plate 3
02 is biased in the direction of arrow B by the action of the spring portion 305b of the drive gear 305, so a predetermined gap is formed between the paper feed roller 25 and the manual intermediate plate 302. The operator inserts the transfer material into the space between the paper feed roller 25 and the manual feed intermediate plate 302, and places it against the front end wall surface 310 of the manual feed table 30 (see FIG. 5). When the copying machine presses the start switch (copy button) that does not operate, the copying machine starts printing the photoreceptor drum 1 in order to obtain the initial state necessary for image formation.
1 rotates. At this time, the input gear 202 rotates at the same time, and the driving force is transmitted so that the manual feed middle plate 302 rises and hits the paper feed roller 25. At this point, the aforementioned torque limiter is activated, and the manual feed middle plate 302 transfers the placed transfer material to the paper feed roller with a torque (friction coefficient and pressure between the input gear 213 or output gear 216 and the friction pad 215). spring 2
18). This state continues until a series of copies are completed and the driving of the photosensitive drum 11 and the like is stopped. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed after inputting the start switch, a transfer paper detection device (not shown) detects the presence of transfer paper, and if transfer paper is present, the paper feed roller is activated and the transfer paper is transferred to roller pair 2.
Send it to 6. (See FIG. 6) Here, the register roller 23 (FIG. 1) starts rotating at a timing such that the developed image on the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer paper coincide, and the upper transfer guide 3
1. Feed the transfer paper to the drum surface via the lower transfer guide 32. As mentioned above, the image on the drum surface is transferred to the transfer paper by the transfer charger 15,
separated from the drum surface by a separation charger 39;
The image is sent to the fixing device 35 via the conveying section 34.
The image on the transfer is fixed as a permanent image by the fixing device 35, and the transfer paper is sent to the first discharge roller 36, and then to the second discharge roller 39 via the first flapper 37 and the second flapper 38. and is then ejected from the copying machine. In the figure, the second flapper 3
8 is shown blocking the transfer paper path, but this second flapper 38 is made of a light material and is rotatable in the direction of the arrow, so when the transfer paper passes through, the transfer paper path is blocked. Since it is pushed up by the leading edge of the paper and takes a retracted position with respect to the transfer paper, there is no problem in passing the transfer paper.

When a series of copies is completed, the last transfer sheet is ejected, and the apparatus stops, the input gear 202 also stops rotating. At this time, the spring arm portion 305 of the drive gear 305
Due to the biasing force b, the manual insert middle plate 302, each gear, etc. are given a force in the opposite direction, and the clutch spring 206
becomes loose and the drive is cut off. Therefore, the manual feed middle plate 30
2 rotates in the direction of arrow A again, and a space is again formed between the paper feed roller 25 and the manual feed intermediate plate 302.

When returning to normal cassette paper feeding instead of manual paper feeding, by rotating the manual feeding tray 29 in the opposite direction of the arrow, the manual feeding stand 30 will also be released, and the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2 will be released. Move to the release position indicated by .

At the beginning of release, the toggle arm 160
An output partial gear 183 that is biased by rollers 162 and is positioned by a stopper 321 via the paper feed table 30; an input partial gear 182 that meshes with the paper feed tray 29 that is positioned by a stopper (not shown); The gap S provided between , is first filled. Therefore, the paper feed table 30 (gear 18
3) does not move, the control pawl 296 separates from the pressure ring 209 (as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10), and the driving force is cut off. Note that the gap S is between the inclined portions 183a and 18 of the output partial gear 183.
Since the rotation angle is smaller than that of 3b, the toggle force does not impede the application of the toggle force to the paper feed tray 30.

In this way, while the paper feed table 30 is not moving, the rotation of the paper feed tray 29 disengages the clutch for transmitting the driving force, so that the operator can perform the rear rotation of the device (when the feed by the feed roller has finished). Even if the paper feed tray is released while the drive system is still in operation after paper feeding is finished (such as during the subsequent rotation of other members), the middle plate 302 etc. will not move and abnormal noise will be generated. There is no. Further, since the driving force transmitted through the torque limiter is cut off, the paper feed table 30 can be moved to the release position with an extremely small rotational force.

Furthermore, when the tray 29 is rotated, the gear 183
rotates to the left and the roller 162 comes onto the inclined portion 183c. At this time, the turning force of the gear 183 due to the spring 163 no longer acts, so no resistance force acts upon the rotation of the tray 29. Therefore, the right rotation of the paper feed tray 30 (FIGS. 8 and 9) is smoothly performed. It is done.

Further, when the tray 29 is rotated clockwise, the state shown in FIG. 7 is obtained.

At this time, the paper feed roller 25 is lowered by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) and positioned at a position suitable for feeding paper into the cassette.

Furthermore, by arranging the spring arm portion 305b that biases the manual feed middle plate 302 in the return direction at the end of the manual feed middle plate shaft 304 and on the drive input side, the manual feed middle plate 302 is pushed back by the urging force in the return direction. It is desirable that there is no twisting.

When the manual feed stand 30 is not used, the control pawl 269 and the pressure ring 209 are disengaged and the driving rotational force is not transmitted to the torque limiter, so the friction pad 215 forming the torque limiter and the input gear 213, pressure ring 21
Since there is no slippage between the parts and the parts 6, they are less affected by changes in characteristics due to wear and the like of these members. In other words, even if the device is equipped with a manual feed mechanism,
Since the manual feed mechanism is not used very often, it is desirable to avoid unnecessary wear when the manual feed mechanism is not in use, which extends the lifespan of each component and reduces service costs.

Furthermore, by releasing the paper feed tray 29, the clutch is disengaged when manual paper feed is not in use, so the operator can manually release the manual feed tray and the manual feed even during a manual feed sequence such as when the apparatus main body is rotated backwards. When the manual feed is released, the middle plate 302 does not rotate unnecessarily, and no abnormal noise is generated.

The above is a description of one embodiment of the feeding device according to the present invention, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

For example, in this embodiment, the pressure mechanism is applied to the manual feed mechanism provided at the cassette paper feed port, but the configuration of the present invention only needs to have a movable paper feed tray. It is clear that the paper feed table in this embodiment does not necessarily need to move in conjunction with the paper feed tray. That is, even if the driving means for driving the transfer material mounting table, which is rotatable around a shaft fixed to the main body of the apparatus, is brought into contact with the paper feed tray by moving it closer to or away from the paper feed tray, a paper feed mechanism that is easy for the operator to use can be realized. Ru. Further, for example, a structure may be adopted in which the middle plate is moved up and down in response to attachment and detachment of the cassette. However, the cassette is not completely removable like a normal cassette, and may be a drawer-shaped cassette.

Further, in this embodiment, the rotation shaft forming the rotation center of the transfer material mounting table is directly rotationally driven.
A transfer material mounting table elevating member that is different from the rotation center of the transfer material mounting table may be driven.

Further, a motor dedicated to paper feeding is provided to rotate the gear 202, and the clutch means (the gear 202
3 and the gear 205) may be controlled in conjunction with the on/off of this motor.

As described above, by providing the paper feeding pressure applying mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention, a space is always secured between the paper feeding roller and the transfer paper device stand while the apparatus is stopped.
With a manual paper feed mechanism that allows you to place, replenish, and remove unused transfer paper very naturally, the device does not require a signal source drive control means to control the elevation and descent of the transfer paper mounting table. Since functions that can be performed automatically in conjunction with the drive of the main body can be easily realized, operability is improved, and at the same time, it is useful for saving resources and energy, and making the device cheaper and more popular.

Also, since there is an opening between the paper feed roller and the transfer paper mounting table (denoted as middle plate in the examples), it is easy to set the leading edge of the transfer paper to be placed on the back side of the paper feed roller. Therefore, the paper feed roller will not fail to take out the transfer paper even if the leading edge of the transfer paper has curls or other curls, and the paper feeding stability will be improved. Furthermore, since the leading edge of the transfer paper is on the back side (downstream side) of the paper feed roller, the position of the leading edge of the transfer paper can be matched with the position of the leading edge of the transfer paper in normal cassette feeding, which facilitates sequence control of the apparatus. That is, there is no need to change other sequences, just by changing the timing of detecting the manual feed mode and detecting the presence or absence of transfer paper.

Furthermore, since the transfer paper is placed in a lowered state of the transfer paper mounting table, the positioning portion for determining the position of the placed transfer paper can be set high, making positioning easier.

Furthermore, the life of the members constituting the torque limiter can be extended comprehensively.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The feeding device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and has the effect of being easy to operate because the sheet material mounting table is displaced simply by switching the feeding table.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the manual feed mechanism, FIG. 3 is a back view of the main parts of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a photoreceptor drum and Plan view of the gear train connecting the manual feed mechanism section, 5th
Figures 6 to 6 are front views explaining the operation of the manual feeder section, Figure 7 is a front view showing the toggle mechanism, Figure 8 is a diagram explaining the operation of Figure 7, and Figure 9 is the same as that of Figure 7. The side view and FIG. 10 are back views of other main parts of FIG. 2. 11...Photosensitive drum, 17...Transfer paper, 18,
24... Cassette, 19, 25... Paper feed roller,
29... Manual feed tray, 30... Manual feed stand as a feeding stand, 202... Gear for transmitting driving force, 20
6...Clutch spring as intermittent means, 209...
. . . Pressure ring as intermittent means, 215 . . . Friction pad, 220 . . . Drive gear, 296 . . . Control pawl as control means, 302 .

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A feeding device that feeds the sheet material at a feeding position, and a device that can be displaced between a first position facing the feeding device and a second position evacuated from the feeding device. a feeding stand; a first position facing the feeding means and a second position facing away from the feeding means, provided on the feeding stand;
a sheet material mounting table that can be displaced to a position; a driving means for displacing the sheet material mounting table toward the feeding means; and a drive system of the driving means,
an intermittent means for controlling intermittent operation of the driving means; and an intermittent means that is movable between a feeding position where sheets are placed and a non-feeding position, and the feeding table is moved to the second position when in the non-feeding position. and displaces the feeding table to the first position when the feeding table is in the feeding position so that a sheet can be placed together with the feeding table, and turning off the intermittent means when the feeding table is in the non-feeding position. , a manual feed tray that connects the intermittent means when in the feeding position; and a feeding position having a sheet material mounting table.