JPH0494335A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the space necessary for a feeding device by arranging plural feeding cassettes in such a way that they are raised upright, horizontally moving above these feeding cassette groups so as to make them stop at a designated cassette opposing position, and by resuming feeding through the lowering of a pickup roller. CONSTITUTION:A cassette group 13 in which decalcomania paper sheets of various sizes are stored, is arranged with the cassette raised upright, and a feeding carrier part 14 is provided thereupon in the horizontal direction. A feeding unit 15 is moved to the carrier part 14 in the horizontal direction. When the unit 15 is moved on a desired cassette 13 and is stopped there, a feeding motor 26 is turned ON, and a pickup roller 30 is lowered. The roller comes into contact with a sheet surface and the feeding is thus started, and the sheet is transferred from the desired cassette 13 through the carrier part 14, and is sent from a feeding port 12 to a copying machine main body. The cassette group 13 is drawn from a drawing port 13a to the front part. In this structure, there is no superfluous space, and a motor is of small capacity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a paper feeding device applied to an electrophotographic apparatus, and particularly to a paper feeding device having a vertically arranged paper feeding cassette, which is often used as an option. Regarding equipment.

[Conventional technology]

As copying machines have become faster in recent years, large-capacity paper feed trays and cassettes are often installed as options in addition to the normal paper feed device provided within the main body.

Here, in the above-mentioned paper feeding device called a cassette bank table, when a plurality of dedicated paper feeding cassettes (hereinafter referred to as cassettes) containing transfer paper of a specific type (mainly size) are arranged in the paper feeding device, When the cassettes are arranged vertically and horizontally in parallel, the operator has to bend down when installing or removing the cassettes in the lower tier, resulting in poor operability.

Therefore, a type of paper feeding device in which cassettes are arranged vertically (standing up and arranged in parallel) has been proposed.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-36930 discloses a technology for feeding paper from a desired cassette when a box containing a plurality of vertically arranged cassettes moves horizontally and a desired cassette reaches the paper feeding unit position. Proposed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, a space is required to move the box in which a plurality of cassettes are installed in a horizontal direction (lateral direction), which increases the size of the device and
In order to move the heavy box, a motor with driving power was required, which resulted in problems such as increased cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a small and low-cost paper feeder based on a paper feeder equipped with vertically arranged cassettes.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above purpose is to arrange a plurality of paper feed cassettes that accommodate multiple types of transfer paper in an upright state, and to move horizontally above the group of paper feed cassettes and stop at a position opposite to a designated paper feed cassette. This is achieved by providing a paper feed unit that lowers a pickup roller and starts feeding paper from the paper feed cassette.

Furthermore, when the paper ends, the pickup roller rises to its original position.

[Effect]

A paper feed unit equipped with a group of paper feed rollers moves horizontally near the top surface, which is the paper feed end of the cassettes arranged in an upright state, and stops at a position W (top surface position) facing the designated cassette. , the pickup roller is lowered to feed transfer sheets one by one from the cassette. When the paper ends, the pickup roller rises to its original position and is ready for the next paper feed.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the paper feeding device, Fig. 3 is a transparent perspective view of the paper feeding device, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device. FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view of a paper feeding unit section of the paper feeding device.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a housing of the paper feeder body 1, and 12 denotes a paper feed opening opened on the top surface of the housing 11, which is aligned with the copying machine body (not shown). 13
is a group of cassettes arranged in an upright position, each of which accommodates a dedicated size of transfer paper. Reference numeral 14 denotes a paper feed conveyance section provided horizontally (in the lateral direction) above the cassette group 13;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a paper feeding unit that moves horizontally above the cassette group 13, and is normally waiting at a home position at the left end in the figure. The cassette group 13 is designed to be pulled out along a slide rail from the drawer opening 13a shown in FIG. It has become. Further, when the paper feeding and conveying unit 14 is not performing a paper feeding operation, the user can place a finger on the drawer opening 14a to release the lock and pull it out toward the front side.

Next, a mechanism for moving the paper feed unit 15 in the lateral direction will be explained with reference to FIG.

The paper feed unit 15 can be moved freely in the lateral direction by a guide rod 16.

Here, from the drive motor 17 to the reduction gears 18, 19, 20
The rotation is transmitted to the shaft 21 through the
．． The driving force is transmitted to the wire 23.23 hung on the wire 22. On the other hand, since a wire connecting rod 24, which is provided integrally with the paper feed unit 15, is fixed to the wires 23 and 23, the paper feed unit 15 cannot be moved in the lateral direction by forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 17. Become.

Next, the internal mechanism of the paper feed unit 15 will be explained with reference to FIG.

A sensor 25 is provided in parallel with the guide rod 16 at the same interval as each cassette of the cassette group 13, and a sensor 25 is installed in parallel with the guide rod 16 to
The paper feed unit 15 that has moved from the home position is stopped at the sensor 25 position of the cassette 13a) in FIG.

When the paper feed unit 15 stops, the paper feed motor 26 is turned on, and this driving force is transmitted to the pickup lever 29 via the gears 27 and 28, and the pickup lever 29 is lowered and stopped at the stop position.

At that time, if the pickup roller 30 is in contact with the paper surface, the paper feeding operation starts immediately, but when the pickup roller 30 is not in contact with the paper surface, the vapor end filler 31 provided on the big up lever 29 works. Move the paper feed unit 15 slightly in the horizontal direction and move the pickup roller 3
0 in contact with the paper surface.

When the paper surface becomes thinner after the paper feeding operation starts and the paper surface becomes thinner and the paper surface becomes thinner, the paper surface is moved slightly in the lateral direction in the same manner so that the pickup roller 30 is always brought into contact with the paper surface at the same angle.

When the paper feeding ends or the paper reaches its end, the pickup lever 29 rises and returns to its initial position, and the paper feeding unit 15 returns to its home position.

Note that the operations of the feed roller 32, reverse roller 33, and conveyance roller 34 are well known from the prior art, so explanations thereof will be omitted.

The fed transfer paper is conveyed through the paper feed conveying section 14 while being held by a belt, a belt, a wire, etc., and is fed into the main body of the copying machine (not shown) through the paper feed port 12.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the paper feeding unit is moved horizontally above a group of vertically arranged cassettes, stopped at a position opposite to a designated cassette, and fed from the cassette. Since it does not take up any extra space, and since it only drives a lightweight and small paper feeding unit, it is advantageous that the motor can be a small-capacity, inexpensive motor.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the paper feeding device, Fig. 3 is a transparent perspective view of the paper feeding device, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device. FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view of a paper feeding unit section of the paper feeding device. 13...Paper feed cassette, 15...Paper feed unit, 3
0...Pickup roller. 11!1 Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of paper feed cassettes containing a plurality of types of transfer paper are arranged in an upright state, and while moving horizontally above the group of paper feed cassettes, the paper feed cassettes are stopped at a position opposite to a designated paper feed cassette; A paper feeding device comprising a paper feeding unit that lowers a pick up roller to start feeding paper from the paper feeding cassette. (2) The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the pick-up roller is raised to the original position when the specified paper feeding cassette runs out of paper.